Three

{TWO WEEKS LATER}

Caralyn faces the view of the compound, pretending to be ignorant of Alpha Jason’s presence beside her. However, the tight hold she has on the railing betrayed her unbothered facade. The more he talks, the more he gets to her.

It’s been twenty-five days since Kylo’s death.

Alpha Jason has been coming to their house more often, and whenever he does, it’s always mental torture for her. Caralyn is nearing her breaking point, and she knows she will never marry Alpha Jason without putting up a fight.

 

He would have to tie her and drag her around to get her to the wedding hall. And even then, she will still be fighting; she will fight with every last strength she has in her.

“…. and then I will have it all. Your virginity, your rage, everything,” he boasts beside her. “These are the two things that make you special anyway. Aside from them, you’ve got nothing,” he mused.

Alpha Jason had made it known to her that he had plans for how to use her curse to his benefit. She does not know what exactly that means, but she knows it isn’t something good.

Her eyes suddenly catch Supreme Ultima Riccardo and two other men on each side of him. They were exiting the West Wing, not in a hurry; they seemed to be taking a stroll.

The princess’s mouth parts slightly as she really observes him for the first time. On both occasions that they had met, she hadn’t been able to really look at him.

He is wearing a suit, just like the two other times she had seen him. His strides were firm, equal, and majestic; he walked as if he were untouchable, which is probably true. Maybe it was the suit or just his actual aura, but he looks dangerously powerful. She could see each stationed guard sneak glances at him, with anxiety on their faces.

Her father’s investigation period is five weeks, which means the Supreme Ultima would be gone in less than three weeks.

As if sensing her stare, he stops walking, and his head turns in her direction.

She is too absorbed to look away; she is too far to notice the color of his eyes, but she knows they are gray. A detail she noticed and hasn’t forgotten from their first encounter.  

She senses movement in her peripheral vision and looks to the side, at Alpha Jason.

He has his head lowered in a bow towards the Supreme Ultima. Her eyes widen in awareness as they move back on Riccardo. She immediately drops her head awkwardly in three short nod-like movements.

She had been carried away that she forgot her manners.

They raised their heads after a few seconds. Riccardo is already walking away with his henchmen.

 

Alpha Jason scoffed beside her. “Enjoy it while it lasts. Your days of power will soon come to an end.”

 

Caralyn looks at Alpha Jason to see his eyes still fixed on the Supreme Ultima. His palms ball into a fist, and he seems too absorbed in rage to notice that she is still there. Caralyn slowly and noiselessly backed away, walking back into the house.

She has had enough of Alpha Jason for one day.

*

{THREE DAYS LATER}

Caralyn sits rigidly on her bed. It’s the end of the month again. Her fit will start in a few hours, which means the guards will soon come to take her so she can be locked in the room she usually stays in during her rage fit.

“…. and then I will have it all. Your virginity, your rage, everything.”

Alpha Jason’s words come back to her.

Her rage…. maybe. But her virginity? Caralyn is hellbent on doing whatever it takes to prevent him from stealing the only thing that should be hers to give. Her mind roamed on various ways to stop the wedding, and she could only come up with one effective reason.

She is very sure that there will be no wedding if she is no longer a virgin.

A stupid idea comes to her mind, but she is too desperate to think it through when she gets up from her bed and makes her way out, trying her best not to get spotted by anyone.

*

She is in his study. A small tray with a cup of coffee on it was held in between her hands. She didn’t know she would even be let in; she had only tried her luck. Now that she is in front of him, the reality of what she is about to do seems clearer to her.

And it made her terrified.

It doesn’t help that his eyes have been on her since she entered. The intensity of his eyes is too much for her; it’s as if he knows everything, including the things she is yet to say.

She sees the incense burning in a compartment on the cupboard. It releases a very  sweet smell into the space. That smell should have given her a soothing feeling, but it  somehow irks her.

She slowly walks toward his table and gently drops the little tray on it. “I brought you coffee.”

His eyes trail down to the tray. “I don’t drink coffee.”

After saying that, he goes back to his computer to continue what he was doing before she entered.

She didn’t anticipate that. 

‘What should I do now?’ conflicting thoughts run through her head.

“Oh. I will just take it back. Sorry for wasting your time, My Lord.”

He does not respond or look at her. She takes the tray and starts making her way to the door. Her movements pause when her hand grips the doorknob. She knows this may be her only opportunity to be in his presence.

She knows she doesn’t have many options, and as embarrassing as it might become, she has to try. She turns and walks back toward Riccardo. Her hands shake as she drops the tray on the table.

He pauses, and his eyes raise to hers.

Caralyn swallows to wet her suddenly parched throat. “Can you- Do you-”

“Parlare,” his voice was very low, but sounded deadly.

{Parlare - Speak}

 

She doesn’t know what that meant, but she doesn’t care much for the word either. The look in his eyes was scaring her, and she had to look away. She wants to give up and run away at that moment, but her lycan encouraged her.

 

Inside, she was about to cry.

She exhales heavily and tries again, her voice coming out rushed and shaky. “Sleep with me.”

He didn’t move. Her eyes danced everywhere in anxiety and expectation, but she didn’t dare look in his direction.

Two knocks sounded on the door before someone spoke. “King Brooks is here, My Lord.”

Caralyn’s eyes snapped toward Riccardo; his intense eyes didn’t leave hers.

“Show him in,” Riccardo replies without hesitation.

Caralyn gasped in fear, her eyes widening to their widest ability.

She could hear the beat of her own heart as the doorknob twisted.