Chapter 06: My Sins

~Fiona~

The digital clock on my phone screen bled a harsh, mocking 12:57 AM.

I was almost an hour late.

I stood outside the iron gates of the Alpha King’s private estate… an address sent to me by a random, unlisted number earlier in the evening.

The midnight air was crisp and cool against my skin, yet my palms were completely damp with sweat, the slick moisture making me hyper-aware of how violently my hands were shaking.

Every single instinct screamed at me to spin around, sprint back to the main road, hail a taxi, and vanish into the night before he ever realized I had actually shown up.

But the memory of my reality locked me in place.

I had spent the last few hours pacing my bedroom. Desperately trying to convince myself that a man that powerful couldn't possibly be serious about summoning a low life like me.

I tried telling myself that ordering me here was just maybe because of last night… or because of what happened with Rico.

But none of it made sense.

I let out a ragged, shaky breath, knowing deep down that I was only lying to myself, because...

I still couldn’t erase the exact way he had looked at me right before I left his office today.

Those heavy, liquid-grey eyes lingering shamelessly on my body.

Tracing the curve of my hips with a dark, predatory heat that made my inner thighs squirm and twitch the moment the memory crossed my mind.

I bit down on my lower lip, feeling the faint, sensitive swelling from everything.

I knew a girl like me shouldn't be thinking about the Alpha King with this kind of dizzying, forbidden arousal.

But my treacherous body was already reacting entirely on its own, ignoring my panic as another, much filthier memory flashed behind my eyelids.

The dominant grip of his thick veiny fingers fisting my hair, anchoring my head in place while his low growl vibrated straight through my skull as I choked on the impossible size of his dick.

"Oh, Goddess..." I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut as a flush of pure, molten heat flooded my cheeks and pooled heavily between my legs.

Why had I done it?

What kind of reckless madness had possessed me to accept that VVIP offer, only to discover he wasn't just any rich customer, but Richard Blackwood himself?

The man the entire pack feared, the ruler who held our lives in his hands, and the man who happened to be my ex-boyfriend’s father.

The weight of the taboo washed over me in a suffocating wave of shame, making my stomach twist into tight, agonizing knots… but it wasn’t a painful ache.

It was a wicked, heavy throb that made me swallow hard because as wrong and completely unholy as it was to crave my ex’s father, the raw memory of his dominance was the hottest thing I had ever experienced.

Fuck, Fiona, get a grip.

Nothing would happen tonight.

You're just thinking things.

He wouldn't want some low life like you.

I nodded, letting the words sink in.

I wasn't stepping into this mansion tonight because of that scandalous night or because I wanted his touch.

I was doing this for Mom, Ivy's future, and my safety. Crossing him was no option.

My trembling fingers slipped into the pocket of my coat, wrapping tightly around the smooth, heavy plastic of the black card he had forced on me earlier.

I hadn't spent a single dime of his money… I just couldn't.

I would hand it back, tell him cleanly that I didn't want his charity, and demand that he let me go.

If that won't work… I'll resort to plan B.

Taking one last steadying breath, I looked down at the outfit hidden beneath my coat before forcing my legs to move.

The enormous glass doors slid open without a sound, welcoming me into a world of polished marble and suffocating luxury.

Everything around me whispered wealth, reminding me exactly how out of place I was.

The elevator carried me to the penthouse in complete silence, each soft beep tightening the knot in my stomach.

When the doors opened, an eerie stillness greeted me.

I stepped inside cautiously, my eyes sweeping the room.

Before I could find him, his scent found me mixed with expensive tobacco.

Something deeply masculine beneath it that no cologne could imitate.

It lingered in the air, wrapping itself around me until it felt as though his presence had already closed the distance between us.

I hated how instantly I recognized it.

"This is for Mom," I whispered, clutching the card tighter. "For Ivy."

"You're late." His deep voice shattered the silence, making me flinch.

My head snapped toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Richard stood there with one hand tucked into his pocket, the other holding a lit cigar. Even from across the room, he looked so unreal.

Then he turned, those eyes settled on mine with a slow, unwavering intensity that made my knees go weak.

I quickly lowered my eyes to the floor. "I'm... sorry."

The apology slipped out before I could stop it, soft and instinctive, as though saying those two words had become second nature whenever I was around him.

Richard didn't answer.

Instead, he began walking toward me slowly, completely unhurried.

My body reacted before my mind could.

I took a step back. Then another.

Until the backs of my legs struck the hard edge of the console table behind me, stopping me cold.

My breath caught painfully in my throat. There was nowhere left to go.

He stopped directly in front of me, close enough for his broad frame to shut out everything else.

His shadow swallowed me whole, while the familiar scent wrapped itself around me until it became impossible to think about anything except the man standing before me.

"Did you think I was joking?" he asked quietly.

His voice was low and perfectly controlled, carrying none of the anger I'd expected, yet somehow making my pulse race even faster.

"I told you midnight."

I opened my mouth, but no words came.

"I don't like waiting... Pink Flower."

The nickname rolled effortlessly off his tongue, warm and dangerously intimate, sending an involuntary shiver through me.

It was the second time he was calling me that.

I hated how much I didn't hate it.

Silence settled between us.

It stretched just long enough for my heart to begin pounding against my ribs before the corner of his mouth lifted into the faintest, darkest hint of a smirk.

"But… I'll overlook it."

I blinked hard.

"This once," he said softly.

I didn't like the way it sounded… it was as though more was to come.

Or worse...

A reminder that whether I deserved it or not was entirely his decision.

I swallowed hard before reaching into my coat pocket, my trembling fingers wrapping around the black card as I pulled it out and held it toward him.

"I came to return this."

His gaze dropped to the card for only a second before returning to my face.

A faint crease appeared between his brows. "You didn't use it."

I shook my head. "No."

"Why?"

"I... couldn't."

His eyes searched mine with an intensity that made me feel seen. "A gift is a gift," he murmured, his voice roughening into a low growl that settled deep inside my chest. "I told you to buy whatever you wanted."

His gaze hardened slightly. "I assumed you'd at least have the sense to use it for your sister's school fees… or cover last month's hospital bill for your Mom."

Every muscle in my body went rigid.

How did he know that?

How much does he know about me?

"I'm sorry," I whispered before I could stop myself.

His jaw flexed. "Stop apologizing."

I blinked, startled.

"It irritates me," he said evenly, holding my gaze without the slightest hint of hesitation. "You apologize far too much."

Embarrassment burned across my face, I didn't know what to say anymore. So I just lowered my eyes and said the next thing I could think of. "...Okay."

For the first time since I'd arrived, the hard line of his expression softened, only by a fraction.

I didn't understand why I became so timid around him. It wasn't fear... at least I didn't think it was. Every time he looked at me, the words simply disappeared.

"Good." His hand rose between us before I could even think to move away, and he patted my head.

Then his palm moved lower, the rough pad of his thumb brushed lightly against the corner of my lower lip, lingering there as though he wanted to remove something, yet instead of pulling away, he slowly rubbed the sensitive skin while his gaze remained fixed on my mouth.

The touch which was supposed to be casual, sent unraveling heat to my body far more completely than if he'd kissed me.

I forced myself to meet his eyes, only to find him already watching me with that same intensity from earlier that always left me feeling stripped bare.

"Good girl," he murmured softly, his fingers trailing down my jaw before falling away.

A violent shiver raced the length of my spine.

Those two simple words settled somewhere deep inside me, awakening something I wished desperately I didn't understand.

Without another word, Richard stepped aside, his heavy gaze never leaving mine.

"Sit.”

This is the perfect moment.

He's in a good mood.

My fingers hovered over the buttons of my oversized brown coat. For one brief, terrifying second, I almost lost my nerve.

Then I remembered why I was here.

Drawing in a shaky breath, I forced my trembling fingers to undo each button until the coat slipped loose from my shoulders.

The thick fabric slid down my arms before falling to the polished marble floor, cool air brushed against my exposed skin, sending goosebumps racing over my arms.

Beneath the coat, I wore nothing but a sheer, lace-trimmed silk nightslip. The delicate fabric clung to every curve of my body, hugging my waist while barely containing the fullness of my breasts.

It was a desperate choice. One I'd stood in front of my bedroom mirror for nearly twenty minutes debating before finally convincing myself I had no other option.

Under the relentless weight of Richard's gaze, I became painfully aware of every inch of exposed skin, every vulnerable detail I'd chosen to reveal.

My face burned. I couldn't bring myself to look directly at him.

"Just..." My voice cracked, forcing me to swallow before I tried again. "Just let me go after this, Your Majesty."

My eyes remained fixed somewhere around the center of his chest, afraid of what I might find if I looked any higher.

"I'm ready to do whatever you want tonight," I continued.

I'll try to bargain with him.

Anything.

The fear of not knowing what I had actually done or why I was here consumed me.

It couldn't be just about getting rid of Rico's name.. could it?

I swallowed, forcing my gaze to meet his.

"So... please. Let me pay for my sins.."

"...and leave.”