"Lu… Lucien… Your Majesty," I stuttered. My feet moved on their own, backing away until my spine hit the cold wood of the wardrobe. Trapped.
I hold my breath, my back pressing into the wooded surface, wishing I could merge with it.
He stalked toward me like a predator who had already won his prey. The next second, his large callous fingers wrapped around my neck, his hold tightening.
He leaned in, his lips grazing my ear as he chuckled.
"You must be disappointed," he whispered, his breath fanning the side of my face. "To see that I'm still alive…and that you're right back where you started."
His voice was a low vibration that made my skin crawl with goosebumps.
I was doomed.
I should have known; Lucien was always one step ahead.
"You're trembling," he mocked, releasing me so abruptly it felt like a rejection. "Feeling guilty?"
I coughed violently, clawing at my throat as air rushed back into my lungs. He looked at me as if I were something repulsive.
I wanted to cower. I wanted to beg. But instead, I forced my chin up.
"Kill me and be done with it," I declared. "I am not afraid of you."
Strong arms wrapped around my waist, yanking my body to his in a possessive grip; I could feel his body heat seeping through my torn clothes.
I felt trapped, and my heart began to thump wildly in fear.
"Now, why the hell will I make you teleport back here to kill you when you and I are going to have so much fun?" He continued, and I froze.
What did he mean by that?
"And about not being afraid… You should be… Because by the time I'm done with you, you'll regret ever trying to escape from me," he added in a whisper, and I swallow, forcing myself to remain still.
If he was expecting me to crack, I'm not giving him that satisfaction.
However, he grabbed my chin and forced me to look into his eyes.
His usually golden pupils now had a tinge of red in them. His Lycan had come to the surface, and his aura was so strong my lips began to tremble again.
He began to circle me slowly like a predator measuring distance and cataloging every reaction. A bad premonition rose in my heart, and for the first time I began to fear what he might do to me.
"You have some nerve lying to me, vowing that you'll only be mine and then poisoning my coffee and running from me," he growled. "Now look at you here again… At my mercy."
I forced myself to keep the tremors at bay, keeping my chin up as anger flared in my eyes.
"Did you even think it was possible to run away from me and I wouldn't find you?"
"I was trying to survive!" I blurted, surprising even myself.
"You were overbearing, forcing me to love you and keeping me here against my will…"
I stopped speaking when his grip on my chin tightened and the pain doubled.
It was as if he wanted to dislocate my jaw, and his glare felt like a thousand knives pointed towards me.
"How did you expect me to treat you when you were lying to me from the very beginning?! I gave you too many chances, but what did you do in return? You used my trust for you as a weapon against me!!" His voice was low but full of rage, making my breath shake.
His hold on me didn't loosen as his large body pressed my back into the wardrobe handle and my back began to ache.
"Please…" I pleaded, finally feeling fear when his fangs began to grow and his terrifying hungry gaze narrowed on my neck as if he wanted to sink them into my flesh.
Something told me not to mess with this version of Lucien before me.
Maybe today was going to be the day I'd find out what was different about Lucien from every other Lycan, but instead of curiosity, I felt fear.
The previous me would have been thrilled to discover Lucien's secret, but something told me that knowing that secret was going to be the beginning of my problems.
"Please… I shouldn't have…"
"You should have thought about that when you vowed to be my woman. Lying about your feelings for me while sending him letters and professing your undying love to him," he growled, interrupting me.
"Do you know how angry I was when I found out you still chose to betray me after all the chances I gave you? You brought this upon yourself, and you have no right to plead after everything you've done."
For the first time, I really hated being wolfless and weak. I especially hated that I failed to escape and now he also knew about Tyler.
Oh gods, oh gods. What should I do? Would Lucien kill Tyler?
I've never seen Lucien so…so… I didn't even know how to describe him at the moment. I only knew I needed to get into his good books again.
So with lowered eyes and an expression full of guilt, I lied again, voice cracking, tears glistening in my eyes, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you… I couldn't disobey my adopted father and…"
"Even now you're still pretending?" Lucien spat.
"How much do you love him? Do you love him so much you're willing to use my trust for you to your advantage? Is your love for him so great you're willing to go to such lengths to deceive and lie to me?" He pushed me away as if disgusted by my very existence, causing my back to hit the wardrobe.
'Oh gods, why is he like this? Why doesn't he believe me? What else does he know?' I began to panic.
"Am I the only one who lied?" I shrieked, no longer pretending.
"You knew I was a spy from the beginning; you knew I hated that my mom left my dad because of yours. My dad is your father's murderer; we can never be together! You knew I wanted to escape. I bet you didn't even drink the poisoned coffee I gave you. You were just waiting for the right opportunity to trap me!" I growled, furious.
"Yes, I knew all that," he confirmed.
"I knew it, but how I wished you were going to prove me wrong! How I wished you were sincere. The werewolves betrayed us, but because I vouched for you, the Lycans have been nothing but kind to you, but you were willing to betray them, both the children and the innocent people, all for power!"
Tears spilled from my eyes hearing the anger and hurt in his voice.
It was true that most of the Lycans treated me well, but I couldn't defy Alpha Asher.
Besides, Lucien separated me from Tyler, the love of my life, the only man who never saw me as the jinx who caused her parents' death.
"Then why am I still here?" I whispered.
Lucien smiled, slow and dangerous.
"Because you are mine."
The word settles between us like a curse. I should recoil. I should spit in his face and tell him I'll never belong to him, but instead, I find myself tongue-tied, wanting to hang onto those words because, as overbearing as he sounded, it showed someone out there wanted me.
The only reason I agreed to become a spy in the first place was because I badly wanted my pack to see me differently apart from the unlucky jinx and wolf-less pack defect they always labeled me as.
I guess I was looking for something… Anything… to show I belonged.
Lucien leaned closer, his voice dropping.
"You will not leave this castle. You will not even think about it. And you will not belong to anyone else. Besides, your adopted father sold you to me, remember? You were never a princess to him, Zarelle. You were a payment… You are mine to possess and ruin as I please!"
My lips parted, a protest forming. He silenced it with a look.
"I'm not doing what I want to do to you, but do not mistake this for kindness," he continues. "I do not forgive betrayal. I collect it. I remember it. And I decide when the debt is paid."
He straightened, keeping a distance between us. It was as if he were restraining himself.
"As for being my breeder," he added, turning away, "that is something I am still deciding."
One second he was standing before me, and the next second he was nowhere, leaving me alone, confused, and flustered in the large bedroom.