Chapter 19
Chapter 19
ORELIA
:
 (86
55 vouchers
I breathed in a spicy–sweet smell mixed with a touch of something I couldn’t quite describe. It was like the scent of an unknown flower surrounded by the air of an early thunderstorm. The more I inhaled this scent, the more I found it intoxicating. I licked my lips, shifting my body to where the smell seemed more intense. My hand moved on its own, fingers drifting through the firm rises, dips, and hollows-
A soft hum sounded, and the breathy laugh followed. My eyes flew open, and the pure terror washed over every fiber within me. My mouth opened to a silent scream, and I jerked my hand away.
“Done exploring my body already?” Alpha Rune purred, a wicked smile twisting his sinful lips.
I touched mine, finding them deliciously swollen. Then the images from last night hit me in one violent. surge. Heat crept up to my face. I had healed him… partially, at least, and then he’d kissed me. And I’d kissed
him back!
“I’m… sorry,” I mumbled, realizing I was lying in HIS bed, covered by HIS sheets, wrapped in HIS scent.
Alpha Rune rolled to the side, facing me. The morning light illuminated every inch of his perfectly carved body, covered merely from the waist down. My wolf whimpered at the sight of him, filling me with a nearly primal need. As if knowing exactly where my thoughts had gone, his smile widened. “And you’re apologizing… for what exactly?”
I bit my lip as my mind raced. Shit. I had fallen asleep while he’d been kissing me, right? “That was… an accident,” I blurted.
His brows rose. “You mean this thing just now? When you were touching my chest and stomach?”
I gasped. “Oh gods.”
4
“I didn’t mind really.” He breathed out a laugh. “Next time, however, do aim lower.”
“Oh gods…” I was certain that my face resembled a ripe tomato. “I didn’t mean to… touch you.”
“That’s a shame.” He dragged his teeth over his bottom lip. “I quite enjoyed your daring little fingers.”
My face was burning, and so was my neck. It should have been a small consolation that at least my tunic remained untouched, and I wasn’t beside him naked. Nonetheless, my mortification grew by the second, and I knew I had to lead this conversation elsewhere….
Summoning my confidence, I cleared my throat. “About the conversation we started yesterday…”
“What about it?” Amusement danced in his sapphire eyes.
“As you now know, I’m a healer. Not an average mender who knows how to make healing potions, but one with a gift,” I said, trying to keep my voice even and firm. “I proved that I can help you get rid of your… problem, and-”
“What makes you sure I want to get rid of this, as you called it, problem?” The whole amusement I’d seen
8:03 Mon, Sep 22
Chapter 19
before was now gone, replaced by something cold and predatory.
A shiver coursed through me. “I… I just thought that-”
86
55 vouchers
“You thought wrong.” He inched closer. “You may see it as madness, but the darkness you saw was pure power,
a tool for my vengeance, and perhaps the only way I can achieve what I want.”
I sucked in a shaky breath. “But… you cannot control it, can you?”
He didn’t answer. He held my stare for a few seconds as if analyzing everything my power meant, the possibilities. Then he nodded.
I knew I was stepping onto thin ice. One wrong move, one wrong word, and my situation could turn from bad to worse. We might temporarily share a bed, but I was still his slave, and he was still my master, the one deciding my fate.
“What if I helped you control this power?” I suggested.
He leaned closer. “How?”
Honestly, I had no idea, but I had to figure out something, find my leverage. “I would have to try different things, but those dark threads… I think they were afraid of my power. Perhaps I can somehow command it…”
He tilted his head, looking at me like a predator debating whether or not to rip his prey to shreds.
A hysterical laugh bubbled in my throat. “That’s… That’s just a thought, of course.”
He propped his head on his bent arm. “And what do you want in return for your… help?”
I bit my lip, processing his words. Then I drew a deep breath and said, “Freedom.”
“I won’t let you go.” A cold, firm statement.
“Why?” Perhaps I shouldn’t have asked, but the frustration within me was stronger than my ability to keep my mouth shut.
“Because you’re mine.” Another firm statement.
I shook my head, muttering, “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Before my words fully sounded, he moved, his hand traveling to the back of my neck. Suddenly, our lips were merely an inch apart. His eyes turned from blue to fiery red, a seductive smile forming. “If you want to leave me so badly, why does your body say otherwise?” he purred.
His fingers slid into my hair, moving in tender strokes. It was a struggle not to lean into his touch, not to close my eyes and savor every second of it. Why did my stupid body react to him? Why was my damn wolf so willing to submit?
Holding tightly to my reason, I locked my eyes on his. “If you want my help, I cannot be your slave.”
He slowly shook his head. “I can’t let you leave.”
8:03 Mon, Sep 22
Chapter 19
86
55 vouchers
“Then I’ll stay here,” I said, studying his reaction. “I will stay here. I will work in the kitchen or wherever. But I want at least a sliver of freedom.”
A sly smirk curved his lips. “Have you ever worked in the kitchen?”
“No,” I muttered truthfully. “But I can learn, and-”
“Have you ever done any chores? Do you know how to clean or wash clothes?”
My frustration rose. “I can learn.”
“You can stay here.” He pointed at the bed. “And your only obligation is to be mine, or you have to find a way to earn your keep.”
I worked my jaw. “I can help Silas. I’m sure he’s got tons of work. I can help him prepare healing potions and treat deep wounds.”
He held my stare. “What else can you do?”
I sucked in a shaky breath. “I can fight.”
His brows rose, then he burst into laughter.
My irritation flared. “I CAN fight,” I repeated, straining through my teeth.
He stopped laughing, but kept a wide grin stretched across his face. “Oh, I don’t doubt you can, Little Mouse.” His hand moved from the back of my neck to my cheek in a gentle caress. “But I don’t think you realize what fighting here means, and WHO you would be fighting against.”
The realization hit me like a bucket of cold water. He was the leader of a freaking rebellion. Fighting for him meant fighting against King Zyran. Then again, I was no longer sure if remaining loyal to the King was the right thing to do. What if everything Uncle Cyril had told me was true? What if it truly was King Zyran who had ordered my father’s assassination?
“All right,” Alpha Rune finally said. “You’ll be assigned to help Silas, and you’ll dine with me every day. Then, occasionally, you’ll help me gain control over my power. You’ll be allowed to roam freely around the city, but you won’t be able to leave. How’s that?”
What could I say? At least now I knew he wouldn’t kill me or force me to sleep with him, not that my wolf would mind the latter. “I agree.” I nodded, my heart pounding with new hope.
Alpha Rune chuckled and slowly rose from the bed. I knew I shouldn’t have stared, but my stupid eyes followed him, noting every movement of his powerful back muscles. Shit. He wore nothing but a pair of loose shorts, falling low on his hips. I might have kept gaping at him as he reached for his shirt and pants had it not been for someone who knocked on the door.
Alpha Rune turned toward me, his eyes scanning me as if to make sure I was decently covered before he walked to the door to unlock it. The second he opened it, Tariq’s voice sounded from the corridor. “Alpha, I apologize. I should have made sure no one entered your chambers yesterday.”
“Come in,” Alpha Rune said coldly.
8:03 Mon, Sep 22
Chapter 19
4 a 85.
86
B55 vouchers
Lowering his head, he stepped inside. “I don’t know how she found your chambers. Should I send someone to clean her—” His words died as his eyes finally found me in Alpha’s bed.
“Clean her… what?” Alpha Rune turned to him, his eyes blazing with a promise of violence. “Just tell me, Tariq, what did you expect to find this morning in my chamber?”
