AYLA
My eyes darted between his extended hand and his face in absolute shock. I never knew the Lycan King had a brother, but the man standing before me looked slightly older. Was he his cousin? I wondered. Because if he was his real brother, then he would’ve been the Lycan King and not Ezra.
And... he had addressed me as Calista. Not Ayla. Did that mean the Lycan King hadn’t told his brother what had transpired at the Blood Moon Pack?
"I’m afraid my hand will dry up and snap in two from extreme dehydration if you keep me hanging for much longer," the mysterious Lycan King lookalike said, making me jolt back to the present.
"I’m sorry," I whispered, reluctantly taking his hand.
His palm felt surprisingly soft and soothing, completely different from the hard look on his face.
I froze when he leaned in and placed a kiss on the back of my hand. I stared at him wide-eyed like a deer caught in headlights.
"What is happening?!" Alpha Ezra’s voice suddenly boomed from behind me, and I jerked away instantly.
Rough hands grabbed my arm, pulling me closer to him possessively.
"What are you doing with what is mine?!" he growled, the air around us tightening with his rage. What tightened even harder was my abdomen at his sudden claim over me. Just yesterday, he had locked me up in the dungeon until I fainted. The next time I woke up, I was in his room, and he had immediately chased me out to attend to another woman.
A sense of dread washed over me. Hate was a really strong word I always avoided, but I hated this man for treating me like trash.
And he had no right to claim me, even though my betraying body craved a piece of him right now. The feel of his hand on my skin was setting my entire body on fire.
The Lycan King’s lookalike curled his lips into a smirk. "I was just passing by."
Alpha Ezra glared at him with something that resembled pure hatred in his eyes, while his lookalike maintained an unreadable expression. The tension around us thickened so much that I could practically feel it crawling over my skin.
It took no rocket science to know that these two hated each other to the core.
Mr. Lookalike shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away. Ezra’s eyes and mine trailed him until he disappeared around the corner.
And when he was finally out of sight, Alpha Ezra jerked me closer, his eyes darkening with a dangerous warning. "Never let me see you with him again."
"I didn’t..." I began to explain that I had merely bumped into him when...
He pushed me against the wall, slamming one hand against it above my head. His dark eyes bore dangerously into mine as he growled, making me tremble involuntarily beneath his terrifying gaze.
The guards immediately turned their backs, looking away.
"You..." His chest rumbled with the force of his growl. He placed two fingers beneath my chin, lifting my face to meet his chilling gaze. I could swear I saw lust swirling within the darkness of his eyes.
I gasped when he suddenly lowered his lips to my neck, pressing a warm kiss against it.
My heart pounded dangerously against my chest, and my mind screamed at me to push him away, that this wasn’t what I wanted. But my body betrayed me, wanting more of him against my own will.
Before I could stop myself, I wrapped my arms around his neck. His warm, wet tongue rubbed against the mark he had put on my neck, and I couldn’t get enough of him.
My pussy throbbed violently, calling for him to complete the mate bond.
"Oh, shit!" someone suddenly groaned, cutting through the electrifying pull between us.
Ezra pulled away, breathing heavily. The look in his eyes went from lust back to disdain, as though he had just been possessed by something that made him crave me and had finally come back to his senses.
His gaze snapped to the man standing ten feet away from us.
Tall, with an erect posture, brown eyes, and brown hair. His Beta. During the three days I was locked in the room and the Lycan King had refused to see me, the Beta had come by, and I’d learned that his name was Sam. He seemed warmer than Alpha Ezra.
"I’m sorry. I’ll just come back later," Beta Sam said as he turned around and started to leave.
But the Lycan King growled coldly, "Stay. There’s nothing to interrupt. I was only reminding this fraud of her sole purpose here."
That was it. The pull wasn’t reciprocal. He just wanted to have his way with me and subject me to an eternal life of pain should I conceive for him, which would eventually lead to the end of my life.
"My office. Now," he rumbled, wiping his lips as he turned around and stormed away without bothering to even glance at me.
I remained there for a good minute, shame and regret slamming into me for indulging someone who clearly hated me.
The guards grabbed my arm and pushed me back into the room where I had been imprisoned for three days. At least there was a soft bed here. It was better than that dungeon.
For the next few days inside the large room, with no means of escape, I didn’t see Alpha Ezra again. I kept demanding that the guards inform him that I needed to see him, but they never yielded to my request. Heartless bastards.
I was going crazy from being alone and in heat for most of every day. I desperately needed to complete the mate bond with him. My mind wouldn’t stop running wild, wondering what my life would have been like if Rowan and the entire pack hadn’t betrayed me.
I was born with a golden spoon, yet I had never seen gold in my life. Such wicked irony. Life chose who it wanted to favour, and I had been cursed to suffer.
On the seventh day, a timid maid with a small frame brought my food into the room. The same dry bread and water. The moment she placed it on the nightstand, she turned around to leave, scurrying towards the door.
"Wait!" I blurted.
She halted, hesitating before turning around. And when she did, her gaze remained rooted to the floor.
"What’s your name?" I asked her.
Silence.
"Hello?" I pushed myself off the bed, waving my hand in front of her face to get her attention.
She looked up nervously before quickly averting her gaze again. Her voice came out in a low whisper. "I’m sorry, but we aren’t allowed to speak with you."
I figured. But I desperately needed to use her phone. If I could contact my mother’s sister, perhaps I could finally find a way out of this place.
A few years ago, I had found my mother’s journal, and in it, she had mentioned having a sister named Dahlia who left the pack after being mated to the Werecat King. Her number had been written there too.
For years, I had contemplated contacting her, but the fear of becoming a burden to someone who didn’t even know me always held me back.
Now, it didn’t seem like I had much of a choice.
Dahlia wasn’t just my aunt. She was a queen. If there was anyone powerful enough to help me escape the Lycan King’s territory, perhaps it was her.
"I just need to use your phone, please," I told the girl.
"I’m sorry," she breathed before turning around and scurrying away.
"Fuck you, Ezra. Fuck you!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, raking my fingers through my hair as frustration fizzled through my blood.
Tears stung my eyes, and I tried so hard not to let them fall because I had promised myself I was done crying. But I had little control over my emotions, and they came pouring down in heavy waves.
The door opened again, and I whipped my head up, hoping to see Ezra.
But instead, what I saw was a group of women holding a dress, pushing a trolley, and carrying several other accessories as they trooped into the room.
"Undress and wash her," the older woman, who seemed to be the leader, instructed the others.
"What is happening?" My eyes widened with confusion as I began to recoil. There was no way I was allowing them to see me naked, let alone bathe me.
"The Sovereign Ball is in a few hours, and the King needs his Luna by his side to fulfil your duty," she said in a stern voice.
A small smile touched my lips.
The Sovereign Ball was an annual gathering hosted by the Lycan King, bringing together the most powerful Alphas, Lunas, high-ranking Lycans, elders, and representatives from allied packs.
This might just be the best news ever. With that many people gathered in one place, there would be enough chaos for me to finally put my escape plan into motion.