Chapter Five

The drive into the mountains took four long hours.

The rain didn't stop. It lashed violently against the tinted windows of the SUV as the vehicle climbed higher into the jagged peaks. The modern world slowly disappeared behind us, replaced by dense, towering pine trees and sheer rock faces.

Finally, the car slowed down.

I looked out the window and felt a cold dread settle in my stomach. Massive stone walls loomed out of the darkness, carved directly into the side of a black mountain. Iron torches flickered against the downpour, casting long, dancing shadows over rows of armed royal guards.

This was the Obsidian Throne. The ancient fortress that had ruled the werewolf continent for three hundred years.

The SUV came to a stop inside a massive stone courtyard. A guard opened my door, holding a large black umbrella over my head as I stepped out. The mountain air was freezing, biting right through my thin dress, but I didn't shiver. I just kept my eyes moving forward.

“This way, Ms. Marlow,” the executor said, gesturing toward a pair of towering iron-reinforced doors.

The heavy doors groaned open, and I was led inside. The fortress was huge, built of dark stone and lit by open fires that hissed in the draft. My heels clicked loudly against the floor as they marched me through the long, silent corridors and straight into the grand hall.

At the far end of the room sat the Alpha King.

Kael Vale.

He was the largest man I had ever seen. He sat back on a throne made of dark, jagged stone, his massive frame radiating an oppressive, suffocating power. His hair was long and black, tied back neatly. A jagged, pale scar ran down the side of his neck, disappearing beneath the collar of his dark suit, and thick pack runes covered his forearms. His glacial blue eyes didn't blink as they locked onto me.

In six years of being married to his son, I had never met him. Dorian had always refused to introduce us, claiming his father was too busy, too brutal, and hated outsiders.

The executor stepped forward and bowed. “Your Majesty. The asset has been delivered. The contract is finalized.”

Asset.

Kael didn't look at the executor. His piercing blue eyes remained pinned to my face.

Slowly, he stood up from the throne. The sheer size of him made the room feel instantly smaller. He walked down the stone steps, his heavy leather boots thudding against the floor, until he was standing right in front of me.

The raw power rolling off his wolf was deafening, a silent command that should have forced me to my knees. But I kept my chin up. I looked him dead in the eye.

Kael’s gaze dragged down my body. He noticed the slight sway in my posture, the faint purple bruises on my wrists where I had almost killed myself last night and then his eyes traveled down to the hem of my pale blue dress.

He stared at the dark, dried blood staining the fabric.

A dangerous, low rumble vibrated in his chest. The air in the room instantly turned ice-cold, making the executor beside me take a nervous step back.

“Leave us,” Kael commanded. His voice was a deep baritone that echoed off the stone walls.

“Your Majesty, the paperwork...”

“I said, leave,” Kael growled, his jaw tightening.

The executor didn't voice another word. He bowed quickly and hurried out of the grand hall, the doors slamming shut behind him.

The silence in the room was absolute. It was just me and the most feared man on the continent.

“Six years,” Kael spoke quietly, his glacial eyes searching my face. “For six years, I gifted you to my son and watched him treat you like a shadow. I watched him act like a spoiled child, completely unfit to inherit my crown. And then, he throws you away for a mistress.”

I kept my jaw tight, refusing to speak Dorian's name.

How did he know all that anyway? It literally just happened last night.

Kael stepped closer, his shadow completely enveloping me.

“Do you know why I bought your contract from the Syndicate, Selene?”

“Because you wanted to humiliate me further,” I croaked out, my throat burning. “Or because you wanted to use me to punish Dorian.”

Kael let out a dark, dry chuckle, but there was no humor in his eyes. “I don't waste my time playing games with my son. I bought you because the moment he signed those divorce papers and stripped you of the Vale name, he proved he is a fool. I bought you because you do not belong to him anymore. You belong to me.”

I braced myself, waiting for him to give the order. I waited for him to tell me to strip, to tell me where the servants' quarters were, or to tell me how I would be used to serve his court. I had already accepted that my life was over.

Kael reached out, his massive, calloused hand moving toward my face. I didn't flinch. His thumb gently brushed against the side of my jaw, his touch surprisingly soft for a man built for war.

“I will not touch you, Selene,” he murmured, his blue eyes flashing with a sudden, intense heat. “I will not hurt you, and I will never sell you. Under this roof, you are protected from every person who has ever made you bleed.”

I blinked, my chest tightening. “Then what do you want from me, Your Majesty? Why pay a debt?”

Kael dropped his hand, taking a step back and looking up at the empty stone throne beside his own.

“The council has been demanding an heir for fifteen years,” Kael said, his voice dropping into a hard, unyielding tone. “Dorian is weak. He will never sit on my throne. I need a Queen, Selene. A real Queen who knows what it means to survive. I am offering you a crown, the Obsidian Throne. And in return, I will give you the heads of every single person who has ever hurt you.”

My breath caught in my throat. I stared at him, my heart hammering against my ribs.

“When is the wedding?” I whispered.

Kael looked back at me, his lips curving into a dangerous, ruthless smile.

“Tomorrow.”