He grins. “For now.”
Even if he were without his powers, he’s still fearsome. His torturous and sadistic ways tow the fine line of a psychopath. Helovesa good weakness. More so than that, he will feed off the pain that comes from using it against me. She’s my mate so of course he’ll suspect interest, but I can’t let him think I care about her. Because it doesn’t. I remind myself that because of this, there’s nothing to worry about and talk myself through it.
Okay, stay calm. Show no reaction.
Beneath the surface, my wolf is freaking out. I refrain from begging but barely. “As a friend of the queen, I’m asking you not to.”
He raises an eyebrow, likely shocked by the audacity. “And as the man you tried to take the queen from, your request is denied,” the king counters, turning to leave.
How about the man who paused searching for their own mate to help you find yours?” I shout after him.
He stops in his tracks. His body straightens, and I don’t think I realized before that he fills a doorframe.
“The day my father was killed, was the same day I scented my mate. You wanna know how? Because she killed him.”
He turns around but remains silent, so I could continue.
“And for that, I can’t be with her. But I also can’t stand to be without her. At least for right now.”
“So what’s your plan?”
“I need to find a chosen mate. And then I’m going to kill her.”
“Your pack needs a strong leader. If you are to take over, you have a duty as their alpha to ensure they receive that.” By duty, I know he means that I should mate Jay.
“I plan to match with someone just as strong. One with powers,” I say.
“There is no stronger bond than one created by the Goddess herself, you know that. It doesn’t matter the powers one yields. Your power is invaluable but not one of strength. You will notreach your full potential without your fated mate. As future alpha of Bloodhound, that is your job. As your king, I need to ensure the packs and clans under my rule are as strong as possible. Now that you’ve found her... As your king, I can’t let you defy what is divinely meant to be.”
“You seem to forget you owe me a favor.”
I immediately regret my tone.
“Watch how you speak to your king,” he warns, “or did you forget what happened the last time you crossed me?”
How could I forget? He beat me to a pulp for trying to mate with his queen. Wolves have naturally quick healing abilities, but I still have scars he couldn’t heal. It’s quite literally beaten into my memory. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty.” I take a deep breath. “I’m ready to cash that in,” I say calmly and confidently.
“Are you, now? And what might the little mutt want, hm?” The king sneers, patronizing me like a pup.
“I don’t want anyone finding out. And I want to take a mate of my choosing,” I propose.
“I said I owed youone,” he reminds me.
But I need both, so I reason with him. “Come on, you know I can’t have one without the other. If anyone finds out I’ve found my fated, they’ll rise in uproar and demand I mate with her. If they find out who she is, they’ll turn against me. An alpha mated to a rogue? Think about it.”
The king contemplates it, bobbing his head back and forth. “You make a good point. There might be hope for you after all.Might.” He sighs. “Alright, mutt. You’ve got a deal. You can choose your mate.”
I’m speechless. Making a deal with the devil wasn’t on my list of things to do, and I have every reason to be skeptical. I don’t know what sparked him to be so... reasonable. “What’s your angle?”
He smirks and pats me hard on the back as he passes by me. “Are you surprised I’m so fair?” He laughs deeply.
The sound sends chills down my spine—the laugh of an evil genius.
He’s up to something, and I don’t know what yet. But for now, I won’t question a good thing. I’ll take any win I can get with him here.
“Where is she now?”
Chapter EIGHTEEN
