Chapter 5

Cassian’s P.O.V.

Women had always been a bargaining chip in politics. Alphas were used to sending me practiced whores to sweeten the deal, and I had expected Alpha Magnus to do the same.

However, what I found waiting for me was beyond my expectations.

It was her!

The mute maid from the Alpha’s office!

She was lying on the bed, trembling and looking at me with her wide, hazel eyes like a deer caught in headlights.

As I took her in, it occurred to me she was painfully small without her baggy maid’s uniform, her frame too delicate, almost thin. Her jet-black hair spilled in loose waves down her shoulders, stark against the white sheets tangled around her.

The first word that came to my mind stirred the beast in me.

“Beautiful!”

She wasn't the polished beauty I was accustomed to, but there was something special in her that had clawed at my primal instincts.

Alpha Magnus was indeed tactful to offer me such a unique beauty!

The heavy scent of perfumes clung to her, but beneath its thick layers, I could smell her fear, sharp and raw. Her heart was racing so frantically that I thought it might give out before I could say a single word. Although I loved the fear, she was an exception. I couldn’t bear to torment her.

Forcing myself to look away, I seized the edge of the sheets and pulled it over her.

“Cover yourself!”

I said, my voice rough with restraint. Then I turned my back on her, giving her privacy. She wasn’t some type of cheap whore to be devoured.

Behind me, silence stretched, broken only by the frantic rustle of fabric as she fumbled with sheets. I waited until the sound stopped and then faced her.

Her unblinking gaze was fixed on me. And when I moved forward to sit on the bed, she jumped, as though my every movement was a threat to her.

Perhaps the whispers had reached her before I did. The tales of the disfigured king, the ugly monster who killed without mercy and ruled with blood.

As her terrified gaze was fixed on me, I tried to start the conversation in a friendly manner.

“Do you like what you see, little fawn?”

My lycan, Warg, named her at that instant, a little fawn, too pure for the dirt of this selfish world.

To my surprise, redness bloomed across her cheeks as she blushed, dropping her gaze shyly.

That single movement cracked something deep inside me. My control had never been easy to break, but my body betrayed me in a heartbeat.

Heat surged low and fast, hardening me, until it was really painful. No courtesan, no beauty dripping in jewels had ever managed this.

But this little fawn? She had me on edge in record time!

The distance between us became unbearable. I leaned forward, and before I could think better of it, my hand found her slender wrist. The burning sparks danced on my skin as I pulled her closer, making her sit beside me. She froze, her small hands clutching the sheets wrapped around her like armor. Warg growled possessively, scratching my defense walls.

I had to focus on other things before my lycan could take over me.

“So, you can’t speak, right?”

I asked her, my gaze locked on her blanched face. Her fingers tightened on the sheets as I continued, softer this time.

“Okay, then can you write?”

Her hesitation broke into a spark of hope as she nodded, her small chin dipping quickly. Relief uncoiled through me as well as I finally found a way to hear that voiceless beauty.

I lifted my hand and spread it before her.

“That’s good! Write here. I will ask, you will answer. Understand?”

My royal command quickened her heart rate as she lowered her head in submission, making this more difficult for me. So, I started with the basics.

“I am the Lycan King, Cassian Veyraith.”

I introduced myself, keeping my voice steady.

“What’s your name, little fawn?”

She reached out, her touch feather-like as she traced the letters against my palm.

“L… i … o … r … a.”

“Liora!”

I repeated it aloud, letting it linger on my tongue, like the taste of finely-aged wine. My lycan rumbled in approval as her cheeks turned rosy again.

“It’s a beautiful name.”

I told her calmly, despite the fire burning in my chest.

“Who gave it to you?”

Liora pressed her lips together, a flicker of sadness clouding her eyes. This question was supposed to be a simple one, but it turned out to be the darkest secret of the Ember Howl Pack.

Unlike I guessed, Liora’s mother was Luna of Alpha Magnus, the real owner of this pack too. As a firstborn daughter, Liora was the heir of the Ebonshade bloodline. But her position as a maid in her homeland was indeed questionable and infuriating, boiling my blood.

I couldn’t help but let out a loud growl.

“You aren’t a slave or an offering, Liora.”

My anger touched the limits of the sky as I swore.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let them hurt you anymore, little fawn.”

I shot up, ready to confront that cold-hearted Aloha who had treated his daughter like a slave. Before leaving, I grabbed the collar of my shirt and stripped it off in one swift motion, draping the fabric over Liora's shoulders.

“Wear this!”

I turned towards the door, pausing only long enough to order.

“Take a rest. No one can dare to enter my room unless they carry a death wish!”

But before I could walk away, a sudden tug at my finger stopped me. I glanced down and met Liora’s pleading gaze; she was holding me back.

“I won’t leave you alone, Liora.”

I assured her, my voice soft like a feather.

“But you need a good rest. I will have my Beta bring your proper clothes and see you in the morning.”

Liora nodded, a tiny, careful motion. Then she traced across my palm shakily.

“Thank you!”

….

The icy water pounded against my skin, steam curling in the air from the heat I couldn’t wash away. My d*ck was iron-hard, straining with the kind of need that no shower could drown.

I braced both hands on the tiles, dragging in ragged breaths, waiting for the fire to be extinguished.

“Pathetic!” Warg, growled, mocking me.

“Look! The mighty lycan king is reduced to a cold shower, while his mate is lying in the next room.”

My jaw clenched as he pressed further. “Liora is our mate, Cassian. We sensed the bond yesterday at Alpha Magnus’s office.”

A low growl rumbled in my chest, water dripping down my face as the scene of our first brief meeting flashed across my eyes.

Warg was right. Liora was indeed my queen!

She didn't recognize the bond, and her aura was weak like a wolf-less omega. But I had heard her wolf’s faintest calls, buried deep inside her. Her soul knew we were fated to be together.

“Then why don’t we claim her?” Warg roared. “After marking, she’ll automatically feel the connection.”

That thought seared me like a wildfire as every part of me wanted to storm back into that room, sink my teeth into her delicate skin, and make her mine in every possible way.

But then Liora’s fragile figure appeared in my mind. I bit out with restraint.

“No, I will never force her.”

Her timid figure was full of bruises and countless needle holes, screaming the tales of continuous abuse. The memory of her bruised skin calmed the fire in my heart, replacing it with worry.

I took a deep breath and ordered my Beta through the mind-link.

“Investigate Liora and her past life in the Ember Howl Pack. I need every single detail.”