My eyes widened as I stared at Lelah in disbelief. “Could you…say that again?” She cleared her throat. “They're coming tomorrow.” Delmira threw her hands up in frustration. “But the banquet isn't ready!” “The date of the banquet remains as it was,” Lelah said, and both, Delmira and I, gave her a confused stare. Lelah sighed. “General Nathair and his sister are coming tomorrow, and they're going to stay here for the entire week.” I muttered a curse before shifting my attention to Delmira. “Seriously? Can they just arrive whenever they want?” She shrugged. “They can. They're Alpha King's nephew and niece… which kind of makes them royalty, and we are their subjects.” “That's bullshit!” I growled. “That it is,” Lelah agreed, smirking. “Doesn't change the fact that we can't do anything about it.” I thrust my fingers through my hair. “So what now?” Delmira shrugged. “I guess our lesson's over. I need to prepare the rooms for our special guests.” A moment later, she and Lelah were
I stared at Caspian, my eyes widening. “Me? How the hell should I keep General Nathair occupied?”Caspian smirked before clearing his throat. “Well—”“You don't have to do anything,” Kaan interjected, tossing Caspian another cold glare. “In fact, it would be better if Asena stayed away from the General.”Caspian sighed. “Arrange a dinner for the four of you, and you'll see whether I'm right or wrong.”I shifted my gaze from Caspian to Kaan and back to Caspian. “Wait… Do you want me to seduce Nathair?”A low growl resonated through Kaan's chest, and I couldn't say that I didn't enjoy those little signs of his possessiveness.Caspian gave me a thin-lipped smile and nodded. “Kind of. I believe that Nathair will try to seduce you just because you are Kaan's. He'll treat you as a challenge, and frankly, you won't have to do much. Just pretend to be open to his proposals.”“Caspian, I'm warning you,” Kaan growled, but I kept my eyes on his Beta.My chest tightened as I processed his words.
My heart hammered against my chest. I could feel my insides rattle as I walked. Every breath became a struggle. And yet, I kept my chin high and back straightened as I passed the long hall where Kaan and our two guests awaited me at the opposite end.My eyes fixed on Kaan, and my stupid heart began to flutter. He wore his usual black pants and half-unbuttoned shirt, teasingly exposing a decent part of his muscled chest, but tonight he was also wearing a black fitted jacket, emphasizing his broad shoulders. I resisted an urge to run into his arms. I knew we were being watched, and one false move could have ruined everything Kaan hoped to achieve.Slowly, I shifted my attention to the guests. Standing next to Kaan was Jalissa, a brunette with alabaster skin and eyes as blue as mine. Her beauty surely was mesmerizing. I bet that she could have had any man she desired… which only made me dislike her more. She was wearing a dress resembling the one I had, but hers was color of red wine. Li
KAANRage coiled at the pit of my stomach. I wasn't sure what kind of game Nathair wanted to play with me, but he wouldn't have traded two hundred warriors for a woman, even if that woman was mine.I drew a slow breath as I glanced at Asena. Her eyes widened, and I could see the dread digging its way out to the surface, no matter how carefully she tried to hide her fears. I wanted to punch that fucker just for scaring her that way…I held his stare and saw his eyes gleam in excitement. Slowly, a smirk tugged at my lips. He was testing me. He wanted to know if Asena mattered to me or not. If I objected, he would have every right to suspect that Asena meant more to me than what I had told them. Then again, I would have never jeopardized Asena's life just to call his bluff.I scratched my chin and let out a cold chuckle. “That's a tempting offer, indeed. But like I said before, Asena is not my slave. She decides whether or not she wants to be with someone.”Nathair burst into cold laught
ASENABreathe in. Breathe out. I straightened my back and forced myself to keep my eyes forward, even though I knew that his—General Nathair's—eyes remained on me. We were walking in silence from the moment we left the dining hall, heading to the gardens. With him being so close to me, I figured I should choose the place where his presence would be the least suffocating, and the gardens were the best idea I could come up with.“You're quiet, Asena.” Nathair chuckled as we exited through the castle's main entrance. “Aren't we here to talk?”I stopped, making him all but stumble as he tried to line up with me. Drawing a deep breath, I covered my irritation with a mask of nonchalance. “You said you wanted to talk in private. I figured that we should begin our conversation with no guards around.”That wasn't entirely a lie. If I were to play my role, I would want no additional audience. Furthermore, I hadn't recognized at least a few of the men we passed by on the corridors, and I could o
My heart kept pounding long after I returned to my chamber. I kept pacing about the room while rubbing my chest. I was restless. I couldn't stop thinking about Kaan and Jalissa and about everything Nathair had told me. What if Kaan was wrong about Jalissa? What if making a deal with her would be worse than trying to side with her brother?A knock on the door pulled me out of the daze. “Kaan,” I breathed out, rushing to open the door, but my excitement faded when I saw it was Delmira who was standing outside my chamber. “Come in,” I muttered, failing to hide my disappointment.She pushed past me and walked straight to the wall by my bed, where a large cabinet stood. Before I could ask her what she was doing, she pressed an engraved symbol I hadn't even noticed before, and suddenly, the wall cracked open, forming a door.“Hurry. We need to go,” she said.I frowned. “Go where?”“It's a passage that can take you to a few places without being noticed. Alpha's chamber is one of those places
Nathair approached me, his steps slow, cautious. He hadn't changed his clothes since dinner and our previous walk, but now his jacket was gone and his shirt was slightly unbuttoned, revealing a part of his muscled chest.Dragging my eyes away from him, I drew an uneven breath. “I'd rather be alone. Thank you,” I muttered.A soft chuckle came in response. “What if I said that I'm in need of a company?”I felt a prickle of annoyance. “Company for what? Do you want to interrogate me once more?”He stepped closer and raised his hands in surrender. “I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable in my presence. What if I promise not to ask you more questions and tell you a story instead?”My brows inched up. “What kind of a story?”A half-smile appeared. “A story about a stupid boy who made a few pretty fucked-up life choices.”I held his stare for a moment, trying to see through the harmless façade he presented in front of me. Perhaps Kaan was right, and I was too naïve to notice the true e
A hysterical chuckle bubbled in my throat, but I somehow managed to swallow it. It took me a moment to find my voice. “It sounds like something you should tell Kaan, not me.”A knowing smirk crossed Nathair's lips, sending chills down my spine. “You know why I'm telling you that.”I shook my head. “No, I don't.”The smirk disappeared, his features sharpening. “Don't insult my intelligence, Asena. I've given you nothing but honesty. I don't expect you to trust me completely, but at least don't try to lie in my face.”I sucked in a shaky breath. “I'm not Kaan's mate, if that's what you're suggesting.”“How do you know that?” He narrowed his eyes on me. “As far as I'm informed, you weren't with him during the Blood Moon yet. I believe that he is keeping you here to find out if you truly are his destined one.” When I didn't respond, he sighed. “Look, Asena, I don't expect you to confirm my suspicions. Just know that I know all the little signals that tell us we are close to our destined o