The Lycan King’s Defiant Surrogate by Riley Above Story (Chapters 61 to 70)

Chapter 61

I’m horny as hell, and about to be frustrated as hell if he means what he says.

“I’m sorry?” I ask, thinking perhaps I misheard.

He presses the heel of his palm hard against his dick as if trying to ease the throbbing erection I can see tenting his pants.

“I have a meeting,” he says again. “I stepped out for my headache, but now…”

I hate to sound this pouty but I can’t help the words that escape my lips. “You can’t wait until… after…?”

Looking at me with a sudden bemused expression, he lifts a brow. “After what, consort?”

As lust-crazed as I am, I’m still not blindly horny enough to allow myself to be lumped in with the other harem members, who want only Caleb’s dick in them three times a day.

“Nothing,” I say at once, correcting myself. I inwardly condemn my damp pussy that’s still practically begging to be filled. I am more than my basest urges. I won’t let the horniness win.

With that in mind, I start toward the door. “Are you ready?”

Caleb growls as he struts forward. At first, he hobbles some, his hard dick clearly getting in the way of him being able to walk comfortably. Yet, by the time we step out into the hallway, he seems to have gotten himself under control.

He leads me to the Hall, where the guards open the doors. He steps inside first, with me following.

There does indeed seem to be a meeting taking place in this room, though with how annoyed everyone looks, it’s likely the entire thing has been on hold for some time since Caleb stepped out with his headache.

A few of the advisors waiting seem pleased that Caleb has returned. The rest stare at me in annoyance, likely blaming me for the delay.

Looking down at the ground, I quickly move to the side of the Hall to take my regular spot beside Tristan. Caleb steps up onto his throne.

“We can continue,” Caleb says, as he’s sitting.

“We were discussing the actions of the northern infiltrators,” says the boldest of the advisors. “We have reason to believe they have been moving in on the capital for a long time. They could even be among us now.”

A couple of men in the group glance at me.

I try to hold their gazes so they know that I’m not so easily

intimidated or accused. They don’t look away for some time, leading

us to a sort of staring match.

“There could be sleeper agents in the guards, in the slaves. Even in your own harem,” says one of the advisors.

“Don’t worry about my harem,” Caleb says gruffly.

“Forgive me, King Caleb. I only wish for your safety. When you lie with your harem, you are at your most vulnerable.”

“I am never vulnerable,” Caleb replies sharply. “I can assure you of that.”

The advisor nods critically, though their expression remains concerned.

“We need a stratagem to bring out the traitors,” says another advisor. “How can we hope to protect our kingdom when not even the capital is safe?”

Caleb sighs, long-suffering. “You assume that the capital has ever been safe.”

“Has it not?” the advisor retorts.

“Ever, are there people plotting against me? If they are not from the north, they are in pursuit of their own motives, even their own foolish gains,” Caleb says. “My life is in constant peril at all times. You wish for me to burrow myself in some kind of cave so that I remain safe? What of my people?” Caleb scoffs. “Even in a cave, the worms find their way in.”

The way he’s talking has glimmers of paranoia, certainly, but there’s also so much more to what he’s saying. He’s determined not to abandon his own people. He doesn’t want to barricade himself at the expense of others.

He’s paranoid, sure, but he faces it rather than hiding away.

And, given the intensity of the advisor’s words and the concerns on their faces, I can gather that Caleb might have the right to believe that everyone wants him dead.

Even I, at one point, might have taken my shot at killing him, if there had been ample opportunity.

To protect my pack… I don’t know.

I doubt I could go through with it now. He is a villain, a monster at times, but he’s also a man. He’s multifaceted. There is no one clear side of him.

He’s not full-on evil. He’s gray-scale. A messy mix of in-between.

But as he continues to talk, laying out where to send troops to help block some of the incursion from the north, he also sounds very intelligent. He is knowledgeable about his kingdom and has sharp insights into both economic and political matters.

He knows shutting down roads, even to block an opposing army, will hold up important trade routes that could devastate a draught-ridden countryside. They need goods right now or they will starve to death.

Everything, it seems, is a give and take.

I expected Caleb, as ruthless as he is, to take the easiest way forward, but he makes no direction without considering every possible angle. The ruthless one is in consideration, sure, but as are many others.

In the case of the roadblock, he orders a checkpoint, rather than a full block, so that the merchants can still get through with their goods.

It’s a risk. The invaders could hide their spies among the vegetable carts and in the grains, but the few that might pass through are worth it if it means saving the lives of those weary farmers.

“Next year, we will need their crop,” the King says. “If not also their swords…”

It’s a practical take, more than an emotional one, but it still ends with the saving of lives, so I am satisfied.

The advisors give solid insight as well. I feel almost like I’m peering past a veil, standing in this room with them.

These are the ones running this kingdom. All things considered, despite everything going on at the capital, they are running well.

As the meeting progressed, I even began to see some charm in the way Caleb spoke with his advisors. He talks to them differently than he does the rest. Not quite as equals, but… almost.

He even laughs at a joke one of the advisors makes.

A genuine good-natured smile on Caleb’s face sends my heart racing so fast, I wince. Tristan glances at me sideways. Embarrassed, I stay very still.

“Now, for the matter of the pack electing their alpha soon,” Caleb says. “What was his name…?”

“Samuel, my King,” says one of the advisors.

As fast as my heart was racing, it now leaps into my chest.

“Have you come to a decision?” the advisor asks. “Should we move to intervene? Or should we let the pack fall? We are running out of days to mobilize.”

Caleb tilts his head as if thinking. Slowly, his eyes shift over to me.

I sucked in a sharp breath and held it. I don’t dare speak up, not wanting

to stoke his ire right now. But I beg with all of my heart and soul that he will let my pack live.

Caleb sighs, looking away from me. “Save them. We’ll need the bodies in the coming war.”

Relief punches out of me so severely that I nearly fall over.

Caleb looks at me again, his face guarded.

Do not fall for this terrible man, I command myself, and beg my heart to listen.

田

Chapter 62

The next few days, I mostly spent pacing back and forth in my room, worrying about my pack while healing from the rest of my injuries.

Bethany works on the sewing machine as she watches me. She’s made it a habit of personalizing my dresses when she has no other work duties to attend to. I’m happy for it. Many of my standard dresses now have a unique flair.

It makes me feel special in a way I haven’t since I was a kid before my disgrace, when my parents still cared about me and my appearance, in how good I could make the pack look as its Luna.

That was before I was condemned to the attic when my wardrobe was lessened to servants’ handoffs.

I should sit still. To fully heal, I need to relax. But I can’t calm down when my pack is in danger. Something could be happening to Samuel. I will never know peace again until I know he is safe.

Around midday one afternoon, Caleb enters my room unannounced.

He ignores Bethany entirely at her sewing machine and walks straight to me.

“Your pack is safe,” he says.

I exhale heavily. “Thank the gods,” I whisper.

“To the hells with the gods. Thank me,” Caleb growls.

Yes, of course. Caleb is the one who ultimately decided to help, though I find some resentment that his motives were more to save potential soldiers rather than to save the lives of my family and friends.

“Thank you,” I say.

He frowns at me, obviously dissatisfied with the lack of sincerity in my reply.

If he hadn’t withheld the support from them in the start, then he wouldn’t have needed to make this hard decision now.

Biting my tongue, I glance down and away.

I can still sense the displeasure in Caleb in the way his body builds and holds tension.

“The Alpha ceremony went through,” Caleb continues. “Samuel is now the Alpha of his pack.”

“Good,” I say, nodding. Samuel, my love, is safe. That’s all that matters.

“Leah is now his Luna,” Caleb continues.

In surprise, I look back at him. He’s watching me closely, his eyes narrow with suspicion, his lips curved down in a heavy frown.

“They are bound?” I ask.

“Yes,” Caleb says, emotionless.

I place my hand on my chest, feeling my heart crack cleanly in half.

I’ve known it’s always been bound to happen. When I was in the coliseum, I’d even accepted it.

But I’m not dying anymore. I’m here in the harem. Someday Caleb could grow sick of me and finally let me go. Before there wasn’t hope, but now there is!

Or, at least, there was…

Samuel has well and truly moved on from me then, and with my sister.

My shoulders drooping, I curl in on myself.

“Why do you look unhappy?” Caleb growls. “Did I not bring to you news worth celebrating?”

“You did,” I say at once, but my heart… Oh, how it aches. “But, I…” I look away from him again, unable to meet his gaze knowing my heart breaks for another.

“You love that insignificant worm,” Caleb growls.

I shake my head, unable to deny it, but unwilling for Caleb to know the full truth. He’s paranoid and possessive. He could take out his frustrations on Samuel at any time.

I have to keep pretending, to save Samuel. My own heart means nothing so long as he is safe and well.

“You called his name, in the arena, as you were dying,” Caleb says, voice low and dangerous. “That Samuel is this Samuel. And he’s forsaken you by taking another.”

I shake my head more forcefully, but the tears on the ends of my eyelashes start to fall, giving me away.

I accept Caleb to grab me and shake me. Perhaps even to demand I belong to him and then prove it by thrusting inside of me. He does none of those things.

Instead, he scoffs a harsh breath. “Where is my thanks?”

With that, he storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him closed so hard that it echoes.

Once he’s gone, I collapse down onto the floor. I’m ashamed of my tears. I’ve long known this day would arrive. So I cover my face with my hands.

I don’t notice Bethany moving until she comes to sit beside me.

She doesn’t say anything at first, just offers her own familiar presence as comfort. When the worst of my sobs ceases, however, she asks, “Would you tell me about him? Your Samuel?”

So I do, starting with how we were childhood friends who did everything together, and continuing through to our engagement. It hurts to talk about, but it feels good too. Like visiting the grave of an old friend.

When I reach the night of my disgrace, Bethany’s face hardens.

“You told him you thought you were drugged and he still dismissed you?” Bethany asks, outraged on my behalf.

I must not be telling the story correctly. Samuel was a victim too. An Alpha is expected to take a pure woman as his Luna. After that incident, I was far from pure.

When I tell her Samuel then decided to become my sister instead, Bethany slaps her hands down flat on the floor, startling me out of the memory.

“Bethany?”

“That man is not worth it, Harper! He threw you aside like used-up trash, all because a drug made you go into heat? And he didn’t believe you?” She shakes her head. “Find someone who would believe you. Like the King.”

I doubted severely that Caleb would have acted differently in Samuel’s place. “The King would have just had me killed.”

“You are so furious at him that you can’t see the way he treats you so differently than literally everyone else,” Bethany says. “You should be kinder to him.”

“Kinder? To him?” I scoff. “He is a tyrant, Bethany. He does not value kindness.”

“Maybe not from anyone else, but he seems to like it from you.”

I wave my hand at her, hoping to move past this entire conversation. We are still talking about this, aren’t we? This same conversation from before.

Bethany and the other handmaidens believe that the King treats me so differently than he does the rest of the harem.

I find that so incredibly difficult to believe.

“He doesn’t want or need my kindness,” I tell her. “He only wants to know the location of our non-existent child. When he finally realizes that I’m telling the truth about that, he will tire of me and move on. Even now, I bet he’s gone to the arms of some other consort to fuck his way into feeling better.”

I say the words more bitterly than I meant to. For some reason, the thought of Caleb in other women’s beds sits uncomfortably with me.

What do I care? A man with a harem that size likely can’t wait to pick and choose. I bet he has a different one planned out for every day of the week.

Yeah, he might have spent many of the previous days with me, but I’m not a fool. I know he just moves on someone else when I don’t give him every little thing that he wants.

Bethany gives me a strange expression, that gives me pause.

“What?” I ask her.

“Harper,” she says slowly. “King Caleb hasn’t visited any other consort since you first joined the harem.”

Chapter 63

Of all the things I expected Bethany to tell me, this is somewhere near the bottom. Even after hearing the words, I don’t understand. She has to be mistaken.

“Surely he’s visited other consorts,” I say. I know all about his virile stamina and strength. I’d be surprised that even one woman could sate his carnal hunger – more surprised if that woman is me.

“I speak the truth,” Bethany says. “And the handmaidens know everything.”

Remembering my time as a slave at my parents’ house, I know she’s right. When people start seeing you as subhuman, they have much looser tongues around you. They don’t even consider you when they start to speak, as if you are merely a piece of furniture in the background.

Those loose tongues lead to all sorts of knowledge being shared by the staff. If Bethany is certain this is true, then I shouldn’t doubt her, no matter how far-fetched it personally seems to me.

In the end, I realize it doesn’t matter anyway, does it? The King means nothing to me. My heartbreak over Samuel is what’s truly worth my focus.

My dream of becoming Samuel’s mate, which I’ve held onto since childhood, now means nothing at all. All of my hopes, all of my prayers to the gods… wasted.

My sister once again claims everything she’s ever wanted, while I suffer alone.

I sulk for the rest of the night. The next day, I’m summoned once more to the Hall to be on hand in case Caleb’s headaches return. At the side of the Hall, I take my usual spot beside Tristan. He ignores me, which is his normal response, so I don’t think anything of it.

During the meetings, Caleb continues to deal with his advisors and discuss his political dealings. I’m curious, but the meeting drones. on for a good long while, with the advisors arguing and trying to talk over one another. Caleb stays quiet for most of the time.

As long as they don’t mention my pack, I let my mind wander. After all, Caleb has already told me that my pack is safe. Whatever happens next concerns the entire Kingdom, and while I do care about that, knowing my pack is out of immediate danger takes some of the urgency out of me.

Finally, in the middle of another shouting match between two advisors over gods-know-what, Caleb clears his throat, silencing both of them right away.

“We will need to present a united front to keep the bear clan at by,” Caleb says. “The infiltrators will detect our every weakness, and while I have no personal fear of them, they could still sow discontent among my kingdom that could make it appear weaker as a whole. We cannot allow this.”

“What do you suggest, my King?” one of the advisors says.

“Supporting one of the packs from annihilation has proved fruitful already, gaining the approval of other packs. But we are a far way off from a truly united front.”

“Many of these new Alphas know me in name and reputation only,” Caleb says. “This is why I suggest that we invite them here, to form an Alpha Council, that we may plot our next steps together and be of one mind.”

The advisors all marvel at his words.

I focus back in, realizing what this means. If all the Alphas are coming here, then Samuel will too.

My heart leaps up into my throat. I shouldn’t want to see him, knowing he is now married to my sister, yet I still want to – desperately. He is the man I love, after all. Even unrequited, I would wish to see him and know that he is well.

As if he can read my mind, Caleb’s sharp gaze snaps to my face. Immediately, I straighten, trying to hide my excitement and other emotions. Caleb did not take kindly to my feelings and emotions for Samuel before, I can’t begin to think that has changed in anyway.

In fact, he seems even more pissed off than before, quietly brooding while glaring straight at me.

“This is a fine idea,” the advisors praise him.

“Truly, this will help our problems.”

“Make the preparations at once,” Caleb says, looking back to his advisors. “I trust you with the details. My only request is that you invite the Alpha’s mates as well as the Alpha’s themselves.”

The words hit me like a blow. Of course, Caleb would be furious with me interacting with Samuel. He would also invite Leah, who wouldn’t miss an opportunity to come to the capital. This is Caleb’s idea as a punishment for me.

I wish I could pretend it wouldn’t hurt to see both Samuel and Leah interacting. But the truth is messy, as are my feelings. Nothing about this would be easy.

“Everyone leave now,” Caleb commands. “Go and make the preparations.”

“At once, my King,” says the most enthusiastic advisor. The others nod in agreement and file out of the Hall.

I turn to leave as well, thinking ‘everyone’ might include me as well, but after one step, Caleb’s voice bellows, “Not you.”

Immediately, I went back to where I was standing.

Tristan, from beside me, gives me a flat look.

I guess it was only wishful thinking that I’d be allowed to leave. I should have known that he’d want to rub salt in my wounds first.

“Approach me, consort,” Caleb calls. “I demand a shoulder massage.”

I want to sigh but I hold it in. Instead, I trek toward him, hop up onto the stage, and then come to his side so I can massage his shoulders.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

“What do you mean?” Am I not doing as he commanded?

Growling lightly, he snatches my hips with his hands and drags me to his front, then up onto him, so that I am sitting on his lap facing him.

Heat rising in my cheeks, I force my thighs to be very still, lest I make movement and bring a certain thing to life in Caleb’s pants.

“My message,” Caleb says, startling me a little. I had forgotten my purpose there for a moment.

Lifting my hands onto his shoulders I start to massage. It’s not as easy from the front, but this is better than my initial plan of leaning over from his side. At least, like this, I have more leverage especially as Caleb leans forward, granting me more access.

Unfortunately, his leaning forward brings his face closer to mine. He closes his eyes, and I can’t help but glance down at his lips for a moment.

“The massage,” he reminds me when my hands stilled without realizing it.

I curse lightly under my breath and continue massaging.

Caleb’s hands linger on my hips. As I work, they trail upwards, teasing the sides of my torso. Then they dance over my shoulders and come to rest against the base of my throat, right beneath my collar.

I swallow thickly.

In a flash his eyes open, and he looks at me with fierce intensity. His hands tighten ever so slightly around my neck.

I freeze, sensing the danger here.

“That lesser man you admire will arrive here with his new wife. He might even try to talk to you…” Caleb growls.

My heart starts to race.

“Whatever happens, you will do well not to forget,” he says, low and dangerous. “You belong to me.”

Then he yanks me in and kisses me.

Chapter 64

The next day, the best tailors in the kingdom are brought in to help design new dresses for the entirety of the harem. With the Alpha of every pack arriving soon, the advisors thought it best that the harem wow and stun even more so than usual.

A beautiful, dazzling harem means a strong King and a healthy kingdom, apparently.

Another reasoned that it wouldn’t hurt for the pack Alphas to see that the women they have sent as tribute are being well-cared for.

For these reasons, the consorts, including me, are brought into the massive wardrobe room one at a time to be measured and fitted for their new gowns.

With my door open, I can spy the order of the consorts as they are brought in. Gwen goes first, and then a few others that are part of that imagined hierarchy of theirs. If they hold to that, which it seems like they might, then I would be going last.

Curiously, before it even gets to me, several women enter the wardrobe chamber who I have never seen before.

“Many of the consorts prefer to keep to themselves,” Bethany explains. She stands beside me in the doorway, watching alongside me. “They don’t even emerge for special occasions unless

specifically requested. The King allows this.”

“Why?” I ask. “I thought he liked showing off his harem?”

“These ones were never selected out of desire…” Bethany says, then trails off.

I look at her, lifting a brow. From what I’ve seen, all of the women here are beautiful. They had to be, or they never would have been chosen as tribute in the first place.

Bethany hesitates. “Pretend you don’t know. This knowledge brings shame upon these women.”

These women have done nothing to me. I’ve never even seen them before.

“Some of these women beg the King for asylum. Either their families are abusive, or maybe they have no homes. A few were even starving when they came here, their ribs showing through their skin. The King can be ruthless, but he can also be kind.”

I find it difficult to believe Caleb can be kind about anything. “Likely he only cared about the number in his harem. The number, I’m seeing now, is nearly 100.

I don’t care that the number of consorts is so high. No, I don’t care at all.

The churning in my gut is entirely unrelated. Perhaps there was something wrong with breakfast, though Bethany appeared fine.

“The King accepted them but left them to themselves. They lead good lives here, fed well and mostly left alone. They are only called upon for big events like these, where every harem member needs to be present.”

“A power play,” I grumble.

“He is our king,” Bethany says. “Everything he does has to show his power, or he risks losing it.”

I glance at her again. What a curious thing to say. Does she know more about possible rising dissent in the country, or is she just speaking hypothetically?

It’s best not to ask, at least for now. Caleb has shown me a lot of leniency lately, but inciting treason would probably be a bridge too far this time. Plus, I don’t want to get Bethany in trouble.

When it is finally my turn, a slave comes to collect me. Then, Bethany and I make our way up the hallway to the wardrobe chamber.

By now, it’s fairly late in the day, with the sun setting outside to the west. The tailor looks absolutely exhausted, slumped down on a chair.

“There’s more?” he gasps with disdain when he sees me.

“This is the last,” the slave informs him.

He shakes his head. “The King and his virility. I don’t know how he can stand so many women under his roof. I only have one wife and she makes me crazy.”

I decide not to intrude myself on the private matters of the clearly overworked man, though the comments do annoy me.

The tailor forces himself to his feet, and then waves me forward to the center of the room where a small circular platform rises about 10 inches off the ground. He gestures for me to step onto it. When I do, he circles me, inspecting me from every angle, head to toe.

Bethany stays near the door, watchful but silent.

The tailor clucks his tongue in disapproval. “Well, no wonder you are last. You are the plainest of the bunch, aren’t you? Entirely average.”

“I beg your pardon?” I say, a touch of anger sliding into my voice.

“The King has his choice of all the women in the kingdom, and he picks one with average everything.” He measures, then clucks his tongue with each measurement. “Average waist. You could be skinnier. Average bust size. Your hips are too wide. Some men like that, I suppose, but I thought our King had finer tastes.”

I’m wondering now how his wife puts up with this man at all.

“Get that hefty dress that I brought,” the tailor barks at one of the slaves. “The most we can do is hide some of this ugliness.”

I glance across the room and make eye contact with Bethany. She was glaring at the tailor but looked at me now. A look passes between us, and I can tell we are in agreement. This man is a real asshole.

One of the slaves brings out a large bulk of crimson fabric from one of the closets.

“Help me with this,” the tailor snaps. I dip down so he and the tailor can lift it over my head. It drops unceremoniously down without any resistance.

The dress is at least three sizes too big. It doesn’t cling to my body at all, instead hiding my figure within its shapeless bulk.

The tailor steps back and shakes his head. “It’s really the best I can do. Putting a beautiful dress on a barn animal won’t change the fact that a pig is a pig.”

“I’m sorry?” I say, at my wit’s end. I’ve tried to be patient,

understanding that I’m the last person in a long line of people. The tailor is tired. I get it. But that’s no excuse to be this outright insulting and rude. “I know you did not call me a pig.”

The tailor glares at me. “Watch your tone with me, slave, or you will find I can make you even uglier than you already are.”

I glare right back. “I’m not your slave. I am a consort of the King, and part of his harem. You will treat me with a modicum of respect.”

“Or what?” the tailor laughs. “You think you have any real power? All you are is the King’s personal whore.”

I curl my hand into a fist. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this insulted. Before, with Leah, I would bottle this outrage up, and keep it to myself. Right now, I want to punch this man right in the face.

“I’m not a whore,” I say, each word biting. Yet just as I’m about to throw a punch, Bethany rushes in. She grabs my arm and stops me.

I’m mad at her. This guy is the biggest asshole in the universe and deserves to be taken down a peg.

“My King!” the tailor says suddenly, his entire demeanor changing. He bows.

Turning toward the door, I see Caleb and Tristan standing there.

Caleb waves to the tailor. “Deal with this trash.”

Tristan immediately steps forward.

The tailor smirks at me for a moment, likely thinking Caleb meant me. But that smugness disappears when Tristan grabs him by the arm. Now, he shrieks.

“You can’t mean me, sire! I’m the most decorated Fashion Designer in the kingdom.”

“The most foolish,” Tristan snaps, “To insult any of the King’s harem.”

“But -” the tailor is abruptly cut off as Tristan drags him through the door.

Caleb remains for just a moment, looking at me.

Swallowing my pride, I say, “Thank you. But I had the matter handled myself.”

He doesn’t say a word, just turns and walks right out.

Odd! Usually, he fights back.

Is something wrong?

Chapter 65

I try to put Caleb’s cold shoulder to the back of my mind so I can focus on the matter at hand. Still wearing this giant tarp of a dress, I turn to Bethany.

“I can’t possibly wear this to the gala,” I say.

Bethany gives me a once-over. “We can fix it, I’m sure. Somehow.” She touches the side of it, grabbing it in handfuls to try to cinch the waist. “This is the worst dress he could have picked for you. It’s so bad, it’s as if he did it on purpose just to spite you.”

“You heard what he said,” I tell her. “He didn’t seem to think much of me at all.”

“Even that seemed put on to me,” Bethany says.

“It did?” He’d seemed genuine to me, but I’d been so annoyed by what he was saying, maybe I didn’t see clearly.

“He was lying about you being average,” Bethany says. “The King doesn’t bring average women into the harem, and frankly, many women would kill to have your measurements, myself included.”

“Thank you.” I can’t tell if she’s just saying that to make me feel better, but it’s working either way.

“Plus, why would he want even one woman he dresses to look bad?” Bethany continues. “There has to be more to this.” She taps her finger to her chin.

“At this point, nothing would surprise me,” I say. “Maybe Gwen asked him to do it.”

With Veronica, Nina, and Madeline all gone, Gwen is my current biggest enemy. Adding my knife to my self-defense has helped keep some of the more heinous acts they might commit against me at bay, but it doesn’t stop her glares.

“We’ll fix the dress,” Bethany says. “I’ll make sure you steal the show at the gala.”

I don’t necessarily want to steal the show, I think at first. After all, if I’m drawing everyone’s attention, it will be much harder to speak to Samuel.

But then, the other side of me argues, why do I need to talk to

Samuel at all? He betrayed me by marrying Leah. If anything, I should look amazing to make him jealous and Leah so envious that her face turns red.

It’s more mature to want to blend into the background, but it’s more fun to stand out.

So I tell Bethany, “I need to look hot.”

Bethany grins.

Later, after Bethany has taken the offending garment to her chambers and I’ve changed into my nightie, I lie in bed and think about the cold shoulder Caleb gave me earlier.

What could that have meant?

He’d laid claim to me once more on his throne just yesterday. Why would he already be annoyed with me?

Although, truthfully, he’d been annoyed with me then too.

He knows my feelings for Samuel. They would be difficult to conceal even if he didn’t already have prior knowledge.

I sigh and rollover. There’s nothing really I can do about this, and I’m not sure I even want to.

So what if the King is mad at me? I never wanted his affections anyway. He only ever forced himself upon me. Yes, maybe he gave me pleasures I’ve never felt before, but that didn’t mean anything. Pleasures of the flesh mean nothing compared to desires of the heart.

Trying to relax, I huff another breath and roll over onto my other side.

Even thinking about the pleasures I’ve felt at the hands and tongue of the king has my body ramping up.

Silly, stubborn body. My heart wants Samuel. I should be thinking of Samuel in a carnal way, not Caleb.

I try to push thoughts of Samuel to the front of my mind. Yes, his smile brings me comfort, and I adore his face. But when I try to think of him taking his clothes off, he immediately shifts into the taller and broader Caleb.

“Damn it,” I whisper to myself.

Then, the door to my room opens.

Sitting upright at once, I start to reach for the knife I left on my nightstand. I stop when I realize it’s King Caleb sneaking into my room. He closes the door behind him, and then, with the light of the moon through the windows as his guide, he makes his way to my bed.

I look up at him, and he looks down at me.

He doesn’t say a single word – and neither do I as he takes off his robe, revealing he’s naked underneath, and climbs under the covers to grab at me.

His hand grips the base of my nightgown and he pulls it over my head. It’s tossed carelessly aside. Then, that same hand moves to cup my breast.

I’m not wearing panties, so he kicks apart my legs, rolling into the new space between them. With his free hand, he lines up his hard dick with my entrance, and then smoothly pushes inside of me.

I’m embarrassed by how wet I already am. My earlier thoughts of him helped ramp me up. Seeing him in the flesh only amplified everything.

With his dick inside of me, he starts to gently thrust, all while massaging my tit and burying his face in my neck, sucking in mark after mark.

He moves silently. The only noises in the room are the creak of the bed and the soft gasps that escape me as he fills me up again and again.

When one of my gasps adds a whimper, Caleb picks up speed. He drops his hold on my breast to grab me by the hips, directing me where he wants me as he plows into me faster and faster.

My gasps become moans. I claw at the pillow behind my head, desperate for something to hang onto while he fucks me hard and fast.

It feels so good. He always feels good.

My nipples tighten. My pussy clenches. My mouth falls slack.

I close my eyes as I cum.

Waves of pleasure crash over me again and again. Caleb continues thrusting, and each movement sits somewhere on the edge of perfection and almost too much.

Again and again, deeper and deeper.

Then, with a roar, he pulls out just in time to come all over my chest and stomach.

He looks down at his work. In the light of the moon, I can see the satisfaction there.

Likely, he wanted me to smell like him. Territorial asshole.

He admires his handiwork for a moment more. Then, he rises from the bed, grabs his robe off the floor, and walks toward the door.

“Caleb?” I call after him.

He hasn’t just left me like this since the beginning. This feels strange, like a regression in our… whatever we are.

Even at my calling of his name, he doesn’t look back. He doesn’t wince or flinch. He just opens the door and walks out of it, closing it behind him.

Alone, I look down at myself. At the mess he made which I’m left alone to clean up, even though most of my body feels like jelly.

It’s been a long time since I actually felt like the King’s whore. Now, looking at myself covered in his spend, those feelings resurface.

I should be happy, maybe. I don’t need him to see me as a person. After all, it’s Samuel that I love.

Yet, misery sits with me like a lead weight, keeping me from moving for a long time.

Chapter 66

The morning of the gala, Bethany is ready to make the final finishing touches to the dress. Outside, presumably, the various pack Alphas and their mates are beginning to arrive. The harem has been forbidden from stepping outside of their private wing, to maintain the mystery of the harem’s beauty until the gala.

“I think it’s ready for you to try it on,” Bethany says. “The last adjustments I can make after you wear it.”

“Okay,” I tell her. Slipping out of my robe, and down to my underwear, I lift my arms and let her slide the dress over my head.

It fits like a glove, so very different than the tarp the tailor had insisted on me wearing. Bethany had tapered the waist, allowing the dress to showcase my curvy figure. My breasts might be as big as other girls’, but with the way the dress dips low, showing the barest curve of the inside of my cleavage, my smaller breasts still look tantalizing. The waist flares out highlighting my hips.

Bethany has also added a sash around the waist that ties into a rather large bow in the back. That’s what she seems to work on now, stitching it more securely to the dress itself.

“You really are a marvel,” I tell her. “You should have been the one in the wardrobe fitting everyone, not that sorry excuse for a tailor.”

“In a different life, maybe,” Bethany says.

I glance at her, seeing the slight frown on her lips. “Why not now?”

“I’m a handmaiden, Harper. That’s all I’ll ever be, until the day I die.”

The way she says it is so reserved, so accepting. It breaks my heart a little. She could be so much more, she has the talent. Yet she knows she can’t even hope for it, because of her station.

“Well, so long as you are my handmaiden, you will also be a tailor,” I tell her. I want to say something else, to lift her spirits and help build her hopes. But how can I? The King controls everything here. I have no more power than Bethany does.

“If I have anything to say about it though, someday, I will see to it that your dreams come true,” I say.

Bethany’s slight frown slips up into a happier almost smile.

“Thank you, Harper. I know you can’t promise it, but… that you want to, means a lot.”.

“We’re friends,” I say, which seems to surprise her.

When she recovers from the shock, though, her smile grows wider.

For a while, Bethany continues working in silence, and I stand still, mindful of the needle so near my skin.

In the quiet, my mind wanders. I wonder when Samuel will arrive. Perhaps he already has. He could be under the same roof as me right at this moment, and I wouldn’t know.

Still, the potential that he could be, and knowing that I will see him soon regardless fills me with anticipation so powerful, I feel like I might buzz right out of my skin.

“I’m sure King Caleb will look dashing tonight,” Bethany says, shyly glancing at me.

My thoughts are so full of Samuel that it takes me a moment to realize what she said.

“I suppose,” I reply. Truthfully, he always looks dashing, but that’s not something I’m going to admit out loud.

“I’m sure he will be more handsome and more impressive than any other Alpha in the room,” Bethany continues.

I can see it now, the sly look in her eye, like she knows that I’m really thinking about Samuel and she’s trying to distract me from it.

“Bethany, you know very well the man I’m most looking forward to seeing tonight is not that vicious and ruthless King.”

I haven’t forgotten how he fucked me and forgot me the other night, leaving me used and covered in spending like a whore. Bitterness swells inside of me, helping push away my thoughts and desires from Caleb and keeping them on Samuel.

“I still think it’s a bad idea,” Bethany says. “If the King catches you speaking with another man…”

“He’s not another man. He’s the man. The one I love.”

“The one married to your sister.”

It’s a low blow and strikes me hard. Inside, I know she’s right. Despite the promises he made to me in that attic, in the end, he still married Leah.

Even if I were to speak to him tonight, what would I even say?

He’s as unobtainable to me as I likely am to him, as one of the King’s consorts.

Still, the heart wants what it wants. I’ve loved Samuel for so long, I don’t know how not to love him.

“It’s for the best if you just leave him alone,” Bethany says, and while I know she’s right, it’s easier said than done. Being in the same room as Samuel again… I’m certain I’ll feel his pull.

I’ll need to say a few words, at least, even if all they are is goodbye.

Later, when the dress is finished, and the harem is lining up in the hallway for our grand entrance, I hug Bethany goodbye. As my handmaiden, she won’t be able to attend the formal event herself and will have to wait for news here or in her own room.

I imagine she’ll commiserate with the other servants and slaves, and likely know more about what goes on tonight as its happening than ! do.

As we separate, she hands me my dagger. With the cap secure, I slide it down into the cleavage between my breasts. Bethany sewed in a discrete little pocket to snuggly hold the dagger.

It’s a perfect fit.

“Be careful,” she tells me.

“I will,” I reply, uncertain if it’s a lie or not. Being around Samuel again might make me foolish. We’ll have to see where the night goes.

Bethany doesn’t seem reassured at all, but if I give more false promises, her concern will only amplify.

Instead, I turn and leave her, pushing out into the hallway.

The harem seems to have lined up in their imagined hierarchy, with Gwen at the back, and the newest girls at the front.

Not wanting to rock any boats tonight, I head to the front of the line near the start of the hallway.

Tristan stands there, awaiting orders. He glances at me when I come nearer and frowns.

“What are you doing?” he asks. “You should be in the back. The King wants you to enter last.”

“The hierarchy…” I start to say, but my heart really isn’t in this argument to begin with so it dies quickly.

Caleb gives me a flat look. “The back of the line, Harper.”

I can’t argue with a direct order like that, not even from the King’s Beta, so I turn on my feet and head towards the back of the line.

Gwen is already there. When she sees me approach, she scoffs loudly. “What the hell are you doing back here? You should be at the front.”

“The King’s orders,” I say with a shrug.

Gwen narrows her gaze. Subtly, I see her reaching for something in her hip pocket.

I can guess what it is she’s hiding there: a dagger.

So, at the same time, I reach for my own blade, hidden in my bodice. I start to lift it so that she can see the gems of the hilt.

“Are you sure you want to play this game?” I said.

Grumbling, she pulls her hand free from her pocket, without her dagger.

She’s annoyed, but so am I.

At least we won’t have to draw blood tonight.

Yet.

Chapter 67

I stand at the back of the line of harem consorts, awkwardly avoiding eye contact with Gwen as she keeps looking back to glower at me. Blessedly, after a time, the line starts to move forward and I am saved from continued awkwardness.

Yet, as I move closer and closer to the front of the Hall, I am filled with anticipation and trepidation in equal measures. Samuel is somewhere inside of there. Is he waiting for me? Is he eagerly observing each consort that enters, hoping that the next one will be me?

As excited and hopeful as those thoughts make me, my next ones fill me with dread.

Samuel isn’t alone in that Hall. Somewhere there, likely beside him, stands my sister Leah. Ever since my disgrace, she’s treated me terribly, as if I was someone less than human. She took glee in scolding and punishing me. She loved to flaunt that Samuel now belonged to her.

That will not change now, just because I am a consort to the King. Her mistreatment will continue. And, if things hold to how they’ve always been, Samuel will stay silent at her side, enabling her foul behavior.

Maybe Bethany is right. Maybe I really need to move on from him. It’s so difficult though, when for so long, he was the most important in the world to me. How can I change something so fundamentally build inside my person? Loving him feels like a core of my being?

The line keeps moving, and my feelings churn within me, making my stomach upset. It’s too late to back out now. Caleb would likely punish me for trying to escape, so I kept my feet moving.

My part of the line turns the corner and I see the entrance to the Hall. Tristan stands there looking bored. Inside the open doorway, I hear the announcer give the name of every girl that enters.

This is a show, I remind myself. A power play to help Caleb appear strong.

To keep from embarrassing him, I need to hold in my emotions.

Yes, maybe that’s how I will survive this. I’ll bottle everything up and keep a firm, expressionless mask over my face.

The line becomes shorter and shorter. Eventually, it’s even Gwen’s turn to enter. The announcer says her name and she steps forward into the Hall. There’s polite clapping from within.

From here, I can see how full the room is. There are many, many people inside. Doesn’t this break some kind of fire code?

Who’s going to correct a king?

“Harper,” Tristan says, annoyed. I startle, realizing that I haven’t moved forward when I’m supposed to. “Go.”

Swallowing my nerves, I desperately pull on my emotionless mask and step into the Hall.

“Presenting Harper, formerly of the Riverwood pack.”

I step into the room to the sound of polite claps. Glancing around, I see many faces1 do not recognized, occasionally dotted with a slave or consort that I do know.

More than a few people are looking at me curiously. Perhaps they know the story of my disgrace.

“Is this that Harper?” someone whispers, and my assumptions are confirmed.

“To think the King would take on someone as disgraced as her,” says a whispered reply. “Was it kindness? Or fool judgment?”

The first voice loudly hushes the other. “Do not dare speak ill of the King within these walls. Not if you want us to be able to leave them.”

From that conversation alone, as humiliated as I am, I realize the King has a tough battle ahead of him to convince these Alphas to not only work together to hold back the invasion of the north, but to also listen blindly to him.

I can’t decide if I want to sit in on that eventual meeting of the Alpha Council or to avoid it as if my life depended on it.

A bunch of pompous, angry Alphas in one room never ends well, especially for innocent bystanders who can’t really defend

themselves. My little knife isn’t going to do much against the full fury of an Alpha.

Well, that’s a concern for a later time. Right now, I only need to concentrate on surviving the night.

The other consorts are mingling, so I attempt to as well. As far as I can tell, Caleb has yet to enter the room. I use this newfound freedom to weave through some of the Hall, mingling, but also searching for one specific face among the others.

Then, two strangers part ways, and in the new gap that they made, I can see Samuel standing just beyond. I freeze, my breath catching in my throat. I want to remain indifferent, but I can feel the tears starting to rise in my eyes.

For the majority of my youth, Samuel had been a source of comfort and strength. I’d followed him, loved him, planned my entire life around him.

Now, he’s here. So close and yet so distant. And I’m frozen, unsure once more if speaking to him might be one of the worst decisions of my life.

Last I’d spoken to him, on the phone, he’d said some very cruel things to me. The fact that he married Leah only shows that those horrible things might have been genuine.

I should avoid him to protect my own heart.

Yet the tiny hope that lives inside of me pushes me forward, and before I can even realize fully what I’m doing, I’m approaching him.

“Samuel,” I say his name like this is a dream where we’re still in love with each other.

He turns around, sees me, and for a moment, that same affection I’d always known flashes across his eyes.

“Harper,” he says, almost in wonder.

He’s as handsome as he’s ever been, but there are heavy bags under his eyes. He’s started growing a beard. Unusual for him, he’s always preferred to be clean-shaven. Even his eyes are slightly different, far- away somehow, like he’s not fully there even though he’s standing right in front of me.

“How are you?” I ask him, meaning it honestly.

“He’s perfect, thank you,” Leah says, materializing beside him. Maybe she’s always been there and I just didn’t notice. Or maybe she sprinted from across the room when she spotted me approaching her husband.

I prefer the second thought.

Unlike Samuel, Leah looks better than ever. Her hair has been recently dyed and fashioned. Her makeup looks professional. Her dress is a stunning deep blue color that fits her well. Diamonds hang from her ears, neck, and fingers.

She places her arm up on one of Samuel’s shoulders, letting her left hand dangle. On her finger I see a familiar engagement ring paired with an unfamiliar wedding ring.

I knew they were married, yet seeing the evidence so clearly, and having it rubbed in my face so thoroughly, hurt me as much as if she’d stabbed me.

“He’s a bit tired, though,” Leah continues with a laugh. “We’re still going at it like newlyweds. I swear, he can’t keep his hands off of me.”

Bile rises in my throat.

In my head, again, I knew that to be married meant they were having sex… But to be faced with it… To have it thrown at me…

Leah truly hates me through and through.

“That’s none of my business,” I say.

“You’re right,” Leah snaps. “It isn’t.” Glancing around, she motions to some of the nearby consorts. “I was watching the harem as they came in. Did the King put you last out of shame?”

“No, it’s “I mean to tell her that it’s the opposite actually, but she doesn’t let me finish.

“No wonder. You are clearly the ugliest among them.” She laughs again, louder. “The King must have been furious when he realized some poor sap pitied you enough to let you into the harem. Such a vile, detestable thing like you has no place beside the king.”

Leah smirks at me, and my own hatred for her grows inside of me.

Would anyone say a word if I chose to slap her?

Chapter 68

My irritation at my sister forces words from my throat that would

have otherwise stayed lodged there, mostly from my shock at seeing Samuel again.

“I wasn’t chosen for the King’s harem by some pitying fool, but by the King himself,” I say.

Leah’s good humor immediately sours and she glares at me. “You are lying.”

“I’m not,” I assure her. “You can ask anyone.” I wave my arm around. “And the reason I was introduced last is because I am one of the King’s favored.”

Normally, I wouldn’t flaunt that. I’m not even entirely sure if it’s true anymore. The King has been cold and distant to me lately. Despite Bethany’s words and reassurances that I am still in the King’s favor, I have my doubts.

But Leah doesn’t need to know about those doubts.

She glares at me with open jealousy. Soon, though she cools that envy enough to smirk at me.

“Well, perhaps the one I should be pitying is you, then, slave. After all, rumors tell that the King is old and ugly. Undoubtedly your skin crawls every time he touches you,” she says.

She’s grasping at straws now, and it makes me laugh.

“If that’s what you want to believe, I won’t stop you. But make sure I’m standing next to you when you finally see him,” I say. “You have no idea how wrong you are.”

“Harper,” Samuel says sharply. In more surprise than anything else, I snap my mouth closed. I hadn’t been expecting him to say anything. Usually, he sits back and lets Leah get away with whatever he wants. Right now, however, he’s glaring at me like I’m in the wrong.

“Be careful how you speak to my wife,” Samuel says. “She is the Riverwood pack’s Luna. You are a harem consort.”

Leah smiles wide. “Know your place,” she spits at me.

“Your attention, please!” shouts the announcer.

When everyone quiets and turns to face him, he continues, “Show your respects to the master of our kingdom, the fierce King Caleb.”

Caleb steps through the door, with Tristan two steps behind him.

Caleb looks handsome in black slacks and a black tunic. The kingdom’s insignia is stitched tastefully over the chest in sparkling gold thread. Gold is weaved through most of the seams of the outfit. He’s also wearing a golden crown with emerald and diamond inlays. It sparkles under the bright lights.

He looks over the room with a slight frown and a near glare.

Beside me, Leah gasps. I turn to see her face. Yes, she’s surprised, and that envy she’s had of me seems to have returned tenfold.

“That must be the King’s son,” she grumbles, somehow gaslighting herself.

“That’s King Caleb,” I tell her.

When Caleb’s eyes fall on me, and the people I am with, his frown deepens. Turning he whispers something to Tristan.

While Caleb starts heading toward his throne, Tristan weaves his way through the crowd to me.

“He commands you meet him at his throne,” Tristan says to me.

I glance at Samuel, but he’s now looking at the floor.

“Now, Harper,” Tristan snaps.

Nodding, I turn and leave without a word.

Behind me, I hear Leah say to Tristan, “She’s such a miserable slave, isn’t she? Never follows orders. Never has learned her place.”

“That’s not your concern, madam,” Tristan replies flatly, cutting off any commiseration that Leah had been trying to form with Tristan.

I don’t stay around to hear anymore, hurrying my pace to the stage where I meet Caleb. He doesn’t say a word to me, just wraps an arm possessively around my waist and hoists me onto the stage with him. Then he sits on the throne and drags me down to sit on his lap.

“King Caleb…” I whisper, embarrassment rising within me, making me blush.

One of his hands stays firmly on my hip.

“Be good, or I’ll show your former lover how much you like my dick,” Caleb growls, his voice low but quiet, for only me to hear.

I snap my mouth closed, remembering when Caleb had pulled me into that separate room and made me scream so loud with pleasure that everyone in the Hall could hear him. I do not want a repeat performance of that scenario, especially with Samuel in the room. He would be forced to listen.

One by one, Tristan and the King’s attendants bring forward the pack Alphas and their mates to more formally present them to the King and vice versa.

Many of the Alphas look at me with distrust, and I wonder if my presence here is causing more harm than good to Caleb.

Yes, the harem helps him seem strong, but if he focuses so much on just one member of it, especially during such an important event as this, isn’t he showing that he is also frivolous with his time?

The Alphas mostly focus on the pack business. They expect their King to give the same focus to Kingdom business.

They have no idea what Caleb’s life looks like from day to day, how much he sacrifices and gives for this country. How the exertion and stress of it has weighed so heavily on his mind, making him short- tempered and paranoid.

It annoys me to see these Alphas disrespect the King. Especially because Caleb doesn’t seem to care at all.

Each Alpha that’s introduced he merely formally greets and then waves away.

“If I may, King Caleb,” I begin, in a lull between two Alpha introductions. I know I’m overstepping, but I’m trying to do so carefully so that I don’t garner Caleb’s wrath. “These Alphas expect more attention and respect than you are showing them…”

“Then they are fools,” Caleb grumbles. “That I have deigned their presence important at all should be enough to placate them.”

I suppose that’s true. I think back, and to my knowledge, the Alphas have never been called like this to the capital before. Being here should be a great honor, yet they look to Caleb like he hasn’t done enough.

Caleb is right. The ones that are actually showing disrespect are the Alphas themselves.

“Presenting Alpha Samuel and his Luna Leah, from the Riverwood pack,” one of the attendants says.

I immediately freeze. Caleb, who could feel it from me being on his lap, reaches around me and places a hand on the top of my thigh. Eyes locked on Samuel, he starts to rub gently back and forth, curling his fingers around to my inner thigh.

I suck in a sharp breath.

“King Caleb,” Samuel says and bows. Belatedly, Leah does the same from beside him.

“Alpha Samuel and Luna Leah, welcome to the capital,” Caleb says, directing them as he has every one that’s come before. Yet before Samuel and Leah can be ushered away, Caleb speaks up once more, stopping them. “Riverwood. Isn’t that the pack where you are from, Harper?”

He knows very well that it is, so I don’t reply.

“Do you know Harper?” Caleb asks Samuel and Leah.

Samuel’s face turns a bit red as he lowers his gaze to the ground.

Leah has no such embarrassment. “She was a slave in my house.”

That’s an odd way of saying sister. It stings more than it should. After everything Leah has done to me, her denying a familial bond with me shouldn’t be shocking.

Still… to have my history erased like that… it hurts.

“And you, Samuel?” Caleb asks.

Lifting a hand, Caleb traces the edge of my bodice, letting his fingers drift lightly over the swell of my breast.

“If you won’t answer that simple question, then I’ll give you one that has a yes or no answer,” Caleb says. His voice has a sudden sharp edge to it. “Have you known the pleasures of Harper’s body? Or are you left handling yourself, wishing you had?”

Chapter 69

Samuel’s face turns even redder. So does mine, I imagine, from how hot it feels.

I can’t reprimand Caleb from saying such things – especially not when he’s sitting on his throne, in front of so many people watching and listening.

Still, before he walks away, he somehow manages to speak up. “I am faithful to my wife, King Caleb. In fact…” Reaching into his inside coat pocket, he retrieves an oblong velvet box, the kind usually with jewelry inside. He hands it to Leah. “I wanted to give this to you privately, Leah. But I think it will make my intentions clearer to the King.”

Leah opens the box and gasps. “I love it, Samuel. Will you put it on me?”

Caleb narrows his eyes as if trying to discern the purpose. I don’t fully understand the point of this show either until Samuel removes the necklace from the box and I see it in full.

I gasp. Caleb looks at me.

“This has significance?” he asks me, his voice soft, for my ears only.

My heart pounds fiercely as it breaks. “Yes.” Even from this distance, I know the familiar shape of that moon pendant and the feel of that silver chain that now sits around Leah’s neck.

“He bought that for me, many years ago,” I say. “I left it behind when I came here.”

It had been a pre-engagement present, when Samuel had set his mind on marrying me, yet before he’d convinced the rest of the pack leaders that he should be allowed to.

Did he search through my belongings to find it? Likely my family intended to throw everything of mine away after I’d been called to the capital.

I only left it behind for safekeeping. I knew there wasn’t much I’d be able to keep once I made it to the capital. I also knew that bringing that necklace with me would only encourage Samuel to act on his foolish notions of running away with me.

Now, the symbol of our love and affection for each other sits around my sister’s neck.

I think I’m going to be sick.

Caleb closely watches my face.

“I have satisfied you, King Caleb?” Samuel asks.

“Yes,” Caleb says, never once looking away from me.

Samuel and Leah are led away.

“He wanted to hurt you,” Caleb says.

I look away from him. “So did you.”

He doesn’t argue it. How can I? We both know that I’m right about this.

Caleb removes his hand from my thigh and returns it to the armrest of his throne. On the other hand, he keeps on my hip. He doesn’t let me move, nor do I try, as the rest of the Alphas are introduced.

My bones feel too heavy to lift. I’m utterly defeated, my heart in shattered pieces.

Caleb continues on, business as usual until the formal introductions are done. Then he pushes me to stand and does the same. After lowering me down from the stage, he leaves me against it.

“I have to mingle,” he says. “Do as you will.”

I don’t feel much like doing anything at all, but I don’t want him to know that or to see how affected I am by this. Samuel may have squandered my feelings and squashed my hopes, but if I show any of that, Caleb might punish him anyway for my feelings.

For this reason, to protect Samuel and my pack, I have to pretend like everything is okay.

So I head to the drink table, eager to partake in some of the wine.

As I’m waiting in line, Samuel finds his way into the line beside me.

1 glance at him, and then quickly away, wondering what kind of awful fate I have for it to keep bringing us together like this.

Samuel leans in. “I have to speak with you,” he says.

I must have misheard. After his display with Leah, there can’t be anything in the world left for us to talk about. “Whatever you think you need to say, you do not,” I tell him. “Trust me. Giving Leah my necklace told me everything I need to know already.”

“Hear me out,” he whispers.

“Why?” I ask. “You’ve hurt me enough for a lifetime, Samuel. Why should I waste another minute listening to you?”

The line moves in front of us. The people behind us are looking at me.

Realizing how loud I’ve been, I snap my mouth closed and step into the newly formed space in front of me.

Samuel straightens slightly. Sounding put out, as if he has any right to be, he says, “You and the King seem close.”

I glower at him. “I’m in his harem.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to like it,” he snaps.

Before I can reply, Leah spots him and comes to join us. “Oh. Harper. Oh, nice to see you reacquainting yourself with my husband yet again.” With the smarmy way she says it, she clearly doesn’t think so.

Honestly, this time, I’m in agreement with her. I’m not ready to speak to either of them.

“Darling,” Leah says, leaning into him, pressing her breasts against his chest. “We should return to our rooms anyway, so I can thank you properly for the gift.” Glancing at me, she adds, “Did I mention we’re like rabbits right now? With how often we do it, I’d be surprised if I’m not pregnant already.”

“Leah,” Samuel says, as if correcting her, but she just laughs.

“There’s no harm in telling my sister the truth. She’ll likely be an aunt someday soon, not that she’ll ever meet the baby. A place like this is nowhere for a child to visit. So many loose women running around. You understand, Harper? Well, how couldn’t you?”

“Please, leave me alone,” I say, too defeated to argue anymore. Leah has already won but she always insists on her victory laps. I know my asking her won’t make her leave, but it’s all I have left in my arsenal.

I’m really very exhausted from having to deal with them and the King. Maybe I didn’t sleep so well last night on top of it, anticipating today and what might happen.

I knew there was a possibility things could end badly, but I had no idea it would be quite this bad. To give Leah my necklace is to erase the past between Samuel and me. If nothing else, I thought our past together would be preserved.

No. Leah had to have that too.

Suddenly, even drinking doesn’t sound very good anymore. I start to turn, ready to leave the line, when Samuel reaches out, snatching my hand.

“Harper, wait.”

Confused, I look back at him. Leah’s looking at him too, annoyed.

Then I feel something paper-like curl into my palm. I accept it, hiding it in my hand.

“Despite everything, it is good to see you unharmed. We all thought the worst… seeing you in the coliseum.”

“You saw that?”

Samuel nods. “It was broadcast.”

“I had money on the lions,” Leah says. “Shame that Alpha werewolf intervened.”

“I will let your family know you are well,” he says.

They won’t care, I think. That thought is reaffirmed when Leah scoffs.

But I could see what these platitudes were truly for, to give him a reason to slip me the note.

I exit the line without another word to either of them and head to the bathroom. In the privacy of the bathroom, with the door securely locked behind me, I read the note.

11pm tonight. In the courtyard gardens. Near the peonies.

Chapter 70

I flush the note down the toilet.

When I leave the bathroom, Caleb is there in the hallway just outside the door, as if he’s been waiting for me.

“Where is it?” he demands, a growl in his voice.

“What are you talking about?” I tell him.

He storms toward me, anger in his eyes. “You think I’m an idiot? You think I don’t have you followed? You think I’m so ignorant that I wouldn’t notice the moment you plot against me?”

“I haven’t plotted against you,” I tell him.

He grabs me harshly by the shoulder. “Then where is it, Harper? Where is the note that bastard passed you?!”

“I don’t have any note,” I tell him, calm in the face of his anger. I feel so defeated.

“Maybe not now,” he says. “Where did you stash it?”

“There isn’t a note,” I say again. I just feel so tired, like I could sleep for a thousand years. Let him yell at me if he wants. Let him hate me. Whatever it takes to end this misery and allow me to return to sleep.

Caleb, still clutching my shoulders, backs up a bit to look at me more fully. “What the hell is the matter with you?” he asks. “Why are you acting so detached? Where is your usual defiance?”

His eyes narrow with rage. “Is this new weakness because of your feelings for that weak-minded Alpha that you love?!”

With fury, he grabs me by the wrist and drags me down the hallway. We storm past curious onlookers hanging around outside the Hall. Around the corner and through the guards who are set to block people from entering. He drags me straight into my room.

Fortunately, Bethany isn’t there. I wouldn’t want her to see him like this, caught in his rage.

He throws me forward and stumbling, I fall down onto the ground.

“I’ll kill him, you know,” Caleb says. “If you even think about plotting against me with him, I will tear his throat out. You’ll never succeed.”

“Don’t kill him,” I say. “He’s not plotting anything. He’s given everything to his wife. He has nothing left to give to me.”

“Then why do you act so pathetically?”

Rushing toward me, he grabs me off the ground and yanks me upright.

“I’m not,” I say, trying to show some of my usual annoyance.

“Bullshit,” he growls. Then, he glances down at the length of my body. “Perhaps what you need is a good fucking. Mind-blowing pleasure might help restart your passions.”

He grabs the front of my dress and yanks it free, down past my waist. With nothing to catch on, it falls down to my feet. I’m wearing panties but no bra. I don’t bother trying to hide myself.

He’s looking at me with fire in his eyes, but all I feel is cold inside.

After scenting the air, he frowns at me. The red hue to his eyes quickly dies away as if it was never there at all.

He releases me. My legs give out and I fall to the floor again.

Then, he turns his back to me and storms out the door.

Only then, do I start to feel things again. Abandonment. Rejection. Cold. So much damn cold.

I cover my face with my hands and I start to cry.

A few moments pass, I don’t know how many, before Bethany comes through the door, sees me, and rushes to my side.

“Harper? Are you alright? Did the King hurt you?”

“No…” I tell her. I’m still confused by his reaction. In the past, he would have forced me, to take what he wanted. But this time… Could he tell I felt nothing? Was that why he scented the air?

I don’t know but he didn’t stick around for me to figure it out. And for that, I’m glad.

Bethany stands first, then heads into the closet. She returns with my robe and drapes it over my shoulders. I push my arms through the holes.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” Bethany says and helps me to my feet. Carrying some of my weight, she leads me into the bathroom. I scrapped my knees falling down the few times I had.

In the bathroom, I sit down on top of the toilet while Bethany retrieves the first aid kit. Wordlessly, she kneels down to clean my knees. I’m incredibly grateful for her.

She doesn’t ask what happened. I wonder how much she already knows, from listening to the other servants talk.

“Your sister had a necklace…” she says eventually.

Ah, so the servants have even pieced together some of the reasons for my upset. “That used to be mine. Samuel gave it to me to indicate that he intended to marry me. I guess… he decided to give it to my sister.”

Bethany nods. She moves to the other knee, cleaning it with

disinfectant. I hiss, feeling the sting. It still doesn’t hurt as much as my heart does.

“And the note?” she asks, lifting her gaze briefly to me. From the shouting in the hallway, likely the whole kingdom suspected as Caleb did that Samuel had passed me a note. The same servants Bethany received her information from might be the ones who told Caleb about the note, to begin with.

“It’s not what Caleb thinks,” I say, sighing. “Samuel doesn’t want to lure me into some kind of plot to endanger the King or overthrow him, or whatever else he thinks.”

“How do you know?” she asks. “What did the note say?”

“It was just a location,” I say. “And a time.”

“He could be plotting.”

“No,” I say. “Samuel isn’t like that. The only thing he could want to speak to me about is what happened today. Maybe he wants to throw it in my face…” My chest aches so much, I clutch it with my hand.

I hate this feeling, just as I hate Samuel. Or, at least, I want to hate him for making me feel this way.

Taking away the past as he has… I feel so… bereft.

Everything hurts. How could he ever do this to me?

Bethany presses her lips hard together. I can see that she wants to say something, but she’s holding herself back.

“You can tell me anything,” I tell her. “We’re friends.”

That seems to make her even more conflicted and she huffs out a breath.

“I don’t know if this is my place,” she says. “It doesn’t seem like it. And if we weren’t friends, I wouldn’t bring this up at all. Even as friends, I’m not sure I should, because I don’t think that bastard deserves anymore of your time and energy.”

“Which bastard?” She could mean either Samuel or the King. I’m less than pleased with both at the moment.

“Samuel,” she clarifies.

I frown deeper and give her a strange look. “What are you trying to say?”

“It doesn’t seem to me like he wants to meet you to rub it in your face, Harper. And if you don’t think he’s capable of plotting against

the king, that really only leaves one option.”

“Which is?” I ask.

Bethany takes her time putting away the first aid kit.

“Bethany, please,” I push.

She looks back at me. “A secret rendezvous, Harper. The only option left is he wants to meet you is to apologize and make up.”

お金金

SEND GIFT or GCASH: +63.936.139.8714

COMMENT

Subscribe

♡
Prev | Next