Chapter 16

VIOLET'S POV

"Thank you," I whispered, unable to stop myself from staring at the Lycan King as he freed me from the shackles that bound me to the chair.

My hands hurt so much the moment they were free. For a minute, they didn't even feel like mine. They felt heavy, and pain spread through my body as I winced.

"Good to see you're still in one piece," the Lycan King, whose name remained a mystery to me, blurted out. His eyes were fixed on my neck as he mumbled something I couldn't make out.

"I believe you are." I bit down on my bottom lip as warmth spread through my neck, embarrassment creeping into my cheeks.

I couldn't help feeling like a fool for making him come to my rescue after he'd warned me against returning to my people. I'd overestimated the loyalty of my own species, believing I would be safer here than if I'd gone with the Lycans.

"Where's Ansel?" I asked, suddenly feeling uneasy about how easily the Lycan King had reached me, even though there must have been hundreds of guards stationed around the palace. "How did you get in?"

"I might have begged the little guards to let me in." He smirked, taking a step back and gesturing towards the blood staining his hands. A wild grin spread across his face. "See? I begged my way in."

"More like you forced your way in." I chuckled at how freely he could joke in such a situation, even though he didn't seem like the type to make silly jokes.

He nodded, running his bloodied hand through his long black hair.

"Sounds about right." He snickered.

Then, as if by magic, his smile faltered, and his face returned to its usual cold, distant expression.

"And as for Ansel, I'm afraid your little Alpha is hiding somewhere in this crummy palace of his, like the pussy he is."

He muttered something that sounded like "stupid werewolf" under his breath before turning to look at my body.

That was when I realised I was wearing nothing but my panties and bra. The long coat I'd been wrapped in the previous day, before I was kidnapped, was gone.

"Oh!" I gasped, quickly wrapping an arm around my chest as an embarrassing flush spread across my cheeks.

That would make it the second time he'd seen me half-naked in a row.

"Perverted son of a gun!" he cursed under his breath.

He slipped out of the long black jacket he was wearing and held it in his hands, staring at it as though weighing his options. Then he stepped closer and wrapped it around my body.

Realisation hit me like a tidal wave.

The coat I'd been wearing the previous day had been just like the one he'd wrapped around me now. That meant the sweet scent that had comforted me as I drifted into unconsciousness, believing I was at the mercy of my abductors, had been his scent all along.

How impressive.

"I never expected you to come to my rescue." I swallowed hard, clutching his coat tightly around myself.

Clearing my throat, I continued, "But I really appreciate every bit of kindness you've shown me. Thank you very much. I owe you my life."

"That won't be necessary since you're coming with me."

He declared it while staring into my eyes, his burning silver gaze holding mine captive.

"What?" I arched my eyebrows, confused by how determined he was to take me with him.

It wasn't as though he'd known me before. What had happened between us had been a mistake, and he'd already done his part to get me out of the mess we'd created.

So why did I have to go with him?

Why was he so obsessed with taking me to a pack where I'd be the only one who was different?

"I'm saying you don't have to thank me for saving you. I'm here of my own accord to get you out of here and take you with me."

He shrugged as though what he'd just said were the most normal words in the world.

My lips parted, and I managed a faint smile. I couldn't believe this was actually happening.

"I appreciate that you want to protect me, but I'm not your property to protect. I can protect myself, and besides, I'm not done here. I need to find my father and ask him why he lied to Alpha Ansel just to save himself. I need to know why he had to sacrifice me as though I meant nothing to him."

Tears spilled from my eyes as I screamed out my pain to someone who had barely known of my existence forty-eight hours ago.

"Is that all?" he asked, slowly raising his thick eyebrows. "Is that all there is to it, or is there something else I need to know?"

I chuckled softly and shook my head.

"Even if there were nothing more to it, I still wouldn't go with you. I'm still practically mated to Alpha Ansel, and I'm still the traitor carrying an enemy's mark. This mark has made me an enemy of both our species, and that alone will make me a target among your people the moment they set their eyes on me. I can't trade one prison for another."

My heart shattered into a million pieces as I thought about the life I would have to lead from then on.

It was nothing like the life I'd imagined for myself. I'd always wanted to live peacefully, somewhere no one knew me.

All my future plans had flown out the window the day I discovered that my fated mate was a manwhore of an Alpha who had led me straight to my doom.

"Shall I answer all your questions without leaving a single one unanswered?" the Lycan King asked, his eyes flickering as his expression suddenly grew serious.

His eyebrows drew together as he walked over to the couch where Alpha Ansel and Kira had been sitting earlier and took a seat. It looked almost like a throne, as though it had been made specifically for him.

It was funny how he could make an ordinary couch look like a throne simply by sitting on it.

Not even Alpha Ansel had that kind of influence.

"Please, go ahead."

I blinked in surprise when I realised I was picking up a chair from the floor and sitting down on it, facing the Lycan King without worrying about whether Alpha Ansel might walk through the door.

"Good."

He let out a puff of air, crossed one leg over the other, and shifted his gaze to the mark on my neck. A ghost of a smile touched his lips.

"You wouldn't want to look for your father because the look on your face tells me you're not ready to hear what that greedy old fool has to say about you."

He scoffed and turned his attention back to my face.

I clenched my fists on my thighs and swallowed hard. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes as his words pierced my chest like shards of glass.

He was right.

I wanted to see my father and ask him why he'd done what he did. But I was still afraid of the answer he might give me.

I was afraid he'd remind me of what a mistake I was as a daughter. An unplanned pregnancy that had turned into a piece of shit like myself.

"I guess the look on your face proves me right."

The Lycan King smiled proudly, resting his hand on his torso before continuing.

"Let's move on to the next question."

My heart hammered against my chest. Fear and anxiety tightened around me as I clasped my hands together.

"About the mark on you, it might make you an enemy to your own people. However, it will keep you safe from mine. As long as I'm the King of the Lycans, everyone who has sworn loyalty to me will have no choice but to respect you, too. A piece of me is a part of me, and whoever sees my mark on you and still dares to lay a finger on you will have broken my law. And they'll be punished by death."

My jaw practically dropped to the floor as I watched him ramble on as though he knew exactly what he was talking about.

His mark alone wasn't enough to guarantee my safety, but I couldn't understand why he believed otherwise.

"Lastly, you don't have to remain here until you meet your end simply because you're still mated to that pathetic little Alpha of yours."

He hissed, anger surging through him. I could tell he was holding himself back from punching the wall beside him.

"I can't help it. He won't reject our mate bond, which still ties me to him. I can't go anywhere. I need to stay here and serve my punishment, just like everyone wants me to."

I mumbled the last part, rubbing my clammy hands against my thighs.

"You don't have to worry about that either. I'm going to solve that little problem for you."

He rose from his seat and walked around the room until he was standing directly behind me.

I remained seated, not daring to turn around and face him. I felt as though I might lose my mind if I met his gaze with him standing so close.

"Wh-what would you do?" I stammered, squeezing my eyes shut as he leaned forward.

His hot breath fanned across my neck, sending waves of electricity through my body.

"Give you a reason to leave this pathetic pack."

He whispered into my ear, biting down on my earlobe.

I held my breath, every movement of his making me crave more.

"What might that be?" I asked.

"I'll claim you as mine. That way, you'll be free to leave this place and go wherever you want."

His voice sounded almost too calm for the intensity of his gaze.

I nearly jumped out of my seat before turning to stare at him. I didn't even bother hiding my surprise as I whispered, "You wouldn't do that."

"It's the only way to save you from your mate, dear."

He smiled, grabbed my neck, and turned it until the mark was facing him.

"I, Renzo Hades, King of the Lycans, claim you..."

A sharp fang sank into my neck, right where he'd marked me the other night.

"...as my mate."

My blood boiled, and beads of sweat rolled down my face as the mark on my neck burned under the power of his claim.