CHAPTER 3

ARIA

Four days.

I had spent four days stuck in this cold and dark dungeon, feeling unsure and scared. I know it’s been four days because I counted the meals the guards bring in. One in the morning and another at night. And if I’m not wrong, I just had the eighth meal, which means it was night and I had been here for four days.

Despite the fact that the Alpha King hasn’t visited me again, there were times I could have sworn that I caught a whiff of his scent. But he never appeared. Laila has also been restless and kept demanding for her mate. I felt the same ache, but I tried to bury it. It was clear he didn't want us.

Another rejection—again.

As I laid down thinking of my despair, I heard the sound of the dungeon gate opening from a distance. I lifted my head, my ears twitching.

Could it be him?

I sniffed, my nose wrinkling as I caught the scent approaching. It wasn’t him. My ears dropped slightly in disappointment. Just then, a girl stopped in front of my cell. The scent belonged to her. A guard stepped forward and unlocked my cell door.

I sat upright, my eyes following the movement.

“ The Alpha King requests your presence. ” she said without hesitation.

At the mention of the Alpha King, my breath caught in my throat.

“ The Alpha King? ” I asked, my voice hoarse from days of silence.

“ Yes. ” she replied, “ You have to come with me now. ”

My heart pounded with a mix of hope and apprehension as I followed the girl out of the dungeon. I walked behind her, glancing around nervously.

Without anyone telling me, I knew we were on palace grounds. It was so vast and sprawling that it felt like it was stretching on forever.

Stone paths crossed in different directions, with many buildings scattered around. The grounds were quiet because it was night, but I still saw a few guards walking. We walked for a short while, and then we finally reached the largest building on the entire grounds.

The Alpha King’s palace.

It stood high above everything else—tall, grand, and impossible to miss. Its stone walls looked strong and old, yet elegant.

Two guards stood at the entrance.

Their sharp eyes followed our every move, but they stepped aside when the girl approached, allowing us to enter. Inside, the palace was even more magnificent and beautiful than I expected. I barely had a second to take it all in before the girl was already leading me towards a long hallway.

I hurried after her, trying to absorb everything while keeping up. She stopped at a room at the very end and went inside. She asked me to wash up and handed me neat clothes to change into. She also brought a warm meal, which I devoured hungrily.

When I finally looked up, she gave me a small smile.

I wiped my mouth quickly. “ Uh….. what’s your name? ”

She blinked once, surprised, then her expression softened.

“ Maya. ”

“ Thank you, Maya. ” I said, breathless from nerves more than the food.

She nodded. “ We need to go. His Majesty is waiting. ”

She opened the door again and I hurried after her, my heart thumping wildly. Laila paced restlessly inside me, her excitement buzzing under my skin. We turned a corner, then another, and another and another until she stopped abruptly in front of a tall wooden door.

“ Knock. ” she whispered,

I raised my hand, barely touching the wood before a deep voice cut through from inside—

“ Enter. ”

I pushed the door open and stepped inside. As I entered the room, my eyes met those of the Alpha King's. He was seated behind a massive, dark wooden desk that looked like it was carved from a single tree. He looked a little bit different from the last time I saw.

More sexy and handsome if I was asked.

‘ Oh, he isn't just sexy and handsome, ’ Laila purred, ‘ He looks absolutely hot and delicious. I want to pounce on him right now. ’

I felt my cheeks heat up at the scandalous thoughts Laila was planting in my head.

Another man stood beside him, tall and imposing but he had a warm gaze. I figured he must be the Beta. A friendly smile graced the man's lips and I felt a sense of reassurance wash over me. I gave the man a small, shy smile back.

But my smile quickly died when I saw the Alpha King's predatory eyes on me. He was glaring, his expression hard and cold. My eyes widened in fear and I quickly bowed my head, playing with my fingers nervously.

“ What is your name? ” the Alpha King asked.

“ Aria Wilson, Your Majesty. ” I replied.

“ Aria. ” He repeated as if trying to taste my name on his tongue.

The baritone sound of his voice pronouncing my name sent a shiver down my spine. He asked me other questions as well like my age, previous pack and why I was being chased by rogues. I answered all truthfully, my voice steady despite the tumult of emotions swirling within me.

When I mentioned my past rejection, he growled low and I heard a loud creak. I looked up and saw his knuckles were white as he gripped the edge of his desk. A glint of possessiveness shone through his eyes as they darkened dangerously.

The Beta cleared his throat softly, and the King slowly let go of the desk. The room remained silent for a long time as he stared at me.

Finally, he spoke.

“ I will let you stay here, ” he said, “ But you must never tell anyone about the mate bond. ”

Tears swelled up in my eyes but I prevented them from falling down.

What was I expecting? That he would accept me as his mate?

The tension in the room thickened as the Alpha King’s piercing gaze bore into mine, as if waiting for my response. I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts together. If keeping the mate bond a secret was what he wanted, then I would agree to it.

After all, I had once been rejected.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “ Okay, Your Majesty. ”

With a curt nod, the Alpha King dismissed me. I bowed my head and walked out to find Maya waiting. She led me back to the room I had washed up in earlier and told me it would be mine from now on.

****

I tried my best to settle into the palace. I slowly became friends with almost all the maids but Maya was the closest to me. She treated me like a sister and showed me how things worked in the palace. The Beta, Ethan, was also nice to me and watched over me constantly.

Though I had a strong feeling he was acting on the Alpha King’s order.

I also tried to make friends some of the guards and warriors. But every time I spoke to one of them for too long, the Alpha King somehow appeared out of nowhere. He would give a cold, possessive glare that said everything.

He didn’t like me being around other males.

Despite his jealousy, he still tried to keep his distance, but the bond was becoming impossible to ignore. It was getting stronger each passing day. The fact that I was living in his palace made it quite impossible not to feel the bond intensely because our paths continued to intersect.

There were moments when I caught him stealing glances in my direction whenever he thought I wasn’t looking. It almost felt like he wanted me far away from him yet closer to him. And though he may have tried to hide it, I could see the tenderness in his eyes whenever he looked at me.

As I laid in my bed thinking of the Alpha King, a sudden, searing heat hit my body. It felt like my blood was boiling. I gasped, clutching the sheets as the temperature in the room seemed to skyrocket. Confusion and panic surged through me, my mind racing to understand what was happening.

‘ It's our heat, ’ Laila whimpered, ‘ Our mate is close and hasn't rejected us yet. It's a sign for us to seal the bond. ’

Realization dawned on me as a silvery light shone through the window. It was a full moon and also the time when our senses and emotions are heightened. A time when the bond between mates was at its strongest.

I rolled from the bed to the cold floor because I wanted some relief but it was of no use. I curled up and whimpered in pain as the waves of heat washed over me.

The door to my room suddenly swung open with a loud thud.

I flinched and looked up.

The Alpha King stood in the doorway, tall and commanding, his presence swallowing the entire room. His aura alone made my breath hitch and I found myself rubbing my thighs in desire.

But one thing stood out the most.

His eyes.

They were normally a bright piercing blue but now… they were glowing a deep, fierce red.

And that only meant one thing.

His wolf was out.

And ready to claim his mate.