CHAPTER 4: THE KING'S JEALOUS CLAIM

ELENA

The heavy oak doors of the royal master suite slammed shut with a thud that echoed in my chest.

Before I could even turn around, the sound of a heavy brass key turning in the lock sealed my fate. Kaelen stood with his back to the door, his massive chest heaving. The territorial scent of rain and dark wood filled the room, so thick it felt like a physical weight crushing the air from my lungs.

"Kaelen, let me out!" I demanded, backing up as he began to strip.

He unbuttoned his cuffs, letting the gold links drop to the floor. Next went his watch, tossed carelessly onto a velvet armchair. His eyes weren't silver anymore. They were completely molten gold, the predatory gaze of a Lycan king who had seen a rival touching his prize.

"Let you out?" Kaelen’s voice was a dark, vibrating rumble. "So you can run back to the Southern trash? So you can smile at him again?"

"Tristan helped me when you left me to die!" I yelled, my back hitting the edge of the massive, silk-sheeted four-poster bed. "He is my friend!"

"He wants to be your master," Kaelen roared, blurring across the room.

Before the scream could leave my throat, Kaelen’s heavy body crashed into mine, throwing us both onto the mattress. The sheer weight of him was suffocating, pinning my hips flat against the silk sheets. His hands locked around my wrists, pinning them high above my head with a single, crushing grip.

"You are mine, Elena," he hissed, his face inches from mine. "Every breath you take belongs to me. Every drop of your sweet, pure blood belongs to me. I will not have another male looking at you like you are his."

"Kaelen, please, the Council meeting—"

"The Council can wait," he growled, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin of my jawline, making me shiver violently. "They will wait until I am finished putting my mark on what is mine. By the time I walk into that boardroom, every wolf in this citadel will smell my scent drenched all over your skin."

He didn't give me room to argue. His mouth slammed onto mine in a brutal, starving kiss that destroyed any remaining sanity I had. It was a battle of dominance, his tongue invading, demanding total submission. I fought him, twisting my wrists against his iron grip, but the dormant mate-bond chose that exact moment to betray me completely.

A wave of liquid fire shot straight down to my core. A soft, desperate whimper escaped my throat, and instead of pushing him away, my hips traitorously arched up into his.

Kaelen’s presence was a dark, overwhelming force that left no room for escape. He looked down, his golden eyes burning with a mix of fury and a deep, agonizing need to secure his position.

"Yield to me, Elena," he demanded, his voice a low vibration that seemed to rattle the very walls of the suite. "Understand that your safety, your life, and your loyalty are bound to this throne. To me."

The confrontation that followed was a grueling battle of wills. Driven by his unyielding jealousy, Kaelen exerted every ounce of his dominant authority, keeping me pinned within the confines of the massive bed as he asserted his claim through sheer, suffocating presence. He refused to let me move, forcing me to endure the weight of his possessiveness until my strength completely withered. It wasn't just a physical standoff; it was an emotional siege that drained every bit of energy I had left.

By the time the tension finally broke, I was trembling, my muscles aching from the strain of the encounter. I lay back against the silk pillows, my vision swimming with exhaustion. I couldn't even find the strength to pull the sheets up around me.

Kaelen stood by the bed, his breathing gradually slowing. He looked down at my spent form, a look of grim satisfaction settling over his features. The territorial aura he projected remained thick in the air, a silent warning to any who would dare challenge him. He reached down, slowly drawing the heavy duvet over my shoulders, tucking me in with a gesture that felt both protective and a final seal on his control.

He dressed with deliberate, steady movements, looking entirely rejuvenated by the display of dominance, while I remained unable to even sit up. He walked to the edge of the bed, his shadow looming over me.

"Rest," Kaelen commanded softly. "The Council meeting begins shortly. You have been marked as the Queen of this Citadel, and by the time I return, everyone will understand the depth of that bond. You won't be going anywhere for a long time."

He turned and walked toward the door. The heavy click of the lock echoing through the room signaled his departure, leaving me trapped in the silence of the royal suite, physically spent and utterly overwhelmed by the int

ensity of his claim.