Semua Bab Captured by the Alpha King : Bab 11 - Bab 20

It’s one dinner. Just one, I tell myself as I approach the restaurant doors.But I don’t know if it’s the last time I’m going to have to sit across from Ashton and pretend that I’m going to be his willing little wife. I do not doubt Owen is Owenis going to make good on his promise to nullify Ashton’s lawsuit against me. I just don’t know when. Lupercalia is still two weeks away. Plus, I haven’t heard from the king since the night we almost…I try not to think about that as the maître d’ leads me through the dimly lit main floor, to a round banquette of soft ivory leather. Ashton hesitates there, his coppery hair combed back and brushing the collar of his expensive suit jacket. He rises with a broad smile, takes my hands, and kisses my cheek. “I almost gave up on you.”I wish you would. I physically bite my tongue to keep from saying it. “I’m sorry. I got turned around on the way here.”He frowns as we slide into our seats. “You drove yourself?”“Mmhm,” I affirm through my closed-lip

I don’t want to feel grateful or relieved that Owenhas freed me from my obligation to Ashton. I don’t want to feel anything other than angry at the man who’s mailing my sisters away, ruining their lives, probably ruining my life, when he finally gets around to sentencing my father.“Thomas Dixon.” Owen’s tone takes on a strangely friendly note that I can’t trust. “You have been found guilty of treason. But you came to my aid and proved a loyal ally during the earliest days of my reign. I wonder what I have done to lose your confidence.”“Your Majesty—” Father begins, but he doesn’t seem to have anything else to say. He just shrugs his shoulders. “I’ve made an error in judgment. Please, don’t punish my daughters for it.”“I’m not punishing your daughters for your wrongdoing,” Owen says, maddeningly reasonable. “They’re being held accountable for their mates’ crimes under pack law.”The other families have been taken away by the guards. Only Ashton, Mother, Father, and I remain. Owen ri

Maybe it’s not a good idea to sleep with the man who just turned my entire world upside down. But dismissing the almost painful need that binds us is a growing agony, and the closeness of his body is a welcome distraction. It’s not like things could get better by not doing it, and for some reason, Owen’s hands on me feel tighter than my anger does.His heated kisses reach the collar so I lean away to take it off. He pulls the lace cups of my bra down and buries his face against my breasts, and I arch my back, trusting that he can hold me up with a single hand splayed across my lower back. Gripping my thighs around his waist helps steady me, but it maddens me at the same time. I physically ache to feel his skin on mine, to touch as much of him as I can with as much of myself as I can, and my jeans are not helping.“I couldn’t get you out of my mind,” Owen mutters. “All of the things I wanted to do to you…”“Do you still want to do them?” I gasp as his teeth close over my nipple and I

After Ryan and Hannah leave, I snoop through the residence and find a study. As one would expect, the king’s bookshelves are filled with magnitudes on pack law, including the intimidating twenty-volume pack charter.Research is way less fun when you’re not doing it with two equally motivated individuals. And when your entire future hangs by a thread. But what it lacks in fun, it makes up for in not getting any results. It’s dark out by the time I give up.I glance out the window of the study and spot the moon. We’re two days from Lupercalia. Two days from understanding what my life is going to be like.By ten o’clock, Nathan still hasn’t returned to the residence.“Amanda?” I ask through the intercom in my sitting room. “Has the King left word of when he’ll be back?”There’s a click and Amanda answers, “His Majesty isn’t planning to return tonight. Do you have a statement you’d like me to pass along to his secretary?”He’s not coming home. “Do you know where he’s gone?”Click. “By pac

The chamber is as cold and dark as I imagine. My arms ache. I’ve been waiting, chained, for what feels like hours, but through the grate overhead, I can tell the moon isn’t directly above us yet.This isn’t how Tara said it would go. She’d mentioned a ceremony, other people being here with us.I’m all alone, in a cell that smells of earth and is oppressive in its chill humidity. The acolytes did anoint me, that part was true, but they didn’t wait for my mate to arrive. Now, with my back to the door, chained to a damp wooden post, there’s no way for me to tell who will come in. And if I change my mind…It’s too late to change my mind.I stifle a sob of fear. I can do this. I gave my testimony. Sure, I messed up by playing that recording and by entrapping Ashton. I thought I was doing the right thing but apparently, I wasn’t. Whatever happens, whoever comes through the door, I’ll face the effects of my actions and I’ll do it without becoming a sniveling crybaby.I want to cry, though.