Savage Vows: Claimed by the Lycan King

The MarkingThe door slammed shut behind her, and the click of the lock was final.Elira stood in the center of a stone chamber lit by hundreds of flickering candles. They lined the walls in neat rows, throwing long, shifting shadows across the cold floor. There were no windows. No exits. Only a high-domed ceiling and thick iron doors behind her.And him.King Kael Vortigan stood across the room, shirtless, silver eyes glowing in the half-dark. His chest was scarred, the muscles tense, jaw locked like he was holding back a snarl. The tattoos across his arms twisted as if alive — ancient Lycan symbols, pulsing faintly like a second heartbeat.She didn’t move.He didn’t speak.Only the sound of the flames and her own pulse filled the silence.“You can’t keep me here,” she said.He tilted his head slightly. “I already am.”“I didn’t agree to anything.”“You were bought,” he replied, stepping closer. “That was the agreement.”“I’m not a thing.”Kael stopped just a breath away. His gaze dr

The Truth Beneath the FlameKael carried her through the underground passage beneath the Ironwood Keep, silent and unyielding. His arms didn’t tremble. His eyes didn’t blink. But his heart—Elira could feel it, pounding hard against his chest.She should’ve fought him.Should’ve screamed after what happened in that cursed court.But all she could do was lean her head against his shoulder and try to understand what the hell she had just done.She’d burned a man alive. With her bare hands.What am I?They reached a heavy iron door. Kael kicked it open.Inside was a chamber lit by glowing stones—simple but warm. A fire roared in the hearth, and thick furs lined the bed in the corner. It looked nothing like a prison.But she wasn’t stupid. It was a cage all the same.Kael set her down gently. Then backed away.“You didn’t have to throw me,” she muttered.“I did.”“You didn’t.”“If I hadn’t, they would’ve killed you.”Elira met his gaze. “Then maybe you should’ve let them.”Kael didn’t blin

Elira’s body trembled as she stared at the glowing mark on her skin—Kael’s mark. It pulsed like fire under her collarbone, burning with a heat that wasn’t just physical. Her blood boiled. Her heart thudded in erratic rhythm.Kael stood a few feet away, silent, tense, his chest rising and falling in slow, deliberate breaths. His eyes—those golden, piercing eyes—were locked on hers like he was watching a wild storm build."You marked me," she said, voice hoarse. "Without my consent."Kael didn’t flinch. “I had no choice.”“There’s always a choice.”“I chose to keep you alive,” he snapped. “You don’t understand what’s coming, Elira. That mark might be the only thing keeping you from being torn apart.”Her fingers touched the edge of the burning sigil. It looked like a jagged crown, carved by flame. The ancient symbol of the Lycan king.She didn’t know whether to scream or cry.“Because of you, my people think I’ve betrayed them,” Kael said, voice lower now. “They smell your blood. They f

The Truth in Her VeinsThe silence between them was louder than any scream.Elira stood on the edge of the stone corridor, her hands trembling. The fortress was too still, too cold. Valen’s revelation still rang in her ears: He is not your savior, Elira. He was sent to destroy you.And Kael’s silence had confirmed it.“I trusted you,” she whispered, turning to face him.Kael didn’t flinch. His jaw tightened, fists clenched at his sides. “I didn’t lie about what I feel for you.”“You lied about everything else,” she snapped. “Who I am. What you were sent to do. You kept me in the dark.”“I was protecting you.”“No, Kael,” she said, voice sharp. “You were protecting your kingdom. Your orders. Not me.”She took a step back, as if his presence alone burned her skin.Kael looked shattered. “The second I touched you, everything changed. I wasn’t supposed to care. But I did.”“You still didn’t tell me,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “You let me fall for you… and you were never honest.”

The Monster’s BloodThe throne room doors slammed open.Smoke spilled in first.Then came the figure—tall, cloaked in black, blood red armor glinting beneath fur-lined shoulders. His eyes glowed the same color as the fire Elira had just unleashed—gold licked with crimson.Not just power.Ancient.Twisted.Hybrid.Valen.But he wasn’t the man she’d met in the dark council chamber. Not anymore.This version had fangs.Kael pushed in front of her, claws unsheathed, the beast under his skin close to the surface.“Get behind me.”Elira’s voice trembled. “I… I don’t think hiding’s going to help.”Valen stepped through the smoke, barefoot on stone.“Kael, Kael, Kael,” he said softly. “Still clinging to the fantasy that you can protect her.”“I don’t need fantasy,” Kael growled. “I have her.”Valen tilted his head, a cruel smile playing at his lips.“And for how much longer?”A gust of wind blew through the broken doorway.Elira blinked—and Valen vanished.Kael turned sharply—Too late.Valen