Control

AURELIA

Alastair’s face lit up with a wicked grin as he left his mate, Aurelia, spent and sleeping in their bed. He’d bitten her, marked her, and all that was left was to mate her.

He knew he should probably ask for her consent, but asking for things wasn’t really his style. Besides, she’d said she wanted to please him. That was pleasing enough for him.

He knew she wouldn’t be able to resist him for long. She’d be in heat within a week, maybe less. As king, he always got what he wanted, one way or another.

If she truly wanted to stop it, she could have. But she didn’t. And they both knew it.

He remembered the look on her face. Her wide, doe-like eyes staring at him as if he’d just announced he was a fairy or something equally ridiculous. Now that would have been a shock.

Her mouth hung open, as if she’d forgotten how to speak or make a sound. He remembered how she’d moaned when the pain had faded and pleasure took its place.

While Alastair reveled in his victory and shifted into his wolf form for a run in the forest, Aurelia sat quietly on the bed, playing with the amulet Cathan had given her.

How was she going to tell him what had happened, what she hadn’t been able to stop? Or maybe she could have stopped it, but chose not to. That thought scared her. The power of the mate bond scared her.

She put on her burgundy cloak over her queenly gown and turned the golden amulet over to read the incantation aloud.

~Decari semper il per tenebrae hortum…~

“Aurelia.”

She was surprised to find herself suddenly in his sanctum. Cathan stood across from her, behind a podium, one eyebrow raised.

She hadn’t known what to expect, but she hadn’t felt like she’d moved at all. Except for the overwhelming pull of her heart and soul back to the king.

It felt like her breath had been stolen, as if it now belonged to her mate.

“Aurelia? What happened? Did we make progress?” he asked.

She shook her head quickly, her vision blurring and her limbs feeling weak.

“Something’s wrong. What is it?”

When he pulled back the hood of her cloak, he saw the source of her pain. His eyes locked onto her neck, his jaw clenched in annoyance, and a flash of anger crossed his usually stoic face.

He was in front of her in a single step, examining the bite mark.

“This wasn’t the plan,” he said quietly, as if she didn’t already know that. “You let him do this?”

“I-I... I was confused. He didn’t warn me. He didn’t ask,” she replied, her voice strained.

“Ask? He’s the Alpha King. Do you think he ever asks for permission? I thought you could handle this. I trusted your strength, your will. But you underestimated him. Now he’s got you trapped.”

“This doesn’t change our plans,” she argued.

“Maybe not yours as much,” he muttered, cupping her cheek with his hand. Her fingers brushed her bite mark, sending a wave of pain through her body as another man touched her.

“You’re not supposed to be his. You’re mine.”

She met his gaze as she understood his words, and quickly pulled away from him.

“We’re allies until one of our goals changes. That’s what we agreed on. We didn’t agree on this,” she said, her head now filled with the king’s voice.

She fought hard to block it all out, his constant possessiveness and paranoia.

He just scoffed and grabbed her chin in his hand. He knew she was weak. He knew she was an easy target. But they were allies.

“This is because you want him. You’re lying to yourself. How could I ever think you could help? You can’t even stop yourself from fucking him, let alone killing him.”

Something inside her snapped. Her wolf snapped. Her patience snapped. Her caution shattered.

She growled at him, baring her teeth. If she’d been thinking clearly, she wouldn’t have threatened him as a wolf, knowing his past with them.

But instead of being scared, he just smirked and grinned at her.

“You should be careful, Aurelia,” he taunted, tilting his head to the side as he looked her over. “What do you want? What do you really want?”

She didn’t know how to answer that question, or even what he meant by it, so she stayed silent.

“You know I want revenge. You know some other things I want.” His eyes sparkled with curiosity and amusement.

“But I don’t know why you have your agenda. Or what you want when your mate is dead. Unless you’re having second thoughts.”

“I’m not having second thoughts,” she shot back, her eyes narrowing in anger.

Maybe it was misplaced, maybe not. The king had taken her choice away. But she hadn’t tried to stop him.

She was so caught up in everything that had happened, she hadn’t even realized his intentions. She’d thought he was a fool who could be easily manipulated by a young, idealistic girl.

She’d been incredibly naive.

But then again, Cathan had no right to push her, to question her, to make her feel less than him. Because she had the potential to be more powerful than all of them, maybe even the Alpha King.

“Tell me what you want, Aurelia. Tell me why you want to kill the king.”

“I...” The pounding in her head was almost unbearable as she struggled to answer his question.

She had so many reasons.

He’d kept her sister in a silver cell, where she suffered more than Aurelia did, since Aurelia was only half wolf.

He’d killed many of the young women in her village without a second thought, trying to find her. He’d made her feel like their blood was on her hands too.

She wanted adventure and a life of wonder, not to be a breeding machine with a hollow title of queen.

She hadn’t asked for these powers, for her gift. She hadn’t asked to be mated to a tyrant.

“I have enough reasons,” she growled, her eyes flashing gold as her wolf side came to the surface.

The pain was almost too much to bear, but she still longed for her mate. They were at odds, and it shouldn’t have been that way. Her wolf instincts should have obeyed her mind.

“I don’t owe you any explanations.”

His light eyebrows lifted, taking in her boldness.

Cathan had always despised wolves, the entire species. Yet, here he was, drawn to a half-wolf girl. She was practically a pup compared to his many years.

Most of the time, she acted like she was above him. Even though he was the one teaching her things she quickly grasped. But he couldn’t prevent what was happening.

This was his fault. He had thrown her into the wolf’s den. What else could he expect from someone so naive and a wolf as crafty as the king?

Cathan knew Alastair as well as any seven-year-old boy could. But he had seen the beginning of his transformation into the monster he was now.

His father had been the trigger, turning him into a man who hated fae and therefore hated his best friend.

Alastair had betrayed him a long time ago, and since then, revenge had been Cathan’s only goal. Until Aurelia. Who just so happened to be Alastair’s stunning hybrid mate.

Alastair would never accept her if he knew what she was.

Cathan could live with it, not that they would ever be together. He didn’t fully understand mates or the damn moon goddess, but Aurelia’s apparent destiny was with Alastair.

The king had to die before Aurelia could feel anything for anyone else. That gave him even more reason to want the king dead.

“If you’re sure about what you want and why, here.”

Cathan handed over a book identical to his grimoire, a book of spells he had personally compiled over the years.

“With the power and potential you have for dark magic, you should be able to figure them out on your own. With that bite, it’s painful enough for you to be here now.

“You know the plan. If you want it carried out, it will be. It’s in your hands.”

To hand over such a powerful book—especially to a wolf—was a foolish move on his part. He knew that before he gave her the book, and after.

The other council members were getting restless, especially Axon, who had been watching Cathan’s every move. But everyone knew the sanctum was off-limits to everyone but Cathan.

Axon had every right to be nervous, as did they all. The days were getting darker, and the nights even darker.

The moon was tinged with red, a bad sign. It would only get redder as the impending bloodshed drew closer.

But he still gave her the book. Hoping that the blood that would be spilled wouldn’t be fae.

Aurelia left with the book, back to the safety of the chambers she had come from. And the torture dulled into a simple longing for him. He must have been nearby.

She wondered about Cathan’s reasons for giving her such a book, knowing she could potentially destroy them all.

Her power didn’t work on fae, though, as she and Cathan had discovered when they were planning. At least that offered some protection from her if she decided to betray them.

She would have to mate with the king to even meet with them again. She was on a path with a definite end.

And giving up her innocence would be that end. After that obstacle, the real uncertainty began.

“Where’s the king?” she asked as she walked into the dining room for dinner and saw Laurent and Henri.

“The king’s business is none of your concern,” Laurent snapped, looking at her with pure disdain.

The compulsion had clearly broken again. He was a strong wolf; the compulsion had less effect on him than on others. Or maybe she wasn’t as strong as she used to be, back in her village.

He had noticed her mark. And he wanted to put her in her place, the place the king wanted her in, a submissive wife ready to spread her legs whenever the king ordered it.

But Aurelia wasn’t that kind of queen, and she never would be, not for anyone.

“The king is my mate. It’s more my business than yours,” she shot back with a fierce confidence that surprised even her. It definitely surprised Henri.

Laurent’s disdain turned into arrogant anger. He stood up from his chair and tried to intimidate her into submission.

She could have used her power, but for the first time in her life, she felt completely in control.

Maybe it was her wolf’s consciousness, as her powers had always tempted her, finding any excuse to be used. Or maybe they had grown stronger than she realized and didn’t need to.

“I won’t be disrespected by some poor, cunty, pea-brained wench. You’re not my queen, and you never will be to anyone in this kingdom. Apologize. Now,” he demanded, his teeth clenched.

She wasn’t impressed by him. His dominance couldn’t even compare to the Alpha King’s, and after defying him several times, defying Laurent was almost laughably easy.

“You should watch how you talk to me, Laurent. Who knows what the future holds, but if I have any power at all, I’d use it to get rid of the disgusting, whining, beef-brained beta.”

Before he could respond, the low growl of the Alpha King silenced everyone who was talking.

The king didn’t look at anyone in the room, but simply walked over to his throne at the head of the table and stood as still as a hunter’s arm before releasing the arrow and killing his prey.

Any one of them could be his prey.

“I heard some interesting things. Don’t let me interrupt,” he said in a dangerous tone.

May the goddess protect them.