Semua Bab His Captive, His Mate, His Queen : Bab 51 - Bab 60

~Ioana~ He held the nightwear in his grasp. The cloth that caressed my skin like a lover's kiss, washing over my body like the gentle shore waters last night, now balled in his fist like an enemy’s war flag. His nostrils flared, breathing in. My heart thudded—exhaling. He lowered his face. Slow. Deliberate. Molten pools of gold never leaving mine… then he inhaled. My cheeks flushed in shame. He's smelling my nightwear. Heat flared up, shooting straight down—my thighs clenched where I stood. There was something too personal about it, something that affected me in more ways than it should. Then he spat: "You smell like another man." It didn't come immediately, but once it did, I staggered backwards. The hail arrived—ice after ice slamming into me, chilling me to my core. 'No… I have no idea what you're talking about,' I shook my head, trying to deny. He stood up. Like a panther patrolling its territory, he stalked up to me. Green veins bulged on his arm from the force

~Ioana~The stern Lady Althea's lips were curled into a grin. Her hand went up to her open mouth, her palm covering her exposed teeth, but from where I stood frozen, I could hear her laughter—low and soothing. She stood beside a statue-like man who had his hands behind his back—Alessandro.Her chin was tilted upwards, her eyes sparkled. He gazed down at her, expression was something I couldn't read.The sun that burned my skin backlit them gently—Lady Althea's hair like flame, Alessandro’s ink, mixing and complimenting each other in a way I never thought was possible.In this moment, I had to admit, they looked good together. She looked better than me beside him. A weight pressed down on my chest, I felt uncomfortable. I wanted to walk in between them and tear the harmonious scene apart with my claws.But my feet were rooted to the floor.'Is this payback?'His words yesterday resounded in my ears: "You would walk in to see me with a she-wolf."I did walk in.“Her hands over my neck

~Ioana~I didn't want to see him. I stood opposite him, my arms crossed over my chest, staring at him.Ramon.The one who rejected me but is now back to plead.Just the two of us.Every other thing faded away—the people, the chatters, the buzzes. Everything. Leaving just him and I.And the deafening silence that grew each second that passed."My Queen…" he repeated. It was just two words, but it carried so much… sadness and relief at the same time. I pursed my lips."Ramon," I called his name as my answer. He snuck a glance around, then they snapped back to mine a second after like iron on magnets. The ruffles around my sleeves hid my nervousness. People were staring at us as they passed. I guess we were too copious—a male and female wolf, standing, staring at each other. Maybe he felt it too because he shuffled on his feet, his fingers buried themselves into his brown strands—something he al

~Ioana~ Fight… Dominate… Yourself! I'm fighting myself. To control, to fight, to dominate, wasn’t that the Queen's job? I pressed my palms against the floor, Wasn’t that all I’ve been learning? I pushed myself up. Why do I need saving from someone else? An important thought flickered then died. All my life I've been grumbling about everything. I took a step. About my fate. Step. The bullying. Another step. But now everything is different. I'm the Queen, aren't I? Not a damsel in distress. I chuckled softly. And I… well, don’t need any knight to save me. I shut my eyes. Silence. Just then. My eyes snapped open. A moment of eureka! The clues I couldn’t see before came together like jigsaw puzzle pieces, fitting perfectly. It was still the same place. The same strange space. But something hummed to life. I won’t be controlled any longer. By anyone. I will. Fight. Control. Dominate. I placed my palm on the wall and pushed. It resisted. Firm

~Ioana~"Am I going to be naked?" I blurted out the most off question.And truthfully, to me, it was the most important.The cheerfulness in the air froze.Then cracked."If you don't want your clothes to be torn to smithereens, then yes?" he nodded as a matter of fact.I rapidly shook my head. "Then I'm afraid I can't do it!" I glared at him—"Pervert! Why didn't you tell me!"—resisting the urge to throw something at his smug face."Don't worry, I won't take a peek if that's what you're worried about.""Of course it is, but if you can't look, what if something goes wrong?" I wondered."Then we should pray nothing goes wrong then," he dropped those words, whistling."Ahh!" I groaned. "Can't you just comfort someone naturally? I really want to kill you right now—figuratively speaking—yes, I do."The owls bore witness to my gradual spiral into madness, probably bingeing on the rare episode they'll experience in a while.Once I was done, I breathed out.My mini breakdown was accompanied b