Your Majesty…”
A sweet, velvety voice drifted through the chamber just as the king stepped inside.
He paused.
“Aurora,” the king called, his sharp gaze landing on the figure lounging comfortably within his private quarters, a place no one entered uninvited.
One corner of his lips curled into a faint, dangerous smile.
“What a pleasant surprise.
Last I remember, I did not summon you.”
“I’m sorry, my king,” Aurora replied, her voice dripping with honeyed seduction.
“Since you always send for me whenever you return from your journeys, I assumed you would soon call for me.
So I thought… why not surprise you by waiting here myself?”
She tilted her head, a finger slipping teasingly between her lips as her eyes locked onto him.
The king’s expression did not soften.
“Really?” he said coolly.
“I never knew surprises could outshine obedience.”
Aurora’s smile faltered for the briefest second before she recovered, stepping forward slowly.
“My king… don’t you miss me?”
With deliberate grace, she let her cloak fall to the floor, revealing her bare body.
A thin gartha rested loosely around her hips, doing little to conceal her.
Her boobs bouncing as she walked toward him, each step meant to entice and to provoke him into taking her
“Do not come any closer.”
His voice cut through the air like a blade.
Aurora froze.
“I would prefer a show tonight,” the king continued, his tone calm but absolute.
“As always.
We both know you have never been able to handle me… and I would rather not have you die on me and risk your father’s wrath.”
His gaze raked over her, not with desire, but with detached amusement.
“Why not touch yourself while I watch?
Yes… I do miss how you entertain me.”
Aurora nearly choked on her own breath.
The memory alone was enough to make her body tremble, the night he had taken her during his rut.
She had nearly died.
No, she had almost died.
Since then, he had never touched her again.
Never.
Instead, he reduced her to this, a spectacle and a performer.
Someone to amuse him from a distance.
And she hated it.
How was she supposed to bear his heir if he would not even lay a hand on her?
She had tried everything.
Seduction.
Perfumes.
Submission.
Even defiance.
Yet the king remained unmoved,unreachable.
Not just her.
All the other breeders were the same.
None of them had been summoned in a long time.
And yet, she alone bore the illusion of favor.
She boasted of his attention.
Of his preference.
Only she knew the truth.
The king did not desire them.
When his rut came, he used slaves, disposable, replaceable.
If they died, no one questioned him.
Aurora clenched her fists.
“My king… I thought we would do something else tonight.”
“Oh?” he asked, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face.
“You thought we would fuck?”
Her breath hitched.
She nodded.
The king let out a low, humorless chuckle.
“I thought we made a deal,” he said, his voice dropping.
“You get a slave to warm your bed at night… and in return, you touch yourself for me and please me when I call.”
His eyes darkened.
“If that is not why you are here… then I suggest you leave.”
He took a step closer, not with desire, but with authority.
“Because as I told you before, I will not bed you again.
We tried, didn’t we?
And it did not work.”
His tone hardened.
“The only reason I am not punishing you for entering my chambers unannounced… is because of our fragile history.”
He paused.
“So either please my eyes… or get out.”
Silence filled the room.
Aurora bent down slowly, picking up her cloak.
Shame burned beneath her skin as she covered herself.
The king had already turned away,
completely dismissing her existence as he began removing his outer garments, preparing for rest.
He hadn’t slept properly in weeks.
He has to be Court in the morning.
Aurora’s teeth clenched so hard her jaw ached.
Rage simmered beneath her calm exterior.
She had applied every rare ointment, every alluring scent, carefully chosen just to entice him
and he hadn’t even reacted.
But that wasn’t entirely true.
The king had noticed.
Only… it was not the scent his lycan craved.
In fact, his lycan found her scent repulsive.
Even her presence irritated the beast within him.
Aurora’s fingers curled into her palms as she turned and walked out, each step heavier than the last.
She had planned this.
Waited for his return.
Prepared herself perfectly.
And yet… nothing.
Her lips trembled as she bit down on her finger, her thoughts racing.
Her father would soon arrive at court.
And if he found out she had failed again…
Her chest tightened.
“Was it because of the new breeder?” she whispered under her breath.
Of course.
Everyone had heard.
The king had chosen someone.
Not forced by the council
Not arranged.
Chosen.
Aurora’s eyes darkened.
She made her way back to her chambers, unaware, or perhaps uncaring, that some palace maids had seen her leaving the king’s quarters disheveled and scantily dressed
By morning, the entire castle buzzed with the news.
Arabella stirred at the sound of a knock.
Before she could respond, the door creaked open and a young girl stepped inside.
Arabella blinked, her vision still hazy with sleep as she stared at the unfamiliar figure.
“My lady,” the girl said with a respectful bow, “my name is Lily.
I am your personal maid, assigned by the head maid.”
That was enough to fully wake her.
Memories rushed back all at once.
The palace.
The king.
Lycoria City.
Everything.
“Yes… the king did mention that,” Arabella murmured to herself.
“My lady, we must prepare you for court,” Lily continued.
“The king will be announcing you today.
We have to start early.”
Arabella sat upright.
“What?
Why does he have to announce me in court?” she asked, her voice laced with unease.
“It is customary,” Lily replied gently.
“You see… apart from you, the king has never chosen any breeder in hundreds of years.”
Arabella frowned.
“How old is the king?”
Lily smiled faintly.
“I cannot say for certain, my lady.
But he is over nine hundred years old.”
Arabella’s eyes widened.
“What?!
That old?!”
“My lady, please stand,” Lily said quickly.
“We must prepare you.”
Soon, other maids entered, carrying basins of waters .
“Get the lady’s dress from the head maid,” Lily instructed, and one of them hurried out.
Within moments, Arabella was guided into a bath.
Lily carefully washed her, her touch gentle but efficient.
“Will there be a problem… since I was the first breeder the king chose?” Arabella asked suddenly.
Lily hesitated.
“I don’t know,” she admitted after a pause.
“The court stands in a delicate balance.
With no heir in sight and every noble houses wanting a piece of the throne”
She continued, her tone quieter now.
“Unlike you, the other breeders come from noble families.”
Arabella stilled.
“The king has gone years without a mate,” Lily explained.
“And no woman has ever survived his… knot.
Still, every family wants their daughter to become Luna.”
Arabella’s lips parted in shock.
“It became a problem,” Lily went on.
“So many women were sent to seduce him over time and it did not sit well with the king.”
“The council eventually proposed a solution, the king needed an heir.
And since he may never find his true mate… they decided he must take women from willing families.”
Arabella’s chest tightened.
“At first, he refused,” Lily said.
“But eventually, he agreed.”
Her hands slowed as she spoke.
“Those women became breeders.
There were many in the beginning… but most did not survive the first night.
The King’s rut is always intense”
A chill ran down Arabella’s spine.
Am I going to die too…?
The question lingered, heavy and suffocating.
“Currently, only four breeders remain,” Lily added.
“Lady Aurora being his favorite.”
Arabella blinked, surprised, but said nothing.
“So you see,” Lily continued softly, “many will view you as a threat.
This is the first time the king has chosen someone on his own of course the court would need to be alerted.”
Arabella’s thoughts spiraled.
Lily helped her out of the bath and dried her off before dressing her.
The gown was elegant, and refined..
The corset was pulled tight, shaping her figure into a perfect hourglass.
Her hair was styled into an intricate updo, with soft strands framing her face.
“My lady, we must leave,” Lily said.
“We are already running late.”
Arabella nodded.
As they stepped into the corridor, maids whispers of happenings of the previous night as they carry out their duties oblivious of arabella’s presence
“Oh my, I heard Lady Aurora was summoned to the king’s chambers last night…”
“Of course, the king cannot do without her.”
“They say she left disheveled… no need to guess what happened.”
“Perhaps we will finally have a Luna after all these years…”
Lily leaned closer.
“Do not listen to them.”
But the whispers didn’t stop.
“Of course she will be our Luna.”
“Everyone knows lycans are insatiable.
Bringing in a new breeder and not bedding her immediately?
The king must find her repulsive.”
Arabella’s steps faltered.
A cold chill spread through her body.
So it’s true…
He finds me repulsive.
Her chest tightened painfully.
No wonder he said those things…
Her thoughts became chaotic, each whisper cutting deeper than the last.
Everywhere she turned, it was the same.
Judgment.
Mockery.
Assumptions.
Her vision blurred as tears threatened to spill.
The voices of Mira and the other maids echoed in her mind:
“You are just a stinky rogue… unworthy of the king’s presence.”
Arabella clenched her hands tightly.
And for the first time since arriving at the palace…
She truly felt alone.