Chapter 6: Meeting With The King

Natasha POV

I knew I was in deep shit the moment I hit Lady Danica. Of course I knew it.

But to be honest? I didn’t regret it. Not even a little.

In fact, I had already played out every possible outcome in my head. Perhaps a death sentence or maybe a public execution. Something slow and cruel, meant to make an example out of me. My mind had looped through it so many times it almost felt real.

And I could say for sure I was ready. Or at least, I thought I was. But hell, nothing, I repeat, nothing prepared me for this. Prepared me for the moment they said I would be taken to the Supreme Alpha himself.

Damon.

The air in the Alpha’s study was cold. Not just cool. Cold in a way that settled on your skin and stayed there. I felt it the second I was dragged in, the chill sliding over me slowly, deliberately, like it had intent. Like it knew.

My throat dried instantly.

For a moment, I couldn’t look up. Not because I didn’t want to, but because something in me refused to. Like my body knew before my mind did that looking at him would change something.

My heart pounded hard against my ribs, each beat loud in my ears, almost drowning everything else out.

Then slowly, after what felt like forever, I swallowed and forced my head up, and my eyes landed on him.

The man standing a few feet away.

Everything inside me stilled in that instant.

Supreme Alpha Damon Dreynok.

Of course, I didn’t need an introduction. The aura alone gave him away. It filled the entire room, heavy and suffocating, pressing against my chest with every breath I tried to take.

My breath caught immediately, and despite everything, despite why I was here, I found myself staring.

Because the rumors didn’t do him justice. Not even close. And to say he was beautiful was a huge understatement.

His hair was tied in a loose bun, strands falling around his face like he didn’t care enough to fix them. His silver eyes, God, those eyes locked onto me, sharp and piercing, like they could peel me open layer by layer.

And his body…

The black singlet he wore clung just enough to show everything. Broad chest. Solid muscle. Strength that didn’t need to be proven. It just existed.

Dark ink curled down his arm, disappearing beneath the fabric, and somehow that added to the dangerous vibe he carried so effortlessly.

Dangerous.

Yes, that was just another word to describe him.

Dangerous and something else I didn’t want to name.

My breath hitched again.

So this was him.

Now I understood why almost every woman in the pack obsessed over him. Why Katherina, even after stealing my mate, still wasn’t satisfied. Still wanted him too.

“Leave us.”

His voice was quiet when he spoke, but it sliced through the room like a blade.

The guards didn’t hesitate. One after the other, the sound of their boots hitting the floor filled the air until the last one filed out. Then came the slam of the door.

And finally, silence.

It filled the space almost immediately. Thick, alive, and suffocating. For a moment, it felt like the walls were closing in inch by inch, making it hard to breathe.

I swallowed against nothing in a bid to calm myself, then forced myself to look up, only to find him already watching me.

His silver eyes had me pinned in place, but they weren’t just staring casually. No. They dragged slowly from my face, down my body, then back up again, measured and calculated.

Like he was scrutinizing me. Like he was studying me, checking me for something.

It felt like tiny needles piercing my skin, and I folded my fists slightly, trying not to squirm.

It went on like that for a few seconds. Then suddenly, something shifted. His brows twitched, his features pulling together slightly in a frown.

Clear shock and confusion danced across his face, like he had just figured something out. Like something about me didn’t make sense to him.

My heart slammed painfully against my ribs, panic flickering through me.

What was going on? Why was he looking at me like that?

Did he notice something?

Did he figure out that I wasn’t—

“So you’re the one who hit my sister?”

His voice suddenly cut through my thoughts, low, rough, and gritty.

And something about it, God, something about it curled deep in my stomach, hot and sudden, catching me off guard.

“Y… yes.”

The word slipped out in a breathless whisper as heat, sharp and unfamiliar, nothing like I had ever felt before, pooled low in my belly.

What in the name of Selene is this?

“The nerve of you to admit it.”

I looked up at the sound of his voice, only to see his expression had shifted into something darker, sharper. His jaw was locked tight, flexing with every word.

“I mean, not many would dare confess to attacking a noble. But you…”

“Well, she attacked me first.”

The words came out before I could stop them, and damn my tongue, because something in his expression snapped at that. Like it pissed him off.

“And you thought hitting her back was a good idea?” I saw the way his grip tightened on the edge of the table beside him, like it was the only thing stopping him from crossing the distance between us.

“Nah. I thought defending myself was—”

Of course, I should have stopped. Anyone with sense would have. With the way he was acting, it was obvious he didn’t like being talked back to. But hell, damn me if I paid heed to the warning signs.

Because the angrier he looked, the hotter that strange feeling inside me burned.

I clenched my fists slightly as the thought slammed into me again.

Selene, what the hell is wrong with me?

“Let’s see,” he murmured, tilting his head slightly, eyes narrowing. “You’re the type who likes talking back, aren’t you?”

I blinked, surprised he hadn’t moved closer yet. Hadn’t made any attempt to snap my neck.

Instead, he remained where he was, leaning slightly against the wall like this was just another casual conversation, even though the tension was thickening the air between us.

“I’m not,” I said, forcing steadiness into my voice even though I wasn’t steady. “I just don’t like being misunderstood.”

“And you think your opinion matters?”

Of course it didn’t. It never would, especially not to someone like him. But that didn’t mean I’d stay quiet.

I lifted my head, ready to tell him that, but then froze.

His eyes weren’t on mine anymore.

They were on my lips.

My pulse raced wildly in my chest.

Why is he…

But as if he suddenly caught himself, he looked away sharply, his expression tightening, almost like he hated himself for it.

My chest pulled tight.

Why was he reacting like that?

“Tell me something, she-wolf.”

His voice came again after a brief second, and I returned my attention to him just as he stepped closer.

“Yes, tell me,” he continued, taking another step, low and measured, like a predator watching his prey.

“Imagine you’re in a position like this. You hold power and respect. You create rules that people obey without question.”

I felt the shift immediately. The way the air moved with him. The way my body instinctively tracked his presence even when I wasn’t looking directly at him.

“Then someone comes along and breaks those rules,” he went on. “Not just breaks them, but hurts your family.”

My fingers curled slightly at my sides.

“Now that person stands in front of you, ready to be punished.”

He stopped behind me, close enough that I could feel the heat of him at my back.

My breath hitched.

“But the moment they do,” his voice dropped near my ear, “your beast becomes interested. Not just interested, but obsessed. Even though you’re not sure they’re your mate.”

A shiver ran down my spine before I could stop it.

Damn it. What the hell is this?

“What would you do?” he finished.

Silence stretched for a few seconds as my mind scrambled, trying to keep up, trying to understand why this felt less like a question and more like something else.

“I… I don’t understand…”

“You don’t need to understand.” His tone sharpened slightly. “Just answer.”

I hesitated for a moment.

What’s going on? Why is he asking me this?

“Uh… I…” I swallowed, trying to think it through as best as I could. “If your wolf reacts like that, then maybe it means something. They don’t react for no reason.”

I turned slightly, trying to face him.

“Maybe you shouldn’t ignore it.”

“Even if that person is rude?” He stopped pacing at that, then turned sharply to face me. “Disrespectful?”

Something clicked inside me at that statement, and my eyes widened slightly as the realization hit.

“Wait…” I breathed. “You’re talking about—”

“Yes, little wolf.”

He closed the distance between us in two long strides.

So close that I could smell him now.

I sucked in a breath as his scent wrapped around me. Musk, clean aftershave, with something darker underneath it all.

It hit me harder than it should have, settling deep in my lungs, and I felt my stomach flip again.

Okay, this is insane.

I don’t react to men. Not even the dirtiest words from them could leave me hot all over. But this man…

“Everything I’ve said,” he murmured, pulling me back, and I looked up to see his eyes locked into mine, “is about you.”

My pulse stuttered at his words, but before I could process it, his hand came up, slow and deliberate, until his fingers touched my chin, tilting my face up.

The contact sent another spark through me, so strong I nearly dropped to my knees.

“I should punish you,” he said quietly.

His gaze dropped briefly to my lips again before lifting back to my eyes.

“I really should. I should make an example out of you.”

His thumb brushed slightly against my jaw as he spoke. Not enough to be obvious, but enough to be felt.

“But how can I, little wolf…”

He leaned in, and my body tensed until I felt it. His nose brushing lightly against the side of my neck, and everything inside me snapped. My senses went into overdrive. My fingers clenched immediately as I tried to keep myself still.

Oh, Selene.

“When my beast…” he inhaled slowly, like he was trying to memorize my scent, “…won’t let me hurt you. For some reason, it’s fixated on you, even when you’re not confirmed to be our mate.”

My heart pounded harder and harder now, but I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. Instead, all I could focus on was how close he was. The heat of his body. The way his presence wrapped around me completely.

At some point, he had pulled me closer without me even realizing it. Not until I felt his length pressing against my stomach.

“Huh?” he prompted softly. “Answer me, she-wolf.”

I swallowed hard, forcing control back into my body, then lifted my gaze to meet his.

“I… I…”

“Wait.” He cut me off suddenly, then narrowed his eyes at me, scanning my face like he realized something.

“You’re not reacting.”

My heart skipped at the sudden words.

“Huh?” I feigned ignorance.

“Most women,” his gaze sharpened even more, studying every inch of my expression, “can’t stand this close to me without showing it. They get flustered. Nervous. Affected.”

His eyes flicked over my face again, searching.

“But you…”

He leaned in slightly, like he was trying to catch something I wasn’t showing.

“You’re not.”

Shit.

He noticed. Of course he did.

Not that I wasn’t feeling anything. I was feeling too much of it. Only it wasn’t showing, and that was still a shock to me.

But still, I refused to give myself away. Lifting my chin slightly, I locked gaze with him.

“Well, maybe,” I said quietly, “maybe I’m not like other women.”

“You think so?” Something flickered in his expression. Interest, and maybe challenge. “You think you’re different from the other women I’ve encountered?”

The corner of his lips twitched like he found this appealing, but still, I didn’t back away.

“Then maybe,” I added, meeting him dead in the eye, “you should figure out why yourself.”

For a second, silence filled the air. Sharp, heavy, and charged. It felt like the air itself stopped moving.

His eyes remained locked onto mine.

And mine fixed on his.

Something intense burned between us until—

“Alpha.”

A knock, sharp and urgent, suddenly cut through the tension.

“Lady Danica is awake, and she’s requesting your presence in the royal court immediately.”

Just like that, everything broke. The tension. The moment. All of it.

He released me, then took a step back, and the absence of his touch hit me hard. It felt wrong. Just wrong.

“This isn’t over,” he said, his voice colder now, more controlled as he turned toward the door. “Rowan may not want to punish you, but I do. But until I find out who you are and why my wolf is going crazy over you…”

He paused, looking at me over his shoulder, giving me a meaningful look.

“I’m sure you know what that means. Then you’re free to go.”

With that, he turned and walked out.

And only after the door shut—

did I finally let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

My legs felt weak. My skin still burned where he touched me.

But my heart?

My heart wouldn’t slow down.

What the hell just happened?