The bastard and the king

Aria’s POV

My eyes fluttered shut, breath caught in my throat, waiting.

For his lips. For his claim. For something I swore I didn’t want—yet my whole body trembled for it anyway.

The heat of him pressed so close, his hand steady on my throat, his thumb still ghosting over my lips. I braced, heart hammering, until—

Nothing.

The silence stretched, cold realization sliding through me. When I opened my eyes, Raiden wasn’t kissing me at all. His gaze burned into mine instead, silver fire gleaming with something that looked suspiciously like amusement.

He scoffed under his breath, low and dark, then without warning, bent down and hauled me up—straight onto his shoulder.

“Wait—what?!” I yelped, kicking, shoving at his back. “I can walk! Put me down, you overgrown—ugh!”

My fists beat uselessly against him, but he only strode forward, steady and unmoved, as if I weighed no more than a feather.

“Let me down!” I hissed again, wriggling. “I swear, if you don’t—”

He didn’t. Not until we reached my room.

The door opened, and in two steps he carried me to the bed, lowering me onto the mattress with a gentleness I didn’t expect. He didn’t cage me in. Didn’t snarl, didn’t threaten. Just… placed me there, like something breakable.

I lay frozen, staring up at him, confusion spinning in my chest. For all his terrifying power, all the danger thrumming in his aura, he hadn’t hurt me. Not once. And yet—mate? How could I believe that? How could I belong to him?

His eyes softened, just a fraction, as if he could hear the doubt screaming inside me.

“Did you enjoy your meal?” he asked, voice lower now, almost quiet. “Do you want more?”

The question threw me off. Out of all the things he could have said, that was the last.

I bit my lip, hesitant, then blurted, “I’m… sorry. For dinner. If I angered you.”

For the briefest moment, his lips curved into the smallest smile. A flicker of warmth. His hand rose again, fingers brushing against my cheek in a tender caress that stole my breath.

“My little wolf,” he murmured, and something in my chest cracked. “I don’t want your apologies. I only want you safe. Understand this—I am not going to hurt you.”

My throat tightened. No one had said words like that to me in… I couldn’t even remember.

He lingered there for a moment longer, then dipped closer—not to my lips, but to press a soft kiss against my forehead. A featherlight brand that made my eyes sting with emotions I didn’t want to feel.

“Goodnight, little wolf,” he whispered.

And then he left, leaving me lying there in silence, my heart racing, my thoughts in chaos.

Because for the first time, I wasn’t sure if I feared him… or feared myself.

                    THE FOLLOWING MORNING~

Aria’s POV

Morning came like a thief, dragging me out of uneasy dreams. I blinked against the soft glow spilling across the stone walls, only to jolt when I noticed them—two maidens already at my side, heads bowed, waiting.

“The king’s orders,” one of them said, voice smooth, polite. “You’re to be bathed and dressed.”

I sat up immediately, clutching the blanket to my chest. “Excuse me? No. Nope. I can bathe myself.”

They exchanged a look. Not mocking. Just patient. Unmovable.

Long story short—I lost.

Before I knew it, warm water and oils slid across my skin, my hair washed, braided, perfumed. By the time they were done, I didn’t recognize the reflection staring back at me in the polished silver tray. Clean. Regal. Almost like I belonged here.

I didn’t.

I slipped out the moment they finished, determined to find some kind of escape—or at least answers. The fortress was alive with movement. Guards drilling in the courtyard, servants rushing with trays, messengers flying down the hallways. Everyone had a purpose, except me.

I caught sight of a guard I vaguely remembered from last night—the one who looked at me less like prey and more like a person.

“Where’s… where’s the king?” My voice cracked halfway through, damn it.

“In the Great Hall, my lady.” He inclined his head, then gestured for me to follow.

My steps echoed louder than I wanted them to as we approached the enormous carved doors. My stomach tightened. Something about the air felt heavier here, like stepping into the center of a storm.

The guard swung the door open, and I froze at the threshold.

Raiden sat high on his throne, carved from ancient stone and etched with glowing runes. The weight of his presence filled the hall, making the guards at the sides stand straighter, their eyes lowered. Beside him, an empty throne waited—ominous, expectant.

But that wasn’t what stole the air from my lungs.

It was him.

Darius.

Standing at the base of the dais, head bowed in false humility. Before him lay piles of gifts—silver, jewels, weapons gleaming under the torchlight. All meant for the Lycan King.

But his eyes… his eyes were on me.

Heat shot through my chest, my heart stuttering wildly. Not because I wanted him—hell no. But because the arrogance burning in his stare told me everything.

He thought I’d crumble the moment I saw him. That I’d forget his rejection, his cruelty, his betrayal, and crawl back now that I saw the chains he believed bound me to Raiden.

His lips curved in the faintest smirk. Like I was still his possession.

And in that single heartbeat, all the whispers I’d overheard in the fortress came rushing back— She won’t last the week.

Maybe they were right. Because standing there, between the monster who claimed me as his mate and the bastard who had cast me aside…

I wasn’t sure which one would destroy me first.