RUNE
Lanira’s words kept swirling in my head hours after she’d left my study. We’d discussed the recent attacks, the territories my army had taken over without King Zyran’s knowledge. This was important. In fact, this was the reason to celebrate, and yet, I wasn’t in the mood to enjoy our success. Not when all my thoughts kept drifting to my Little Mouse.
Throughout the years, I had learned to trust my instincts and follow the paths my wolf had suggested. Even if my rational mind questioned the not–so–obvious choices I’d made, they’d quickly proven to be the right ones. That was how I’d known I had to keep Orelia Solamen by my side, and when I’d seen her power, I’d understood why. She could fix the broken part of me. She could turn the deadly curse into an unstoppable power. So why would Lanira tell me to stay away from her?
Lanira had come from the Dark Fire Pack’s long line of Betas. Her father had served my father, and she and her brother had grown up knowing that one of them would one day serve the Alpha of our pack. The war had changed everything. Lanira’s father and brother had died in the battle while she and her mother had been forced to live without them, trapped in the city they couldn’t have left… until I’d passed the wards and brought the City of Flames back to life.
Back then, I had found Lanira’s gift extraordinary. She had always known when someone lied or tried to hide something. One glance at the newly met person had often been enough to know whether their intentions were pure. She had even had brief premonitions, or rather, warning signs, informing her of the incoming danger. I had learned to rely on her gifts and never doubted them… until now. This was the first time I wasn’t going to listen. According to my Beta. I would risk a lot–risk my life–but my wolf seemed to have a different opinion on that matter….
Yet, my Little Mouse’s gift was not the only thing that sparked my interest; it was her, everything about her. Surely, she was a stunning creature, and a lot of men would have gladly claimed her as their own. I, on the other hand, had never felt a need to claim a woman. I had given up on finding my mate years ago. Mates were only a burden in times of war. Doubtless, I loved sex, but I’d never sought anything that went beyond physical pleasure. Then again, the fact that merely looking at my Little Mouse made me want to carve my name on her very soul was fucking disturbing.
Exhaling slowly, I sat by the long table with two sets prepared. The footsteps sounded through the hallway. I drew a deep breath through my nose, and the delicious smell of wild flowers teased my senses. A moment later, the door opened, and my Little Mouse entered the dining room.
“You wanted to see me?” she muttered, nervously glancing at the empty side of the table opposite mine. Then her
eyes traveled to my side. Only then did she realize where I wanted her to sit on my right. Had she not squeezed her lips so tightly, I could bet a curse would have slipped through her pink lips.
“Come here, Little Mouse.” I gestured at the empty chair next to mine.
She worked her jaw, her annoyance rising. “I have a name, Alpha,” she strained through her teeth. “And it’s not Little Mouse.”
A wide grin spread across my lips. “Oh, I am aware.”
Her brows inched up. “Is it so hard to call me Orelia? Others do…”
Chapter 23
I wasn’t sure why, but that last piece of information enraged me. I could bet that she had rarely been called by her name. Others must have addressed her as either Miss or My Lady. Yet now, she just casually granted others this degree of familiarity?
My jaw clenched, and it had taken several deep breaths to silence my inner storm. “So… how many people call you by your name?” I all but hissed.
She finally walked to her seat, a wry smile forming. “A few…” She carefully sat down, her back straight. “Most of those who work and live here don’t even look my way. Others hate me too much to bother memorizing my name, so that group is currently limited to my roommate, Silas, and Marcus.”
“Marcus?” I gritted out, already debating reassigning him elsewhere.
She nodded. “He’s not that talkative, but I think I’m starting to like him.”
I leaned toward her. “Are you trying to make me jealous, Little Mouse?”
A soft gasp slipped free, a faint blush forming. “That’s not…” Her hands fisted. “Seriously? We merely exchanged a few sentences. Besides, I thought we agreed that I’m… no longer your slave.” Caution and restlessness rang in her tone.
I leaned back in my seat. “We agreed that you get a bit of freedom. But that doesn’t mean you can flirt with every man you desire.”
Her eyes blazed with irritation, and I couldn’t help but savor it. “I wasn’t flirting with him,” she hissed. “And I’m not your possession! You can’t just—”
“Actually, I can,” I purred. “You are my pack member. I am your Alpha.”
I watched the heat creep up to her cheeks, her jaw working. I knew I was an asshole for teasing her this way, but I enjoyed her flusteredness. Finally, she leaned back in her seat and drew a deep breath. “So… Alpha. Why did you want me to come here?”
I shrugged while mind–linking the servants. “To eat, of course.”
A heartbeat passed, and the servants brought our dishes. My Little Mouse smiled at them and nodded slightly as they placed the plates in front of her. She looked down at her soup, and a smile that curled up her lips widened.
“Go ahead,” I murmured, pointing at the bowl and the spoon.
She began to eat, and a soft moan escaped her, the sound somehow heading straight to my cock. Her eyes closed for a moment, and her tongue darted out to lick the seam of her lips. Well. Fuck. Me…
I swallowed hard, inwardly cursing myself for not making her eat in my chamber. I had to rise an inch in my seat to reorganize the growing bulge in my pants. I had never imagined that this dinner might be painful, but for some reason, it had become… challenging, to say the least.
“Enjoying the food?” I finally managed.
A bright smile stretched across her face. “I do,” she said more confidently than anything she’d said to me
8:04
Chapter 23
today.
Thank fuck she must have been too focused on eating to acknowledge my arousal. I inhaled slowly and covered my slipping control behind a smug smile. “Eat. You need to regain your strength,” I said, shifting my attention to my own plate.
“Silas told me,” she muttered, putting down her spoon next to her empty bowl.
My brows rose. “Told you what?”
“That we’ll be going to the training camp tomorrow.” I could sense wariness in her tone.
I’d heard she’d been attacked by one of the women before, and I was also aware that my men, those who knew who she was, despised her. That certainly wouldn’t make her life here any easier…
“No one will harm you,” I reminded her. “My men won’t disobey me.”
She locked her eyes on mine. “Silas told me that much, and yet… Tariq wanted to harm me. He threatened me several times, and when he locked me in your chamber…” She trailed off, releasing a shaky breath.
My blood heated. “Tariq threatened you before he locked
you in
my
room?”
She nodded, a dry smile forming. “He made it clear that he’d kill me should I give him the slightest reason…”
“Son of a…” My jaw clenched hard enough to make my teeth crack.
Little Mouse studied me. “So… what will happen to him now?”
I drew a deep breath. “He will receive a proper punishment,” I told her.
“I see…” Her voice dropped to a whisper. I could bet she imagined all the most cruel forms of torture. Truthfully, I debated a few painful ones, but I refused to become a monster to my people. It was enough that the rest of Lumeria thought of me this way.
“I will not kill him,” I said, as if feeling she should know. “But he’ll be stripped of his position and locked up for a long time.”
Relief relaxed her features. “That’s… good.”
My eyes narrowed. “Are you truly that naively good? This man wanted you dead, and I saw the rage burning in your eyes when he entered the room in the morning, hoping to see your bloodied corpse.”
She rolled back her shoulders, bracing herself before looking into my eyes. “Was I furious? Of course I was. 1 wanted him to bleed. I wanted to break a few of his bones, and I would enjoy watching him wince in pain.”
Damn. Her fierce tone made my cock strain again. Fighting back my smile, I questioned, “And yet, you don’t
want him to die?”
She shook her head. “Tariq’s hatred for me was stupid. He deserves to suffer, not die.”
My brows inched up. “And is there someone who, in your opinion, deserves death?”
Her eyes blazed, the golden ring swallowing the gorgeous blue. “My uncle and everyone else involved in my father’s assassination.”
A wicked smile curved my lips. “You mean the current Alpha of the Silver River Pack?” When she nodded, my smile widened. “Then, Little Mouse… I will gladly help you get your revenge.”
