Chapter 3

Luca's Pov

“Let me satisfy you, my king,” the brunette by my side said. I paid no attention as I kept my head forward. The woman shifted closer, her hands drifting down to my pants.

“Not today, Amara.”

“Why? You promised to take me as your muse tonight.”

A promise that I was never going to fulfill.

“I have your invitation, which means I belong to you for the night,” she said with a smile as she waved the paper in my face. I turned my attention back to her and gave a polite smile.

“Another night, my darling.” I got up and walked out of the room, leaving Amara stunned. The girl is a beauty, but she didn't think I'd take her to my chambers tonight and bed her. The least I was going to do was satisfy her with my tongue—that's all I always do to the women I bring to my chambers.

I strode to where the main party was, not minding the ogling eyes or the public sex that was taking place under my roof as I passed by the back door. Passing the back door was safe; it meant avoiding the crowd by the front without being noticed. I needed a breather from my own party. Everyone was so engrossed in their own bodies or those of others that they wouldn't notice my absence.

How ironic is that?

As I walked through the door and strolled further into the woods, I heard a woman’s scream.

“Help me,” the voice weakly said. Someone was in danger. I ran towards the direction of the voice and quickly came upon a limp body on the ground.

‘Who is that?’ Cillian, my wolf, asked.

“I don't know.” I walked closer to the unconscious figure with caution. Even if this was my territory, I didn't simply trust anyone; I could be ambushed at any time.

I got closer and caught her scent—Killian Black, alpha of Blood Rose. My nemesis. She was from the rival pack; I could smell him all over her.

‘You have to help her, Luca.’

“I can't. She's from the rival pack. This could be an ambush.”

‘What if she isn't? What kind of king would we be if we don't save her? She's losing a lot of blood.’

“It could be an act,” I defended.

‘I have a good feeling about her. She's hurt and she needs help. We should help her, Luca,’ Cillian pleaded.

“I don't trust anyone from Blood Rose—they're deceitful like their Alpha. She'll manage, if she dies—at least I've gotten rid of a threat.”

I turned back to take my leave. She's injured—and bleeding. I will regret this later.

I turned and sighed in defeat and carried her in my arms. Her plush green dress was soaked with blood, and her face looked pale. She was beautiful—stunning. Even with her pale face, the rosiness on her cheeks was evident.

“She's still bleeding—I can hear a pulse.”

I walked back to the castle, following the back door again to get inside.

“This is wrong. She's probably a spy who's come to ambush me.”

‘You are just being paranoid.’

I sighed and informed the guard outside my chambers to call the healer. Although I was having second thoughts about saving this woman, I believed she needed my help. When she wakes, she can go back to Blood Rose where she really belongs.

When Felix walked in, I nodded towards the woman on my bed. Felix has worked as a great healer in my pack, and I trust him to tell me if there was no hope for saving this woman.

“She was pregnant, my King.”

Pregnant? That explains the blood—but definitely not why she was bleeding.

“Are the children okay?” I inquired.

Felix looked back at me with pitiful eyes. “Not one, my king, two pups. I will try to save the children and mother.”

“She bled out; if you hadn't saved her, she would have bled to death. My guess is that she was poisoned.”

I moved closer to where he sat with the woman. “What kind of poison does that to her?”

He swallowed. “Wolfsbane.”

Wolfsbane can kill us instantly, but she fought it. “Can you save her, Felix?”

“Yes, I can. She's weak, but she has a pulse.”

I nodded and looked back at the unconscious woman.

‘Please, help her.’ I heard. Was that her wolf?

“Who are you?” I asked the voice, hoping it could be heard.

‘I'm Aldrina, Sam's wolf. I know you don't trust us, and you have no reason to. Just help Sam; she's badly hurt and fighting for her life.’

‘How can she speak with us?’ Cillian asked.

‘Please help her, please.’

“Who poisoned her?”

And then there was no response. Her wolf mind-linking with me and Cillian on her own was unprecedented. It had never been heard of, and it makes me wonder who this strange woman was.

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The party went on until the brink of dawn. Everyone dispersed while I waited in my study room for Felix. After a while, I walked back into my chambers. The woman was conscious now, and Felix had his hands in a bowl of water, rinsing them.

"My King—I was about to look for you," Felix said when he noticed me walk in.

The woman's eyes immediately locked onto mine, and I was able to take in more of her features. Her grayish hair accentuated her round, chubby cheeks. She was no longer in the pretty dress she had worn earlier, but was covered by a piece of cloth. That darn cloth exposed more than it should.

"Did everything go well, Felix?" I asked.

"Yes," he smiled. "The poison is out of her system now.”

I nodded and looked back at the woman, who still had her eyes fixed on me.

"That'll be all, Felix." He nodded and took his leave. The moment he left, the woman stood up with her hands still holding the piece of cloth to her chest.

"You need to rest. You need all the strength you can get."

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Alpha Luca," I responded, carefully omitting the kingship title from my name.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Alpha Luca of Silver Rose Pack?"

“Is there any other?”

"I need to leave," she said, hurrying towards the door. She stopped midway when she noticed she had nothing on except the piece covering her vital areas.

"Where are my clothes?" she asked.

"They've been disposed of. You didn't need them anymore since they were stained—the same clothes I saved you in, might I add."

The woman looked back at me in defeat. "Thank you,” her eyes lit up as her hands went to her stomach, “My babies—are they?”

“Say something! What about my babies? Are they okay?”

“You need to sit so i would explain.”

She stood—unmoving. “Please, tell me,” she whispered. Usually I wouldn’t give a fuck—but it isn't exactly a healthy information to tell a woman that she just lost her children.

“You lost them…the children. The poison was toxic for you and even if you tried to fight it—you bled and lost them in the process.”

She slumped to the floor instantly. I suck at dishing out news. She kept quiet—and I heard nothing until her soft, painful sobs filled the room.

Shit. I feel like utter shit for saying that. I should learn how to give out information.

I crouched in front of her. “Hey,” I tilted her head up to mine. The tears dropped silently and were merely enveloped by her whispered sobs. It hurt her—but somehow she stayed strong.

“It wasn't your fault.”

“Y-Yes it was. I couldn't save them. What kind of mother would that make me? I abandoned them!”

“Sometimes we can't control the things that happen around us, even if we want to. Some things are meant to not be controlled—that's what makes life.”

“They were the only ones I had left.”

My heart clenched from seeing her that way. I didn't know her, neither did I trust her, but it sucks to see her this way. It sucks more that I had no control over the situation or who the fuck did this to her.

"I can't stay here,” she cleaned her tear-stained cheeks and stood to her feet, “I really appreciate what you've done for me, but I need to leave."

"Back to Blood Rose?"

She backtracked in shock. "How do you know...?"

"That you're from Blood Rose?" I couldn't tell her that she had Killain's scent all over her; if I did, she could use it as a weakness. But I am curious to know who the father of her children was. I'm not paranoid, but I know the level of hatred Blood Rose has for Silver Rose. We've been rivals since our tribe rulers' migration—a history no one would want to stir up.

"I can smell your alpha all over you," I stood, "Tell me, was he the father of your children?"

“No.”

“No?” I watched her carefully. Her dull green eyes seemed to hold more truth than the lies she was telling me. Her hands remained on her chest. She had curves at the right places—on her hips and, damn, full breasts. Just the way I liked it.

“Are you not from the Blood Rose Pack? What association do you have with your alpha if you're not his mate, then?”

She swallowed. “I worked for Alpha Killain as his maid—nothing more.”