A bite from an Alpha King

Chapter 8: Stubbornness

-Octavia-

I was half-asleep when I heard footsteps, followed by a loud bang as the doors swung open. I immediately jumped to my feet, the chains clanking loudly as I moved. The king approached, and for a brief moment, he seemed surprised to see me, as if he had forgotten I was even here. But then a devilish smile spread across his face as he got closer.

I glanced around, confused. How long had I been asleep? The sun was just beginning to rise on the horizon. Had I slept through the night? I must have been more exhausted than I realized.

I looked away from the rising sun as I sensed the king’s presence right in front of me. My eyes widened as I realized how close he was. I could feel his warm breath on my skin, and his eyes glowed in the dim light.

Slowly, he raised his hand and touched the sore skin on my throat where the collar had been digging into my neck, a result of my inability to hold my head up.

“It will heal,” he whispered, though we both knew better. I hadn’t eaten in days, and my healing abilities were weakening.

The king moved further into the room, stopping at a large golden door. He entered a huge walk-in closet, scanning the shelves for clothes. From where I stood, I could see his every move reflected in the mirror.

His eyes settled on a tight black t-shirt, which he pulled down and placed on a small chair behind him. Then, he began unbuttoning his shirt, slowly revealing more of his firm, golden skin. I quickly looked away, despite the satisfied whistling echoing in my head. My wolf seemed to have no problem admiring our mate as he undressed, but I certainly did.

A soft whistle drew my attention back to the door of the walk-in closet. The king had just closed it behind him, now dressed in the tight t-shirt that showed off his muscular upper body, though he wore loose-fitting pants.

His casual appearance surprised me. I was used to seeing him in either fancy clothing or lots of leather. His devilish smile was still plastered on his face as he leisurely strolled towards me.

“Comfortable?” he inquired, gripping my chin and forcing me to meet his yellow eyes.

I growled low, then snapped my teeth at his hand. The loud clack of my teeth echoed in the room, and I felt the temperature drop. I glanced back at the king, who was staring at his hand for a moment, checking if everything was intact.

When his gaze returned to me, the light had left his eyes, replaced by something much darker. The room felt even colder, and I sensed my wolf whimper inside, whispering, This is all your fault.

In a swift motion, he grabbed me by the neck, yanking me close. His breath was hot on my ear, and his lips hovered just above it.

“You’re gonna pay for that,” he whispered, sending a shiver of fear through me.

He shoved me against the wall and let go. Pain shot through my back as I collided with the hard surface, but I quickly regained my composure.

“Do your worst! It’ll never be as bad as when you took my father from me,” I spat, the familiar sting of loss tightening in my chest. Even after six years, the pain of losing my father felt raw.

“He wasn’t your father!” he roared, stepping closer again. “When are you going to realize he used you because he knew you were powerful?”

I shook my head, refusing to accept his words.

“Yes, he used you!” the king shouted, his voice rising. “If you want, I’ll read you another page from his journals—where he admits he only needed you because he was sure someone was coming for him! Just say the word!”

I tried so hard to shut out his words, but it was impossible to ignore what he had read to me in the cell, or the things my brother had said. If I wasn’t truly my father’s daughter, then who was I?

“He loved me,” I said softly, my voice almost a whisper.

“Maybe a part of him did,” the king replied, “but it was overshadowed by his paranoia. He took you in and trained you, hoping that one day, if someone came for him, you would make sure he had the last laugh.”

His piercing gaze locked onto mine, and I could see the truth in his eyes, but I couldn’t bear to accept it. I couldn’t believe it.

“No!” I shouted, watching as the king closed his eyes, clearly tired of trying to convince me. “You just want to break me so I’ll bow to you!”

“Yes! I want you to submit, but you see, Octavia,” he leaned in close, his face inches from mine, “you will submit to me. I don’t even have to stand here and convince you, because deep down, you already know I’m telling the truth. You’ve seen your father’s paranoia, and you know it led to his downfall.”

“He was an alpha and the rightful king!”

“No!” the king’s voice boomed, louder than I had ever heard him before. “He was born an alpha, but he took the throne. The crown was never his—” His breath was hot on my skin, but somehow it felt cold as his dark eyes bore into mine.

“It was mine!” he sneered. “It was always mine!”

The king stepped back and began pacing in front of me, running a hand through his hair, making it even messier. After pacing for a while, he turned back to me, his expression growing darker with anger.

“He was part of the council that killed my family—the rightful heirs to the throne. They placed Xavier on the throne because of his distant connection to my family. They thought he was the best choice. Yes, he was more powerful than most, but that power drove him mad. Now he’s dead, along with the rest of the council,” the king said, his voice rising with each word as he clearly relived the memories.

“My father had a claim to that throne!” I yelled.

“Only because he took it from my father!” the king shouted back, his voice shaking the walls.

“He would never do that! He would never be part of murdering his own relatives!”

“Why not?” he asked, his tone sharp. “His own uncle betrayed him and exiled him. When your father was finally strong enough, he went back and killed him.”

For a moment, I felt my heart stop. This couldn’t be true. How could he even know about this? Then it hit me—the journals. Could it really be true?

“Murdering relatives is in his blood.”

I shook my head.

“You can deny it all you want, but the truth is right in front of you, Octavia. Pretending otherwise will only drive you insane,” the king said in a low, almost sympathetic voice. His words made me tremble, and my heart twisted with pain. My mind was in overdrive, scrambling to reject everything he said.

“H-He was a good man, despite his paranoia,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes.

I didn’t want to cry, but my world felt like it was crumbling beneath me, and I was just one step away from falling into complete darkness.

“I admire your undying loyalty,” the king said, stepping closer to me. I turned my head away, refusing to meet his eyes. But the king placed his hand on my neck, and when I still refused to look at him, he tugged my hair, forcing my head up. I hissed in pain as my eyes locked with his glowing yellow ones.

“But your loyalty is placed in the wrong person.” He truly believed that I was devoted to the wrong man. But what did I believe?

He is our mate. We can trust him.

I closed my eyes, feeling a tear slip down my cheek. My wolf was ready—more than ready—to submit and pledge our loyalty to him, but I wasn’t. When I opened my eyes, the king was watching me, scanning my face.

“If I gave up my undying loyalty to my father, it wouldn’t be undying, would it?” I whispered in a low, threatening voice.

The king sighed wearily and released his grip on me, taking a single step back.

“I’d be no better than my brother,” I continued with a bitter laugh. “And I doubt you actually like my brother for what he did—betraying his own flesh and blood. You said it yourself: my father has murder in his blood, and so does my brother. You must hate keeping him so close. Sure, he’s loyal today, but what about tomorrow? Or the day after that? Doesn’t it worry you? After all, it was his father who murdered yours, and you murdered his.”

I felt a small smile creep onto my face as I saw the king shake his head, looking more fatigued. But my satisfaction was short-lived when he started to laugh.

“You’re quite smart,” he chuckled, looking at me with amusement. I stared at him, feeling confused. I had tried to manipulate him, to turn him against my brother. Had he seen through it?

“Your brother is a weasel, no doubt,” the king continued. “But he has...” He paused, choosing his next words carefully, “...qualities I can use. You know the old saying—keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Having your brother at my side is exactly where I want him.”

His confident smile made my stomach churn. He had seen right through me.

“So, what now?” I inquired.

“Now,” he replied, “I’m going to sleep for a few hours. I’ll see you when I wake up.”

He walked over to the bed, pulled the blanket back, and settled under it, making himself comfortable against the pillows. He smiled at me, clearly aware that I could do nothing but stand there, chained to the wall, helpless as he drifted off to sleep. He turned to his side, eyes closing with that smug smile still on his face.

-Valerio-

I had barely closed my eyes before the annoying sound of chains rattling woke me up. The noise came in a steady rhythm—clang, bang against the wall, then a pause, followed by the same sequence again.

She was doing it on purpose, and to her advantage, it worked. The constant sound dragged me from sleep and put me in a foul mood. I groaned, irritated, as I sat up against the pillows and looked over at her. She wore a smug smile, clearly pleased to see me awake and annoyed.

Propping my left leg up, I rested my arm on it and rubbed my thumb and index finger together, watching her in silence. She stopped pulling on the chains for a moment, observing me with that same smug expression.

I gave her a what-now look, but instead of backing down, she smiled even wider and tugged the chains again, daring me to react. Frustration flared inside me, and I couldn’t stand her smugness any longer. I leaped out of bed and stormed over to her.

“I’m warning you,” I said, pointing a finger at her. But she just kept smiling and pulled on the chains again.

“Are you sure you want to test me, Octavia? Because I have no problem ripping your clothes off right now and letting you stand there naked all night. In fact,” I added, licking my lower lip as I pictured it, “I think I’d enjoy waking up to that sight.”

Her face paled at my words. She hadn’t expected that.

“Are you going to be quiet now?” I sneered.

She turned her face away, refusing to answer. She knew I wasn’t bluffing about her punishment, and I knew she felt the pull of our bond just as much as I did. I would enjoy having her stand naked in the room, vulnerable. I almost felt tempted to do it just for the fun of it.

But before I could act on the thought, a knock came at the door. I sighed and walked past Octavia to open it, finding Garrett waiting on the other side. He gave me a questioning look, though I wasn’t entirely sure why.

“Shouldn’t you be ready by now?” he asked, glancing at my clothes.

I blinked in confusion, then glanced over my shoulder at the clear blue sky outside the window. I turned to look at the clock—it was already 1 PM! I’d gotten more sleep than I realized.

I nodded at Garrett and stepped back into the room, leaving the door open as a silent invitation for him to follow. He did, stopping briefly in front of Octavia while I headed to the closet.

I quickly pulled out a dark grey shirt, black pants, and a gold watch. When I came back out, I noticed Octavia and Garrett eyeing each other, assessing if they could be a match in strength.

I was a bit surprised by how easily she met his gaze, but given how she never shied away from mine, it shouldn’t have been surprising.

“So, this is Xavier’s long-lost daughter,” Garrett said, flashing his boyish smile, the one that usually made females melt.

Octavia shook her head and looked away, completely unfazed by Garrett’s charm. I couldn’t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction.

“Don’t waste your smile on her,” I said, walking over to him. “She’s not for you.”

Garrett shrugged. “I had to give it a try. Maybe it’d be easier to break her that way,” he said, and I couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

I stopped beside them, briefly glancing at Octavia. She was glaring at me, her hands clenched into tight fists.

“She’ll break soon,” I said, motioning for Garrett to follow me as we left Octavia behind.

Once we were in the hallway, Garrett called after me. I stopped and turned to face him. “Are you really sure she will?” he inquired, his concern evident.

“Octavia is clinging to the last thing she considers stable in her life. Now that I’ve told her the truth and shown her that her revenge is pointless, it’s only a matter of time. Her stubbornness is all that’s keeping her going, but soon that will fade. When it does, she’ll have no choice but to submit, to find purpose in her miserable life once again,” I said with a smile. But before I could walk away, Garrett’s voice rang out again.

“And your mark?” he asked. “It’ll be on her forever, yet you plan to mate with someone else.”

“Of course! You can’t seriously imagine a future where Octavia is by my side,” I said, laughing at the absurdity of the idea.

“She’s your rightful mate. If you mark someone else, it will weaken the bond between you two, and you’ll both feel the pain.”

I sighed, rubbing my eyes in frustration. “Yes, but the pain will pass, and we can move on with our lives.”

“And what happens when Octavia finds someone else?”

A growl erupted from deep within me as I charged towards Garrett, slamming him against the wall with my hand tightly around his throat. “Octavia will never find someone else! She’ll remain mine!” I snarled, my voice echoing through the castle.

My canines extended, and I knew my eyes had darkened. Garrett struggled against my grip, making weak sounds as he gasped for air, but I was too blinded by my wolf’s possessiveness to care.

Finally, I regained enough control to release him, and Garrett collapsed, coughing violently, his hand rubbing his bruised throat.

I stood there, breathing heavily, still trying to calm the storm inside me. Garrett, once recovered, looked at me with a mix of fear and shock. I had never done anything like that before, and it startled us both.

“You already feel like she’s yours,” he whispered, still shaken.

I closed my eyes, rubbing my temples as my wolf howled inside me. He wanted to scream yes in response to Garrett’s words, but I wasn’t ready to admit it.

“She’s not interested in anyone. All she cares about is her revenge,” I said, walking past him.

“And when she no longer has that?”

My fists clenched, my nails digging into my skin. He was pushing it.

“You really think a female like her, who’s spent her entire life training to be a deadly killer and avenging her father, is interested in finding someone?” I asked mockingly, dismissing the idea.

“You said it yourself. She only has her revenge. Don’t you think that once you break her, she’ll look for something else to fill that void? Maybe she won’t even care about fighting anymore. It won’t happen overnight, but after a few years, she might find her place and learn not to be so rogue-like. She might want to let someone in.”

I couldn’t entirely dismiss the possibility. If Octavia submitted to me and found her place here, she might eventually seek a more “normal” life. But the thought of her being with someone else, of another man claiming her, blinded me with rage.

“She’ll never want anyone else. Warrior blood runs deep in her veins. She’s more animal than human,” I growled before turning and heading towards the dining hall.