AYLA
The Lycan King’s lips were surprisingly softer than I had imagined. Although I was shocked and my mind felt utterly disgusted, my body thought otherwise. It wanted him—his touch, his breath blowing against my face, making my pussy contract in a way it wasn’t supposed to.
Alpha Ezra suddenly pulled away, wrapping his arm around me possessively and drawing me closer to his side. "My Luna Queen is tired, Mother. If you don’t mind."
"Oh." The Queen Mother waved her hand mindlessly, her lips curling into a smile as a knowing look clouded her features. "I perfectly understand. Enjoy the rest of your night, son. I assume this is a declaration that you won’t be returning to the ball. I will see to it that everything ends smoothly."
Queen Helen said as she grabbed Calista’s hand and dragged her out of the room with her. "Let’s give them some privacy. They need it," I heard her say before they disappeared behind the walls.
Did she think Alpha Ezra and I were horny mongers who couldn’t wait another second to devour each other? Did she think we were going to have sex? The thought alone made my cheeks redden with heat.
I slapped myself to get that thought out of my head.
I turned to look at Ezra, who was already unbuttoning his white shirt. The visible part of his chest was so toned and sexy. I heard myself gulp down a huge chunk of saliva, and I cringed almost immediately.
"We have to go back to the party," I blurted out as I flicked my gaze away from him to avoid being entangled in the web of temptation called the Lycan King Ezra.
Damn, the way the lines of his abs screamed for me to trace every single one of them with my fingers while I watched him stare at me with lust in his eyes, and possibly bend me over and fuck me from behind.
I shook my head when I found myself having such sinful thoughts about someone I disliked. Someone who chose to believe Calista over me.
"No," he growled darkly, but somehow, my brain chose to interpret that darkness as sexy and inviting.
Taking a deep breath, I mustered the courage to look at him, and I realized he was completely shirtless now. The wetness between my legs increased.
I gulped again. "Please," I said desperately. The Werecat King was at that party, and I needed to communicate with him about my aunt Dahlia.
"Party time is over. That was the only way I could get my mother to stop forcing you to show your back."
"How do we intend to keep deceiving her into believing I am Calista?" I questioned genuinely.
"She’ll be around for the next couple of days, and we have to act like we’re in love to avoid suspicion. I hate having to protect you, but I need to use you as a vessel to birth my child. The Queen Mother is unforgiving. Should she find out about your real identity, she’ll convince me to murder you instantly or carry it out herself. Which is why you’ll remain in my room for the duration of her stay here. She must not know that you’re being punished because there would be no reason for me to punish the Gemini wolf. If she found out you were being punished, she would dig until she discovered the root cause of the matter."
He stalked towards me, wrapped his large palm around my neck, and pushed me painfully against the wall—his favorite thing to do. And dare I say I loved the way he stared at me with equal amounts of venom and lust burning in his eyes?
While I was still trying to process everything he had just told me, my desire took over every ounce of reasoning I had left, and I pushed my body against his. The feral look in his eyes would have intimidated me on a normal day, but right now, it only drew me closer to him.
He let out a low, guttural groan as he stared into the depths of my eyes. My chest heaved up and down as I waited for those soft lips of his to meet mine again.
And they did.
He leaned in and roughly claimed my lips, kissing me with a hunger that stole my breath while his large palm remained pressed against my neck.
My arms subconsciously wrapped around his mighty Lycan frame as we snuffed the air out of each other. His hand moved to my crotch, rubbing me through my dress, and a wave of pleasure rippled through me. My legs weakened as I felt my pussy pulse fervently.
A knock suddenly sounded on the door, and he pulled away, breathing heavily. The look in his eyes was still lustful and venomous.
"Your Majesty," Beta Sam’s voice sounded from the other side of the door.
Alpha Ezra stared at me for a second, maybe more, before turning around and marching towards the door, his footsteps heavy against the floor.
Throughout that night, I waited for him to return, but he never did. My body stayed awake, anticipating him even long after he had left. It was clear that the mate bond was fueling these feelings. As much as I hated it, I desperately wanted it.
I fell asleep waiting for him, and when I woke up the following morning, I realized my makeup had smeared all over the pillowcase.
Oh, shit. I didn’t even get to take it off before falling asleep.
While I was still trying to figure out how to clean it, the door opened, and the maid whom I had asked to lend me her phone but who had refused walked in, pushing a trolley filled with food. The delicious smell wafted through the room, filling my poor lungs with its mouthwatering aroma.
The trolley was laden with fluffy pancakes drizzled with honey, golden-brown sausages, crispy strips of bacon, scrambled eggs, buttered toast, roasted potatoes, and a bowl of freshly sliced strawberries, grapes, and melon. Beside them sat a small pot of steaming tea, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, and tiny dishes of butter and fruit preserves.
I was starting to get excited about eating the platter of food when reality slammed into me.
That couldn’t be for me.
The only thing I had eaten since I got here was dry bread and water. On some days, if I got lucky, I would have it with butter. King Ezra hadn’t been bluffing when he said he meant to make me suffer.
"Good morning, Queen," the maid said as she pushed the trolley closer to the bed, right beside me.
My throat went dry, and I swallowed hard. "So, this is the Lycan King’s food, right? Is this the type of feast he has every morning while I get fed dry bread? Mora!"
"Actually," the maid muttered, her big, beautiful brown eyes darting between me and the trolley, "it’s for you. The Lycan King asked me to bring it in so you could eat. Afterwards, I’m instructed to take you to the ranch so he can teach you horse riding. He’ll be waiting there," she told me.
I blinked repeatedly, wondering if I had heard her correctly.
Did the Lycan King undergo a lobotomy?