Chapter 3

Eden

.

.

Dashing out of the bathroom, I slipped into the black long sleeve gown and headed out of the Harem’s quarters to the King’s quarters. I had to propose a plan to him—one that could save my life.

The Harem quarter was located on the south of the palace while the king’s quarter was far away from the women he hated, the north of the place—a thirty minute walk.

Arriving at the King’s headquarters, my eyes fell on the two body guards guarding the entrance.

“What are you doing here?” One of them asked with a brusque tone.

My stomach tightened. “I have news for the Alpha, please let me through.” I bolstered my voice.

The second bodyguard whispered into the ears of the other.

“You are from the harem?” The bodyguard narrowed his eyes. And before I could reply, he continued. “Begone.”

“What if the Alpha dies because of the decision you made?” I raised my brows.

Both men exchanged glances, before the blonde guard led me to the inner chambers of the quarters.

The guard went inside and after a while he came out. “You can come in.” He turned around and led me into the study.

Once I entered the study room, the faint scent of paper and ink wafted into my nose. The door shut behind me with a sharp thud, weaving an unsettling feeling into my very bones, like I had been thrown into the Lion’s den.

My eyes locked with his sectoral heterochromia eyes— eyes that looked like the blues of the seas had met with the brown of the earth…I hated them, how striking and alluring they were, perfectly masking the monster beneath.

The leather chair groaned as Lev leaned back into, giving a broader view of his stone-like body that couldn’t hide beneath his white dress shirt. “Aren’t you gonna kneel before your king?”

Time heals every wound—The biggest joke I’d heard. Despite it being two years, the images of that night were stuck in my head. My parents body, his blood splattered face, all etched in my memory.

A bitter tang burnt every inch on my tongue and the main purpose of coming here, drowned beneath pain and anger. “You are no king of mine.”

His brows gathered in. “Kneel,” he growled, his eyes glaring yellow, like an angry sun.

If I had a wolf, my knees would have been on the floor. However I had none, so his Alpha waves had nothing on me. “Make me,” I gritted as I balled my fist.

As quick as time itself, he propelled forward and instantly his tall figure was before me, a few inches away. His breath warm against my skin. My throat tightened as his eyes hovered around me, the intensity ripping air out of my lungs.

“If I do, you won’t be kneeling to honor me.” A smirk formed on his full lips. Lev’s eyes dropped to my chest region and his eyes widened allowing the yellow light in the study to play into them.

My body tightened as he tugged my neck line down, exposing more skin and a sliver of my cleavage.

“You regressed too?” Lev’s voice tensed.

My hands, on their own volition gripped his shirt and pulled it back. Few buttons of his shirt pulled off and a sharp click sound filled the air as it skittered across the brown marbled floor.

I gulped down the warmth caught in my throat as a sliver of his sturdy chest laid bare before my eyes and the same mark on my chest was on his—He had regressed too. He knew he died and he obviously knew what killed him; there goes my advantage out the window.

The air thickened as our gaze locked onto each other, our hands still clinging to each other’s clothes.

A coy smile descended on his lips. “So you died too?” He freed my clothes.

As soon as my hands left his, I quickly arranged my dress.

“When did you regress?” I questioned as I stared blankly at him.

Strutting back to his desk, Lev leaned on it. “Not too long ago. And you?”

“Same.” I titled my head. It wasn’t adding up. “We didn’t die at the same time, so why would we regress at the same time?” I pondered aloud.

“What’s that news you had that could save my life?”

Ignoring his question since that was a dead end, I inched closer. “Who killed you?” knowing the killer might save me in the future.

My question perched in the air as silence sprawled between us.

“You’re not the one?”

I rolled my eyes and cocked my hip. “Oh please, If I did, I wouldn’t have picked such a merciful poison.”

When he died, it didn’t bring me any satisfaction, any sense of vengeance—not when he died with a smile, as if he wanted me to know that even in death, he won.

“So if you didn’t kill me, who did?”

“How am I supposed to know?” Realizing arguments wouldn’t get me anywhere, I drew in a long breath. “We should work together.” The words bit my tongue. “If we want to survive, we have set aside our differences.”

“I don’t want to change the future,” Lev said, “as long as you died too, It’s all good.” He raked his hand through his jet-black hair, that looked like the moonless sky.

My eyes widened. I always wondered why he hated me more than the other women in the harem. We were all daughters of men he claimed had killed his family, yet he really didn’t care about the rest that much. But when it came to me, he was ready to sink to the deepest part of hell as long as he could take me along. Like he had this obsession with me, that made him mad.

I narrowed my eyes. “So you don’t mind dying again as long as I die too?” My voice, thin and airy.

“If not because, you have to stay back, so your father can watch you suffer.” A frown snatched his face. “I would have choked you, until you scream my name, begging for mercy.”

“Pervert,” I blurted out.

“What?” He shot his brows up, clearly surprised.

“There are thousands of ways to kill someone; beheading, poison, fire.” I couldn’t believe I was telling my enemy ways on how to kill me, like I was listing a recipe. “Yet you chose choking, where I have to scream your name.” I clicked my tongue.

Lev shot me a sharp look, as if questioning my sanity.

Realizing he wasn’t going to help me, my chest tightened. There was no escaping death for me. I could have prayed to Lunaris to keep him alive, but as a lyge, my prayer is an abomination in her sight.

With one last seethed frustration, I said. “Have it your way, you have always been a selfish dick. You never cared who died, be it me, be it your mother...”

Lev’s body tightened. “My mother?”

That’s true; his mother was killed after his death, so he wouldn’t know. I should have mentioned that earlier.

I cleared my throat. “Yes. After your death, your mother was killed and all your supporters.”

His jaw tightened. “By who?”

“By your Beta what’s his name?” I rummaged through my mind. “Zen.”

Lev’s eyes widened, but quickly he schooled his expression. “That’s impossible. Zen is like a brother to me, and a son to my mother.”

“Too bad. He ordered your mother’s death. And Cain, killed all who protested against him becoming the Alpha king.”

Sagging onto the desk, he gripped the edge of the brown executive desk. “Sit.” He gestured at the three seater leather sofa. “Tell me about your plan.”

With a side grin, I plopped onto the sofa. “Guess you are not as selfish as I thought.” I took a deep breath and began, “I’m suspecting either Zen or Cain might have killed you. Zen was your beta—the next in line, but then he vanished and Cain became the next Alpha king. Since I have the memory and you have the power, we would have to work together.”

“But then the whole palace knows we hate each other and if they see us together at all times, Zen, Cain or anyone who might have regressed might find it suspicious.” I continued.

“Why do you think they regressed?” He questioned.

“I came here, thinking I was the only one who did. Yet, here you are.” I rubbed my chin. “You died five months before me, yet we regressed at the same time. That means Cain or Zen might have died years after us and still regress with us. Now they have better memories of the past than us.”

“So the only advantage we have is for them to underestimate us.” Lev chimed in.

I nodded. “To clear suspicion, we have to…” the rest of the words refused to slip out of my mouth.

“To what?” He raised a brow.

“To act as lovers,” I muttered, the words stinging my tongue.

Lev chuckled. “Madness.”

“You think I want this.” I crossed my arm. “It’s the only way, we don’t raise suspicions when we meet. Besides, if we meet all the time, rumors would still spread that we are lovers.”

Lev furrowed his brows, clearly lost in thought.

I tapped my foot against the floor, hoping he would take the bait. The only reason it was easy for them to frame me for his death was because everyone knew I hated him. If everyone thought we were lovers, even if he were to die by my hand—which he surely will his time, no one would suspect me.

“That won’t work,” Lev said, “My mating ceremony is tomorrow.”

“You’re not the first Alpha to mess around with women, despite having a mate.” I leaned in, resting my hands on my thighs.

Lev grimaced. “Wait, were you my mate?” He crinkled his nose.

I swatted the air. “May Lunaris for bid.” disgust furrowed my brows. “I would rather die than be your mate.”

He let out an exhale. “Thank Lunaris.”

“You were mated to the third elder’s daughter.” I continued. But I really had no issues, because after the mating ceremony, she was found dead after a month in the palace forest, her claws and her heart gouged out. A shiver traversed down my spine as I remembered the gory sight.

After a long discussion, Lev decided to announce our fake relationship in the meeting tomorrow. We anticipated their objections, but we needed them to suggest that he keep me as his mistress. Only then can we avoid raising suspicion.

Springing to my feet, I stretched. “Goodnight then.”

“Where do you think you are going?”

I tilted my head. “My room, to sleep.”

A mischievous smile burnt on his lips. “If we are confessing our love for each other tomorrow, don’t you think we have to spend a night together.”

I cleaned my ears with my fingers, hoping some of the bathing water might have slipped in and messed up my hearing.“You want me to sleep in your quarters tonight?”

“Yes.”