The Lycan King’s Defiant Surrogate by Riley Above Story (Chapters 71 to 80)

Chapter 71

Bethany has permission to walk these halls, even this late at night, yet she still moves quickly and cautiously.

She’s on a secret mission to scope out the secret location to see if Samuel arrives and what his reaction is to Harper not meeting him.

Harper hasn’t been herself since arriving back from the gala. Usually, the king’s rage triggers her own, and she’ll be fired up and raving about him. This time, she was much like a broken woman, sad and quiet.

It was so unlike the woman Bethany knew that it frightened her. Harper had done a lot to get her to become her friend, to trust her, and to put her faith in her for a brighter future for them both. For Harper to now retreat inside of herself makes everything that came before feel like a deception.

Maybe Harper never intended to be kind. Or maybe her kindness had been the weak point that finally broke her.

She could face the king, the coliseum, and the ire of the harem, but it’s the rejection of this lesser Alpha that makes her finally crack? It seems like an insult.

How great must this man be to affect her like this? Or perhaps it’s the death of Harper’s childhood dreams that are finally affecting her?

Bethany can understand that. If she’d had the luxury, she too would have broken when her future was stripped from her. But for her, to take a moment to break would only end in her being punished, tortured, or simply killed.

Bethany’s life now has been a constant state of trying to prove her own worth so as not to be cast aside, to death, or whatever else. Being Harper’s handmaiden has helped take away some of that pressure, but now it all seems to be crashing back onto Bethany.

Maybe that’s why she agreed to scope out Samuel and this secret meeting for Harper.

Partially, she’s curious to see this man in the flesh. Partially, she hopes to bring back enough news to help restore Harper to the person that she was.

Above all, even with the worry of saving her own life, Bethany misses her friend.

Bethany tries not to look suspicious as she steps out of the doors to the outside. The guards posted at the door glance at her with bored curiosity, but it’s not unusual for the servants to enjoy the courtyard when their masters and mistresses are sleeping. It’s not even that strange for a handmaiden like Bethany to have her own secret rendezvous.

With lives as bleak as ours, it’s important to take our pleasures where they come. Well, as long as she doesn’t get pregnant. A pregnant handmaiden is a useless handmaiden. They are cast aside into more stationary jobs until the baby is born. Then, they are removed entirely.

And the babies? Forced into servitude just as the mother was.

Bethany hasn’t found any man she’s willing to take that risk for yet. With possible consequences like those, she isn’t sure she ever will.

She goes around the bend, following the flowers to where the peonies are.

By now, the time is 11:15pm.

Bethany doesn’t expect Samuel to have waited, yet when she peeks around the corner, a man is standing there.

This must be Samuel.

He’s handsome enough, she supposes. The moon is bright tonight so she can see most of his features. Yet even being passable as he is, he doesn’t hold a candle to the overwhelming attractiveness of the King.

Samuel paces back and forth. He checks his watch and glances around. When he looks Bethany’s way, she ducks behind the flower bushes, hiding.

He does seem… disappointed, frowning with a tiny line between his brows.

“Come on, Harper,” he grumbles to himself. “How can you forgive me, if you won’t let me explain myself?”

He really needs to stop talking to himself. That kind of thing is dangerous around here, where even the walls have ears.

That’s for him to figure out on his own, though. After seeing Harper so down, Bethany has no plans of rescuing this man from his own tragedy.

He looks around again, and Bethany backs up a step.

Crack!

Looking down, she realizes with horror that she stepped on a twig.

“Is someone there?” Samuel calls. “Harper is that you?”

Okay, now his ignorance just annoys Bethany. It’s one thing to endanger his own life and entirely another to say the name of her mistress out loud, implicating her in this idiocy as well.

“Will you shut up?!” Bethany hisses as she comes out of hiding.

Samuel startles. Bethany clearly isn’t who he’s been expecting. “Who are you?”

“Someone who will personally kick your grave if you take my mistress down with you,” Bethany snaps. She’s not usually this bold. Her entire reputation is for timidity. Maybe it’s because he’s endangering Harper, or perhaps it’s Harper herself who brought out this side of her.

But Bethany will defend her only friend left in the whole world.

“Your… mistress…” Samuel puzzles it all together. “Then you know her? Harp-“

“If you don’t stop saying her name, I’m going to start kicking,” Bethany says.

Samuel immediately shuts his mouth. “Right. Sorry.” He looks around again. “I guess she’s not coming tonight.”

“No,” Bethany says. “Rightly, she decided to sit this one out. Maybe she didn’t want to listen to your lies.”

“I wasn’t going to lie to her. I love her.”

Bethany nearly rolls her eyes. What kind of person in love would so thoroughly betray the person they had sworn to love?

“She’s mad about the necklace. I hurt her, I know,” Samuel says. “But it was all to keep up the ruse. Leah and I don’t have a conventional marriage. To keep the peace, she demanded the necklace. So I gave her a replica. The original…”

From his pocket, he pulls a silver moon pendant on a long silver chain.

“I wanted to give this to her tonight. To prove my devotion to her.” He walks closer to Bethany. “Can I trust you to give it to her? She’ll know it’s the original… Maybe then she’ll understand.”

Bethany has half a mind to throw this necklace and the man giving it off the tallest tower in the capital. Thinking of Harper and what she might want gives her pause.

Harper would want the necklace. Damn it.

Stepping closer, Bethany snatches the necklace out of Samuel’s

hand. She doesn’t wait for further discussion or further lies. Instead, she just swivels on her heel and runs away.

“Hey!” Samuel calls after her.

“Hey!” says the imbecile thinking he can go anywhere in this kingdom, especially the capital without Caleb’s knowing about it.

Caleb stuck to the shadows during the handmaiden’s visit, slightly pleased not to see Harper herself coming to meet this fool. The handmaiden, at least, seemed skeptical.

Hopefully, Harper would be too.

But her punishment would come later.

Right now, Caleb has to deal with Samuel.

He waits for the handmaiden to be safely away, not wanting her to know of his presence, hoping to keep Harper in the dark of his knowledge for a while longer.

Yet the moment the handmaiden is out of earshot, Caleb silently steps forward, moving soundlessly into the space behind Samuel.

The man starts to turn – then jumps so high, he nearly falls over. Clutching his chest, he backs up a few steps.

Pity. Caleb wouldn’t have minded giving him a heart attack.

“K-King Caleb…”

“Alpha Samuel,” Caleb says, keeping his voice deep and intimidating.

For a moment, the two men are at a standoff, with Caleb tall and proud and powerful, and Samuel shrinking slightly.

Good. The rat at least knows his place.

“So,” Caleb says. “You love my consort. Is that right?”

Chapter 72

Samuel starts to squirm, something that Caleb deeply enjoys, especially because he knows he’s the cause. This man is a worm, upsetting one of Caleb’s consorts, then trying to meet her here secretly behind everyone’s back.

“I can’t imagine your wife would like hearing about this,” Caleb says, rubbing salt in the wound.

It must hurt because Samuel winces. Good. The more pain he suffers the better.

It’s mostly the betrayal and the potential plot against him that has Caleb furious at this snake. Though, if he admits to himself, he’s not exactly pleased with the way this man had hurt Harper. Seeing her so defeated after she had been so defiant for so long, irked him the wrong way.

A frustrating image, Harper broke. Unfortunately, it’s stuck with him all this time. Like an unwelcome pebble in his shoe.

“Please, King Caleb,” Samuel says, bowing low. “I didn’t mean any harm. There’s no reason to tell Leah…”

“No? But I suppose it is alright for you to lust after my consort?”

“We’ve been friends a long time,” Samuel says. “I merely hoped to repair our friendship. I do love her, as you said… as a friend.”

Caleb inwardly rolls his eyes. He has some serious doubts about the honesty in that. But he keeps his outward face expressionless and cold. He has no intention of giving Samuel any insight into what he’s thinking.

“She is in my harem now,” Caleb says. “She belongs to me. If I wished it, it would be well within my rights to have your eyes ripped out for daring to look at her too long.”

“Forgive me! I meant no offense!” He bows impossibly lower. It looks uncomfortable.

What a sniveling little coward. If he actually loved Harper, he’s doing a piss poor job of showing it.

Though… while he has Samuel here, cowering like a child, perhaps Caleb can finally have some answers to the questions that have been bothering him.

“Tell me of your relationship with Harper. You were engaged once, weren’t you?” Caleb asks.

“Yes, sire.” Samuel continues speaking down to the ground, afraid perhaps to even lift his gaze. “We grew up together. I proposed, thinking she might be my Luna…”

“Then…?”

“She was disgraced,” Samuel says. “She had an affair. She swears she was drugged, but there’s never been any truth to that. My family… Her family… The whole pack thinks she’s lying and that she just wanted to shirk her responsibilities as Luna.”

Caleb frowns. From what he’s seen of Harper, she does not back down from a challenge. He doubts she would have hidden away from the responsibilities of leading her pack. If she didn’t want the job, she seems like the type who would have just told Samuel so, not go through the deceits and deceptions.

“What did you think? Did you believe her?”

“I wanted to,” Samuel says.

Not good enough. This man never deserved to have a partner as defiant and strong as Harper. It’s no wonder to Caleb why a weakling like Samuel would instead flock to the lesser sister.

“So she was disgraced. Is that when you moved onto her sister?”

“It’s not that simple…”.

“It sounds that simple to me,” Caleb growls, actually mad now, though he doesn’t fully understand why. “An Alpha makes his own choices and decisions. What kind of leader will you be if you can’t even decide to marry the woman you claim to love?”

“We’re just friends,” Samuel says.

Caleb growls louder. “Liar.”

This pathetic fool has an excuse for everything. Caleb absolutely hates him. If he didn’t need him for the success of this Council, he would tear him to shreds right here in the courtyard.

Samuel falls to his knees. “What happens now, King Caleb? Please, spare me!”

This time Caleb does roll his eyes. This despicable coward! He will not stand up for his love, or even for himself!

“If I hear you tried to talk to Harper again, I will rip your throat out,” Caleb growls. “You will never talk to anyone else ever again.”

“Y-yes, sir…”

“Now, get out of my sight. The very sight of you disgusts me.”

Samuel starts to move at once. “Thank you, my King. Thank you so much!” He turns and darts away.

Caleb watches after him, already plotting his demise.

It will have to come later, after the Council and the war.

But someday, Caleb will challenge this coward to the ring himself and tear him apart with his bare hands.

I sit awake in my bed, nervously waiting for Bethany to return. Bethany said she’d be fine, and that no one questions handmaidens, but I still worry. I didn’t send the poor girl to her death, did I? I’d never be able to live with myself if something happened to her.

I should have just ignored Samuel entirely. I’d have gladly stayed broken if it meant Bethany would be safe.

Selfish. That’s all I’ve been lately. I need to pull myself together. I need to do better.

Just then, the door bursts open and Bethany walks inside.

Immediately I jump to my feet. Bethany’s out of breath, she must have run all this way. I need to make sure she’s safe.

“Are you okay?” I ask. Circling around her, I see no obvious injuries. “What happened?”

“I’m fine,” she says. “I told you, no one stopped me. Everything was

fine until your ex-boyfriend spotted me.”

“He did? Bethany…”

“It’s fine. Here, sit down,” she says, leading me to the table.

“You should be the one to sit down,” I tell her. I’ve done nothing but rest in her absence.

“We’ll both sit,” she says, compromising. “I don’t want you to fall over and bust your knees again when I tell you what he said.”

I keep pace with Bethany, not wanting to seem too eager. When she sits, I join her.

“He was disappointed,” Bethany says, I could see that. “And the dummy kept saying your name like it wasn’t going to get you both in trouble.”

I worry my hands together. “He must have been desperate to be so reckless.”

“Yeah, sure,” Bethany says, clearly not believing me.

“He’s a good man,” I tell her. “When we were kids -“

“Yeah, yeah, you’ve told me.”

I close my mouth, knowing more talking about Samuel would be unwelcome. Bethany has made clear her dislike of him. That seems to have amplified now that she’s met with him.

“So what did happen?” I press gently.

“He said he wanted to speak with you to explain. He’s been living something of a double life, I guess, pretending to be in love with his wife,” Bethany says. “Seems like he’s still holding a candle for you.”

“Did he say that? Did he use those exact words?”

Bethany sighs. Then, as if saying the words against her will, she admits, “He said he loves you.”

My heart leaps into my throat.

“And there’s more.” Bethany reaches into her pocket. She pulls out a familiar moon pendant on a silver chain and places it on the table.

I look at it, knowing what I’m seeing yet I still can’t believe it.

“How can you have this?” I ask.

“He said the one he gave your sister isn’t genuine. She apparently could tell he still has feelings for you and wanted him to cough it over to prove his devotion to her. Instead, he had a replica made. The original, apparently, he kept.”

With shaking hands, I take the pendant and lift it closer. I catch every imperfection, knowing first-hand how they all got there.

This is genuine.

He held onto the true necklace.

He still loves me.

Chapter 73

I have no idea what to do about Samuel. Knowing that he still loves me does give me hope and happiness, but on the other hand, he remains unobtainable while he is mated to Leah and I am in the King’s harem.

I do find peace in knowing that our past is restored at the very least. Samuel hadn’t given away the necklace that had been intended for me, and now it’s back in my own possession. I can’t wear it, of course, so I tuck it away in the pocket of a dress in the very back of my closet.

There, I reason, it will be safely hidden.

“I think you should get rid of it,” Bethany says, but I shake my head.

It’s not just a symbol of Samuel and my secret affection for each other, it also represents our shared past and the happiness that I once felt before my disgrace.

“Maybe someday I won’t need to look back on it,” I say, “But not yet.”

Besides, it’s not like I could give it back to Samuel. If Leah found it, she would make his life miserable and likely destroy it.

No, better that it stays with me. Hidden, it would be safe.

In the late morning, I am informed that a lunch banquet is being held in one of the dining rooms for the harem and the Alpha’s wives. I have no desire to go, but my presence has been specifically requested by one of Caleb’s attendants. To say no to him is to say no to the King himself.

So, with Bethany’s help, I change into an appropriate lunch outfit – in this case, a sleeveless knee-length floral dress with a high collar. It’s one of my favorites but not something I regularly get to wear. As a consort, most of my wardrobe is revealing. But a luncheon with other women seems like a time to dress modestly.

After saying goodbye to Bethany, I follow the attendant to the appropriate dining room. Not all of the harem members are there, only those that are higher in their hierarchy system. Gwen, for instance, and a few of her entourage, as well as some mid-level women.

The consorts are meant to be entertaining the wives, but there’s a clear distinction between the two. The harem stays to the left side of the room, with the wives to the right. The wives keep glancing at the consorts with disgust and distrust in their eyes.

I can’t blame them, exactly. If I were a guest here, and my husband saw so many beautiful women all tied to one man, I might be worried that my husband might start to get ideas of his own.

Well, regardless of the tension, I am hungry for lunch, so I am the first one to brave the other side, heading toward the buffet. As I start to fill up a plate, I can feel the hateful eyes of the wives glaring at me.

“So this is the life you lead now, is it?” Leah asks, approaching me. As the other wives start to whisper, Leah turns to look at them and I swear I see her wink. “Lavish and decadent, you want for nothing. And all you have to do is spread your legs like the whore you are.”

With my stomach rumbling, I try my best to ignore her. After years of being a slave in her house, I’m used to tuning out her insults.

“How does it feel to know you will never be respected? That you will only ever be seen as a piece of ass?” Leah asks snidely. “If I were you, I’d never be able to live with myself.”

“You aren’t me,” I tell her.

“Clearly. You know no shame.”

Maybe I should leave matters alone, but I’m so damn tired of letting her get away with everything. If she would just back off, we wouldn’t have to be enemies like this. But if she thinks she can walk into the capital and be as terrible to me as she was when I was her slave, she is in for a rude awakening.

She no longer has my allegiance or my loyalty. That has been traded to the King when he claimed ownership of me.

Now, she’s just some random guest in my master’s house, insulting him by insulting me.

I look at her sharply. “Are you suggesting that being chosen by the king is an insult?”

Her eyes widen slightly and she pales, clearly not having thought her usual remarks through.

Since my disgrace, the trashing of my virtue has been a common takedown from her. But now, she can’t hint at such things without also throwing mud on the King and his judgment.

“That’s not what I meant,” she says quickly, eyeing the guards stationed around. Some of which are curiously watching the scene. The other wives take a firm step away from her.

Leah swallows thickly and then tries to regain control of the situation. “I merely meant that, while it is an honor to be chosen by the King, of course, it would be a much greater honor to be his wife.”

The words seem to placate the guards, and the wives seem to release a combined held breath.

“For instance, the bond I share with Samuel is so passionate and so… intense… I wish everyone could have what we have.”

I wonder where Leah was while Samuel was sneaking off in the middle of the night to the courtyard to meet with me. I don’t say a word about it aloud, but it does cross my mind, her sitting alone wondering what he’s up to.

Leah knows me well, unfortunately. She can read the doubt in my eyes. Or maybe she’s just projecting. Either way, she says sharply, “What do you know about it, anyway?”

“I didn’t say a word.”

“But you were thinking it, you vindictive bitch,” Leah snaps. “A marriage – even a good one – isn’t easy. And it takes time for two people to become acquainted and familiar with each other.”

The way she says all that, with a slight blush on her cheeks. Is she admitting that she and Samuel haven’t had sex?

I open my mouth and then close it. Touching on that feels too cruel, even if it does make my heart hope a little. What other reason could Samuel have for denying Leah, than his feelings for me?

If only I could offer him the same courtesy. But the King has never given me much choice.

“There you go again, acting all smug,” Leah says.

At that moment, Gwen crosses the room, joining us. “She’s like that. I think it’s her face. Some people have resting-bitch faces. Harper has a resting smug-superiority face.”

Leah laughs at first, then stops herself, eyes wide like she’s startled by her own reaction. Then she glances at Gwen. “And you are?”

“The head consort of the harem,” Gwen says. “We have something in common, you and I.”

Leah rears back slightly. “I highly doubt that.”

Gwen doesn’t take offense. Instead, she just grins. “We both hate Harper.”

Leah’s demeanor shifts then, and she leans back in. “Oh. Oh, I can tell that I’m going to like you.”

They both turn to look at me, vicious glee in their eyes, as I realize what’s happening at this moment.

My two greatest enemies are becoming friends.

Chapter 74

Leah and Gwen continue to bond, sharing insults about me. When Leah starts to tell Gwen the story of my disgrace, I immediately check out and walk away. I’m no longer hungry, but I don’t want to waste the food I’ve already taken.

Finding a spot at the empty table, I slowly and mindlessly start to force the food down.

I don’t know how long I sit there – long enough to finish my food, I suppose. Eventually, Tristan comes through the door. After glancing around the room, he spots me, then walks straight to me as the other consorts and wives look on.

“King Caleb requests you in the Hall,” he says.

“Alright,” I reply and push away from the table. I lift my plate to take it to one of the staff, but a slave meets me and immediately takes it from my hands.

“There she goes, running away again,” Gwen says behind my back as I follow Tristan to the door. Leah laughs along.

As we step out into the hallway, Tristan glances at me. “Something we need to handle?”

“No,” I tell him. Let Gwen and Leah commiserate. The worst that could happen is the sharing of stories, but those things can only hurt me if I let them.

Knowing Samuel loves me gives me armor. I don’t care at all what insults they attempt to fling at me.

At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. It is somewhat… unnerving knowing Gwen and Leah are trading notes. Even so, this is a matter I need to handle on my own, without Tristan or Caleb’s interference.

Tristan takes my word for it and we continue on wordlessly to the Hall where the Council of Alphas is currently underway. They don’t seem to have gotten very far in their proceedings though, or perhaps they are taking a break, because the Alphas are commiserating with each other, while the advisors in the front of the room take notes, and Caleb, upon his throne, rubs his forehead wearily.

Samuel is in the crowd. I spot him right away, but I dare not look at him. From what I can tell in the corner of my eye, he doesn’t look at me either.

I expect Tristan to lead me to the side of the room as usual, but instead, he walks me straight up to the stage.

“Your King has a headache,” he says.

This is my cue, so I step up onto the stage and approach Caleb.

“King Caleb…” I say as I approach because he’s not looking at me. With his Alpha senses, he should be able to sense I’m there, but the last thing I want to do is needlessly startle an Alpha wolf.

“A massage, Harper,” he grumbles.

I move forward at the command, coming to a stop beside his chair. He leans his head toward me, and with that as permission, I reach forward and bury my fingers in his hair. Gently, I start massaging at his scalp.

While I’m working, it takes me a few moments to notice just how quiet the room behind me has gotten. When I do notice, my hands start to slow.

“Don’t you dare stop,” Caleb grumbles, so I continue in earnest.

This has to be some kind of power play, doesn’t it? Flaunting me in front of the Alphas, or at least in front of Samuel.

There’s not a hell of a lot I can do about it though, so I just keep massaging, until Caleb touches my arm, indicating that I should stop.

“Return to your spot beside Tristan,” Caleb says. He seems slightly better now, his eyes clearer, his faceless crumpled with pain. “But don’t you dare leave this room?”

“Yes, King Caleb,” I reply and turn to step down from the stage.

As I do, I spot Samuel moving to the front of the group. His glare is fierce, his face twisted into a heavy frown. He doesn’t even glance at me, his focus entirely on King Caleb.

Looking back, I see that King Caleb isn’t paying attention to him at all.

Tristan stands at our usual spot on the side of the Hall. As I take my place beside him, I whisper, “Has it been this tense all day?”

“Worse,” Tristan gives a soft reply. “At least the King seems less murderous now.”

I hum, not sure if I’m in total agreement. If Samuel dares open his mouth, Caleb might turn murderous again. He truly does seem to hate Samuel. I hate that my feelings have made things more difficult for Samuel and my pack.

“We would like to now hear from the pack leaders on their possible experience with infiltrators from the north,” one of the advisors says, speaking to the ground.

Caleb steps forward. “The infiltrators nearly overran my pack. Were it not for the timely intervention from the capital, they would have likely assassinated me, or at the last opened the gates for the entire northern army.”

“You’re being dramatic,” says one of the other Alphas, disbelief on his face.

“He is not,” replies one of the advisors shortly. “We had intel of what might have happened to the Riverwood pack and moved to intervene. It could have ended very badly otherwise.”

Some of the Alphas still seem skeptical.

“After the purge, I realized that I had confided in the enemy. The infiltration was deep. Advisors, pillars of the community, even friends. The spies had laid dormant for years.” Samuel shakes his head. “Some of them I’m still coming to terms with.”

My heart aches, hearing the pain in his voice. I wonder how many of those spies I also knew. Maybe… if I could find a way to talk to Samuel, he could tell me what’s really been going on at home.

“The infiltration of the spies is not a secret,” Caleb says shortly, glaring at Samuel. “Those here that doubt you, only doubt why your blindness could lead to such ignorance for so long. A better Alpha would have recognized the dissension in his pack and quelled it himself, without needing me to step in.”

The words are a low blow, shaming Samuel, whose face turns slightly red.

“The spies are the exact reason we are having this meeting,” Caleb says. “Let us all have forgotten why we are here.”

Some of the Alphas start to laugh, and Samuel, humiliated, starts to fall back, clearly no longer wishing to be the main focus in the room.

Yet even as he retreats back into the crowd, the other Alphas move away from him, as if standing near them will taint them somehow.

“Is anyone else having difficulties policing their own pack?” Caleb asks. When no one replies, he says, “Good. Then we can move on to other matters, like what those spies mean. Their increase in number and boldness tell us one major thing about the North’s plans: they are readying for war. We need to be ready in response.”

Eventually, around mid-afternoon, the council calls for a break. Many of the Alphas head towards the bathroom. Some gather in small groups to privately talk. The advisors speak with Caleb, claiming his attention.

Even Tristan has wandered off to order refreshments from the slaves, leaving me standing there alone.

Which is when Samuel approaches me.

“Harper. We need to talk.”

Chapter 75

“About what?” I ask, feigning innocence, as I keep my eye on the room full of Alphas at Samuel’s back. Now is the worst possible time to try to have a private conversation. Even talking to me at all puts Samuel at risk.

And me, too, if Caleb believes we are somehow plotting against him.

Yet, before Samuel can say a word, and before I can whisper-yell at him to go away, Tristan walks up beside us and gruffly tells Samuel, “I wasn’t aware you have been given permission to speak to any of the King’s harem without supervision.”

Samuel pales slightly, yet he still faces Tristan. Maybe he feels like he has some authority here, an Alpha over a Beta. If so, with regret, he’s about to be disappointed. Tristan may be a Beta, but he is the King’s Beta. As far as Caleb and the rest of the capital are concerned, Tristan is second only to the King himself.

For Samuel not to notice shows his ignorance of capital politics. I can’t blame him exactly, as these are things I also had to learn after arriving here. Our little pack feels so far removed from the harsh realities of this place.

But Samuel, as Alpha of our pack, should be more observant and more careful. Just like trying to meet me last night, this show of dominance is another reckless action.

Samuel straightens his posture in a posturing sort of way that Alphas do when they expect or want the person they are talking with to submit. Maybe back home, this sort of thing might have worked.

Tristan just stares blankly at Samuel, entirely unaffected.

“Do you have something to say, or do you mean to continue trying to assert dominance over me?” Tristan asks blandly. “A maneuver that will not work, by the way. You have exactly zero power in this place.”

“I am an Alpha,” Samuel says.

“Are you?” Tristan replies. “Compared to our King, you seem a frightened child.”

Samuel turns toward him more fully, like he’s about to throw hands. Behind him, I see the guards take notice and start to move closer.

If I don’t do something, Samuel is liable to end up in a dungeon cell tonight.

“Samuel,” I tell him. “Things are different here than in Riverwood. The rules are different…”

“When Samuel glances at me, considering my words, I nod to the guards moving toward him. When he spots them, he immediately loosens the tension from his shoulders, calming down some of his aggression.

“The King’s Beta is not to be intimidated by anyone other than the King,” I say gently.

“Just as the King’s harem is not to be spoken to unless direct permission is given,” Tristan replies. “Now that you are educated, please return to the others, or I will be forced to have you removed from this Hall and possibly this council.”

Taking orders from a Beta mustn’t sit right with an Alpha. Samuel’s face twists with disgust and annoyance. Still, after one more glance at me, he ambles off to rejoin the rest of the group. Again, they move away from him, treating him as an outcast.

My heart aches for him. It’s a steep learning curve, moving from our home to this place, where everything is so different and much harsher.

Forcing myself to glance away, I look to Tristan, who returns to his outpost beside me. “You arrived back here so quickly, I’m starting to feel watched.”

“You are in the king’s capital, of course, you are being watched. And that you are a person of suspicion only makes the surveillance more exhaustive.”

“Why would I be a person of suspicion?” I ask.

“You are still hiding the location of the child,” Tristan says. “King Caleb may have been kinder to you as of late, but he, nor I, have forgotten what you’ve done.”

“There isn’t any child,” I tell him, just as I have a hundred times before. I’m starting to feel like a record player, saying it on a loop. I’ll say it a thousand times if I have to, yet even that likely wouldn’t be enough to convince them.

“Regardless,” Tristan says. “It would be wise to stay away from that Alpha you admire so dearly. The King has been generous, allowing him here, even while he suspects you and he are plotting against him.”

“I have no intention of plotting against the King,” I say.

“Then tell us the location of the child.”

I sigh. It’s like talking to a broken record sometimes.

“A secret rendezvous with Alpha Samuel could easily lead to his untimely death, Alpha or no,” Tristan says. The way he talks about it, so casually while discussing murder, makes my skin crawl. Being near Tristan so much made me complacent. He’s truly just as dangerous as the King is.

At least, I suppose, he’s giving me a warning. It’s one that I’ll take to heart.

“I understand,” I say.

“Good,” he replies and doesn’t speak to me again.

After the meeting, when I’m dismissed, I slowly make my way back to the harem wing and my bedroom. Outside my door, Gwen and her cronies have taken root, standing in a half-circle blocking my door.

I have my knife in the pocket of my dress. I remove it now so that they see, but I keep the cap on. None of the other girls appear armed. I highly doubt Gwen goes anywhere without a dagger, however.

“I had a most interesting conversation with your… sister…” Gwen says. She’s smirking viciously, while her eyes are cold. “Though it’s my understanding that Leah hates her ties to you. Almost as much as she hates you in general.”

“I don’t care what you or my sister think about me,” I tell her. “Stand aside and let me enter my room.'”

“I won’t be ordered around by the likes of you. Leah told me what you are, a woman of loose virtue, giving it up to the first Alpha that rolled through town.”

“It wasn’t like that,” I snap despite myself. I need to stay calm. She’s only trying to rile me up, and by bringing up these past traumas, it’s difficult to remain cool. Her plans to upset me could easily work.

“Ah, yes. Leah says that you thought you were drugged,” Gwen says. The other girls snicker. “Like anyone would have had to drug you. You are so brazen, even with the King, it’s not shocking that you would be that way with some random male.”

I’m only brazen with the King because he forces me to be. Saying that won’t save me here, though, so I bottle that retort.

“Need I remind you why any of us are here?” I ask. “We serve the King

in his bed. That is our primary duty. None of us are saints.”

“I’ve only ever been with the King,” says one of the girls.

“Me, too,” says another.

“See, Harlot? You remain the odd one out,” Gwen says.

“I’m not,” I tell them. It’s none of their business, not really. But I know of exactly one surefire way to put these girls right in their place.

And that’s by telling the truth of that night.

“You had sex with a random man,” Gwen accuses.

“That random man was the King,” I reply.

Chapter 76

Gwen’s face scrunches up like I slapped her. Good. She deserves that and worse for trying to blame me for what happened to me. She should face turmoil over the fact that Caleb and I had been together even before I was in the harem.

The reasoning is messy. I still think I was drugged that night, though not by Caleb. I don’t want to believe that my family could have set me up, but it was Leah’s drink I had been holding that night. She did have the most to gain from my disgrace.

Gwen’s upset lasts only for a moment before she recovers, as confident as ever. Her smug smile slips right back on her lips.

“You were disgraced,” Gwen says. “Your parents hate you so much they made you a slave to your own household. How embarrassing it must have been when your own sister slashed marks onto your back. What did she say you were guilty of? Disrespect? Jealous?”

Gwen laughs and the other girls join in. “You were a pathetic slave, just as you are a pathetic consort. You might have the King’s favor at the moment, but soon that will wear out too. And when it does, you will have nothing.”

Her words strike me, but I pretend they don’t. “No one here has anything I need,” I tell her. “I don’t need the King’s favor. I don’t need this harem. I don’t need anything or anyone. I just want to be left on my own.”

Gwen’s smirk stretches higher. “You don’t even need your precious Samuel?”

No. She wouldn’t. Leah wouldn’t tell Gwen about Samuel and me. She has to be embarrassed, ashamed. She wouldn’t just tell people… unless that person promised to use the knowledge against me.

“Hit a nerve, didn’t I?” Gwen says. “You had it all, Harlot. Now you’ve lost it all. If you think Samuel is going to choose you over his mate, you are delusional.”

I can’t wait to hear more. Instead, I turn right around and head back to the dining room where I know the wives are convening to eat.

Fortunately, I don’t have to storm inside to confront Leah. She’s outside the dining room, leaning against the wall of the hallway like she’s waiting for someone. When she sees me rushing toward her, she seems equal parts alarmed and amused.

“What the hell do you want?” she asks.

“How could you tell Gwen about Samuel?” I hiss, careful of my volume, not wanting the other wives to hear as well. Gwen and the harem knowing is bad enough. If the entire kingdom knew, I don’t think I could stand it.

Not that there’s anything I could do about it.

Leah rolls her eyes. “Why? Are you embarrassed that the boy you adored actually loves me?”

“He doesn’t love you,” I snap, hurt coiling around my heart. It does bother me that Samuel chose her in the end, yes. His feelings for me are still there, as evidenced by the necklace, so why couldn’t he have followed his heart?

Even logically, while I knew he did what he thought was best for the pack, and likely followed the advice of the elders and other leaders, it still cut deeply that he seemed to have no consideration for me.

He didn’t have to marry her so quickly. He could have spoken to me first.

Leah narrows her eyes. “You’ve lost, Harper. You couldn’t hold onto Samuel, and while you might have your hooks in the King at the moment, it’s only a matter of time before you lose him too.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You are a member of his harem, not his mate. Not his wife. Not his Luna, or his Queen. You are a plaything. You might have his attention at the moment, but soon enough he will tire of you. Men are like that you know, and he’ll be off to the next young pretty thing.”

“I don’t care when that happens,” I tell her. “I’ll be glad when it does.” It feels like a lie, deep in my chest. But it shouldn’t. If the King were to finally leave me in peace, I would be glad.

At least, I should be glad.

“Someday he’ll replace the entire harem,” Leah says. “When he finally takes on a mate and has an official union.” She taps her chin as if thinking. “What will happen to the lot of you when the harem is disbanded, I wonder? Will he send you to the coliseum, to have a final use for you? Or will he just kill you outright?”

She seems to be enjoying the potential possibilities.

“I suppose, in the end, he will probably leave the question up to his Queen,” she says, drilling in the final nail of my coffin.

Nothing she said should affect me.

But it does. It all does.

I don’t understand why, and I’m not willing to give it too much consideration. But her words stick into my chest like a thousand tiny needles. It hurts so much that I press my hand over my heart just to make sure it’s all in one piece.

“When that day comes, it won’t matter,” I say, refusing to let her have the last word, even if my retort is lame. “I won’t care in the slightest.”

It’s a lie and we both know it. To save myself further humiliation, I back away then and scurry down the hallway.

Fortunately, by the time I reach my door again, Gwen and her crew have vanished. I sneak into my room, put my back against the closed door, and try to breathe.

That night, I’m called to Caleb’s chamber. I suspect he has another headache, after all of the stress of the day. The Alphas were a

handful, constantly arguing and bickering, and no one was able to admit when they were wrong. Caleb had to posture several times to assert his dominance over the group.

For him, a headache is to be expected.

When I enter his chambers, I find him standing beside the full-length mirror outside his bathroom. He’s not wearing a shirt, just his dark pajama pants hung low on his hips.

He doesn’t turn to me as I approach, but our eyes meet in the mirror.

“Tristan told me you attempted to speak with Samuel today,” Caleb

Ah, so it’s not a message he wants, but an interrogation.

“Samuel wanted to speak to me,” I clarify.

“There is hardly a difference. If Tristan hadn’t intervened, you would have accepted him and engaged in the conversation.”

That feels true so I can’t argue it.

“If I detect you are plotting against me, I will have him killed,” Caleb says as simply as if he’s remarking on the day’s weather. It sends a chill to my bones.

Caleb is a ruthless, heartless man who I should hate with a passion. In a way, I do hate him. For keeping me here. For not believing me when I tell him there is no child. For not always listening when I tell him no.

In a different way, I don’t hate him at all. And that half of me is shaken by Leah’s words, as well as this growing distance between him and me.

The last time we had sex, we didn’t even say a word. He walked out without even helping to clean up.

I hate this coldness.

I hate him, but I also want him.

Scenting the air, Caleb slowly turns to face me. Heat sparks in his gaze, it’s a mirror of my own.

I take a few steps forward closing the distance between us. Caleb watches me silently but doesn’t say a word. Pressing myself up on my toes, I press a soft kiss to his lips. It doesn’t linger as I drop back down to see his reaction.

“About fucking time,” he growls and kisses me in return.

Chapter 77

Caleb’s arms greedily wrap around me, dragging me closer to him, right up, hard to his chest.

I grab at his shoulders at first, trying to regain some balance. Holding me as he is, though, I have little need for it. So I give up and bury my fingers into his hair instead, urging him on as he licks past the seam of my lips and into my mouth.

Caleb’s hands move down to my ass where he grabs and squeezes. Lifting me up, he hauls me off to the bed, where he throws me down.

Maybe he expects this to go like every time before, where I passively accept his passions and the pleasures he bestows onto my body. Maybe, like usual, he even expects some resistance, feigned or otherwise.

Leah’s words – her threats of what the future might bring – ignited something within me. There’s a fire burning within me now, and I’m not ready to let it smother.

Maybe, just this once, I can fan the flames and let them burn.

He starts to lean forward, but I move quicker, pushing myself up to my knees. He lifts a brow as I crawl on my hands and knees toward him. Then, holding his gaze, I grab the waistband of his pants and slowly push them down.

His hard dick springs free. Looking at it, I lick my lips.

Before I can change my mind, I step off the bed, drop to my knees, and take him into my mouth.

I’m new at this, so my technique likely leads a lot to be desired. It’s sloppy too, there’s spit falling down my chin. I’ve never even thought about doing something like this before. My jaw is already uncomfortable. It takes great strain to hold back my teeth.

I almost want to give up, pretty close to the start… until I glance up and catch the look on Caleb’s face. His eyes are closed, and his mouth slips with pleasure. One of his hands rests on the top of my head, but he’s not forcing me. The other hand has formed a grip on my hair.

His dick bounces in my mouth when I gently lick the underside. He seems to like that, so I do it again and again. Then, emboldened by his heavy breaths, I close my lips more firmly around his dick and suck.

“Fuck,” he curses, deep and sexy. Seeing his pleasure, knowing that I am the one giving it to him… It’s addicting.

Here is the most powerful man in the kingdom, maybe the entire world. And I’m the one making him squeeze his eyes shut.

Lifting a hand, I gently cup his balls. That’s as far as I get before he physically pulls me off of him and throws me down onto the mattress.

He crawls over me, tearing away my clothes as he goes. When I’m naked, he stretches my legs apart and plunges inside of me.

I’m already so wet. Giving him pleasure did the same for me.

“Fuck. Fuck,” he growls.

He’s really ramped up tonight, maybe more than I’ve ever seen him. He plows into me with reckless abandon, thrusts already erratic. He holds on though, pushing into me again and again.

His mouth falls over mine. His hands go to my breasts, his thumbs flicking desperately over my nipples.

It’s so much sensation at once. There’s no way I’m going to last, even as hard as I try to hold on..

“Fuck!” he says louder, bucking into me. “Harper. Harper, fuck!”

The way he says my name sends me over the edge. I claw at his back as I throw my head against the pillow and scream, “Caleb!”

He thrusts a few times, even as my pussy clenches against him.

Two, three more times and that’s it. He comes inside of me.

Breathing heavily, he looks deep into my eyes and I into his.

I wanted it to be good for him. With the distant look in his eyes, I feel proud, like I did a good job.

Also, he came inside of me… He’s never done that before. Well, except for perhaps that first night, but I don’t remember much from that night.

As the bliss slowly clears, he glances down at where he’s still buried inside of me. Confusion crosses his face.

When he looks back up at me, there’s fury in his eyes. “This was your plan.”

“What?” I’m still riding my own high. I can sense I’m in danger, but it feels belated and distant. I don’t understand what his problem is.

In his sleep, he seems almost… peaceful.

I don’t understand how he could have turned so quickly to rage. Didn’t he enjoy what we’d done? I was sure that he had.

What changed?

Whatever it was, I’m not waiting around here to find out.

Caleb destroyed all of my clothing, so I peeked my head out into the hallway first, mostly hiding behind the door. Fortunately, the hallway is empty, so I’m able to duck out and then quickly sneak into my room.

Bethany’s there. When she sees me naked, she balks for a moment before rushing into the closet and returning with a robe. I hurry into it, tying it at the front. Then and only then can I dare a deep, calming breath.

“You look frightened,” she says. “What happened?”

I pass over the more specific details. “We had sex,” I say. “Then, out of nowhere, he became enraged. I thought he might kill me. He didn’t even seem to care.”

Bethany frowns. “Did he say anything?”

“He was accusing me of something…” I’d been so scared at the moment, it is hard to remember. “I don’t understand. We’ve had sex before.”

“Was something different this time?” Bethany asks.

I blush as I reply. “I might have been more… enthusiastic… than before.”

“He wouldn’t have lost his mind over that.”

“Well… there was something else…” I’m unsure if I should mention this. It feels private, but if this is why he’s angry, then Bethany would have a better understanding of why.

“What?” she asks.

I glance behind me, just to make sure no one is looking.

Then, I say, “He came inside of me.”

Bethany’s eyes go so wide even I’m startled. Her face also pales. “Holy shit.”

“What? What’s wrong?” I ask, fear building inside of me.

“He’s going to kill you, Harper.”

Chapter 78

It makes no sense to me. Why would Caleb kill me for this?

“You still don’t get it,” Bethany says.

I shake my head, hopelessly lost.

“King Caleb does not have children, nor does he want them with anyone other than his mate,” Bethany explains. “He uses his harem for sexual gratification but he has no intention of impregnating any of them. He’s meticulous and careful. For him to have slipped…”

My confusion is not clear. If he’s waiting to have children with his mate, then how could he possibly think that I am hiding his secret baby? Unless he slipped up that first night too and came inside of me. I don’t totally remember that night, but the morning I do remember.

Yes, that could have been the case.

Is that why he thinks I was pregnant? He does understand that it doesn’t always work. My body might not have been in a fertile state at that particular moment.

But what about tonight?

Could I be pregnant right now?

What would he do if I was? Would he kill me now, or would he wait until the baby was born?

“Has this ever happened before?” I ask Bethany.

Yet here I am. It’s happened to me twice now. If the bastard would just use a condom.

“Usually he uses condoms,” Bethany says, and my thoughts go skidding to a stop.

I try to remember a time when he used a condom with me… I’m not having much luck.

Come to think of it, maybe I should have been concerned with STDs and pregnancy from the start.

“Have any of the girls ever gotten sick?” I ask.

“No,” Bethany says. “Most were virgins before they came here. But even then, the King, and you too, Harper, are regularly checked.”

Ah, so that’s what the occasional blood test is for.

Well, at least there are no fears of STDs, then. That doesn’t make me feel better about a possible pregnancy though.

Pressing my hands over my lower waist, I think about what it might be. feel like to have life growing inside of me. On one hand, I’m terribly excited at the prospect. I don’t know that I’m ready to be a mom, but how great it would be to bring life into the world.

On the other hand, knowing the father would be the King, and the child would be illegitimate fills me with worry and fear. Would the child be an outcast in their own home? Would the King ignore or mistreat them? Would the King simply kill us both since we’d be unwanted?

No… I believe the King would spare the child, even if death was my own punishment. With how desperately he’s trying to track down the non-existent child he believes we made together before, he would likely fiercely protect any child of his own blood.

I have no illusions about my own fate, though. I’m certain I would be killed, especially after what Bethany said.

Caleb is waiting for his mate. That’s definitely not me.

“You should try to get some sleep,” Britney suggests, and while that sounds nice, I know I would not fall asleep if I laid down. I’m unlikely to find any sleep tonight at all.

“I’m going to shower first,” I tell her. “And try to relax. You should head back to your room though, and get some sleep.”

Bethany gives me an uncertain look. “Are you sure? I can stay if you need me.”

I would love to have a friend near me right now, but no, that would be far too selfish. Bethany works hard and needs a full night’s sleep. Also, I don’t really want her to witness Caleb’s rage if he wakes up in a rage and decides to kill me before the sun even comes up.

He could strangle me…

I shudder as a touch of fear runs down my spine. My throat still hurts.

“I’ll be fine,” I tell Bethany, pulling on a strong face. “I will see you in the morning.” Definite positives, I hope, will help us both. I will see you, not I might see you.

“Okay,” Bethany says, though she still hesitates on her way to the door. She turns back twice, and then a third time at the door before finally slipping outside.

I watch the door for a time, half-expecting Bethany to come back or for Caleb to come finish the job. When, after a few minutes, when neither of them appears, I turn to the bathroom to take my shower.

Later, resting in bed, I found no sleep that night.

It’s almost a relief when the sun rises and I don’t have to pretend anymore.

Midmorning, a knock sounds on my door. Bethany and I both freeze, thinking it might be King Caleb wanting to kill me.

But Caleb wouldn’t knock. And anyone he sends to kill me in his place wouldn’t knock either.

This has to be someone else.

“Come in,” I call.

The door opens and a doctor and two nurses enter. I recognize them from the hospital ward.

“Harper,” the doctor says. He’s carrying a doctor’s bag. The nurses wheel equipment in on carts. “We need to examine you.”

None of us have any choice in the matter, as all of us will likely be punished if I refuse. This doctor and these nurses helped save my life in the hospital ward. I’m not about to turn around and betray them in turn.

“Very well,” I say, complying.

Over the next hour, I am poked and prodded, inspected all over, from my head to my toes, though especially between my thighs. They take my blood and check my vitals.

As it all is happening, the doctor asks me questions about my menstrual cycle.

After it all, he sits me down at the table while he continues to stand. Behind him, the nurses work to clean up, gather, and sanitize their things.

“Given what you’ve told me about your cycle,” the doctor says, “it seems unlikely that you are pregnant. However, we will not know for sure until you start your period.”

I nod. That assuages some of my fears. Not all of them though.

“King Caleb has instructed me to return here every morning until we are certain one way or the other. Our future visits will not regularly be this invasive, however.”

That, at least, is a relief. “Thank you, Doctor.” I consider things for a moment. “I don’t suppose… when this all reveals that I’m not pregnant, of course. If it would be possible to receive some birth control.”

The doctor’s face shows no hints of judgment. He shows no opinions at all, either for or against. “I will see what we are allowed to do for you.”

That means I need the King’s permission to start birth control.

Great. Well, if he would use condoms like he does with all the other girls then I wouldn’t need to do this at all. Yet here we are.

Not that I’ll say that to the King. I like having my head attached to the rest of my body.

His behavior last night still leaves me shaky and nervous. I can usually stand up for myself, but he was so ruthless, so bloodthirsty, it was almost as if he was another person. Someone well beyond reason.

I can stand my ground with the man Caleb usually is. But this was a monster.

Which Caleb is the real one? The man or the monster?

As the doctor and nurses leave, I wrap my arms around myself, wondering if today is the day I’ll find out.

Chapter 79

I wait all day, but Caleb does not send for me at all. Without being summoned, I have no reason to leave my room, so I stay inside all day. It feels a lot like I’m hiding. Maybe I am.

I’m no coward, but I suspect walking into Caleb right now might lead to my untimely death. I’d rather stay alive, so I give him a wide berth by staying right here in my room.

Nearly every time I close my eyes, I think of the wild, murderous red look in Caleb’s eyes and feel the tightening of his hands around my throat.

Maybe he’ll kill me this time, maybe he won’t. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that he will either have me killed or kill me himself at some point.

I thought we’d been growing into some kind of misunderstanding recently. But now I see, I’ve been fooling myself. He has never cared for me, not beyond some sex doll who he thinks has information he wants. Eventually, he’ll learn the truth that we have no child together, and he’ll have no more reason to keep me alive.

The only thing I can truly do to protect myself is to get as far away from me as possible before that day comes. Even if it means living on the run, never feeling safe. It’s the only hope I have to actually survive.

Once, in my attic room, before I was delivered to the King, Samuel had asked me to run away with him. He’d vowed to keep me safe.

I’d been such a fool then, to turn him down. I’d wanted to protect him, and I don’t regret that entirely. But on the run, we could have worked to keep each other safe.

That moment feels like a lifetime ago. Since then, Samuel hasn’t always been the kindest to me. It’s hard to know what is real and what is an act for my sister’s sake.

Yet he gave me that necklace. That has to mean something.

That has to mean he’s still willing to save me.

“Bethany,” I say, pulling her away from her cleaning duties.

“Yes, Harper?”

She’s not going to like this, so I avoid her eyes as I ask, “If I were to give you a note, could you find some way to have it secretly delivered to Samuel?”

“That’s not a good idea,” Bethany says.

I’m glad we’ve reached a point where she feels comfortable being so honest with me. But clearly, she doesn’t realize how desperate I am. I’m not going to sit back and wait for my death to come to me. If it wants me, it’s going to have to chase me.

“Please, Bethany. He’s the only one who might help to save me from this,” I say. I glance up at her now, wanting her to see the sincerity in my eyes, even as I see the disapproval in hers. “I can’t stay here. You said yourself the King wants to kill me.”

Bethany seems deeply unhappy with the idea, her mouth curling down at the sides, a line forming between her brows. But I can also see how conflicted she is when she rubs her hands together or looks away from me.

As my friend, she wants to give me good advice. She doesn’t like Samuel, I can tell, but I imagine she also doesn’t want me to die.

Just as I think about what to say, believing she needs more convincing, she opens her mouth and replies, “Fine. Write your letter.”

“Thank you!” I tell her excitedly, feeling joy and hope for the first time since everything went down last night. Standing, I rush to find a sheet of paper and a pen. Yet, before I can sit down at the table to write it, the door to the room bursts open.

Tristan steps inside with his usual confident steps. His face conveys his overall boredom. I hope that means he’s not here to murder me. The last time he had to send me to my supposed death, he at least seemed somewhat conflicted about it.

“Harper,” he says as he walks to the center of the room. I don’t know if it’s a greeting or if he’s simply addressing me.

“Hello, Tristan,” I say, assuming the former.

He continues, “I am to inform you of the upcoming Grand Ball happening tomorrow night. All of the Alphas and their mates, as well as members of the advisors and the royal court, will be there. King Caleb insists that you be in attendance and that you look stunning. A tailor will be assigned -“

“That won’t be necessary,” I say, cutting him off. The tailor they assigned last time had been a huge disappointment. He’d actively worked against me. It was only thanks to Bethany and her skills that I hadn’t been a laughingstock at the event.

Why bother with the middleman?

“Bethany has been designing some stunning clothes,” I say. “She’s the only tailor I need.”

Tristan gives first me, then Bethany, a flat look. When he turns it back to me, he says, “It must be a beautiful gown or you risk embarrassing your King.”

“It will be,” I insist. I look to Bethany, ready to have her support, but she looks pale and shocked. Didn’t she want an opportunity like this? Gods, I should have talked to her first.

Too late now.

“Very well.” Tristan doesn’t wait around for a reply. He simply turns on his heel and walks out of the room.

When the door closes, I look at Bethany. She still seems nervous, but she’s recovered from her shock.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I just really believe in your designs. And this is really your chance to show everyone how talented you are. They’ll all be asking who made that gown. Maybe they’ll even -“

“You don’t understand what’s happening here, do you?” Bethany asks.

I stop myself midsentence. “I’ve been to galas before…”

“This isn’t the same, Harper. The King wasn’t out for your blood before.”

I could argue that. Caleb has put me in many precarious positions since the moment I walked in here. Though… I suppose… even in the worst moments, he didn’t want me dead.

Maybe those moments where he’s held himself back have given me false confidence.

“I’ve seen this happen before,” Bethany says. “Never for this exact reason exactly, but… He’s going to publicly shame you and punish you in front of the entire room.”

“Then why would I need to be stunning?” I ask, but a shiver prickles my skin. I have a feeling that she’s right.

“So that you don’t embarrass him,” Bethany says. “He’ll want you to look like the woman of the hour before he tears you down to nothing.”

I swallow thickly. Yeah, that does seem like something he would do.

“I’ll make you a dress,” Bethany says, “And you will look wonderful. I’m not afraid of that. I’m scared for you, for what comes after.”

I nod, understanding now. “All the more reason for me to hurry with this message,” I say, and, sitting down at the table, I lift the pen.

“No,” Bethany says firmly.

Pausing, I look at her.

“You are in enough trouble as it is,” Bethany says. “I’m not going to make it worse by helping you go behind the King’s back.”

“But Bethany -“

“I don’t care what you say, Harper. I’m not taking any message to Samuel.”

Chapter 80

For the rest of the day, Bethany measures me and works on a dress. Aside from showing me her designs and asking for my input, she does not speak to me.

But then, I don’t speak to her either. She’s my friend more than my servant, and I don’t understand why as either of those things, she would refuse to help me contact Samuel. He would help me escape from this nightmare, I’m sure of it.

Doesn’t Bethany want to save my life?

She has her reasons, but it’s hard not to feel betrayed.

By evening the tension must be unbearable for both of us, because Bethany gathers her supplies and says, “I can do the rest from my room.”

“Yes, that might be best,” I agree.

Her hands are full so I hold the door open for her. Then, with regret, I watch her walk down the hallway until she’s out of sight into the stairwell.

She’s my best friend in this place. I hate fighting with her.

But I truly believe I’m in the right this time. A message to Samuel could save my life, and Bethany just won’t do that. She won’t save my life.

As I start to close the door, I pause, hearing footsteps approach. I glance at the approaching figure and lock eyes with Caleb.

My breath catches. Has he finally come to kill me? For one long moment, my entire body tense up, preparing for the worst.

But then Caleb looks away from me. He keeps walking, disappearing down the hallway and around the corner, going further into the harem wing.

Why would he do that? Is something wrong?

No. If something was wrong, he’d have guards with him. Wherever he’s going, he’s going alone, which means…

Why does a King visit his harem?

To have sex.

My stomach flips so severely and so suddenly that I feel like I might be sick.

I slam closed the door.

Caleb is glad that Harper saw him heading into the harem wing to fuck someone else. It could have been her, if she hadn’t fucked everything up so disastrously. Yes, he was the one who came inside of her, but she had seduced him and driven him to madness.

Her arms and legs had been wrapped around him so tightly. She’d egged him on with her moans and the trembling of her body. Even her pussy seemed to clench around him more than usual as if she had been as desperate as he was to keep him inside of her.

His mind had been the worst of it. Whatever trick she cast on him made him temporarily want to fill her with his seed, to hope it might take root. For one, bliss-induced moment of insanity, he’d wanted to fuck her again and again until he could be certain she’d be pregnant with his pups.

Then he snapped back to reality so quickly that he’d been dizzy from it and enraged.

Only his mate should have his pups. Harper had already seduced one child out of him that she was still hiding away from him. And here he was, listening to his dick not his sense, and trying to get her pregnant again. She’d only hide that pup from him too.

He needs to reclaim his sense. He’s been hindering himself by not fucking the other girls in his harem. That stops now.

If he fucks other girls, he’d surely think less about Harper.

He lets those thoughts lead his feet until he finds himself in front of a door. He picked at random. He doesn’t even really remember who is inside. A blonde? He thinks?

It doesn’t matter. Any wet hole will do.

He opens the door without knocking. Standing near the bed, the woman startles, but then smiles, when she sees who it is.

“King Caleb…” She lets the sleeve of her robe roll down one shoulder. She does not appear to be wearing anything underneath. Good. That will speed up the process.

Caleb crosses the room to her. Before she can turn toward him, he grabs her by the back of the robe and pulls her back to his front. The robe falls open, revealing weighty breasts and a slim waist. While the breasts are nice and full, her hips leave much to be desired. Her ass might as well be a flat board.

He grabs her best assets, massaging her tits while he pinches her nipples. Her head falls back against him. Some of her long blonde hair gets in his mouth, taking him out of the moment to spit it out.

“I exist for your pleasure, my King. I’ve dreamed of being filled by you again…”

If only Harper would be this eager… He’d love to hear her beg for it with her voice, just as her body always does. But Caleb also enjoys the fight in her. She never seems to want to give herself over to him, in spite of her body’s desires. It’s so much fun finally winning her over, body and mind.

The way she screams his name…

His dick starts to harden, and he’s immediately annoyed with himself. Thoughts of Harper should not be what arouses him here. Not when he’s holding a pair of grade-A tits like these.

Maybe he just needs to see them.

Ripping off the consort’s robe, he spins her around to face him. Her face is fine, her features adequate but not particularly memorable.

The only thing he remembered before this moment was her blonde hair and big tits.

Those breasts are delectable. But… now that he’s looking at them, something seems off.

He never once in his life thought he’d ever feel this way but… Are these tits just a bit too big?

Harper has perfect breasts. They are sizeable without being too large, with perfect perky little nipples that always bud under his gaze.

Caleb closes his eyes, again scolding himself for thinking of Harper.

Opening his eyes, he still feels disappointed.

“Perhaps my King would prefer me to please him,” the consort says, dropping to her knees. She reaches for his pants. He allows her to pull his dick free. Vaguely, he remembers that she’s skilled with her tongue. Yet, as she tastes him, he wishes he had Harper’s inexperienced but enthusiastic mouth on him instead.

It still feels fucking fantastic. This woman is very talented with her craft.

But it’s just not right.

It’s not what he wants. At all.

“Stop,” Caleb says, and it comes out a growl that seems to surprise them both. The consort pops off his dick and immediately stands.

“My King, I’m sorry if -“

“Get on the bed. Spread those legs for me.”

The consort, eager and nervous now, does as he commands. Her pussy looks wet and inviting. He imagines himself plunging inside of her, chasing his release.

“Caleb…” Harper moans in his mind, as the phantom feel of her fingernails scratch down his back. “Caleb!”

“My King?” the consort says. She’s touching herself, watching him with hooded eyes.

He’s fucked her before and it was fine.

Why this time does he feel himself bottled up? His dick is hard, but it’s not because of this consort. It’s because of his memories with Harper.

Shit. Double shit.

Triple shit!

Growling, Caleb turns around and storms out of the room.

Harper has to answer for this.

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