A bite from an Alpha King

Book 3 Chapter 6: Universe

-Isabella-

“You know my name, but I still don’t know yours,” I said, looking at the blond guy, who had been diffusing all the tense energy and making me feel safe and relaxed around them by talking about his earlier-in-then-night adventures.

While I didn’t hold cheaters in high regard, he managed to make the escape part of the story funny, and I found myself laughing. It felt strange since I hadn’t laughed in years, but despite his charming smile and good energy, he wasn’t that attractive to me. My attention was drawn to the man in the front seat—the next tallest one with very dark green eyes.

“I’m Chris,” the blond guy said, extending his hand, bringing my focus to him again.

I couldn’t help but laugh a little at the gesture. I took his hand and smiled at him as we shook.

“That’s Evan,” Chris said, pointing to the quiet, intimidating guy in the passenger seat.

I nodded, but Evan didn’t turn around or say anything. He just stared out the window in silence.

“And that’s Damian.”

Hold on! I thought. It couldn’t be… Damian? No, a lot of people had that name, right? This guy couldn’t be… I had never laid eyes on the man who killed my brother. I only knew his name and that he worked alongside the king, but the coincidence of meeting him tonight seemed too unreal.

It isn’t him, I concluded, just as an unbelievable castle came into view. It looked like something out of a fairytale, yet darker—like it didn’t house a princess, but the very scary king of werewolves.

Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t! It is him! He is Damian Black! I had searched for him since I was fifteen. For five years, the sweet thought of revenge had kept me going, and here he was—right in front of me. That must have been why I felt drawn to him. I hadn’t known, but somehow, I had sensed it.

For a moment, I considered jumping out of the car and running away, but this was the golden opportunity I had been waiting for. The man was even letting me into his home!

My mind suddenly flickered to the crazy lady who had approached me at the secret meeting. She couldn’t have been planning this, could she? How could she have known where Damian would be at this moment? No, it had to be a pure coincidence.

“Ready to go inside?” Chris inquired, already opening his door.

I hadn’t even noticed the car had parked in front of the castle, nor that Damian and Evan had exited and were waiting for us.

“I am,” I said, a silly smile spreading across my lips. But why wouldn’t I be happy?

Chris nodded before we both got out of the car. My eyes instantly locked on Damian, who was heading toward the grand staircase leading up to the castle, with Evan trailing behind him. I followed Chris as we walked toward the enormous structure.

I had never seen a place so large that was also a home. The king and his pack really had it good. No wonder, I mocked myself internally.

Chris held the door open for me as we stepped into the warm castle. It was mid-April, but the nights were still chilly, so stepping inside felt like heaven. Even better was the thought of having avoided sleeping on a cold, hard floor all night.

-Damian-

I might not have been keeping my eyes on her as we entered the castle, but I knew exactly where she was. She was like a f*cking lighthouse to my senses, always alerting me to her presence. I knew she was still by the door, with Chris right beside her.

Goddess, I want to strangle that male! I thought. But I shook my head, trying to regain control when I suddenly spotted something orange descending the stairs. The little cat had come to love this place, strutting around like she owned it. She seemed to have a particular fondness for everyone here, especially Evan.

It was strange, considering he wasn’t one to show affection, but the cat brushed by me, welcoming me back before leaping into Evan’s arms. He didn’t seem to mind, though. Not that he could do anything. The cat clung to him fiercely, and if he tried to let go, she would dig her claws in.

“You have a… cat?” I heard Isabella ask.

I turned to her. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. Little Diva purred loudly in Evan’s arms, but when her eyes settled on Isabella, they narrowed, and her purring stopped. Strange… I thought.

“Don’t worry. The little queen here is just very fond of males,” Chris teased, stroking the cat’s fur affectionately.

Isabella didn’t seem reassured. She regarded the animal oddly, as if she had never seen a cat before. It was almost sweet how she looked ready to defend herself against the little furball.

“I thought you guys wouldn’t be back before tomorrow.” We all turned toward the stairs. At the very top stood the king, dressed in relaxed clothes, looking down at us.

His strong yellow eyes scanned each of us before landing on Isabella. I instinctively stepped to the side to block some of her view. Sh*t, I was already getting too protective of her, but I didn’t like his gaze on her. No other male—mated or not—should enjoy the beautiful, sexy view but me.

“And who do we have here?” he said, his eyes shifting to me. “Damian?”

“She had nowhere else to go,” I explained, still positioning myself to shield her.

“My office,” he replied.

I nodded and turned to Chris. “Find a room for her,” I instructed, briefly glancing at the little female at his side. She looked scared, but who wouldn’t be after being confronted by the king?

“You got it,” he said, winking at Isabella before turning to lead her away.

I didn’t like leaving her in his hands, but I was the one who had to explain the situation to the king. Evan wasn’t the talkative type, and Chris… yeah, that wasn’t even an option. I took the stairs two at a time, walked down the hallway, ascended another staircase, then turned left toward the king’s office at the end.

Valerio was already seated inside, in a chair that resembled an old throne. I closed the door behind me, not planning to stay long. The thought of Isabella being with Chris made me restless.

“She is a half-blood,” Valerio said calmly.

I nodded. “She was being hunted through the city. After we saved her, we asked if there was a place she wanted to go, but it was clear she had nowhere.”

“Hunted, you say? Like a real half-blood hunt?”

I nodded again. “Yeah. They would have killed her. Their scents were strong and aggressive.”

The king sighed, folding his hands in front of him. “F*cking hell,” he groaned. “I had almost forgotten about the laws the old council put in place, allowing people to hunt the poor half-bloods freely.”

“They are rare.”

“They are.”

Silence settled between us for a moment, and I found myself shifting my weight back and forth. All I wanted was to leave and figure out which room Chris had put Isabella in so I could… what exactly? See her? Talk to her? F*ck her? Yeah, it was definitely the last part that felt most urgent. I needed to mark her. I needed her to be mine and only mine.

F*ck! I thought. I needed to push those thoughts away. I should be thinking about Amelia. Yes, I should fill my mind with thoughts of her.

“Damian?”

I shook my head, realizing only now that the king had been talking to me. “Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

I nodded. “Of course.”

“The female will stay here tonight. We’ll talk again tomorrow morning about what to do with her. Hopefully, we can relocate her to another pack so she can start a new life there.”

NO! She stays! She is ours! my wolf growled.

Amelia. Amelia. Amelia. Just keep repeating her name. Visualize her. Her blond hair. Her green-blue eyes. Her… small but curvy body… f*ck! That was not what I was supposed to be thinking about. I needed to end this meeting before the king found me suspicious.

“Okay. Tomorrow morning,” I said, giving the king a quick nod before practically sprinting out of the office as if there were a fire.

Isabella... my wolf panted.

No! Not Isabella, I told my wolf as I walked down the hallway, trying to focus on getting back to my own room for a cold shower.

Isabella!

I nearly covered my ears like a child as I rushed to my room, quickly locking the door behind me. I stripped off my clothes and headed to the bathroom, stepping into an ice-cold shower.