The Lycan King’s Defiant Surrogate by Riley Above Story (Chapters 131 to 140)

Chapter 131

Caleb follows Tristan to an empty gym. The guards already sparred in here earlier and now it sits empty. If Caleb didn’t know Tristan as well as he did, he might suspect that Tristan led him back here so they could continue their fight.

But Caleb does know Tristan, so he knows Tristan only brought him back here so they can talk – which means Caleb needs to calm down.

Shifting in front of an entire was probably not the wisest choice for Caleb, but in his state, he’d been unable to think clearly enough to care. With Tristan’s interference, he’s beginning to realize he shouldn’t fight his own guards.

Especially when they are already beginning to distrust him.

They stop in the center of the room, and then Tristan turns to look at Caleb, wearing his typical faux-bored expression. He’s waiting for the truth.

“I offered Harper a gift of her choosing in exchange for her saving my life,” Caleb says. With his wolf pushed back, he can speak much more easily than he could when he was near his shift. “At first, she denied needing the gift, but now she’s asked something of me.”

“She wants to be free,” Tristan says.

Caleb narrows his eyes at Tristan. He hadn’t suspected that Tristan might be the one that Harper might be seeking to marry…

No. Caleb shakes his head. That’s the paranoia’s influence. He knows them both too well to believe that.

“Her face when she stood beside you while you were on your date with Annabelle told a story,” Tristan says. “She hadn’t looked that unhappy since she was first brought here.”

Caleb didn’t notice her unhappiness during his date. He’d been too focused on trying to determine if Annabelle was worthy to stand beside him on his throne. The pressure from his parents made him singularly focused in that regard.

He could kick himself now, for not seeing the discomfort in Harper. Maybe he could have found a way to resolve this before she made her request.

Too late now.

“She needs to fall in line,” Caleb grumbles. “She must know what she asks is impossible.”

“Harper isn’t like the other women in your harem,” Tristan says. “She’s opened her heart to you, and in doing so, has opened herself up to be hurt by you. Every time you flirt with another, she feels it.”

“And you could see that on her face?” Caleb asks, just to be sure.

“Yes,” Tristan says. “All you have to do to see it is look at her.” Tristan shrugs. “She’s jealous, King Caleb.”

“Jealous?” Caleb doesn’t truly understand. The girls could be petty over each other, but Harper has never been like that. She’s never seemed to care how much money or gifts he’s lavished on anyone else.

“She doesn’t want to share you,” Tristan says.

She did say something like that, now that Caleb remembers, thinking clearer. She wants a mate who will share special moments and celebrations with her. She doesn’t want to be anyone’s second or replacement.

Perhaps the warning signs were there, Caleb just didn’t see them.

To keep Harper, Caleb has to try to be more understanding. If only he could find some compromise to keep the both of them happy.

Oh! That could work.

“Harper will no longer need to attend my dates with Annabelle,” Caleb says. “In fact, I believe we should keep the two entirely separate. If they do not see each other, they will not think of one another.”

“My King,” Tristan says, and Caleb can already tell just from his tone that he’s about to disagree. “This seems like only a temporary solution. It might even be worse for Harper to not be there. Her imagination will surely run wild…”

“Harper will adjust,” Caleb says. “She will have to, as I fully intend to make Annabelle my wife.”

Tristan stares at Caleb for a long moment, like he is waiting for something else. When Caleb doesn’t say anything more – what’s left to say? – Tristan sighs and glances away. “That is your decision, my King.”

“Annabelle is a fine woman and would make a good queen,” Caleb says.

“Of course,” Tristan says.

Annoyance swells within Caleb. Even as many times as Caleb scolds him, Tristan never speaks his mind to Caleb. But he’s clearly holding back now.

Not that it matters. Caleb has made his decision, and that is all there is.

He is so determined that later that day, during a lunch date with Annabelle, Caleb proposes.

“Annabelle. Would you care to be my wife?”

Annabelle’s smile stretches so wide, it must hurt her cheeks. “Yes, my King. That would be wonderful.”

He should tell her that if she’s going to be his queen, she should start addressing him by his first name, but he doesn’t. The thought of her being so informal with him doesn’t sit quite right.

Though he doesn’t mind when Harper does it.

He’s sure by the time the engagement is through, he will feel differently.

News of the engagement spreads through the palace like wildfire, with whispers flittering between the servants and the guards. Eventually, the harem girls overhear.

Bethany rushes straight to me as I’m walking down the hallway, returning from the dining room where I ate lunch.

“Caleb’s getting married,” she says. “He proposed only an hour ago.”

I really wish I didn’t eat anything, because now it’s threatening to return up my throat.

Swallowing it down again, I nod and continue walking back to my room.

“Did you hear me?” Bethany asks, hurrying along beside me. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you alright? You’re pale.”

“I’m fine,” I say, though even those two little words sound hurt.

Truthfully, I’m not fine, but I vowed I wouldn’t cry over Caleb anymore and I’m holding myself to that.

Once we are back in the safety of my room, I turn to Bethany. “I need a suitcase.”

Her eyes go wide. “A suitcase? Why?”

“If he proposed, that must mean that he is accepting my request. I imagine I will be gone from this place by nightfall.”

Bethany’s face starts to fall. “You will?”

I hate to leave her here. “I will see if I can bring you with me,” I say. “A woman needs her handmaiden, after all.”

Bethany perks at that. “The suitcases are kept in storage. I’ll return with two.”

With that, Bethany turns and hurries out of the room.

In her absence, I start to decide what I will be taking with me. I won’t be taking everything. I have no need for some of the finer things, like the gowns or the flashy jewelry. But I will take the simpler, more comfortable dresses and clothing.

Gathering up a few outfits, I haul them out into the main room and drop them on my bed.

“What’s this?” Caleb asks.

I jump, not having heard him come in.

“I’m packing,” I tell him. There’s no sense hiding it, not when he’s likely to come here to tell me to leave.

Turning toward him, I brace myself by reminding myself this is what I want. I don’t want to have to watch Caleb and Annabelle act like a loving couple for the rest of my life, while I hang around on the side.

I’d rather leave.

“Where are you going?” he asks me, walking closer.

“I haven’t decided yet,” I say.

“And you think I will authorize a trip like this?” he asks. He stops two feet in front of me.

“It’s not a trip,” I say, confused. “I’m leaving.”

Caleb’s face twists in anger. “You are not leaving.”

“But -“

In a flash, Caleb closes the distance. Grabbing me roughly by the shoulders, he insists, “You are not going anywhere, Harper. You will always be mine.

Chapter 132

For a moment, I’m too stunned to speak. How could I have gotten this so wrong? How could I think that Caleb would be reasonable, and want to save me from further hurt when everything that he’s ever done until this moment has only been in his own selfish interest?

Of course, he wouldn’t want to free me from this torture. Why would he? Not when he can have what he wants by forcing me to stay here.

This is a man with a harem. He doesn’t understand what monogamy means, or why anyone would want it.

With a heavy sigh, my entire body sinks, pulled down by the weight of knowledge of the pain to come. There will be no escape for me, then.

What if they have children?

Oh, gods.

I put my hand on my stomach, willing myself not to be sick.

“If you mean what you said, about me mattering to you more than I realize, then why would you want to torture me like this?” I ask.

“This won’t be torture,” Caleb says. “Nothing will change between us.”

He’s delusional if he believes that. Or, perhaps more likely, he has no idea the kind of relationship that Annabelle wants. Will he even release his harem at her request, or does he fully intend to make her miserable too?

Nothing will change? Everything will change.

“You will have a wife who will expect things from you,” I say.

“She will adapt, as you will.” He seems so damn confident like he has it all figured out. Like he believes everything will be as easy as Do what I say.

Feelings don’t work like that. They aren’t logical. I can’t just not be heartbroken because he wants me to stop.

I don’t even know where to begin in trying to explain that to Caleb, not when he is so damn sure of himself. He won’t listen to me. I’d just be wasting my breath.

“Please, Caleb,” I try pleading instead. “I don’t want to be here for this. She is going to be your wife. I can’t be the other woman…”

“Our situation is not like the typical relationships you are used to,” Caleb says, softening slightly like he’s purposefully trying to be kinder – more understanding. He doesn’t know how damn patronizing he sounds. “I’m a king. I can have any number of relationships I choose with whomever I choose.”

“I don’t want that for myself,” I say.

“You won’t have it,” Caleb says. “Your only lover will be me.” His fingers curl tighter around my shoulders, biting into my skin. He’s not just stating what he believes to be facts; this is a warning. I will not take other lovers, or they will likely be killed. I can read between the lines well enough.

“Caleb, I can’t do this…”

“You can, and you will,” Caleb says. “I’ve already started to make arrangements. The two of you will forever be separate. You won’t even walk past each other in the hallways. It will be like the other doesn’t exist.”

“But she will be Queen,” I say. This means, I’ll be the one kept to the shadows, forced to hide away while Annabelle attends all the events. If she starts coming down the same hallway as me, only one of us will be asked to move. It’s not going to be the Queen. “Please, Caleb. Just let me leave.”.

“No,” he says sharply. “And do not ask again.”

With a disgusted snarl, he drops his hands away from me, then turns and heads to the door – just as Bethany is returning with two suitcases.

“Take those back to storage,” Caleb barks at her. “Harper will never leave this palace while I’m still breathing.”

Bethany dips her head while glancing sideways at me. “Of course, my King.” She cannot tell the King, no, but she’s still looking to me for what she should do.

I close my eyes and give her a stilted nod.

Without his approval, I wouldn’t be able to take one foot out of the palace without being dragged back. He’s probably on his way to tell the guards right now to keep a closer eye on me, in case I try to run again.

Bethany wheels the suitcases back into the hall. Caleb waits for her to leave, then follows her out the door without looking back.

When they are both gone, I gaze longingly at my pile of clothes. I thought I was so close to freedom, but I wasn’t. It had been an illusion; I wasn’t close at all.

Picking up the dress on top, I hold it against me, trying to imagine myself wearing it while I walk as a free woman down one of the streets on my pack lands.

It’s a nice little dream. Impossible but nice.

I draw my hand down the fabric, pressing it to my body, when I feel something oddly shaped in the pocket. Digging into it, I fish out a pendant necklace.

The one Samuel gave me. The one he kept. The one he asked Bethany to give back to me.

I wonder what our lives would have been like I had never been disgraced. We would have married, most likely, and I’d be Luna of our pack.

Would we be happy right now? Would we have children?

My feelings for Samuel have changed in the past few months. I’m not sure I would have loved him forever if we had married… If Caleb never came around…

But it still would have been a good life, with children and friends. Family. Purpose, as a Luna.

What is my life now?

A harem girl. Even favored, I’m just a tool for my King’s pleasure. He’s said that only his mate will have children, so I’ll never have my own. And now, I won’t even get to stand beside him at events. I’ll be some kind of shadow mistress.

It hurts. It all hurts.

There has to be something I can do to save myself from this fate. But what?

Another week passes, and soon, it’s time for the Alpha Council to return. I stand off to the side in the Hall, surrounded by the other harem members, as each Alpha and his entourage are introduced to the room of supporters and advisors. King Caleb is mysteriously absent, but that’s fine with me.

We haven’t seen much of each other since our last argument. That was fine with me. Every time I faced him, my chest ached.

Then, the announcer declares, “Alpha Samuel of the Riverwood Pack, accompanied by his mate, Leah.”

I look over, surprised to find Samuel entering alone. Leah was introduced. Where is she?

Samuel keeps looking behind him as he enters the Hall as if something is wrong.

A sinking feeling pushes down on my gut. Caleb promised he would get the truth from Leah when she arrived, but he’d also promised that I would be there.

Has he moved on his own? Has he taken Leah without me?

Gods, he’s going to actually torture her if I’m not there to stop him.

Pushing through the crowd, I go to Samuel. “Where’s Leah?” I ask.

He still seems somewhat dazed and keeps looking back at the door to the hall.

“We were separated. The guards said she’d be right behind me…”

Caleb’s made his move then.

“I’ll find her,” I tell him and rush toward the door.

I have to find her – before Caleb kills her.

Chapter 133

There are two floors that I know Caleb would take someone to interrogate them. The first is the dungeon, where he frightens and tortures. The next is the floor up from the dungeon, where interrogation rooms are set up, cold tile rooms with one-way windows like in police stations.

I can’t waste time guessing incorrectly. Caleb won’t take much backtalk from Leah before he starts adding pain into the mix.

Even so, the dungeon is messier. It is reserved for the lowest of the low, in morality and society.

As Leah hasn’t killed anyone, and as she’s Luna of the Riverwood Pack, I take my guess that Caleb has placed her in an interrogation. room and not a dungeon cell.

I rush down the stairs, taking two at a time in some places to reach the correct floor. Once there, I throw open the door. When I see Tristan standing in the hallway, I know I picked the right place.

He spots me instantly, then turns to face me. “You don’t want to go in there.”

“Leah is my sister,” I say. “And Caleb already agreed to let me be there for this. I don’t know why he’s going back on it now.”

“Maybe he’s trying to protect you,” Tristan says.

“Bullshit,” I snap. “This happened to me. I don’t need protection from it. What I need is the truth.”

Tristan’s bored stare pushes down on me, but he doesn’t argue. Instead, after studying me for a minute, he stands to the side.

Frustrated, I push past him and throw open the door he had been guarding.

Inside, Leah is sitting on an uncomfortable metal chair. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and her chin is lowered. She’s slouching, as if she’s trying to make herself appear small.

Caleb towers over her, glaring down from where he stands directly in front of her. The torture, it seems, hasn’t started yet, but if the fire of rage in Caleb’s eyes is anything to go off of, the knives or claws are going to break out very soon.

As I enter the room, Caleb and Leah both look at me, Caleb with annoyance, and Leah with relief. She thinks I’m going to save her from him. She has no idea that she is right where I want her to be.

My loyalty to Leah will only keep Caleb from killing or permanently maiming her. I have no problem with him wanting to instill the fear of the gods into her, especially if it leads to the truth.

I have lived in disgrace for far too long, without even understanding the circumstances of the evening. After everything I’ve been through and everything I’ve remembered, I’m determined to find out what happened and why.

Leah might be the only one with those answers.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Caleb says, his voice a low grumble.

“You promised,” I remind him.

He chuffs in response but turns his attention back to Leah.

“Harper, you have to help me. It pains me to say this, truly! But I think our King has lost his mind…”

A low growl rumbles from the back of Caleb’s throat.

Leah immediately cowers on the chair. “Please, Harper. Talk some sense into him. He thinks I did something to you at the club that night…”

Looking down at her, I lift my chin ever so slightly. “And… Did you?”

The color drains from Leah’s face right along with her unearned righteous indignation. She has no moral leg to stand on and everyone knows it.

“How could you accuse me of something like that?” Leah says. “Your own sister…”

“It is precisely because you are my sister than I can accuse you,” I tell her. For too long, I let her push me around, but no longer. If she did something to me that night, I will find out about it and she will face the appropriate punishment. That’s all there is to it. “I’m remembering things, Leah.”

“The quicker you reveal what you know, the less pain you will be forced to endure,” Caleb growls.

“You wouldn’t let him hurt me, Harper?” Fear undercuts her voice and makes her eyes wide. She’s still looking at me for a rescue. How can I possibly make it clearer that she is as much an enemy to me as she is to Caleb?

“Why shouldn’t I? You drugged me that night, triggering my heat, and then left me there to be assaulted by whatever brute came along. I was so damn lucky that Caleb was the one who found me. If it had been someone else…”

I shuddered, just thinking about it.

“I know it was you, Leah. I’ve been having visions… memories resurface, of you putting something in my drink.”

Leah looks from me to Caleb, down to where Caleb’s hands are turning claw-like. His eyes are flashing red as well. It won’t be long before he shifts, enraged.

Leah closes her eyes. She must attempt to breathe deeply, but her breaths are stuttered with nervousness and fear.

“I didn’t mean for you to get hurt…” she says softly, reluctantly, as if the words are being physically pulled from her throat. “None of this would have happened if you would have just stepped aside and let me have Samuel.”

There it is, the admittance of truth and the motive behind it. She wanted Samuel for herself and she was going to stop at nothing to have him, even if that meant drugging me and hoping some alpha would use me to my disgrace.

“Did you know that drugging me, causing my heat, would trigger a rut in an alpha?” I asked.

“Does it matter if she knew?” Caleb demands. “She admitted she had done this terrible act. Now should surely be the time to kill her.”

“Kill me?!” Leah yelped.

“She is my sister,” I told Caleb. “I want to know the full extent of her crime. I would know whether she was ignorant or truly evil enough to facilitate what could have been true harm to me.”

Caleb turns his full attention back to Leah. “Answer her. Did you know?”

“I d-didn’t. No! Of course, I didn’t. Harper, you can’t think that.”

She’s arguing too much, a telltale sign that she isn’t being truthful.

Old pain I had thought long ago buried rises up from within me like a zombie out of his grave. I had already written off Leah as someone who hated me. But I never would have fathomed how much until right at this moment.

She could have drugged me in ignorance. Could have thought I might have stumbled home at 3 in the morning smelling of booze. Maybe she didn’t know that she was leaving me so vulnerable. Any lesser Alpha might have bitten me in my delirious state. I could be some stranger’s mistress right at this moment.

But it’s more likely that she knew what she’d be doing to me. Maybe she thought I’d die in the process. Some Alphas in rut are driven to madness. They might have ripped out my throat.

All so that she could have for herself the life I’d been living.

“Would you have cared if I died?” I ask her. I already know the answer. As she looks back at me, her eyes go frosty and cold.

She doesn’t say the words aloud, but I can feel them anyway.

I know, that not only would she have not minded if I died, but she would have preferred it.

Chapter 134

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Leah spits at me. “I didn’t admit to anything.”

“You don’t have to,” I tell her. “I can see the truth in your eyes. I know how much you despise me. I never thought you would go so low as to terrorize me like this. Even then, when I suspected and everyone told me I was being vicious towards you, I believed them. I thought, how could one sister do this to another?”

“You are the one who acted all high and mighty,” she snaps. “Everything I’ve ever done has been to claim what should have been mine to start with.”

For her to believe that she must feel no sisterly devotion towards me even slightly. She only ever wanted my life to be her own, even at the cost of my life, my dignity, and my safety.

Caleb has clearly had enough of the venom spewing from her lips. Glaring at her, he says, “I wonder how Samuel would feel if he knew you have done all this to the woman he loved?” His glance shifted toward the door. “Perhaps we should ask him.”

At that moment, the door opened, and Samuel burst into the room with Tristan following.

Samuel’s eyes were alight with his own fury, his own rage.

Leah jumps out of the chair, rushing to her feet. Caleb places a strong hand on her shoulder and shoves her straight back down into it.

“Stand again without being told to, and I will remove your legs,” Caleb growls.

Leah grips the sides of the chair, her face as white as a ghost. “Samuel, I can explain…”

“You don’t have to. I heard everything.” He dips his head to the side, gesturing to the window built into one wall of the room. From this side, it seems like a mirror. “I could see you through there.” His hands curl into fists. “I knew you could be vicious, even conniving at times. But to do that to your own sister – and to me, the man you claim to love…”

“Samuel… please…” Tears well up in her eyes. “You have to believe me. I didn’t mean to.”

“That’s not true, Leah. Stop lying. You did mean to, or else you wouldn’t have put something in Harper’s drink and left her there. Or you would have spoken up after, instead of letting the pack tear Harper down. Hells, even your own family faced ridicule because of those actions, and you never said a word.”

I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen Samuel this viscerally angry. Perhaps that night after the attack, when he had begged me to run away with him.

“I’ve had enough,” Samuel says. “Of you. Of all of this. I’m divorcing you for this, Leah. You can find your own way back to pack lands if they even release you from this place.”

“Samuel, you can’t let them keep me here!” she shouts, leaning forward in the chair.

“Watch me,” Samuel replies. With that, he turns and walks straight out of the room. He doesn’t once look back, not even toward me. It’s as if he’s written us all off. I wonder if he’ll just leave the palace and go home. With the bad blood between them, Caleb isn’t likely to stop him, not even to force him to participate in the Alpha Council.

“Well,” Caleb says, once Samuel is gone. “I think it’s time we kill her.”

“We can’t,” I say. As pissed and hurt as I am, I can’t let Caleb kill my sister. She’s vile and treacherous, but she’s still my flesh and blood.

“I must be hearing things,” Caleb grumbles. “Because I know I did not hear one of my loyal subjects object with her King.”

“You did hear it, and I’ll say it again. You can’t kill my sister.”

“I can’t?” Caleb steps around Leah, ignoring her and her pale face entirely to focus primarily on me. He leans close, danger in his eyes, jaw clenched, teeth grit together. “Do not ever tell me what I can and cannot do, consort. Or have you forgotten yourself?”

Maybe I have. With everything Caleb and I have been through together over the course of my being here, maybe it was so easy to think we might have the kind of relationship where he would spare my sister just from me asking him.

Since Annabelle’s arrival, I haven’t really known what to think or to believe. Whatever affections Caleb says he has for me feel fleeting, as changing as the tides.

“She’s my sister.” That’s all I can really say. I have no other means of defense.

Caleb glares down at me for another moment, his breaths huffing, before he growls, grabs me by the wrist, and yanks me out into the hallway. He does not release me, dragging me along behind him, all the way back up the stairs and to my room. There, with the door closed behind us, Caleb turns on me.

“You cannot undermine me in front of others,” he snaps.

I blink once, twice. Was that what had him so angry? It’s not that I wanted him to save my sister; it was because I didn’t ask submissively enough?

“Caleb…”

“They cannot know of my softness for you, Harper.”

“They… who?” I ask. The only people in the room were Tristan, Leah, and presumably a few other guards on the other side of the window. All of whom should be loyal to Caleb.

“Anyone,” he says fiercely.

A sliver of fear runs through me, but I have no idea if this is Caleb’s paranoia talking, or if I have actual legitimate reason for concern.

“Caleb,” I say again, letting some of the fear come into my voice.

It splashes over him like cold water. Wincing, he takes a step back from me. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply. When he opens his eyes again, they lack the fierce intensity they carried only a moment before.

“Tell me what you want me to do with your sister,” he says.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “I don’t want her dead, but she shouldn’t just get away with what she has done. She needs to face some kind of consequence. For her entire life, she’s avoided getting into any kind of trouble.”

“We could send her to the Coliseum.”

“That’s as good as killing her,” I said. “She’s even less adept at holding a blade than I was. At least I had known some manual labor which gave me some sort of strength. She’s been spoiled her entire life.”

Caleb considers my words. “We could punish her by having her work some physical labor. For proprieties sake, we will have to pretend she’s been executed, but secretly, she will be living out her time as a servant.”

I wasn’t sure if this was the best solution, but for now, it would have to do. At least she wouldn’t be killed. Although to her, maybe this would be worse.

“I’ll take care of everything,” Caleb says.

“Thank you, Caleb,” I tell him, meaning it. He didn’t have to make these exceptions for me. He could have easily just had Leah killed and not listened to me at all.

That he took the time to listen means something to me.

If only he didn’t have to marry Annabelle…

The next morning, the Alpha Council reconvenes. Samuel, however, is missing.

He is not found anywhere within the palace, nor the capital. It is as if he vanished into thin air.

Chapter 135

Caleb hates the Alpha Council, now more than ever before. The last time they convened, the entire capital had been besieged by bears after the betrayal of Caleb’s Gamma. This already painted the council in a negative light for Caleb, even though it had no real fault in what happened.

Now, however, with the proceedings underway, the Alphas are bickering and posturing. Everyone is speaking but no one is actually saying anything.

“We need to build up our defenses against the north,” says one of the Alphas. Caleb just barely keeps from rolling his eyes. Of course, they need to build up their defenses. That’s why they are having this Council, to determine the best course of action to do so.

Another says, “We should place more forces along the border,” which is at least the semblance of an idea, even if it’s a faulty one. For one, the bears of the north have already infiltrated once already. Secondly, the northern border is a very long stretch of land, most of it out in desolate, freezing cold locations.

They cannot realistically protect the entire border.

“We just need more soldiers,” argues another Alpha.

Sitting on the throne, Caleb rubs his forehead, aching for relief from this asinine endeavor. He can’t remember why Tristan convinced him this would be a good idea. All of these Alphas seem utterly clueless.

Caleb tries to rally his patience though, remembering at least, that he needs to keep on the good side of some of them. Even if their ideas are terrible, it’s important that they feel heard.

Tristan spots Caleb’s annoyance from across the hall and already starts walking closer.

“My King, perhaps you could grace us with your ideas,” one of the Alphas said.

Then, very quietly under this Alpha’s breath, Caleb hears a whisper. Perhaps, because it was uttered so lightly, they thought an Alpha of Caleb’s caliber would not hear it.

They were severely mistaken.

“If only Evan sat on the throne…”

Caleb saw red. In a flash of muscle and power, he leaped from the throne, careened through the air, and collided with the lesser alpha who had dared to utter those words.

The shift threatened, his wolf pulsing under Caleb’s skin, begging for release. The wolf wanted to sink its teeth into this man’s neck and tear out his throat.

Caleb so nearly let it, facing his own bloodlust. Yet still, he fought it back. Not for his sake, or for this lesser alpha’s, but for the sake of his kingdom.

Tearing the throat out of a pack alpha would not be looked upon kindly.

Even if that pack alpha deserved it.

The lesser alpha whimpering, tilted his neck to the side, offering his throat in a sign of reverence and submission.

Such weakness isn’t worth slaughtering.

“Alpha,” Tristan says as he walks closer. Caleb can hear each footstep like it’s a hammer on a drum. Despite the bored expression Tristan wears, his heartbeat races out of control.

He believes Caleb will kill this man. He doesn’t know that Caleb has already convinced himself not to.

“Might I speak with you privately, my King?” Tristan asks, bowing low. He’s offering Caleb a chance to escape this situation without having to explain himself.

Caleb knows he needs to take this offered escape or he’ll only lash out further.

“Very well,” Caleb says, though it’s difficult to form words. His own throat had already begun the shift.

Tristan nods and leads Caleb toward a side room. Caleb follows him there. As Tristan closes the door behind them, Caleb walks to one of the chairs and forces himself to sit, forcing himself to calm.

“You nearly killed that man,” Tristan says when they are alone.

“Did you hear what he said?” Caleb asks. “He said he wished Evan was on the throne…”

Tristan’s eyes widen slightly. “Did he truly say that?”

“I heard it,” Caleb snaps. He knows what Tristan is thinking. This could be the paranoia again, creating whispers where there were none.

Maybe he had the right to worry. Perhaps Caleb had imagined it.

But what if he hadn’t?

“Your brother’s name has not been uttered in this hall in a very long time,” Tristan says. “The older Alphas would know better, and the younger ones should be too young to remember.”

“I heard his name, Beta,” Caleb growls. “I did not imagine it.”

He hopes.

“Yes, my King. Perhaps, for now, we should take a recess from the Alpha Council. Tempers were flaring even before…” Tristan clears his throat. “It might do everyone some good to separate for a time.”

Caleb hates giving in to others’ ideas, but he can still feel his anger coursing through him. He needs time to collect himself or he might very well lash out a second time. His willpower might not be as strong again.

“Very well,” Caleb pushes himself out of his chair. His muscles flex on their own, and his fists clench, open, clench. So much energy, but he has nowhere for it to go. He half wants to take off into a sprint, half wants to break something.

What he needs is Harper, but he hates that he needs anyone.

He can do this alone. Harper is a weakness, a crutch.

As King, he has to be able to stand alone.

When the Alpha Council quits for the day, word reaches me fairly quickly about Caleb lashing out, though no one really knows what the trigger was. Some rumors suggest that Caleb grows more unstable by the day, but no one dares say such things in well-lit hallways or rooms. Those whispers are delegated entirely to shadowy corners and darkened alleyways.

Worried about Caleb’s health and well-being, I leave my room and head to Caleb’s door. Unfortunately, a pair of guards block the way. Worse, I’m not the first one to have arrived there, seeking an audience with the King.

Annabelle is also there, speaking with the guards.

“You have to let me in to see him,” she says. “Do you know who I am?”

“Yes, ma’am,” one of the guards says, entirely unaffected.

“I’m not one of the harem,” Annabelle insists, as if there’s been some kind of misunderstanding.

“No, ma’am.”

“I’m the King’s betrothed.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“So you should let me inside!”

“No, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.”.

Annabelle huffs in frustration, her gaze drifting up and down the hallway. When she sees me, she snaps, “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to see King Caleb,” I said. “I heard about what happened.”

“He doesn’t want to see anyone,” Annabelle says. “That includes you.”

“I would prefer if I heard that from the guards themselves,” I say.

Annabelle narrows her eyes. “Harper. This is one of those times when you need to learn to step aside. Have I not already made our positions clear? Whatever you once were to King Caleb, you are no longer. I am to be his one and only. His support and his strength. And his Luna. Do I make myself clear?”

“Until he dismisses me, I am in my King’s service,” I say. I’m not thrilled about being at Caleb’s beck and call. I’d rather he let me go and focus on Annabelle or whoever else he intended to marry instead. But that’s not the hand I’ve been dealt.

Caleb still wants me here, and no one is going to tell me to leave but him.

“Well, I wouldn’t get too comfortable if I were you,” Annabelle says. “I’m sure he’ll ask you to leave sooner, rather than later.”

Chapter 136

“Actually,” the guard begins, glancing between the two of us. “King Caleb has already given Harper permission to enter his chambers as she desires.”

Annabelle’s entire face flashes bright red.

I very nearly smirk with satisfaction, but I bite it back at the last minute. It wouldn’t do to be smug right now. After all, I am not the one who is going to marry Caleb. I might win this battle, but Annabelle will still win the war for Caleb’s affections.

For now, however, I wait for her to step aside and then enter the room with the guards’ permission.

As soon as I am within it, they close the door behind me, sealing me in the darkened room. Despite it only being midday, the light in the room is dim. The curtains have been drawn to cover the windows and all of the lights are off.

“Caleb?” I call out. It’s hard to explain how or why, but I can feel his presence in this room. I know he’s here somewhere, even if I can’t see or hear him.

If only my senses were as strong as his, I bet I’d be able to see him in an instant, just as I am certain he’s been clocking my every step since I walked into this room.

“Caleb, I know you are in here. Where are you?”

Still, he doesn’t answer. Not for a very long moment.

Then, like a rumble in the dark, he says, “I nearly killed a man, and I have no idea if he deserved it.”

Following the sound of Caleb’s voice, I walk toward the edge of the room where I finally find Caleb slumped on a chair pulled against the wall. Shadows hide most of his face, but even in the dark, I see the occasional flash of red over his eyes.

“Can I touch you?” I ask him.

“Please,” he replies. Closing his eyes, he dips his head forward.

Slowly, as to not startle him, I raise my hand, bury my fingers in his hair, and begin to lightly massage his scalp. As I work, his body starts to dip, some of the tension releasing from within it.

Softly, he begins to speak once more. “You have a strange power over me, consort. Why is it that only you seem to be able to ease my wolf?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, my tone as gentle.

“Have you done this for other Alphas?” His words add bite, “For your Samuel?”

“No. I’ve never touched a man the way I’ve touched you.”

“Good.” Satisfaction rumbles through his voice.

It isn’t fair for him to say those things, to want me to be his alone, while I cannot expect the same devotion from him. Even now, I think about Annabelle waiting for Caleb on the other side of his door.

“Annabelle tried to see you,” I say.

“She does not need to see me like this.”

“She is your betrothed.”

“What does that matter?” he asks. Opening his eyes, he glances up at me. I still my ministrations, staring back.

My eyes are adjusting to the dark now, and I can more clearly see the planes of his face. The proud set of his jaw. The intensity of his eyes.

“She’s going to be your wife. Don’t you think she should be the one to help you like this?” I ask.

“She is incapable.”

“How can you tell if you don’t let her try?”

“I just know.”

“That doesn’t make sense. You have to let her try.”

In an instant, Caleb pushes himself up to his feet. My hands fall away from his scalp, but he catches me by the wrists, keeping them prisoner.

“Why do you care so much about her?” Caleb growls. “She is not a threat to your position here. I’ve told you, nothing will change between us.

“It’s not my position I’m worried about,” I tell him. It’s my heart. “You know I don’t want to be the second woman in your life.”

“You aren’t second,” Caleb insists. “You are simply another.”

“That means second!” I snap.

He glares down at me. “You demand too much of your King. Have I not gifted you a life of luxury and privilege? Have I not saved you from the squalor of your previous life?”

“You’ve denied me my request,” I tell him. “So I will ask you again. Release me and let me be free.”

His hands tighten around my wrists. “Never.”

I wince in pain, and he immediately loosens his hold. His eyes soften too, losing some of their edge. I don’t think he meant to hurt me.

“It’s getting worse, isn’t it? The paranoia, and the pain. The headaches…” I say.

“Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to,” he says.

That means yes, it is. This further means that even with my help, Caleb is struggling against the growing darkness in his mind.

“Was there some kind of trigger?” I ask. “If we can narrow down what sets you off, perhaps we can keep it from happening.”

Caleb fully releases his hold on my wrists now. I drop my hands to my sides.

“I thought one of the Alphas said something. A whisper. It set me off.” He looks away. “Tristan believes that I only imagined it.”

“What did he say?” I ask, knowing I’m taking a risky chance here. If Caleb repeats what was said, he might lose himself to the rage again. I can only hope that the calming effect I have on him helps keep the fury at bay.

It’s worked so far. Mostly.

“He said he wished my brother Evan sat on the throne.”

I remember Prince Evan and the scandal of his disappearance. I remember the rumors that swirled around that time, many citing that Caleb had killed him for the throne.

“That name haunts you,” I say.

“As it should,” Caleb says. Lifting his hands in front of him, he stares. down at his palms. “I should be haunted for what I’ve done. I murdered my brother.”

“Caleb…”

“And I still don’t know if he deserved it.”

Caleb lifts his hands and buries them in his hair. From his throat, he releases a guttural yell of frustration and pent-up pain.

“I deserve every minute of the torture I’ve suffered since that moment,” he says. “I’m being punished for what I’ve done.”

“That’s not true.”

“You don’t know. You have no idea.”

“So tell me!” I shout. “Why carry the burdens alone? They weigh down on you so much. Why not share them?”

Caleb shakes his head. “I have earned this crown. For Evan to be remembered like this… They do not want me on the throne. They are using him as a symbol of my lack of control. Soon they will attempt to overthrow me again.”

“Who?” I ask.

“Everyone,” he growls.

I try once more to reach out for Caleb, to attempt to soothe him, but he swats my hands away.

“Caleb,” I say.

He shakes his head, shutting me out.

“You could be with them,” he says, his voice twisted and strange.

“I’m not. You know I’m not,” I say. “I’m only on your side.”

“That’s what they all will say.” He looks at me again, and his eyes are wild, flashing red.

His paranoia is growing worse, and I have no idea how to reach him.

Chapter 137

Caleb once more sits on his throne in front of the Alpha Council, staring down at them in judgment and distrust. His earlier meeting with Harper had only helped him somewhat, but now that they were separated, Caleb’s dark thoughts were returning with a vengeance, somehow even worse than before.

When he left his chambers, Annabelle was waiting for him. She smiled and seemed kind enough, though remained quite insistent that she join him to his afternoon council. Especially since Harper wasn’t going to be joining him.

Now, she sits off to the side of the stage, too close to be proper for a woman unrelated to the King, but not close enough to be his betrothed.

This started rumors among the council. Caleb could see them forming, questions raising. Curious eyes would look between Annabelle and Caleb and back again.

Caleb couldn’t care less about their curiosity. Let them look and wonder. Let them suspect all they want.

Their loyalty is the only thing that truly interests Caleb.

He does not trust the Alpha Council. What reason does he have to do so?

All of these vultures are thirsting for power. They remain at his side only because George is too weak to woo them away. If anyone stronger than Caleb tried to come along, Caleb would surely lose their faith.

Though Caleb would be the one to have the final laugh. There was no werewolf alive who could match his strength and speed. Any they could put forward to try would quickly die at Caleb’s hand.

Caleb spends most of the meeting carefully inspecting each attendant with his eyes, trying to discern from appearance alone who might be the most likely to betray him.

Caleb knows his paranoia is getting the better of him. In a perfect world, Annabelle, as his chosen mate would be able to calm the raging wolf inside of him.

But she does not. Alternatively, her very presence seems to annoy the hell out of him.

The Council proceeds on as before, with each Alpha bickering, until Annabelle stands up and clearing her throat, draws the attention of the room.

Caleb, as with all the other Alphas, turns their eyes to her.

“We have so much that divides us,” Annabelle says. “With the recent unpleasantness, it’s easy for us to be at each other’s throats, or to distrust each other. I think the problem might be that we just don’t have enough good news to share between us.”

The Alpha Council all look at each other. Caleb continues his search of their faces. Annabelle’s conversation has already bored him. Though he notices, at the side of the room, Tristan seems interested in what she has to stay. Even trusting Tristan’s judgement as he does, he can’t bring himself to care about any of it.

Not even when she continues. “I have some great news to share! And I hope my King will forgive me for sharing without his prior permission, but I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumors anyway!”

Caleb rubs his forehead, a headache coming on.

“King Caleb has recently proposed to me, and I have accepted!” Annabelle says, bright and bubbly.

The room full of Alphas politely claps – except Caleb, who continues to rub at his forehead.

“I’m sorry,” Annabelle says, glancing back at him on his throne. “But everyone was so down. I thought some good news might lift everyone’s spirits.”

Caleb knows he should have an opinion about this. Whether its annoyance at her announcing the engagement without communicating with him, or whether its satisfaction that everyone in the room seems pleased with the paring, indicating it as he suspected, a good match.

But the reality is, Caleb just doesn’t care one way or the other. He’s utterly and completely indifferent – to Annabelle and to his engagement with her.

What do any of these frivolous things matter when everyone is plotting against Caleb and his hold on the throne?

“Are you mad?” Annabelle asks.

“No,” Caleb tells her, but does not elaborate.

His response seems to satisfy her regardless, even if his sour expression does not match her joy.

I follow Bethany down the winding hallways of the wing of the palace that contain offices and studies. When I mentioned my desire to learn more about Caleb’s family and history, she claimed she knew just the place to take me to uncover more truths.

Without knowing exactly where I’m going, I feel uneasy, but I trust Bethany, and she seems to think that where she’s taking me would make for a nice surprise. I’m also slightly suspicious that she thinks we might be thrown out of this wing and is trying to protect me with plausible deniability.

My trust in her keeps me going, and fortunately for us both, we do not encounter anyone else on our trek to Bethany’s surprise location.

Once we reach there, she glances back and grins at me. “Ready for this?”

As I have no idea what to expect, I just shrug.

She pushes open the door. Immediately, my breath catches in my throat. Through the open door is the largest library I’ve ever seen, with lines and lines of stacks of books. Every wall of the large room is filled with books. A few tables are aligned in the middle of the library. A pair of computers are nearby, with their desks turned against the side of the staircases.

“This is amazing,” I say, wonder in my voice.

“Welcome to the palace library,” Bethany says. “I thought you might like it.”

I do. I really do.

“I know the books are tempting,” Bethany continues. “But if you want to research recent history, where you need to look is here…”

I follow along behind her into the room. She crosses across the room, walks around the tables, and gestures to one of the desks holding a computer.

“What’s this?” I ask. “Don’t tell me I finally get reconnected to the internet.”

“No,” Bethany says with a hint of regret. “But what you will find here is a copy of every single newspaper in the history of the entire Kingdom. All are scanned and stored on these computers. All you have to do is type in a date, and bam!”

She touches the mouse, bringing the computer to life. The screen immediately shows a search bar, complete with a drop down menu for a date to be filled in.

“I have to get back,” Bethany says. “But with the Alpha Council going on, not many people should bother you in here. You should have all the free time and space to do what you need to.”

“Thank you, Bethany.”

I haven’t given her specific details of what I’m searching for, but as a servant, she often knows things anyway. As Caleb attacking another alpha for uttering his brother’s name is a rumor in the palace, Bethany can likely put the pieces together.

For her to bring me here, even knowing that…

It feels good to have her support.

After she leaves me, I turn toward the computer. First, I need a date.

I try to calculate how long ago all of this occurred. It had been before my disgrace, but after Caleb came of age.

That doesn’t totally narrow it down, but it gives me a place to start looking.

Now, I just need to find the truth.

Chapter 138

In the library, I manage to narrow down the dates to find Caleb’s coronation. Then, moving backwards, I try to discover the exact moment the news stopped talking about Evan, by searching for the first time that he’s mentioned.

I find Prince Evan’s obituary, which sounds very by the business and not terribly personal at all. It includes the dates of his birth and death as well as who he is survived by. There is no mention of his cause of death. All that is mentioned of any brotherly tension is that the crown has now passed to Caleb.

While I’m not terribly shocked that the news media withheld many of the details that the royal family clearly wanted hidden, I am still disappointed to come away with absolutely nothing.

Well, at least not yet.

Clicking on the previous newspaper, I go back in time. This one, at first glance, seems equally as tight-lipped. Yet as I look at it closer, I start to see more of Evan threaded throughout, though every time he is mentioned, it is spoken cryptically.

He is mentioned still as Crown Prince Evan, where in every following newspaper, it had read Prince Evan and Crown Prince Caleb.

In this paper, before Evan’s death, the duties have switched. I suppose, as Caleb was the King, I had naturally assumed he was the older brother. The details were fuzzy to me in my younger days; I had so much more personal things to worry about than royal politics.

But now that I’m looking at it, it makes sense for Caleb to take over after Evan’s untimely death.

Or his murder.

This newspaper was from the day before Evan’s death was announced, perhaps his last day on earth. Most of the mentions of him are innocuous. He held the flag for a race. He shook hands at a parade.

Then, buried in the back of the paper, in the gossip section, there was a grainy photo of a man who looked a lot like Evan in the park with an unknown young woman. The caption of the photo makes no mention of him, but I know Caleb’s face better than any other man’s in the world. And Evan looks very much like his younger brother.

Maybe it’s nothing. Chances are, it’s nothing.

Yet something about that photo stops me in my tracks. It takes me a while to realize why.

It’s their body language.

Evan and this unknown woman are facing each other, their heads bowed together.

Even the caption caught on the tension, reading, Young Love?

The editor of this newspaper had to know they were taking their life in their hands posting potential scandal about the royal family. Was that why they didn’t use any names?

Everyone probably knew, though. Well, at least, those who knew what the royal family looked like knew.

The question remained, however. Who was this woman?

And where is she now?

I selected to print that page of the newspaper. The printer under the desk whirled to life.

Grabbing the sheet of paper, I fold it up and put it into my pocket.

I probably have enough to go on, but out of curiosity, I click to go back to the newspaper from the day before…

Evan’s face fills the screen, covering the entirety of the front page.

The headline read Crown Prince Evan Beloved By All.

Beneath the large photo is an extensive interview with Evan himself.

Oddly, it mostly sounds like public relations non-speak. All of the questions are redirected to talk about how much Evan loves his country and his family.

There’s something very off about it. It doesn’t feel like someone would actually write for themselves.

“What are you?!” snaps an angry voice from behind me.

I jump at the sudden noise. It was so quiet in this library up until only a minute ago, that I truly thought I was alone. How long has the intruder been watching me?

Turning around, I worry I might be faced with a nosy guard.

My stomach drops when I’m faced with the former king, Caleb’s father.

Carelessly, he tosses me to the side. I fall down onto the ground and then roll across the floor.

Hector does not wait for me to stop before he starts walking toward me.

Fear rises in my heart. Hector’s ruthlessness reminds me so much of Caleb, but without the mercy and favoritism Caleb already shows me, only the murderous desire remains.

Glancing around, I frantically look for something to help defend me. I have my small dagger, but against the former Alpha King, what chance would I hope to have?

“You shouldn’t go around, sticking your nose into other people’s business,” Hector growls. “You had a pampered little life, protected by my son. Why would you change everything? What did you say – to help him? You are a damn liar.”

Hector steps closer, his heels crunching on the broken glass and technology of the broken monitor.

Just as he starts to reach for me once more, a new voice shouts from the doorway.

“Don’t touch her.”

I know that angry growl, and it makes my heart soar.

“Caleb…”

“Stay out of this, son,” Hector says.

“That is a member of my harem, father. She belongs to me, and I will not suffer anyone else to touch her, even to punish her.”

“Even me?”

Caleb walks closer. His eyes are on his father’s face, his irises flashing red.

Hector clearly has his answers. “Do you even know what she’s done?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Caleb says.

“Caleb…”

“Silence,” Hector snaps, just as Caleb says, “Stay out of this, Harper.”

Then they growl at each other.

Caleb is younger and presumably stronger. With him in my corner, I don’t feel like I’m near death as I was just a few minutes ago.

But there’s something about Hector that feels vicious to me.

Why would he care so much about me looking up old articles about Prince Evan?

Chapter 139

“Perhaps you have forgotten, Father, but I am the King of this kingdom now,” Caleb growls. “As such, I am the only one who can command or punish the members of my harem. Harper is not just a member, but my favor.”

“She was looking up information about Evan, and Caleb,” Hector replies, just as furious.

“I don’t care if she was plotting to stab me in the back, I am the only one to punish her.”

“You are being stubborn and foolish.”

“I am King.” Caleb draws himself up to his full height. His shoulders push back, and his hands curl like claws. His front teeth begin to elongate.

Any moment, he’s going to shift.

Hector must be seeing that too. With a sigh, he lets his shoulders drop slightly, removing some of the obvious tension in his body. It was a clear attempt at de-escalating the situation by taking on a less aggressive posture against his raging son.

“Fine,” Hector says. “Do it your way. But I shouldn’t need to remind you that it’s Annabelle you should be protecting, not this lowly consort. If Annabelle is to be your wife, you need to treat her with more respect than you would show your whores.”

Caleb’s jaw clenches, as he emits a low, dangerous growl.

I really don’t want to see this become something again, so I rush to my feet and hurry toward Caleb.

In front of his father, who already hates me, I can’t ask Caleb to leave or push him away from this challenge of power, but I hope that he can see the worry in my eyes. With luck, that will sway him enough to remove us from this situation.”

“I can explain everything,” I say. “Later.”

“You listen to the honeyed words of a liar, Caleb,” Hector says. “I don’t need to remind you of why that’s a dangerous game to play.”

Caleb stiffens. “No. You don’t.”

Without warning, Caleb grabs me by the arm and drags me out of the room. He walks quickly, not slowing, even as I stumble, my legs somewhat bruised from my tumble.

He doesn’t stop until he’s thrown open the doors of his private chambers and tossed me inside. Behind us, he closes the door with a booming slam.

Before I can even catch my breath, he storms toward me. “Tell me exactly what happened before I arrived. Why were you in the library? What were you searching for that made my father enraged? Why did your handmaiden burst into the Hall searching for me, fearing you were in danger?”

I have answers for all of his questions, except for the last one, which I was very relieved to hear happened.

It seems I have reason to thank Bethany yet again. I owe her a thousand times over by now.

I told Caleb what I could – vaguely. “I wanted to research some of your past so I can better help you in the present. That’s why I was in the library. Your father became enraged when he saw your brother on my screen. And I don’t know how Bethany knew to come get you, but I am relieved she did. I think your father wanted to kill me.”

“He definitely wanted to kill you. If you had been anyone other than my favor, he would have done so without question. You think I am ruthless? You have no idea what life was like under his role. Even as a father, he was vicious and cruel.”

I couldn’t believe that. It also made me feel deep pity for the childhood Caleb experienced. My parents might have become terrible, but in my youth, they treated me like I mattered to them.

Considering all that followed, I did manage to have a childhood I could think of fondly. Caleb, it seems, couldn’t share that experience.

“Caleb -“

“No. Don’t you dare take pity on your King? I don’t want it and I don’t need it.”

I swallow down my sympathy and nod.

For a moment, we stare at each other. Over time, the red eases from his eyes and he seems farther away from shifting than before. That, at least, feels like a victory, even if I feel hollow otherwise.

My position here is perilous on the best days. Now, even Caleb’s own father seems out to get me. What if Caleb isn’t around next time?

I can really only hope that Hector loses enough interest in punishing me to leave me alone.

“He wasn’t wrong about everything,” I say, lowering my chin.

Caleb’s eyes refocus on me. He waits as if expecting me to explain.

“You should be protecting Annabelle, not me. I’m just a consort, and she is -“

“I’m damned tired of everyone telling me what to do,” Caleb huffs.

He takes two steps forward, grabs me by the hips, drags me toward him, and then crashes his mouth down over mine.

He kisses me like he wants to devour me, and I am helpless to take everything he wants to give me. I wrap my arms around his neck, holding on for dear life, as his hands grab my ass and lift me up.

He hauls me over toward his massive bed, then drops us both down onto it. He’s on top of me, pushing me down into the mattress with every square inch of his hard body.

“Caleb,” I gasp when he allows me to come up for breath.

His mouth moves to my neck where he sucks marks down the column of my throat.

“Caleb…” This time, his name comes out like a sigh.

“You are mine,” he growls into my skin. “No one else can have you.

Not to touch. To torture. To kiss. Only me. Only me.”

He’s lost in his possessive desire. And for a time, so am I.

Lovemaking with Caleb is like a whirlwind, and I’m easily swept away.

My thoughts, my worries, all of it is swept aside when I am in the crosshairs of Caleb’s full attention, of his hands and his mouth.

He keeps me occupied for a good long while, and I do my best to return the favor.

By the time we both cross the final precipice of pleasure, we are sweaty and out of breath and holding onto each other as if the world might fall apart if we don’t.

“Caleb…” I say, breathless. We’ve had sex a hundred times before, but each time has felt different than the last. It’s felt more.

This time was no exception.

Spent, he falls down beside me on the bed. His arm stays fixed around my waist, keeping me tucked firmly against him.

We don’t say a word, and for that I’m glad. Speaking might ruin the moment. It could bring back the reality that faces us outside of these walls of his chambers.

Annabelle…

Hector…

The Alpha Council…

Leah…

It’s all too much to bear sometimes.

At least, for the moment, I don’t need to face it.

Turning, I bury my face into Caleb’s chest and pretend that this is all there is.

If I imagine, I can pretend we are at the farmhouse, where we didn’t have any responsibilities other than survival.

Because I know the minute I step out of this bed, and out of this room, everything is going to change again.

Caleb will be King, but I can’t stand to still be his consort.

Maybe this time, knowing the danger I’m in, if I ask again, he will let me go.

Chapter 140

“Caleb…” I begin, speaking softly.

He hums, acknowledging he is listening.

I’m nervous but determined. While I don’t wish to leave Caleb, I can’t stay here, pretending like everything is okay while he proceeds with his engagement.

“You promised you would grant my request…”

“Don’t ask again,” he says, his entire body tensing against mine.

Still, I push forward, however recklessly. “Please let me go free.”

“No,” he replies at once, forceful enough that a growl escapes his throat. “I told you not to ask. Now I am commanding you to do so. Ask again, and there will be consequences.”

I’m not sure I believe him. After all, he’s holding me very gently, despite the clear anger in his voice and the tension of his body.

Even so, however, I don’t feel like I should test my limits. Caleb has been acting erratically as of late, more than usual. If I push him, he might not be able to control himself in delivering punishment.

But that meant, I would have to bury my desire to be free deep down within myself. For me to never ask again meant that he would never release me.

I felt as if I was standing in a long dark tunnel, staring down at an unhappy future ahead of me. Yet there were no other options but to move forward.

With a sigh, I settled more fully against Caleb and accepted the comforts where I could. At least I would likely always have this.

“I won’t let you go,” Caleb says. “You will stay by my side until one of us dies.”

It should be a romantic sentiment, yet with the way he’s expressing it, it seems as though he has a grim future in mind for us – or at least, for himself.

His paranoia makes it difficult for him to see a future for himself that isn’t rife with carnage and betrayal. How stressful it must be to live like that.

I resolve to give him as much peace as I can, even while my own heartaches, with no escape from my own misery.

The longer Caleb holds Harper in his arms, the more clarity he begins to hold in his mind as if the fog is finally lifting, allowing him to see things for how they are.

His condition is only growing worse. He can admit that now, recognizing the aggravated shift that takes over him when the paranoia returns.

Harper wants to be free. He has some affection for her. While he doesn’t understand where her hurt in the situation stems from – wouldn’t anyone want to be with the King, even if only as his consort? Caleb has an impulse to give Harper the things she desires, even her freedom from him.

But, under the circumstances, he fears letting her go would have him succumbing entirely to the encroaching madness. He needed her here beside him.

Being near Harper is the only time he feels sane anymore.

However, for her sake, he will continue to keep her separate from any occasion he knows Annabelle will be. He doesn’t care how far he has to stretch his sanity, he can at least gift Harper that.

After leaving Harper, Caleb returns alone to the Hall to continue on with the Alpha Council.

He knows this farce is necessary to maintain diplomacy between the packs, but the results so far have been lacking at best, and outright frustrating at worst.

All of the plans the pack leaders come up with are either impractical, impossible, or entirely selfish, protecting their own lands while leaving the others more vulnerable to attacks.

Caleb doesn’t contribute much, far too annoyed to engage with any of them at this point, while they argue and bicker with each other.

Even Tristan, who had tried to delegate for a time, seems to have given up now, standing by the wall instead, with his typical bored expression covering his face.

Caleb’s advisors, the ones that are left anyway, are the only means of order remaining in the room. They try to redirect the conversation into something actually helpful. Whether they succeed or not, Caleb isn’t particularly sure, as his mind has begun to wander far away from this room.

Without Harper, the fog once more begins to cloud Caleb’s mind. He tries hard to keep it at by, clinging to his thoughts and doubting every hint of annoyance within him, Does he have reason to distrust these Alphas? Or is it the fog of his mind that gives him doubt?

Being critical helps keep himself in check, at least for a time.

Yet the intrusive thoughts set in quickly and are relentless in attacking Caleb’s mind. Even closing his eyes and focusing, he can find no escape from this onslaught.

So, without even realizing he moved, Caleb blinks his eyes open, and he is standing over a cowering Alpha from a borderland pack. The Alpha is younger, and inexperienced, yet is one of the loudest voices in the room – and the one with the worst ideas.

Now, he looks up at Caleb with fear widening his eyes, his back on the floor. His hands are up in a defensive position, but they are trembling. He must know he would stand no chance against an Alpha as strong as Caleb in a fight.

With his confusion, Caleb can’t remember why he attacked this man. Did he finally meet his limit of patience?

Yet even now, his wolf yearns for blood. Caleb’s own hands shake with the strain of holding back his desire to permanently maim and harm this man.

That kind of punishment should not be wrought upon someone who is only annoying.

Especially when that person is a pack Alpha here for a Council.

“Alpha,” Tristan says from nearby, nearer than he’d been before.

Caleb is starting to have holes now in his memory as well. Troublesome.

Slowly, and with great effort, Caleb pulls back and steps away from the pack Alpha he had shoved to the floor. Immediately, Tristan is there by his side.

“What triggered this?” Tristan whispers.

Caleb wishes he had an answer for him. Instead, he just looks at him. Truly, Caleb has no idea.

Tristan must see that answer in Caleb’s face. “With permission, Alpha, I believe we should suspend the council for now.”

Caleb nods. “I will leave first. Too many people moving…” might trigger him. He didn’t want to say that part allowed, resenting this sudden weakness in himself.

“Very well,” Tristan replies.

Caleb starts making his way to the door. As he does, he feels the eyes of every Alpha in the room upon him. It makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and sends the shivers of paranoia rippling through his mind.

They think you are weak.

They do not respect you.

They are plotting against you.

He does his best to push the thoughts away. He wants to rush from the room before he can hurt anyone else, but that would only show his weakness. He has to walk and be strong.

Behind him, he begins to hear whispers. Among the Alphas? Or in his mind?

He can no longer tell the difference.

“The Alpha King is losing his mind…”

“We need another on the throne…”

“If only his brother Evan was King instead of him…”

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