THREATS AND WELCOMES

Bettoni flinched violently. The terror she felt during her ninety-nine lashes flooded her veins instantly. She remembered the crack of the whip and the cheering of the nobles. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her spine completely flat against Zachery's hard chest. She wasn't brave yet. She was just a terrified girl thrown in a den of actual monsters.

Zachery let out a low but startling growl that vibrated right through Bettoni's back and rattled her bones.

"The first man who steps toward my mate dies," Zachery stated calmly. His voice wasn't loud but it bounced off the gold walls.

The royal guards froze instantly in their tracks and even lowered their spears. Nobody in their right mind dared to challenge the Commander. He slaughtered entire armies by himself.

Alpha Jaceon slammed his fist onto the carved arm of his golden throne. "You are making a public mockery of our bloodline, Zachery. She is a disgraced servant. She was caught seducing my son."

"You gave me a deadline, brother," Zachery challenged casually, completely ignoring the Alpha's anger. He kept his large hand wrapped firmly around Bettoni's waist and pulled her tighter against his side. "You said pick a bride before the blood moon. I chose her. The ancient royal decree states you must honor my choice."

Jaceon turned purple with rage. The veins in his neck bulged dangerously.

Ardon looked like he might actually vomit all over his white suit. He stared at Bettoni with wide eyes.

In the middle of the crowd, Bettoni spotted her mother. Madam Williams wore a brand new expensive gown paid for by the Alpha. The heartless merchant woman stared at Bettoni with horror and disgust. Madam Williams always saw Bettoni as a dispensable. Now, her dispensable was holding hands with the most powerful warrior in the kingdom.

"Fine," Jaceon spat the word out like poison. "The wedding is tomorrow at noon. I will lift her demotion. But do not expect a royal celebration for a Gamma rat."

"I don't need your cheap wine anyway," Zachery smirked, then turned Bettoni around completely. He didn't bow to his brother, neither did he ask for permission to leave. He just dragged her right back down the center aisle while hundreds of nobles stared in shocked silence.

Zachery led her out of the grand hall and up the sweeping staircase toward the Upper Bloc. This was where the highest ranking military officials and royal family members slept. The air up here smelled expensive on its own.

"Go into the last bedroom on the right and wait for me," Zachery ordered softly as he  stopped at the very top of the stairs. "I need to secure the perimeter before my dear brother tries to assassinate you in your sleep."

Bettoni swallowed hard. Her throat felt completely dry. "You think they'll try to kill me tonight?"

"They'll absolutely try," Zachery chuckled darkly, then reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His calloused fingers sent a shocking jolt down her spine. "But I kill much faster than they do. Go wait in the room."

Bettoni nodded quickly. Zachery turned and headed back down the stairs with heavy strides.

As Bettoni walked down the long carpeted hallway entirely alone, her heart beat wildly against her ribs. She couldn't believe she just agreed to marry the most dangerous man in the kingdom. She wanted revenge against Ardon but she had absolutely no idea how to play this high-risk game.

"Did you really think that little stunt would make you a queen?" a sultry voice asked from the darkness.

As Bettoni stopped walking, Angelika stepped out of an intersecting hallway. The politician's daughter wore a stunning emerald silk dress that stuck tightly to her gorgeous curves. Her blonde hair fell perfectly over her shoulders, and she was coated with the scent of expensive jasmine perfume.

"I didn't plan any stunt," Bettoni said quietly, keeping her eyes glued to the expensive carpet. She was so used to acting like a submissive servant. It was a hard habit to break.

Angelika walked closer and started circling Bettoni like a beautiful predator examining a very weak prey. 

"Zachery has known me since we were children. We belong to the exact same elite class. You're just a dirty little thing he's using to piss off his brother. He hates following orders."

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Bettoni whispered softly, holding the rough fabric of her worn apron. She wanted to scream at the arrogant woman but her courage was still building in tiny snail steps.

Angelika stopped right in front of her. She looked down her perfect nose at Bettoni. "I don't worry about pests. I crush them. Enjoy your one night in his bed, Gamma. He throws away his toys very quickly and then you'll be right back on your knees scrubbing the floors."

Angelika bumped her shoulder intentionally hard against Bettoni and strutted away down the hall.

Bettoni let out a very shaky breath. The cruel words stung badly but all she could do was swallow them. 

She only took two steps toward Zachery's bedroom door when a hand suddenly clamped hard over her mouth.

Strong arms dragged her roughly backward into a dark stone nook behind a pillar. Bettoni thrashed wildly. She tried to scream but the hand muffled her completely.

"Stop fighting me," Ardon hissed nervously right into her ear, then pulled his hand away from her mouth quickly.

Bettoni spun around and pressed her back against the cold stone wall. Ardon stood right in front of her. The Alpha's son looked completely deranged. His perfectly styled hair was a messy disaster, and his chest rose and fell in rapid breaths.

"Ardon," Bettoni gasped out. Her heart shattered all over again just looking at his handsome face. This was the boy who praised her apothecary skills for years. This was the boy who promised to love her forever in the gardens.

"How did you do it?" Ardon demanded aggressively, grabbing both of her arms tightly as his manicured fingers dug painfully into her soft flesh. "How did you seduce my uncle? Did you cast a dark spell on him in the alleys?"

"Let me go," Bettoni cried softly. "You threw me away, Ardon. You let them whip me until I bled. And now you're asking me this?"

Ardon's eyes softened for a tiny fraction of a second. He looked incredibly conflicted. He looked down at her lips with undeniable hunger and leaned his body much closer to hers. "You know I had to do it. The council demanded a highborn bride. I couldn't risk my crown for a commoner,  Bettoni. I have too much pressure on my shoulders. But you still belong to me."

"I belong to nobody," Bettoni whispered fiercely. Hot tears filled her brown eyes. She hated how her body still reacted to his nearness. She hated that she still wanted his comfort after everything he did to her.

"You're not marrying him," Ardon said obsessively whilst stroking her cheek with his thumb. His touch was so confusing. "I'll sneak you out of the palace tonight and hide you in the lower villages. I'll visit you every single night. I'll take care of you in secret, Betti."

The fact he called her by the nickname he gave her irked her more than his blatant offer. He wanted her as a dirty little secret. The realization made the little sadness she had left slowly turn into a tiny spark of real blazing anger. He didn't want to save her. He just wanted to own her without paying the public price.

"Take your hands off my wife before I chop them completely off."

Ardon jumped back violently like he was burned with hot iron.

Zachery stood at the entrance of the dark nook. His burgundy eyes glowed with demonic fury. He looked absolutely intimidating in the dim hallway lighting,  radiating violent energy that made Bettoni suck in a sharp breath.

Ardon stammered nervously and backed away. "Uncle Zachery. I was just interrogating the prisoner. She’s a security threat."

Zachery closed the distance in two massive strides. He didn't even blink. He grabbed Ardon by his expensive white collar and slammed him brutally into the stone wall. Ardon choked out a loud desperate gasp as the air left his lungs.

"She's your superior now," Zachery growled right into his nephew's terrified face. "If you ever look at her again, I'll rip your throat out and feed it to the hounds. Now,  run back to your father like a good little boy before I forget we share blood."

As soon as Zachery dropped him onto the floor, Ardon scrambled to his feet and marched down the hallway in humiliating terror.

Bettoni stood frozen against the wall. Her entire body shook uncontrollably.

Zachery slowly turned his heavy gaze onto her. The furious anger in his eyes melted instantly into dark lust. He stepped right into her personal space, caging her against the wall exactly like Ardon just did. But Zachery felt entirely different. He felt like a raging fire.

He leaned down and sniffed her neck loudly. He didn't care about personal boundaries at all. "You smell like his cheap cologne and your own arousal. Did his little pathetic speech turn you on, sweetheart?"

"No," Bettoni lied quickly, but her face burned incredibly hot.

Zachery chuckled darkly, and pressed his huge body completely against hers. The hard ridge of his thick arousal pushed right against her stomach through his uniform pants. He was fully hard again. He was so incredibly lewd and shameless.

"You're a terrible liar," Zachery whispered against her jawline. He dragged his rough wet tongue right up the sensitive side of her neck, and Bettoni gasped loudly, arching her back. "You're completely drenched in my nephew's scent. We really need to fix that right now."

"The wedding is tomorrow," Bettoni breathed out shakily. She tried to push his solid chest away but he didn't move a single inch.

Zachery grabbed both of her wrists with one massive hand and pinned them above her head against the stone. He looked down at her lips with starving hunger.

"The royal wedding is tomorrow," Zachery agreed deeply. "But I'm stripping this filthy dress off and breeding my scent into you right now."