Chapter 17

VIOLET'S POV

You're going to be safe... with me.

The Lycan King's words kept replaying in my head as he carried me out of the dungeon in his arms.

The walls of the hallway were splattered with blood, and the floor was littered with the bodies of men I assumed were the guards stationed at the dungeon.

I shut my eyes, refusing to believe that the dead bodies scattered across the hallway were the price of my freedom. They were the sacrifice King Renzo Hades had made to get me out of the dungeon.

How pathetic.

How pathetic of me to think I could lead a simple life for the rest of my days.

The men who had been sacrificed for my escape would haunt me forever. They never deserved such a fate.

"Don't blame yourself for their deaths. You shouldn't think you're responsible for what happened to them, either. They were going to die anyway, and I was the one who made their deaths quick. Not you." King Renzo whispered into my ear as he carried me down the hallway. "You have nothing to do with this. You're also a victim, not the culprit."

My heart thumped in my chest. My stomach churned with disgust as the sight of the blood refused to leave my memory. My mind kept replaying their silent screams as King Renzo took their lives, making bile rise to the back of my throat.

I wanted to throw up so badly that I had to snuggle into his arms, gripping his shirt tightly to steady my heartbeat and distract myself from the thoughts turning my stomach.

He said I shouldn't blame myself, but in reality, everything was entirely my fault.

If I hadn't agreed to take my father's business proposal to the council, I wouldn't have stumbled upon Alpha Ansel, and he wouldn't have discovered that I was his mate.

If I hadn't gone to Kira after arguing with my father, I wouldn't have caught her having an affair with my mate.

If I hadn't decided to take revenge, I wouldn't have met the Lycan King, and I wouldn't be carrying the enemy's mark.

Lastly, if I hadn't left the courtroom with the Lycans, I wouldn't have been kidnapped. The Lycan King wouldn't have had a reason to rescue me, and those guards wouldn't have died such gruesome deaths.

"Everything was my fault," I whispered into his chest, tears rolling down my cheeks as I sobbed against him.

I was just a pathetic fool who never thought before doing anything.

My father had been right about everything he had ever said about me.

I was a piece of work.

I was a mistake.

I shouldn't have been born.

"Your Majesty!"

I heard a familiar voice gasp. The sound of boots pounding against the floor as someone ran towards us reached my ears, but I didn't dare open my eyes to look.

I wished I could lose my sight. I wished I had never seen anything. I wished I would never have to see anything again.

"Take her to the car and stay with her. I have to do something real quick," King Renzo ordered.

My breath hitched when I felt myself being transferred into another man's muscular arms, but I still didn't open my eyes.

"Keep your eyes on the werewolf girl until I return."

Those were the last words the Lycan King said before his footsteps retreated.

Werewolf girl?

I chuckled inwardly as the realisation hit me.

He didn't even know my name.

"Bad day, isn't it?"

The voice of the man carrying me made me tense, but I didn't so much as open my eyes to look at him.

I remembered him. He was the one who had taken me to the brothel on the Lycan King's orders. He was also the one whose expression had made me suspect he was planning my death.

"I kind of understand why you're keeping your eyes closed, but I suggest you keep them open. You're going to need them," he said again.

When I didn't respond, he sighed and stopped walking, probably to open the car door.

"I guess I should say this to you. I'm sorry for scaring you the way I did yesterday. I'm just looking out for my king."

The sound of the car door opening told me we were outside, beside their waiting car.

He carefully laid me on the seat before speaking again.

"I'm going in there to make sure my king is safe. I don't disobey his orders, but I can't run useless errands when I should be making sure he's safe. Open your eyes if you like, but I trust I'll find you alive when I return."

He was already gone by the time I opened my eyes.

Tears blurred my vision, so I couldn't see much anyway.

I shut my eyes again, silently wishing something would attack me while they remained closed.

I didn't know how long they were gone. I was too busy wondering why the Lycan King cared so much about me to notice the time passing.

The next thing I knew, they were back.

The Lycan King sat beside me. I wasn't looking at him, but his scent gave him away.

"Start the car. We're done here."

That was all he had to say before the car started moving.

My heart skipped a beat when I realised I was leaving my home. My pack. My family.

The only place I had ever known and the only place where my memories lived.

My chest tightened with fear as I realised I was leaving with an enemy.

Worse, I was going to live in the enemy's territory, surrounded by another species that wouldn't bat an eye if something terrible happened to me. A species to whom my life would mean nothing.

If I thought my past had been rough, I could only imagine how much harsher my future would be.

My father had been the only bully I'd had to endure in the past, but now, thousands of Lycans would have the opportunity to bully me.

Lycan King or not, I would never have a peaceful life living among them.

They were vicious bastards. All of them.

Superior, power-hungry demons.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I zoned out throughout the drive. What could possibly be worse than being the only werewolf among millions of Lycans anyway?

I didn't notice the car had stopped until I felt someone shift beside me.

"We're here, Your Majesty," a voice announced.

I slowly opened my eyes and found the Lycan King staring at me. When he caught me looking at him, he swallowed hard and looked away.

Renzo stared out of the window, sucked in a sharp breath, and then slowly exhaled.

"Escort the werewolf girl to the guest quarters and meet me in the boardroom."

I heard a car door open, and the Lycan King stepped out.

Something shifted in my chest as I realised he was leaving me alone with a stranger.

The Lycan King was practically a stranger himself, but at least I knew he wouldn't hurt me. I couldn't say the same about the man he was leaving me with.

I slowly opened my eyes and found a pair of silver eyes staring down at me.

I gasped in shock and sat upright.

"Ah, I..."

"Welcome home, werewolf girl."

The same man who had carried me to the car earlier smiled at me, resting his arms on the car window.

"You don't look too pleased to see me. I'm hurt."

"So... sorry. I... I don't know... what I'm supposed to..." I stuttered, fidgeting with my nails as I looked everywhere but at the man standing in front of me.

"It's okay. I didn't exactly make the best first impression, anyway. I can't blame you."

I imagined him shrugging as he opened the car door wider.

"Come out. We don't have all day."

I didn't want to leave the car. I didn't want to go anywhere with him, but I couldn't trust that he would be willing to tolerate such an attitude.

I swallowed hard before stepping out of the car.

"What's your name? I'd hate to refer to you as 'the werewolf girl' for the rest of my life."

He made air quotes around the words werewolf girl, and I felt my lips part into a small smile.

At least he seemed to care a little.

"Violet," I managed to say, my chest heaving as though I'd just run a marathon. "My name is Violet Hemsworth."

"Violet." He pursed his lips and nodded. "I was expecting something more dramatic, considering you're a werewolf, but Violet will do."

He gave me a brief smile.

"Kyran," he added.

My eyebrows shot up in confusion.

What did he mean by Kyran? Was that a warning? A clue that I should run?

"What?" I asked instead.

"Tsk! Silly." He chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "My life is about give and take. Since you told me your name, I think the wise thing to do is tell you mine as well."

He licked his lower lip.

"Oh." I bit down on my lip as I realised my mistake.

Again, I hadn't used my head.

Just as my father always said, I never thought things through.

"That's right. We just exchanged names. Now come with me. Let's get you settled in."

His tone was firm as he walked away from the car, and I slowly trailed behind him.

We left the parking lot, and I couldn't bring myself to raise my head as I followed him.

Somehow, I wished I could hide in my soon-to-be room, away from the rest of the Lycans.

I didn't want to see any faces before I was confined to my new room. I didn't want to register any more strangers in my memory.

Most importantly, I didn't want to see the resentment in their eyes.

We were still walking, my head bowed, when I suddenly heard running footsteps and hushed whispers.

I didn't want to raise my head. I didn't want to know what was happening.

But that was a lie I told myself.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I slowly lifted my head.

A woman was walking towards us, with several maids trailing behind her.

She seemed to be in a hurry, and people moved out of her way as she passed.

I was curious to know who this beautiful yet angry woman was. I wanted to know why people seemed afraid of her and why everyone kept their heads bowed in her presence.

So I asked.

"Who's she?"

The question left my mouth before I could realise what I'd done.

The woman reached us and walked past as though we weren't even there.

I couldn't help noticing the elegance that surrounded her. I also noticed that Kyran didn't so much as bow to her as she passed.

"That woman?" Kyran scoffed, watching her with such a hateful glare that he didn't look away until she was completely out of sight. "She's a nobody in my book. Unfortunately, she's our king's fiancée. Soon-to-be Lycan Queen."

My heart stopped beating for what felt like an eternity as the information hit me like a shard of glass to the chest.

My fists clenched with anger and pain.

I hadn't expected that.

I hadn't expected such a revelation.

The Lycan King had a fiancée?

He already had someone who would become his queen.

So why... why did he do it?

"Why did he mark me and claim me as his mate?" I whispered to myself, my body trembling as I craned my neck to watch the doorway through which the woman had disappeared.