EZRA
I had fought and killed tens of rogues who dared to attack me, and my beast remained buried deep within me. None of it triggered him at all. But the moment I spotted Silas dragging Ayla through the woods, he pushed to the surface immediately, storming forward to destroy Silas.
Silas managed to escape. However, what baffled me was how unhurt Ayla remained even after encountering my beast. The only thing that affected her was the shock that came from seeing him.
My beast was feral and unforgiving. No one had ever survived encountering him in that form. But Ayla did.
And not only did she survive, but he had willingly given control back to me so I could take her to safety. That had never happened before.
The beast that lived within me was a thousand years old. He had possessed me from birth and cursed me to an eternal life of suffering.
I couldn’t have a child because of him. I couldn’t even dare to fall in love. If any she-wolf eventually conceived from my seed, she was bound to die the moment she gave birth.
I thought I would live this life utterly alone, without leaving any footprints behind, until the priestess found a solution to my undying problem.
The Gemini Wolf. She was the only one who could successfully conceive and deliver a child that would break my curse.
"She’s been awake for three days now. Won’t you go and see her?" my beta, Sam, muttered, pulling me out of my thoughts.
He was seated opposite me in the visitor’s chair while I sat behind the desk in my office.
"I am not ready for that. Every moment I see her, the urge to kill her consumes me. She took away the only hope I had of breaking this curse," I groaned, rage rumbling through my chest. She might have offered herself to become my breeder, but she was weak. She didn’t even have a wolf, so the chances of her carrying the pregnancy to term were slim.
But I’d still try my narrow luck. She had dug the grave herself, so she might as well face the consequences.
"She looks innocent, though. It’s still surprising that she could pull off something like that. And your beast didn’t kill her. That could mean something."
"Snap out of it." I ran my tongue across my teeth. "He’s only glad she destroyed the means of sending him into complete banishment."
A knock sounded on the door, followed by a frantic maid’s voice. "Alpha. The Luna Queen, she’s hysterical. She’s throwing things around and demanding to see you."
I looked at Sam. "Go and settle that."
He gave me a little nod before rising and walking out of the office, following the maid.
Anger began to simmer, but I took a deep breath, controlling it. That little wolf had been such an attention seeker since she woke up three days ago. She’d break things, scream around the house, and she even tried to jump through the window yesterday.
I had to have the windows barricaded to prevent another suicide attempt. She had been trying to commit suicide since the day I met her. And she didn’t have the right to die until she had paid for what she did.
I grabbed the bottle of whiskey on the table and took a long swig from it.
Thoughts and imaginings of what could have been if I had brought my original bride back home with me filled my mind, leaving a wide void in my chest. In a few months, I could’ve been a free man, but fate had a twisted way of dealing with me, making sure I never won.
What was supposed to be just one bottle turned into two, and I didn’t stop drinking until I had completely emptied both bottles. By that time, I was already drunk as hell.
That automatically meant no more work for today. I shot up and staggered out of the office, finding my way toward my bedroom when I suddenly heard her screams coming from the room next to mine.
"Let me go. Please!" she continued screaming loudly. "Lycan King! I need to see you."
I paused.
She needed to see me. Her words settled into my hazy mind. Since she was so eager to lose her life, I’d help her do it. That was why she had attempted to murder her own sister. That was why she was here in the first place. And the stupid mate bond between us had been nagging me to go to her and fuck her since she woke up, but I had controlled that urge.
I was sure that was the reason she had been hammering on about seeing me. Her body must have been on fire from the lack of sealing.
It was high time she began her breeder duties anyway. I didn’t even think twice before unbuckling my pants and pushing the door open.
"Strip and get on all fours!" my voice rumbled.