Dom’s POV
I had to suppress my laughter as Cyrus entered my office with my kicking and screaming mate. She was a feisty one. ‘She’s gonna be fun to mate with, I just know it.’ Amos chimed. He had been going on all day about mating with her. Placing all of these vivid images of her in my head. It was driving me mad, but I needed to gain her trust before I could act on anything. No matter how bad I wanted to, it would have to wait. “Put me down!” She kicked and squirmed. She looked child like when she behaved that way. Once Cyrus was safely through the threshold, he gently put her down. She quickly turned to face me, cheeks flushed with her eyebrows merging together. “I see you’re still upset.” I stated. She glared at me with those beautiful green eyes and all I could think of was ways to make those eyes of hers glaze over in pure ecstasy. The mate bond was definitely something strong. In the past, a woman who acted this roughly would have never attracted me. I preferred my women soft and sweet, but maybe she’s exactly what I needed. The moon goddess did make her for me after all. “What’s your plan? Why keep me here? What do you want from me?” She hissed. I could see the hate in her eyes. It’s safe to say that I was shocked myself that I wasn’t immediately repulsed by her being a witch. Instead, it only made me more interested. I’ve only met witches during the battle, never in every day passing. I knew how they fought and how they manipulated, but I knew nothing of their culture, or beliefs. It made me eager to know everything that she is and maybe the knowledge I learned from her would help us win this war. “Why don’t you have a seat. Maybe we can work something out.” I gestured for her to sit in one of the charges across from my desk. She looked back at the doorway, seeming to be weighing her options. Cyrus stood blocking the exit, so I knew she had no other choice than to sit. With a loud sigh, she made her wait to the chair and sat loudly. It reminded me of an adolescent that was called to the principal’s office. We sat quietly for a moment. I couldn’t help but stare at her. She was very thin, but her curves still enhanced her beautiful. Nothing a little food couldn’t fix. “You gonna talk or you’re gonna keep staring at me?” She snapped, bringing a smile to my lips. “Are you always this fussy?” I asked with amusement. “Only when I’m being held captive!” She snapped. I could understand that. If I was in her shoes, I doubt that I would be any more pleasant than she was. “I’m not keeping you captive, little witch, I just want to get to know you. That’s all.” I stated, leaning forward at my desk. “Why?” She asked, clear confusion on her face. “Why else?” I asked. A full on smile covered my face. I couldn’t help it. She was so small yet fierce. It was so god damn cute. “The moon goddess got it wrong.” She spoke softly as she bowed her head. It was the first time I heard her tone of voice this low. It honestly caught me off guard. I was expecting her to snap at me with words laced with venom, but instead, she became soft. “I can’t be mated to someone like you.” She looked at me through her lashes. I understood why she said what she did, but it didn’t make her words hurt any less. Amos was surprisingly quiet. It felt like he was nervous. Like if I said the wrong thing, I could ruin everything. “Believe me, little witch, I am just as surprised as you are. I never expected to be mated to the very thing that destroyed my family.” Her head snapped up at me. Her eyes looked at me with both confusion and disbelief. “But, it doesn’t matter to me that you are what you are. What matters is that I’ve found you.” I could feel the walls of fear that surrounded her began to lower at my words. “I truly want to get to know you.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “I don’t even know your name.” I stated. I could see her mentally fighting herself. It took her a while before she finally responded to me. “Anastasia.” Her name rang in my ears and caressed my heart. “Such a powerful name.” She tilted her head to the side looking at me with cautious eyes. I grabbed the extra cup that sat on my desk and poured her a glass of water. I gently slid it over to her. She inspected it for a few minutes before she picked it up and chugged it. The way she drank every last drop like she wouldn’t get another made me wonder what exactly happened to her. It was clear she was wounded from a wolf bite and she was malnourished. Not to mention the scaring she had all over her body Hannah had told me about. I didn’t see it myself but I was told it looked bad. After she was finished, she placed the glass back onto my desk and looked at me with softer eyes. “Excuse me if I’m being too direct, but what caused you to be in the state that I found you?” A look of fear displayed on her face and quickly was replaced with disinterest. “That’s none of your business.” ‘Damn this woman!’ Amos finally broke his silence. ‘Why is she so damn unreasonable? She’s beginning to piss me off!’ Amos growled. ‘Oh pipe down, Amos. You’re always pissed off.’ I responded dismissively. I’ll admit, her stubbornness is definitely affecting me, but I also knew that if I reacted negatively to anything she did, I could push her into rejecting me. ‘Why hasn’t she rejected us yet?’ Amos asked, responding to my thought. ‘You know what? I don’t know.’ I answered honestly. It was a good question. She’s shown her hatred of us since she opened her eyes and yet, she still hasn’t said the words. ‘Maybe, she doesn’t know how to?’ Amos stated. That had never accrued to me. She wasn’t aware of what a Lycan was, maybe she also wasn’t familiar with the rules and laws of the mate bond. If that was the case, then I sure as hell wasn’t gonna tell her how to do it. I wanted her to stay. The last thing I wanted was for her to actually reject me. After a few minutes had passed, I stood up and casually walked around my desk, and leaned against the front of it. She looked up at me. I could see the anxiety wrapping around her like a snake. “My love, what can I give you that would make you cooperate with me?” “Freedom.” She hissed. The hate was back in her eyes. ‘Goddess! The stress of this woman!’ Amos snarled. ‘Well it’s a good thing I’m in control now isn’t it? You would have scared her off by now.’ I snapped. ‘The woman doesn’t need scaring! She’s already out the door!’ He growled back. Just when I was about to argue back, Cyrus broke through my conversation. “Your majesty, they’ve located Reign. She was caught a few miles from our boarders.” I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. I tried to give the girl the benefit of the doubt, but if she felt the need to run off from the kingdom, she most definitely knew something. I knew her parents. They were among the many who perished during the last war. It made no sense for her to be involved in any of this, but one thing was certain. I was gonna find out what she knew no matter the outcome.Willow’s POVI half expected someone to come out of their home and stop this but no one did. It was like no one heard what was going on. Desperate now, I gave up on shooting daggers but instead gathered any liquid around me including the potion and flung it at him in every direction. Luckily this time, I managed to get him. He crashed to the ground almost immediately. Now panting and in pain I slowly backed away from him in the direction of the castle. I was hoping that the potion would work for longer, but it isn’t. He slowly started moving again and I knew that if I didn’t get some distance between us, this would be the end of me. I turned and managed to run. I kept running until I smacked into something. Someone. My senses immediately reacted an I knew right then and there that I ran into exactly who I needed to. My eyes connected with his dark ambers ones. “Help.” A whisper was all I could manage before I buried my face into him. I knew that he would protect me, kee
Cyrus’s POV “Got that name.” I said as I approached both him and the Luna. “It’s Darius. And he’s planning to stay in the kingdom for a while.” The silence that followed pressed heavy against my chest. I could feel how Dom’s power coiled in the room like a storm ready to break, but he kept his voice leveled and cool. “Men who choose their audience are men with purpose. And purpose without allegiance is a threat.” Xio and I both agreed with his words. “What would you have me do?” Dom’s answer came without pause. “Shadow him. We have enough going on already. The last thing we need is an uninvited rogue roaming about causing more chaos.” “That I can do.” I reassured. His jaw tightened, and I felt the sharp edge of his thoughts through the bond. “Darius believes he has earned my attention,” he said, his tone low, dangerous. “Let him think it. Let him believe he is weaving his way into my court. And when he shows his hand, I will cut it off.” I gave a single nod
Willow’s POV I half expected someone to come out of their home and stop this but no one did. It was like no one heard what was going on. Desperate now, I gave up on shooting daggers but instead gathered any liquid around me including the potion and flung it at him in every direction. Luckily this time, I managed to get him. He crashed to the ground almost immediately. Now panting and in pain I slowly backed away from him in the direction of the castle. I was hoping that the potion would work for longer, but it isn’t. He slowly started moving again and I knew that if I didn’t get some distance between us, this would be the end of me. I turned and managed to run. I kept running until I smacked into something. Someone. My senses immediately reacted an I knew right then and there that I ran into exactly who I needed to. My eyes connected with his dark ambers ones. “Help.” A whisper was all I could manage before I buried my face into him. I knew that he would protect me, kee
Cyrus’s POV He finally glanced at me from the water. His eyes glinted, dark and unreadable, as a slow smile touched his mouth. “Why would I want to be found?” He asked as he rose to his feet. “Because I like you, Beta. You’re being wasted following behind him like a shadow.” ‘The ego on this asshole.’ Xio growled. “Careful,” I warned. “Your flattery is sounding a lot like disrespect.” He chuckled, low and unbothered. “Believe me, beta, if I meant disrespect, you’d know.” He said, it was a poor attempt to intimidate me. ‘Fuck this guy!’ Xio snarled at the man’s arrogance. “Overestimating yourself, I see.” I retorted, uninterested in whatever game he was trying to play. He had another thing coming if the believed he could pin me against Dom. Dom was my king first, and brother second. Although we weren’t related by blood, our Lycans have always been a pare. Linked the moment they appeared. I had always knew I was Dom’s beta, even as small children. And when I ha
Dom’s PovIt was something about this guy felt off. “How did you know I was looking for rogues? I didn’t summon you.” The strangers lips curve up into a smile that never reached his eyes. “Does that really matter? They’re yours now.” Growls sounded from the rogues, but they quickly became silent once I looked their way. I turned to Ana, gently urging her to take a seat on the throne while I got everything sorted. “What is your name?” I asked. The man’s lips curved again, as if I said something amusing. ‘Let’s just kill him now!’ Amos snarled with anger. ‘We can’t do that yet.’ “It’s unimportant to you, Lycan king. What matters is that I delivered your bounty.” “Are you expecting a reward?” I asked, slightly amused by his misplaced arrogance. He looked down at his watch as if I was boring him. What an asshole. “I don’t need anything from you. Do whatever you want with them. My part is done.” Before I could respond, he turned sharply and headed out the do
Anastasia’s POV I wanted to deny everything, but part of me knew she wasn’t lying. That the way that my magic simmered under my skin when I was angry, or the way even now, I could tell you exactly how every coven member was feeling. I couldn’t understand why the moon goddess would give me such a status. Could it be that she always knew I would use my magic to hurt all of those people? Was this some new way to punish me? Surely it couldn’t be a blessing. She said that my blood was the key.did that mean I had something to do with this prophecy? I could feel Dom tense beside me, it was like I could feel his anxiety getting the better of him. And that terrified me more than anything the seer had said. I grabbed hold of his hand, hinting that we leave. The dungeon doors slammed shut behind us, causing me to jump slightly. Dom walked ahead of me, silent. He was putting a wall up, I could tell. With every stride, I could feel that wall climbing higher. I hated that wall. “Dom