Chapter four

CHAPTER FOUR: 

Elena POV.

But he pulled back at the dime minutes. His expression unreadable. I saw confusion flicker across his handsome features, just for a moment. He knows that Something is not quite right, but he cannot identify what.

I secretly took a sigh of relief.

"You smell different than I expected," he says, his voice deep and rough, like gravel rolling over stone.

I swallow hard. "How so, Your Majesty?"

"Sweeter," he says. "Alpha pheromones are usually sharper. Yours are..." He trails off, studying me again. "Perhaps it is the journey. Travel affects scent."

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

He reached out suddenly, taking my chin in his hand and tilting my face up to his. His touch was firm but not painful. His golden eyes bore into mine, searching.

"You are not what I was told to expect," he said quietly.

Terror ran through my entire body. "What were you told to expect, Your Majesty?"

"A warrior princess. Strong and fierce, But you..." His thumb brushes my cheek, and the gesture is so unexpected, so gentle, that I flinch. "You seem fragile, breakable even."

"I assure you I am not," I said, forcing strength into my voice that I do not feel.

Something shifts in his expression. His eyes narrow, and for a moment I see anger there. "Do not lie to me," he says softly, but there is steel underneath the quiet words. "I can smell fear from miles away, you are terrified."

I cannot deny it. My fear is written in every trembling breath, every racing heartbeat. "Anyone would be afraid," I say honestly. "You are the Lycan King, Your reputation... precedes you."

He releases my chin and steps back, and I can breathe again. "My reputation," he repeats, something bitter in his tone. "Yes. The Beast King. The monster, Is that what your family told you? That I am a savage who kills for pleasure?"

"They told me you are powerful," I said carefully. "That you do not forgive those who cross you. That you rule with strength."

"And they sent you anyway." He turns away from me, walking back toward his throne. "Wrapped in chains like a sacrifice. Tell me dear slave, Did you come willingly, Elise Ashford? Or did your father force you?"

The question catches me off guard. I expected cruelty, not curiosity about my feelings.

"I came to save my pack," I said "The debt must be paid."

He sits on his throne again, leaning back and studying me from the elevated position. "A noble answer, quite convincing that for a minute you almost had me. But you did not answer my question. Did you choose this, or were you given no choice?"

I thought of my mother's cold eyes, my father's dismissive wave, the way they erased me from family portraits. I thought of Elise hidden away while I took her place. "Does it matter?" I ask quietly.

"It matters to me," he says.

I do not know what to make of that. This man who is supposed to be a monster, who cares whether I want to come. It unsettles me more than cruelty would.

"I am here," I say finally. "My feelings about it are irrelevant."

He was quiet for a long moment, those golden eyes never leaving me. Then he spoke, his voice carrying through the hall so all could hear. "You will be given chambers in the royal wing. You will be treated with respect befitting your position as the Lycan King's intended bride. But make no mistake, you are here as payment for a debt. You belong to me now. Your life, your freedom, your future all of it is mine until I decide otherwise."

The words should terrify me. They should make me feel like the possession he is claiming I am. But there is something in his tone, something almost... protective. As if he is warning me, preparing me, not just claiming ownership.

"I understand, Your Majesty," I say.

He signals to someone behind me. "Marcus will show you to your chambers. Rest, and Eat. Tomorrow we will discuss the terms of your stay here."

I turn to see a man approaching, older than Kieran, with kind hazel eyes and a warrior's build. He bows slightly to me. "My lady, if you will follow me."

I started to follow the old man, relieved to escape Kieran's intense scrutiny. But the Lycan King's voice rang throughout the hall, stopping me in place.

"Elise."

I turn back, and he is standing again, looking at me with an expression I cannot read.

"Welcome to Bloodstone Fortress," he said. "I hope you survive it."

The words should sound like a threat. But they sound almost like a warning. Like he is trying to tell me something important.

Before I can respond, he turns and walks out through a side door, his warriors trailing after him. The hall empties quickly, leaving me alone with Marcus.

"This way, my lady," Marcus says gently, as if he could sense how close I was to collapse.

He led me through corridors of stone and iron, up stairs and around corners until I was completely lost. The whole mansion was built like a maze.

Finally, we stopped at a heavy wooden door.

"These will be your chambers," Marcus says, opening the door.

I stepped inside and stopped in shock. The room was beautiful. Larger than my entire parlour at home, with a massive bed draped in fine fabrics, a sitting area with comfortable chairs, a writing desk by a window, and a door leading to what looks like a private bathing room.

"This is... too much," I say quietly.

Marcus smiles. "The Lycan King wants you comfortable. There is a wardrobe with clothes that should fit you. Food will be brought shortly. If you need anything, pull this cord." He indicates a braided rope hanging by the bed. "A servant will come immediately."

"Thank you," I say, overwhelmed by the luxury after three days in a windowless carriage.

Marcus hesitates at the door. "My lady, may I give you some advice?"

I nod.

"The Lycan King is not the monster people say he is. He is... complicated, maybe wounded, but not cruel without cause. If you are honest with him, he will treat you fairly."

The words are kind, but they landed like stones in my chest. I cannot be honest with him. My entire presence here is a lie.

After Marcus left, I sank onto the bed and finally let myself feel everything I have been holding back. Fear, Exhaustion, Grief. I am in the Beast King's fortress, pretending to be someone I am not, and I have no idea how long I can maintain this deception.

I moved to the window and looked out over the fortress. From this height, I could see the training yards, the barracks, the walls that surround everything. It is a prison disguised as a palace.

And somewhere in this fortress is the man who now owns me, the Lycan King whose golden eyes seemed to see straight through my disguise.

I thought about that moment when he inhaled my scent. The confusion in his eyes. The way he said I smelled different than expected.

He almost caught me. On my very first day, he almost saw the truth.

I touched my throat where his breath was warm against my skin. I could still feel it, still feel the strange pull I experienced when he was close. My omega nature responded to his alpha presence in ways I could not control, and I am terrified he felt it too.

A knock on the door startled me.