"What is going on?" Sophie asked as she moved around my room, her curious eyes taking in every detail before she finally settled on the bed like she owned it.
I watched her quietly for a mont before letting out a soft sigh and joining her. My body felt heavier than usual, weighed down by everything I refused to say out loud. This was unfair to her... but I couldn’t bring myself to drag her into my ss.
"Don’t worry about . How are you doing?" I asked, forcing a small smile.
Sophie raised a brow imdiately, clearly not buying it.
"Bella, you don’t have to change the topic. What is going on?" she pressed, her hands flying up in frustration.
I looked away briefly before turning back to her.
"Like I said, it is nothing I cannot handle. Tell how you are doing. How is being a maid treating you?" I asked again, trying to steer the conversation away.
She narrowed her eyes at , studying my face like she was trying to peel back every lie I was hiding.
"Promise , Bella," she said slowly, reaching for my hands. "Promise that you won’t handle everything on your own. If things aren’t going well, you will tell first."
Her grip tightened slightly, her eyes soft but firm.
I hesitated for a second... then nodded with a small smile. "I promise. I will tell you when things are not going well. Now," I added, lightly holding her face and giving her a pleading look, "can you answer what I asked you?"
She stared at for a while, clearly torn, before finally sighing in defeat.
"Fine," she muttered.
"Lord Lucien took to the maid quarters yesterday. He said it is my punishnt for assisting you to run away from the king the last ti," she said with a shrug, like it didn’t bother her.
My chest tightened at her words.
I didn’t like it. Not one bit.
Sophie... a maid?
But she didn’t seem upset. If anything, she looked... okay. Calm. Accepting.
I swallowed my protest and decided to let it go for now.
We ended up talking for a while after that, catching up on everything we had missed. The conversation drifted easily between us, from random topics to mories of our forr pack. For a mont, it almost felt like nothing had changed.
Almost.
"How did you know the king was coming?" I finally asked, voicing the question that had been bothering since we left the pack.
Sophie perked up slightly. "You rember Devi and Jas?"
I nodded. "The twins."
"They bribed the guards on duty and got permission to see . They were the ones who told ," she explained. "Surprisingly, it was Jas’ idea. He said if the king sleeps with you, he might help you."
She paused briefly before shaking her head.
"Never in a million years would we have thought the king would make you a breeder... and even free from jail."
Her words lingered in the air, heavy and complicated.
"In a way... we should thank Jas and Devi," I murmured softly. "I rember them coming to tell you said I should join the ladies being prepared for the king. I didn’t want to, but... I did it anyway because they convinced ."
I swallowed hard.
"Who knows what would have beco of us if the king never saved us?"
Sophie humd lightly. "No one knows. But one thing we do know is that Victor wasn’t happy losing us."
She suddenly leaned forward, her face lighting up with mischief.
"Did you see Victor’s face when we left with the king and his beta?" she asked, clearly amused.
I smiled faintly, but the mont she said his na, everything he had done ca crashing back into my mind like a storm I couldn’t escape.
"If I say I want revenge on Victor... would that make a bad person?" I asked quietly.
Sophie didn’t hesitate.
She moved closer and wrapped her arms around .
"No. No, no, no," she said firmly. "You are not a bad person, and you will never be. In fact, you are one of the sweetest people I know."
She pulled back slightly, her eyes burning with anger.
"And if you want revenge on Victor, then I support you. That man is an asshole. Rejecting you on your wedding day and marking your sister instead? That is the height of betrayal."
Her voice hardened.
"And to think they let you plan the wedding... only to go ahead and get married themselves?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Your sister is a cunt, and I pray she gets what she deserves... if I don’t cross paths with her first."
Before I could respond, a knock interrupted us.
The door opened, and Lily walked in carrying a tray of food. The rich scent of freshly cooked steak filled the room instantly, making my stomach tighten with hunger.
I inhaled deeply even before she placed it on the table.
Sophie and I exchanged a quick look before standing up and moving to the table.
We began eating imdiately.
The mont I took a piece of steak into my mouth, I let out a soft moan. It was tender, juicy, and far better than anything I had eaten in a long ti.
I gestured for Lily to join us, but she shook her head politely.
"I already have my al, my lady. I will eat after you are done," she said.
Not wanting to push further, I nodded and continued eating with Sophie.
We talked as we ate, mostly about random things, old mories, silly monts, and everything in between.
"Do you think Victor was angry with the king for taking you away?" Sophie asked suddenly. "Did you see his face? He looked like soone had stolen his property."
"I don’t know," I said flatly. "And I don’t care what he thinks or how he feels."
She watched closely.
"But do you still love him?" she asked carefully.
I raised a brow at her.
"I know he rejected you and everything, but we are wolves," she continued. "Is there any chance... your wolf still wants him?"
The question hit deeper than I expected.
I froze.
"My wolf... is gone, Sophie," I said quietly, the words tasting bitter in my mouth as I dropped the food in my hand.
"What?" Sophie scread.
At the sa ti, the door opened.
Our heads snapped toward it.
The king stood there.
His eyes locked onto mine instantly, his face completely stoic, devoid of emotion.
My heart skipped.
Oh God.He was angry.
Maybe it was because of what I said to him at the training ground... or because I ran. I rembered clearly, he hated people who ran from him.
My heartbeat quickened, turning erratic.
What was he doing here?
How long had he been standing there?
How much did he hear?
My thoughts spiraled wildly, each one worse than the last.
I vaguely registered Sophie greeting him and curtsying, but everything felt distant, like I was underwater.
"Leave us," the king ordered.
Sophie glanced at with sympathy before quickly leaving the room. The door shut behind her with a soft click.
Silence followed.
Heavy. Suffocating.
The king began walking toward slowly, his steps quiet but deliberate.
"My king, I can explain," I blurted out imdiately. "I’m sorry about what I did this morning. I wasn’t running from you, I... I..."
My words broke apart, refusing to co out properly.
Panic clawed at my chest.
I stood up abruptly and instinctively tried to run as he got closer.
But he was faster.
Much faster.
He caught easily and pulled back against him.
Before I could react, he buried his face in my neck and inhaled deeply.
I froze in his arms, my body going rigid as shock flickered through .
"You sll so fucking good," he muttered against my skin.
My breath caught.
"Why do you sll this way?" he asked, inhaling again, deeper this ti.
His hand moved into my hair, gripping it tightly.
I flinched slightly at the sting, but he didn’t loosen his hold.
He tilted my head up, forcing to et his gaze.
Then suddenly...
His lips crashed against mine.
My eyes widened in shock.
The kiss was rough, hungry... almost desperate, like a starved beast finally finding food.
For a mont, I couldn’t even think.
Couldn’t move.
Couldn’t breathe.
He kissed like he wanted to consu whole, his grip firm, unyielding.
Ti blurred.
When he finally pulled away, his breath was warm against my skin as he inhaled my neck once more.
Then his eyes returned to my face, dark and intense.
"The more you run, little vixen..." he said softly, his fingers brushing lightly across my cheek, "...the more I want to ta you."
A shiver ran down my spine.
"And lest I forget, who is Alpha Victor to you?" he asked after a mont.
And just like that...
The air in the room changed again.
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