A barbarian was sent to escort the Queen to the barbarians' residence. It took them thirty minutes to get there. As per the condition, the queen had come alone. They were living in camps at the foot of the mountain. She was led into the largest of them.Her eyes widened in shock upon spotting William tied to a chair. He sat in the middle of the room, covered in his own blood. His head was tilted to one side, his arms bound behind his back. The King lay unconscious. Horrified, Rosalie rushed over to him. "William,' she called out. No response. She kneeled in front of him and shook him by his shoulder, "Wake up, Wiliam." "He won't wake up, at least not so soon," his deep voice resounded in the room, sliding down her spine like cold steel. She twisted her neck to look at the perpetrator. It took her a while to locate him as he was sitting in shadow, watching the spectacle. He was unbothered but attentive. Standing up, she turned around to face him. Hatred and anger di

One decision. That's all it took to turn her life upside down. She shielded her face from the scorching sun. This was the fifth and last day of their journey to Kokhal mountain, the home of barbarians. Strangers surrounded her. Scary-looking strangers with big bodies and intimidating aura. She had left Avalona behind in the care of his beta and Hendrix. The subjects were told that the Queen had gone on a spiritual hiatus and would return after some time. The good thing was that Ryker fulfilled his end of the deal and released King William and other prisoners at once. He had also left an army of barbarians behind to rebuild the country and safeguard borders. Except for her, there was only one more woman in the group. Riva. She rode ahead with Ryker. A few times, she had caught the woman glaring at her when she thought she wasn't looking. The woman had not attempted to talk to her. She also preferred it that way. She was glad Ryker was also keeping his distance. They had talked ha

The night went in a blur of thoughts. She reflected on Hendrix's words. She would gain a significant influence on the clan if she became their metree. Their assistance will help Avalona rise as a superpower among the nations. She wouldn't have to mate with someone else as well. His face flashed in front of her eyes. A wave of bitterness raged inside her. Just like that, the morning happened. They resumed the journey. Riva was kept farther away from Rosalie and Clovis rode closely behind her. Rosalie had figured he was protecting her from threats. But she didn't need protection. She could protect herself just fine. Very soon, they reached the village. It was a small village in a beautiful valley, flanked by lofty mountains. The small almost-naked children trailed behind their horses jumping happily as the chieftain and his warriors rode into the village. Rosalie felt beyond uncomfortable. Her heart was thudding loudly against her chest. She felt onlookers' inquisitive gaze on her. So

"Remove your hand. I want to see how big they have grown," he insisted, seeing nothing wrong in his demand while gawking at her covered chest with puckered brows. Her mouth hung open in astonishment and face burned both in embarrassment and anger. The nerves of this blasted man. And to make it worse, he perched on the edge comfortably. The stone-made tub would have surely flipped over by his weight if it was not rooted to the ground. She smelled alcohol on him and that very much explained why he still had not questioned her presence in his house or sent her flying to her mudhouse with his huge fist. " Leave, Ryker. This is inappropriate," she told him with a sigh. "How so?" he asked hoarsely. If the lights in the room were bright enough, she would have seen the mad lust burning in his eyes and how his gaze was shamelessly taking liberty with her body, licking every inch of her skin. She gritted her teeth in annoyance. He was always annoying but when drunk he is unbearable.

Ryker left after that but not before stating that he was going to assign a bodyguard to her. Clovis had told him what had happened today morning. Rosalie took offense to his words. She argued she didn't need a bodyguard. To which Ryker clarified that he was doing it for his heir. She was quick to ignore the stab of disappointment that hit her. Ryker refused to listen to her on this. He had made up his mind and there was no backing out. The night arrived sooner than she had wanted. Actually, she didn't want the night to arrive at all. Her nerves were as jumbled as her mind. She wasn't able to put her heart at ease. It was in a constant state of palpitation. She wasn't hungry but decided to eat anyway. The man had the strength of a starving bull. His virile had many times driven her into a state of unconsciousness. She better save her energy for what was about to come. After finishing her dinner, she washed her plate and kept it on the table. She had purposefully doused the clay sto