All Chapters of Breeder To The Cursed Lycan King: Chapter 21 - Chapter 27

ATHENA The water was scalding, yet the maids handled me as if I were a piece of laundry to be scrubbed clean of my past. Coarse sponges dragged over my shoulders and down my spine, the friction turning my skin a frantic, angry rose. It felt less like a bath and more like a ritual of erasure. I tried to pull the luffa from the hands of the woman to my left, my fingers trembling against the heat."I can do it myself," I snapped, my voice sounding thinner than I intended in the tiled expanse of the washroom. "Please. I am perfectly capable of washing my own skin."The maid didn't even look me in the eye. She simply tightened her grip on the sponge and continued her rhythmic, punishing work. "We are strictly following the King’s instructions, Miss Athena. He was very clear about the state in which you are to be presented."I went still then, the word state ringing in my ears like a funeral bell. I was a project. A vessel. I forced my breath to remain steady, letting them finish their tas

ATHENAThe chamber was submerged in a thick, suffocating gloom, illuminated only by the faint, silver sliver of moonlight piercing through the drapes. I stepped across the threshold, my pulse thrumming a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I had been summoned, and in this place, a summons was a command that brooked no delay.I moved with the caution of a wounded animal, my gaze scanning the area of the room. It seemed empty at first, a void of silence. I exhaled, a shaky sound that seemed too loud in the stillness, and took a hesitant step further.Then, he rose.It was not a movement of sudden violence, but a slow unfolding, like a predator waking from a light slumber. He stood by the window, the darkness clinging to him until he stepped into the sliver of pale light. My breath hitched, a gasp tearing from my throat before I could suppress it. I spun, my skirts swirling as I made to bolt back toward the sanctuary of the corridor."Stop."The word was low rumble that vibrated through the

AthenaSunlight filtered through my closed eyelids. For a few blissful seconds, the world was a blank canvas. I forgot the constraints of my reality, drifting in a haze where the air smelled of rich cedar and the mattress beneath me cradled my aching body like a cloud. The blankets were impossibly soft.Then, the phantom warmth of a hand on my waist flashed behind my eyes.Memory crashed back, brutal and unyielding.*Hunter.**The King’s bed.**His room.*My eyes flew open.I bolted upright so fast the room spun, a wave of dizziness forcing me to grip the silk sheets. My heart hammered against my ribs as I scanned the space, braced for the impact of his presence.The massive expanse of the bed beside me was empty. Hunter was gone.A breath rushed out of me. The sheer weight of the tension I’d been carrying rolled off me in waves, leaving me slightly hollowed out.In the daylight, the chamber looked entirely different. Last night, it had been a cavern of shifting shadows and paralyzing

HUNTERThe moment I saw Claire walking down the corridor, I stopped in my tracks as she popped into my head again. My jaw tightening slightly."Where is Athena?" The question was direct.Claire blinked, startled by my sudden appearance, and instinctively clutched the silver pitcher in her hands closer to her chest. "I just left her in her chambers. I was on my way to the kitchens to fetch her some water." She replied.Satisfied with the answer, I offered a terse nod and turned to go, ready to dismiss the interaction and continue on my way. But the moment she popped into my head I knew getting her out was going to be a problem, so instead of heading to my office I decided to go see how she was doing.I was turning the final corner to her wing when the sound tore through the quiet hallway.A scream.Athena.Every ounce of rational thought evaporated. The fragile wall separating the man from the beast within me shattered completely. A blinding, all-consuming rage took its place, fueled