All Chapters of The Shrewd King: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The wind is strong, and rain is warning us of its impending presence. The trees are swaying with the wind and the waves are crashing against the beach. In the twilight, the clouds lay all over the island, it’s overcast and dismal. It’s February and there is a bite of cold in the air. The only consolation is that ‌human hunters might deem today as too inconvenient to go on with hunting us—werewolves who are imprisoned on this island. Hopefully, they postpone the hunting indefinitely. I sit on a slab of stone that overlooks the angry ocean. It looks as if a typhoon is coming but we all know that it’s just the monsoon. I take a deep breath. The atmosphere is oppressive, and truth be told, I want to hide too, but I can’t. Adults like me, especially the strong ones, are morally bound to act as bait for the children. They can’t fight yet, not until their training is completed. They still need a few more years to learn and to watch how we survive in this weekly turmoil. I look around th

The smell of clean sheets and lavender invades my senses before I am aware of my surroundings. Soft and hard, both contrasting features, but laden with comfort. I open my eyes to see a sleeping man beside me. I sit up and the blankets fall over my shoulders and his, revealing a half-naked man, peacefully sleeping next to me. I swallow as events replay in my head. This man is my mate. A human, but still my mate. Then desire washes over me as I watch his sleeping form. I want to touch him. I want to smother him with kisses. I am about to reach out to him when I pause and suddenly pull back. What the hell! Nowra warns me about this too. Heightened desire and being horny all the time. The need to touch my mate and the desire to make him happy. This is uncomfortable and yet very… what? Pleasing? I shake my head and look around the room. The bed is in the middle with cabinets on its side. A door is on my left. Crossing swords decorate the wall, but other than that, the room is simple. Th

The instant the door closes on our room, Theo touches my lips to his. It is a close-lipped, chaste kiss as if he is trying to make me familiar with him first. When he pulls back from the kiss, I wind my arms around his neck and ask, “So, what’s the story of the eye bags?” He unconsciously touches it and groans. “Too much work and I can’t sleep at night.” “Am I a noisy sleeper?” “It’s because you sleep so peacefully beside me.” There’s a knock on the door and we both go to the couch while the servants place our dinner on the table. “That Harbin. I said tea and snacks.” “It’s dark now, so it makes sense that they are giving us dinner instead,” I say. Theo sighs and orders the servant, “Bring in the bath, too.” Once the servants leave, I sample the dish. It’s delicious, but somehow, something is wrong. I look at it and then at Theo, who’s about to gobble it up. My hand automatically moves and slaps the food from him. He frowns at me, especially when the meat drops all over the

After breakfast and bath, I insist to dress up, thinking that I am going to Harbin later for my studies. But the way the day is going, it seems like Theo has a different plan for me. “Theo, it’s Monday, right? Shouldn’t I be with Harbin instead?” He glowers at me. “You prefer his company more than mine?” “That’s not it! You said it yourself, there is a certain expectation to a King’s lover.” “He took your yesterday from me. So today, it’s fair that I will have you all for myself,” he says and his mouth touches mine again. He pushes me down the couch and showers small kisses on my face, while my hands rest on his shoulders. When his hands go inside my dress, I squeal and cover my mouth. “Sorry,” I say. Based on Harbin’s lessons, it's unbecoming for a lady to make a sound like that. “Don’t be,” he says and kisses the side of my cheeks. “The sounds you make guide me on what you like and dislike.” “But Harbin says on our etique

Laughter erupts as Theo gawks at my form. He gets off the bed and lifts me, then sets me on the side of the bed. He takes a blanket that’s on the ground beside the couch and covers me with it. “Now, I wonder where are our sleepwear? It must have been a crazy night for us to lose it,” he jests. Before opening the door, he stoops over the side of the tub and wears his clothes. He greets someone at the door and then, two servants enter carrying food. “Harbin, she’ll go to the study room once she’s done eating and taking a bath. Now go, you’ll just be a distraction.” When Theo shifts his attention back to me, he’s already smiling and there’s no Harbin outside our room. He ushers me to sit beside him and while we are eating, two servants take care of the mess we’ve made in the room and prepare the bath. I study Theo as he languidly eats. “What’s wrong?” I ask. “Are you tired?” “I’m not tired,” he says. “I simply wish that we can stay in