Snarls of fury

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Since Hera was once again a prisoner in the royal chamber, there was nothing else she could do but lounge around all day and currently, she was bored out of her mind.

She had not heard from the betas in a while and all she could do was inspect every room in the chamber to at least keep herself busy.

She was surprised to see that there were at least a dozen rooms in the overly large chamber and by the time she had finished inspecting each one, she was already too winded and she ended up crashing on the bed in the room she slept in.

Her breaths came out in gasps as sweat trickled down her brows. She had never been in a palace before and she knew that palaces were supposed to be luxurious and all royal but this was just ridiculous.

Why were there more than a dozen rooms in a chamber that was almost empty? Just why? And she was sure there were many chambers like this one. She rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand snobby royals and their strange behavior.

She relaxed under the covers and was about to drift off to sleep when she heard a knock all the way from the front door. She let out a sigh. Sometimes her super hearing could be both a blessing and a curse.

Letting out an exhausted sigh, she threw the bed covers off her body and made her way to the living room. As she approached the front door, her nose picked up a peculiar scent which sent her heart racing.

Her eyes went wide as she couldn't believe it. This was the same scent she perceived in the woods! The one which came from the wolf with red eyes. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest and it felt like it was going to beat out of her chest as the door slowly opened.

Hera let out a gasp as standing in front of her was none other than the Alpha King himself. She instantly turned pale like she had just seen a ghost.

“Y-You.” Hera stammered with a gulp as she took in his features.

She hadn't seen him in a while and she had completely forgotten how unbelievably handsome the king was. His tousled dark hair shone beneath his shimmery gold crown and his intense green eyes studied her carefully. She almost collapsed under his bewitching gaze but she managed to pull herself together.

Beneath his red royal robe, he wore a black and gold regal looking tunic which seemed to be made out of leather and silk with matching pants. He looked so put together that Hera gulped. She began to take in the fact that she was standing in front of a real king and her body trembled slightly.

The king tilted his head to the side, still studying her features carefully. “I can smell your fear, Hera. Do I terrify you that much?” He asked and his baritone voice sent shivers down her spine.

“N-no.” She stuttered and cringed internally at how small and terrified she sounded. The king stepped close to her and she instinctively took a step back.

“I don't bite.” He said, raising an eyebrow and she scoffed.

“Well, you're a wolf so that's debatable.” She blurted out and instantly regretted her words. Damn, why wouldn't she stop running her mouth? This man had immense power and authority and he could easily kill her without batting an eye.

But to her surprise, he chuckled instead. “You've got spunk. I like that,” Rune said and Hera blushed crimson, instantly averting her eyes. He cleared his throat making her look back at him.

“How are you feeling? I know it was your first shift and I can imagine how painful and lonely it must have been for you.” Rune said and she hated to admit that his voice had such a soothing effect on her.

She just wanted to hear him speak for as long as she could but unfortunately, it was her turn to speak.

“The shift hurt a lot but I'm fine now.” She said and he nodded. Once again, that sweet scent hit her nostrils and she instantly felt dizzy with pleasure.

There was no doubt that the scent was coming around him and she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that the Alpha King could be the wolf with red eyes.

“Can I ask you something?” She said nervously and he nodded.

“Of course.”

“Were you in the woods yesterday?” Hera asked and her heart rate sped up as Rune raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“I asked if you were in the woods yesterday.” Hera repeated and Rune let out a sigh.

“Of course, I was. Me and half my men were searching for you when you escaped.”

“What color are your eyes when you shift?” Hera asked, deciding to be direct. She was done beating about the bush and she needed answers now. Rune looked genuinely taken aback and he raised a confused eyebrow.

“What? Why would you ask me that?”

“I have my reasons. Now answer the question.” Hera commanded and she knew she was pushing her luck at that moment. In what world did a prisoner command the king?

The king could easily have her head on a stake, but she wanted to know who that wolf was so badly and the fact that he could be standing in front of her right now made her even more curious.

Rune's eyes flashed, narrowing on her and Hera knew that she just might have pissed him off.

“Actually, I'm not obliged to answer your questions,” He said through gritted teeth.

“You seem to have forgotten that I'm the king and now that you're a werewolf, that makes me your king.” Rune said sternly.

Hera was terrified as Rune's whole demeanor had changed. He had turned cold as ice and Hera knew that she was supposed to be running in the other direction but she didn't. She stood her ground.