Hazel's POV
The jolt ripped me out of sleep.
My body snapped forward as the carriage slammed down into a pothole.
I groaned loudly as my head nearly cracked against the side wall.
I cursed under my breath, clutching the cloak tighter around me.
"Damn it…"
I groaned loudly while I rubbed at the top of my aching shoulder.
My eyes burned, heavy with sleep.
"Of all the rotten roads in the world…"
That familkar low sound rumbled from across the carriage—his evil laughter.
I stilled, my heart thumping.
When I looked up, I found that his dark and amused eyes were on me.
My heart skipped a beat.
I scowled at him.
"Stop looking at me like that."
He didn't listen.
I snapped again as the familiar heat of desire came rushing to my cheeks.
"When will this fucking ride be over? I am sick of being bounced around like some sack of grain," I glared at him.
"Patience," he said smoothly as his lips curved into a faint smile.
I snorted in anger.
"Impatience is a curse, one that you seem to carry around in abundance."
I quirked a brow at him.
Had he just insulted me?
I hissed through my teeth.
"And arrogance must be yours," I retorted while glaring at him to death.
His smirk only deepened.
He reached out and tapped thrice on one side of the stupid carriage.
And minutes later, the carriage slowed.
I leaned towards the window to take a look outside and my breath hitched.
I caught sight of the land beyond and my heart fell to the bottom of my stomach.
It was cold and dark.
I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me that we had arrived upon his lands.
His kingdom was crouched at the edge of the forbidden mountains.
The peaks were sharp and jagged like teeth snarling against the night sky.
The air itself in this vicinity felt different.
It was thicker and more heavy, and charged with something that I couldn't name.
The horses came to a stop.
The driver shouted something outside and then the carriage door opened.
He stepped out first.
The guards waiting outside bowed the instant his boots hit the ground.
I watched their heads dip.
Each of their eyes were averted with no one daring to look at him directly.
He turned to lend me a hand and I took it with a spiteful glare.
He seemed entertained by it as if I was some comical fool.
I said nothing as I climbed out of the dam carriage that wanted to end me.
My heart rate skyrocketed as the weight of their gazes shifted upon me.
Whispers were instantly stirred through the line of soldiers and servants.
They all stared at me with eyes that were filled with curiosity yet wary.
I was relieved that no one dared to say a thing the moment he cleared his throat.
The whispers swiftly died down as if they had never even been started at all.
"Follow me," he said as he let go of my hand and I nodded lightly.
He began to move.
The air itself seemed to bend around him as he walked, thick with his power.
I felt small and insignificant as I walked at his side and tried to match his pace.
Yet my wolf bounced arond inside me, restless and drawn towards him.
It seemed to me as though we belonged there, under his dark shadow.
We entered the main courtyard and at the center six men stood waiting.
They were older with their hair lined with silver and their stares as sharp as blades.
They bowed deeply when he approached.
"Your Majesty," they greeted together.
He stopped before them.
He turned, found me lagging behind him and gripped my arm to draw me in.
He pulled me closer to him and let his hand casually rest at the small of my back.
My body stiffened at the touch, every single nerve sparking under his palm.
"This," he announced to them in a voice that was commanding, "is my match."
I felt every gaze on me sharpen.
One of the elder's lips curved into a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Another one gave me a shallow nod as his cool gaze was measuring me up.
They all spoke words of welcome, but the tension behind them was clear.
They did not like me.
Neither did they trust me.
And still, the hand of the Lycan King's stayed firmly against me.
It was like a silent declaration that I was his and no one dared disrespect me.
The elders spoke with him for a few moments talking about a feast.
And then he said, "We do not want to leave you and your match tired."
"I see what you do," the Lycan King acknowledged him with half a smile.
"Please go in and rest to reclaim your energies my lord," he pressed.
Thrain said nothing as he began to lead me towards a huge gate made of gold.
The guards there bowed on respect as we entered into palace grounds.
The air there was instantly thick with whispers again as we moved.
The servants bowed as we passed, each of them had their heads lowered.
Every glance, every movement reminded me just how much power clung to him.
The way their heads nearly reached the floor served as a reminder of how every soul here bent beneath that power.
And now, I would have the opportunity to command part of that power.
Because of the pact.
Finally, we came to a stop inside a grand corridor of stone and firelight.
There were three young maids standinv there as if they had been waiting for us.
"Your majesty," they acknowledged him with a side bend of their knees.
"His guest," they also greeted me.
I didn't know how to react to them so I flashed them a tired smile.
"Take her to my chambers," he ordered them in a jussive voice.
I blinked.
"Your… chambers?"
He turned to me.
"Yes."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"And why would I stay in the same room as you? I need my own space."
His right hand shot out faster than I could react.
I gasped softly as his thick fingers wrapped itself around my neck.
The hold was not harsh.
The grip was not bruising.
But it was just firm enough to hold me still and allow me to feel his strength.
He leaned in close until his breath was brushing against my cheek.
His eyes which were dark and dangerous stared straight into my soul.
My heart was pounding loud enough inside my chest for him to hear it.
And I was sure that he would be able to smell the arousal that surrounded me.
"There is no fucking way I would let you out of my sight little wolf," he whispered.
His voice dropped.
It was almost non existent against my ears but still I was able to hear him.
"You are now my lifeline Hazel. If you perish, I perish too little wolf."
My pulse was slamming against my throat where his fingers held me.
Heat flooded through every inch of my body, shocking and unwanted.
My body was betraying me by reacting to his touch with a trembling rush of arousal.
I clenched my jaw in a bid to will it away, knowing that it wouldn't work.
His dark eyes narrowed as though he could feel everything I felt too.
It was as though he could sense every response of mine, every shift in my body and every wild beat of my heart.
"Do you understand?" he asked softly in a dangerously seductive voice.
I swallowed, my lips parting.
"Yes."
He held me there for a moment longer with his thumb pressed against my jugular.
His lips were close enough that the heat of him wrapped around me.
The mate bond was screaming between the both of us, tightening and pulling.
And when it felt like I could not take it anymore and it would overwhelm me...
Then he released me.
"Good girl," he said.
His tone was rougher than before.
"Go and refresh yourself. Be out in time for food. I don't like waiting little wolf."
I turned sharply.
I pulled my cloak tighter around me as if it could do a good job of shielding me from the heat still coiling low in my belly.
The maids bowed to him and then gestured for me to follow them.
My steps were quick, almost too quick, as I hurried away from him.
But I felt his eyes on me the entire way.
The halls they led me through whispered around me as we walked.
There was portraits of past rulers.
The walls were carved with symbols older than I could understand.
The maids were silent and glanced at me only when I stumbled.
My wolf stirred restlessly.
I hated how my skin still tingled where his hand had been on my throat.
I hated how my lips burned with the memory of his heated breath.
I hated how much I wanted him, even as fear coiled inside of me.
I hated how I felt.
That was because no matter how dark and cold this place was, standing at his side had made something inside me feel alive.
And I didn't know if that was salvation.
Or even damnation.