Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty-Seven

SAVANNAH

The housekeeper guided me through a labyrinth of twists and abrupt corners, leading me to the suite Hansel had arranged for me. She swung open the door—double the size of a standard one—and ushered me inside.

Once we were alone, she turned to me, her face etched with worry. She was a woman in her early fifties, clad in a typical housekeeper’s uniform, her face devoid of makeup or any signs of age.

“Now,” she began, her voice thick with a southern drawl, “you heed my words. You do as Hansel says, always. He’s not one to trifle with. He’ll kill you, your kin, and anyone you hold dear.”

I didn’t doubt his capacity for violence, but something about him stirred a rebellious streak within me. I despised everything about him. The entire situation churned my stomach into knots.

Why can’t I shift? A month ago, I didn’t even believe in werewolves, and now, I’d give anything to transform and tear out the king’s throat.

“I can’t stay here,” I murmured to her. “Please, help me escape. I have a mate, I love him, and I can’t be bitten by a lycan.” I swept back my hair to reveal my mark. “I’ve already been marked.”

She shook her head, busying herself with selecting clothes for me from a chest of drawers in the corner. “I can’t help you. Don’t keep asking, you’ll land me in trouble. If you obey Hansel, he’ll treat you kindly.”

~Is this woman out of her mind?~

“Are you human?” I asked after a few moments of silence.

She nodded once.

“Then you don’t understand. Daxton is my mate, my forever. Please, you have to help me escape. He can’t bite me. Please!”

She spun around, her eyes aflame. “Listen here. I’ve been here for years, serving one lycan king after another, and I’ve seen too many girls discarded like trash.

If you want to die, then run. If you want to live, then stay. It’s that simple.” She laid out the clothes on the bed. “Dinner is at six sharp. I’ll come to fetch you so you don’t lose your way.

Take a shower, and wear the clothes I’ve chosen for you. You don’t have much time. Don’t be late, dear. He doesn’t take kindly to tardiness.”

The housekeeper, whose name I hadn’t even caught, closed the door behind her, leaving me alone in the expansive bedroom. It was a room fit for royalty, adorned with intricate carvings on the furniture, plush carpets, and a grand window leading to a balcony.

I loathed everything about the cold, impersonal room.

~“Where is mate?”~ my wolf whispered.

I ignored her, not wanting to argue about her inability to shift. I tried to open the balcony doors, but they were bolted shut.

I closed my eyes, pressing my forehead against the cool glass. ~Glass can shatter.~ I could potentially break through, but not now. I’d have to wait until nightfall.

Reluctantly, I headed to the shower. It was enormous, straight out of a luxury magazine. It put my new bathroom at the Luna House to shame.

Sighing, I started the shower, knowing I needed to stay alive so that Daxton’s rescue mission wouldn’t be in vain. Because deep down, I knew he was coming to save me.

***

The dress he’d chosen for me was low-cut, revealing more cleavage than I was comfortable with. It hugged my waist and flowed down to the floor in a deep red hue.

Under different circumstances, I might have loved it.

I resisted the urge to ignore the housekeeper’s knock, but when her knocking grew frantic, I opened the door.

She gave me a quick once-over, then nodded approvingly. “This way, Savannah. Hansel is waiting for you.”

A snarl tugged at the corner of my lip. I wanted to tear the dress to shreds, but the fear in her eyes made me hold back. If I wanted to see Dax again, I needed to stay alive.

After hearing what they did to their own mates, I didn’t want to be violated or tortured. Honestly, I didn’t understand why I was being treated differently, but the best way to find out would be to ask.

The housekeeper led me into the dining room, filled with exquisite glass sculptures, mirrors fit for a castle, and antique furniture. The table stretched the length of the room, but only two places were set.

One at the head of the table and one directly beside it, meant for me.

Hansel rose as I approached my seat, his gaze raking over me like a starved animal. But I didn’t flinch. I held my head high, meeting his gaze with a challenge.

What would I do if he crossed a line? I had no idea, but I wanted to establish my boundaries early on.

Hansel unbuttoned the top of his shirt and cleared his throat as the housekeeper pulled out my chair. “You look lovely, Savannah. Thank you for being punctual.”

I bit back a retort, his brown eyes vibrant against his otherwise neutral expression.

“You can leave us, Dana.”

I watched Dana, the housekeeper, disappear behind the swinging kitchen door, leaving me alone with Hansel.

“I hope you’re hungry. I had Catalina prepare steaks tonight.” He gestured toward my plate, where a tantalizing piece of meat awaited.

Despite the nausea that threatened to overtake me, I knew I needed to eat. I needed to keep my strength up. I cut into my steak, my gaze focused on the task at hand, avoiding the man across the table.

As I lifted the fork to my mouth, I felt Hansel’s eyes on me. I flinched involuntarily.

His laughter sent a shiver down my spine. “You’re so jumpy, Savannah. Do I make you nervous?”

I swallowed my first bite, my eyes darting to his movements around his plate. I was half-expecting him to bring the knife to my throat at any moment. But why would he? If he wanted to mark me, why would he hurt me?

“What do you expect?” I asked, my voice steady. “I was taken from my coronation ceremony by lycans, and brought here by your goons who weren’t exactly gentle.”

Hansel’s utensils clattered onto his plate. “Which one harmed you?” he asked, his head tilting to one side.

I swallowed another bite, debating on what to tell him. Would it help to have him punish the lycan? Maybe if I let him show his dedication, he’d think he could gain my trust.

“The dark-haired one. He was cruel to me.”

Hansel gave me a curt nod. “Noted. I’ll take care of it for you.”

We continued to eat in silence, the only sound in the room was the clinking of our utensils against our plates. Once I finished, I pushed back my plate and waited for Hansel to instruct me to move.

His gaze was heavy, his demeanor different from what I’d expected of a typical lycan. Different from the ones that had captured me.

He was refined, deliberate, and it made me more nervous than the others. Because I couldn’t predict his next move.

So when he stood and offered me his hand to help me up, I took it, feeling as if snakes were slithering up my arm.

His hand was more callused than I’d expected, considering it didn’t look like he ever lifted a finger. But maybe that was his plan all along. The element of surprise.

I released his grasp when I stood, my fingers interlacing in front of me.

“Will you come with me?” he asked.

As if I had a choice.

I fell into step beside him, noting how tall he was compared to my five feet and five inches.

“I know you don’t understand everything just yet, but I want you to know I won’t treat you like the other lycans treat their mates,” he said.

~Wow, what a relief. Alert the media.~

“You said you’d known about me since you were little. Who told you about me?”

Hansel smiled, and I noticed the elongated length of his teeth, even in his human form. “There was an elderly lycan, she dabbled in witchcraft, she told me about a hybrid that would be born to a male lycan and a female wolf.

She didn’t know your name, but knew your mother’s pack. After I came of age, I had someone hunt you down.”

I snorted. “And you bribed your cousin to sleep with me—”

In one swift movement, Hansel gripped my neck in his palm and shoved me against the nearest wall. His eyes twinkled red, but his face stayed calm.

“I’ve already warned you once,” he whispered. “I didn’t like the idea of Trent being with my future mate, but he couldn’t keep just being your friend and keep other males from being with you.

So,” he said, squeezing my neck tighter, “I told him to do what he must to keep you away from anyone else, and I didn’t want to know about it.

I needed you to stay on track. The old lycan told me you would need to find your mate first, be marked by him, before I marked you. That would bring out your wolf… a hybrid.”

My breath hitched in my throat, and the edge of my vision became blurry before Hansel let go, causing me to choke on air.

“Now, I don’t want to talk about Trent, or your ~mate~, that I can still smell on your skin. I will make sure Dana cleans you well tonight. I want to talk about tomorrow during your ceremony.”

~“I hate that bastard,”~ my wolf hissed.

~“Me and you both.”~

I rubbed my palm against my neck and followed him reluctantly. “Tomorrow you’ll be claimed by my pack. Which means you’ll be welcomed into our pack.

We’ll feast, and then I’ll mark you for the entire kingdom to see. I’ve had ten of my best seamstresses working on your gown since you got here, and if they want to live, it’ll be ready by tomorrow night.”

~Oh my God.~

I tightened my fingers together behind my back, following him toward the front entryway, hoping he’d let me take a look outside, to scope out the place.

Someone knocked on the front door as soon as Hansel reached to open it. The blond lycan that helped capture me stood there with a man I’d never seen before.

“Sir. I’m sorry it’s so late,” he said, bowing his head. “We have a stray. He just came up to the gate, wanting to join the kingdom.”

Hansel examined him closely, while I did the same. He was older, with dark ebony hair, and a scruffy face. He looked rough around the edges, like he’d been through the ringer in his day.

I didn’t know why a rogue would want to join this kingdom. If I could have, I would have warned him, but he didn’t seem the type to be clueless.

“What’s your name? State your business,” Hansel said.

He cleared his throat, stepping into the light. I noticed his hazel eyes shifted toward mine, and it hit me.

This man seemed familiar to me, but I knew I’d never seen him before. ~Why?~

“I’m Liam,” he introduced himself, his voice steady and sure. “I’ve been wandering, looking for a kingdom to call home. I’ve grown restless without a pack. I want to fight.”

Hansel studied him, his gaze thoughtful as he took in the newcomer. If Hansel had any sense, he’d be wary of welcoming a lone lycan into his pack so readily, but caution didn’t seem to be his strong suit.

“Welcome to the kingdom, Liam,” Hansel said, his voice filled with a false warmth. “Georgie will show you to your quarters. You’ve arrived just in time for my mating ceremony tomorrow.”

Liam’s gaze shifted to me then, and something inside me sparked to life. His eyes… there was something about them. Could he be…?

“You’ve chosen well, King Hansel,” Liam said, his voice smooth as silk.

Hansel dismissed him with a wave of his hand. “We have much to do. Georgie, see to it that Liam is settled and ready for duty tomorrow morning. And tell your lycan friend I’d like a word with him.”

Georgie’s dark eyes met mine, and I could tell he understood the unspoken message in Hansel’s words.

“Understood,” he said, turning on his heel and leading Liam away.

As Hansel turned to leave, I found myself locking eyes with Liam once more. His gaze was intense, filled with a promise that sent shivers down my spine.

“We’re coming for you,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

In that moment, I knew. Liam was my father, and Daxton was going to save me.