The Master Key

The suffocating darkness of the narrow linen closet pressed in on me, but it was nothing compared to the crushing, overwhelming weight of Kaelen’s body pinning me to the wall.

His enormous body obscured everything from view. The iron vice of his left hand restrained my wrists when he used it to hold me above my head against the wooden shelving. My right hand remained sealed over my mouth while his palm roughness pressed against my lips. My chest heaved against his chest as I took hurried breaths which brushed my chest against his tailored body.

Dr. Vance and the nurse walked outside the closet door while their heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway which had white tiled floors.

Dr. Vance's voice moved through the thin wood of the door as he ordered the guards to follow his instructions exactly. The doctor should maintain a dosage level which prevents total respiratory failure while keeping her in an unresponsive state between her critical condition and complete sleep.

The footsteps walked away until all I could hear was my loud heartbeat and the sound of Kaelen's weak breathing.

He is killing her according to my newly awakened wolf which roamed through my mind. They all planned to kill her. Let me out. Let me rip his throat open!

I fought the need to shift into my wolf form while I struggled against the ancient power which wanted to break through my skin. I needed to stay hidden. The deadliest Alpha of the territory had me trapped in this closet.

Kaelen's jaw was so tightly shut that I could hear his teeth grinding against each other. The air of the confined area became filled with the strong scent of black ice and dark cedar which came from his agitation. Incomplete mate bond between us made its presence felt in the dark. The areas where his body made contact with mine produced heat which felt like it burned me. I hated that my skin craved it. I hated that his Alpha aura made my knees weak even as I plotted his demise.

Kaelen moved his hand away from my mouth in a gradual manner.

Kaelen asked the question "Are you completely insane?" in a whisper which sounded like a dangerous vibrating voice. He held my wrists captive while he moved forward to let his fangs touch my ear. His enforcers would have killed you before you could scream for help if they had discovered you listening to a royal medical decree.

I choked out "You knew" because my voice trembled between two emotions which displayed my grief and my furious anger. I twisted my wrists to escape from his grip but I failed to break free from his hold because he resembled a statue. "You knew your father was poisoning her! You knew he was keeping her sick!

Kaelen replied that he did not know about the dosage levels because his eyes changed to see through the dark space. His eyes became visible but his eyes still remained dark. "I know my father. Alpha King Thorne does not heal his leverage. He controls it. Did you really think he was going to magically cure her and let you both walk free?

The rage I felt burned so intensely that it produced tears which flowed from my eyes. "She is his mate.

Kaelen laughed in a dark way which had no trace of humor. "She exists to serve as a reproductive means through which he will research her bloodline. Welcome to the Obsidian Claw pack, Elara. We don't do fairytales here.

I hissed "Let me go" while I kicked my bare knee forward to cause him maximum pain.

Kaelen predicted my attack with perfect accuracy. He shifted his weight, making his heavy thigh enter my space to force me tighter against the wall while he defeated my attempt to attack. The dominant position we held created a forbidden shockwave which moved through my entire body. My breath hitched in my throat.

Kaelen froze. The sudden tension of his muscles became noticeable to me. The pupils of his icy eyes blew wide, swallowing the blue. His chest let out a deep growl which sounded more like a predatory sound than an angry sound. The wolf within him reacted to his mate's closeness, which made his human revulsion towards me disappear.

Kaelen spoke in a voice which became deep and romantic while he asked me to stop fighting him. "My brothers are looking for you. Caleb wants to break you. Jace wants to play with you until you shatter. "You will encounter death through their games if you exit this closet.

I challenged him stating "You already made a serious threat when you announced your plan to let my mother die through choking her own blood.

Kaelen smoothly announced "I am the heir" before he transformed his voice into a lethal tone. He released my wrists but he continued to stand near me without any distance between us. His hands dropped to my waist, his long fingers gripping the curve of my hips through the thin beige fabric of my dress. "I have access to the secure pharmacy. I have the undiluted vials of the silver-lace extract. The real medicine. The cure.

My heart stopped. I stared up at him, my mind racing. "You rejected me. You hate me. Why would you give it to me?

Kaelen declared "I do hate you" while he stroked my hip bone with his thumb in a slow motion which felt agonizingly hot. The lie tasted bitter, even in the air between us. His body betrayed his words. "I hate you but I want to keep everything to myself. My brothers will ruin my property if they break you.

He bent forward, his lips almost brushing my lips. "Here is the deal, little Elara. Tonight, sometime after midnight, you come to my secret penthouse in the west wing. Just you.

You submit to me, and me alone. You play my way in the dark, and I shall reward you with the undiluted vials to your mother. You will not pass through the poison of my father anywhere.

I had a shiver of pure horror and perverted anticipation. He was providing an escape, however at a price of selling my soul straight to the devil.

"Do we have a deal?" Kaelen insisted, his Alpha aura overwhelming me and compelling me to obey.

I glanced up at his cold handsome face. I let my shoulders slump. I made my brown eyes as wide as possible, and thus made them look as utterly defeated and hopelessly dependent.

"Yes," I whispered brokenly. "Yes, I'll come tonight."

Kaelen glared with black and triumphant satisfaction. He moved away, and immediately put an end to the tormenting hotness between us. The cold of the closet was appalling. He pointed the tail of his jacket which was a made suit, his veil of cool impartiality sliding right back into place.

"Midnight," he commanded. Either be here in time, or the business is off.

He swung around and opened the door to the closet and walked out into the light of the sterile of the medical corridor, and left me in the shadow. He did not even think of looking back, as he walked away, a mighty, impassable king, marching his kingdom.

It was some time before I at length gave a long, ragged sigh, his heavy footsteps had become thoroughly audible, and I had to endure a moment of agony before I could dismiss them.

I stood by the shelf with wood in it, my heart beating wildly out of my chest. My wolf darkly purred in my head.

Slowly, I opened my right hand.

I was lying in the middle of my palm and what I was lying on was a silver, heavy-duty, sleek keycard. It carried the royal crest of the Obsidian Claw pack and the horrific high level security clearance barcode.

By the time Kaelen had retreated to admire my false submission, I had thrown up my hands upon my sides, and had worked my alleged weakness to brush him on the hip and thrust my fingers directly to the suit pocket. I had been on the streets before my mother got married to Thorne; I had known how to pick a pocket.

I looked at the silver keycard, a nasty triumphant smile at last creeping over my face.

I was not going to the penthouse of Kaelen to be his submissive toy this night.

I was going to the secure royal pharmacy, and I was going to rob the Alpha King blind.