Conscious

AURELIA

Aurelia woke up in the Alpha King’s chambers, but thankfully, he wasn’t there.

After their last encounter, which had left her with both nightmares and fantasies, she knew it would be tough to keep her sharp tongue in check.

She looked around the massive room, which was decorated in the most boring way possible for a king’s chamber. She noticed a delicate baby blue gown with floral lace details.

Next to it was a note, sealed with the royal stamp.

~Put on the gown, little wolf, and meet me in the banquet hall.~

She did as the note instructed, slipping the elegant dress over her head. After running her fingers through her hair, she left the room to find the banquet hall.

The castle was grand and sprawling. A map would have been helpful.

“Lost little wolf,” a voice behind her teased, causing her to spin around.

She found herself facing a muscular man with piercing silver eyes and a sly smirk. His demeanor was as menacing as everything else she’d encountered here.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Laurent. I’m the Beta. And you’re Aurelia,” he said in a condescending tone, as if he thought she might have forgotten her own name. “I expected the Alpha King’s mate to be... taller.”

“Should I be insulted?” she shot back, catching the Beta off guard. He laughed, his chuckle echoing like a dark melody. “Can you show me to the banquet hall?”

“I was just heading there myself,” he said, leading her through the corridors. “Enjoying your stay? It might not last much longer.”

“Is that a threat?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

“No, it’s an observation. You have a lot of opinions and the Alpha King prefers his own,” he explained. “You clearly don’t respect authority, judging by how you’re talking to me.”

“Are you superior to me? I am the Alpha King’s mate, after all.”

“Whether you’re his mate or not, you’ll always be beneath us,” he said with a smug grin.

Aurelia suppressed a growl and instead, she grabbed the Beta’s arm. He was so surprised by her sudden invasion of his personal space that he looked straight into her eyes.

She navigated through the thorny maze of his mind and broke down his mental barriers.

“You will respect me, regardless of what your Alpha King orders. I am superior to you and you will make sure all the other wolves know their place too.”

She knew she was abusing her power, but she had already decided it was a curse. Why not use the power of that curse?

She had felt the urge to use it, and she could feel it growing stronger inside her.

“You will also disrespect the Alpha King.”

It was petty and childish, but she was a child after all. What else could be expected?

When they entered the banquet hall, she expected a larger crowd, but only the mighty Alpha King was seated at the table. He watched their arrival but didn’t comment.

Laurent, ever the gentleman, pulled out a chair for his future queen and bowed before her. She made sure to watch the king’s reaction.

As she suspected, he studied every move with caution.

Laurent took his seat to the right of the Alpha King, and next to him sat his gamma, Henri. She wished she had controlled both of them, but Laurent would do.

She also wished for a larger audience but was grateful there wasn’t one. Humiliating the Alpha King wasn’t necessary. He had disrespected her; she just wanted to return the favor.

And she wasn’t quite ready to do it yet.

“Your grace,” she greeted him sweetly, a hint of mischief in her voice that he didn’t seem to catch.

“Laurent, did you get the reports from the patrols on the border?” the Alpha King asked, ignoring the strange events he had just witnessed.

“No,” Laurent answered bluntly.

Aurelia had hoped for a more blatant show of disrespect, but it had the desired effect.

The Alpha King shot up from his chair and glared at the Beta with pure fury.

She watched as Laurent trembled, and even Henri seemed confused about why Laurent had spoken so rudely.

The Alpha King was easily upset. It showed his weaknesses. His need for respect and the importance he placed on his pride.

“I apologize, my king,” Laurent whimpered.

It was strange how these men could be so dignified around each other and her, but in front of the king, they lost all self-respect.

“Good.” The Alpha King sat back down and asked the question again.

“Maybe we should talk privately,” Henri suggested, glancing pointedly at Aurelia.

She would have thought that was disrespectful, but the king nodded. Clearly, they had something they wanted to keep from the young wolf.

Maybe they were wrong to do so, maybe they were right. The discussion would be about the fae activity at the border.

The high priests, the sorcerers, the monks, all magical beings could feel the imbalance in the earth and the unsettled fae. Something had disturbed them. More creatures were appearing at the borders.

“D—” She was about to speak when the king interrupted her.

“You don’t speak,” he growled at her. She met his gaze with her own anger, challenging him. She didn’t back down, even to a man with the devil’s eyes.

His hand landed on her thigh and squeezed.

“It’s not right to silence the queen,” Laurent remarked, which stopped her from falling apart. The king’s glare was now directed at Laurent, who visibly gulped.

She could have felt guilty for making him disrespect his king with her power. But she didn’t. These wolves would learn their place while she figured out how to escape.

It wasn’t just about physically getting away, but the mate bond was a major obstacle. The goddess had tied them together, and she wouldn’t let them separate easily.

“You both can leave. I’ll deal with you later,” the king ordered the two wolves, who quickly left.

The king’s gaze landed on his young mate, a fire in his eyes so intense it felt like it could burn her alive. “You’re causing my men to lose respect for me.”

“How?” she asked, her tone a mix of amusement and feigned innocence. He wouldn’t be able to explain his accusation logically.

“You’ve influenced my beta with your constant defiance.”

“I’ve hardly interacted with your beta,” she shot back, toying with the food on her plate.

When his rough hand wrapped around her neck, she braced herself.

“Choke me all you want. It won’t change anything,” she said, her voice steady and clear. He let go.

She thought she heard a soft chuckle from the Alpha King. It was a cruel sound, but a laugh nonetheless.

“You’ve been spoiled, little wolf.” He stood tall, leaning over her, his face inches from hers. “That ends now.”

He lifted her as if she weighed nothing, slung her over his shoulder, and headed for the silver dungeons.

If he thought locking her in a silver cell again would make a difference, he was mistaken. What she hadn’t considered was that her sister was still in one of those cells.

The Alpha King wasn’t returning Aurelia to her old cell; he was forcing her to witness her sister’s execution.

As if she could read his thoughts, she stopped struggling and made him look at her.

“I’ll never forgive you,” she said quietly.

He dropped her onto the ground. The silver of the tunnels burned her, but she endured.

“Olympia may not have been the best sister, but she raised me. She’s like a mother to me. If you kill her, there’s no going back.”

“Do you think I care, little wolf?” he hissed, though his eyes held a hint of doubt. She’d never seen him second-guess his decisions before. But then his resolve hardened.

She knew that look.

Olympia was the only family she had, the only person in the kingdom who cared about her. Even after she found Lochlan, her mate, she stayed loyal to her sister.

Even when Olympia was scared of Aurelia’s power and thought she was a freak, she didn’t abandon her. Aurelia was forever grateful to her sister who could have easily left her behind.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice soft and submissive.

They continued on until Olympia came into view. Her sister’s eyes widened when she saw Aurelia. The silver cell had clearly taken a toll on Olympia.

“What a touching family reunion. Warms my cold, dead heart,” he said sarcastically, tossing Aurelia to her sister without a second thought.

She was used to the sting of silver on her skin, but that didn’t make it any less painful.

Looking at her sister, her eyes softened. Olympia had been so loyal, she hadn’t told the king about his mate’s powers. Aurelia couldn’t stand to see her sister suffer anymore.

The Alpha King slapped Olympia, sending her flying to the back of the cell.

Aurelia couldn’t use her power against him. She couldn’t convince him to spare her sister. She couldn’t fight him. So... she surrendered.

“I’ll sleep with you,” she whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek.

His attention immediately snapped to the little wolf. A spark of mischief lit up the Alpha King’s eyes and a smirk spread across his face.

He grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her close and pressing his nose to the nape of her neck. She instinctively did the same.

His scent—wood and honey—filled her senses, calming her fears and insecurities. She let herself be swept up in his dominance.

She let go. And found that she wasn’t overwhelmed by it.

The sweet smell of lilies caught his attention, lulling him into a false sense of security, just like the girl herself.

He let her fall into the same trap and resisted hers. He wouldn’t bow to anyone. And in his mind, his queen was not his equal.

He led her out, back up the winding stairs, her small hand swallowed by his. The burns on her feet made her feel dizzy.

Once they were in his darkened chambers, he pulled her towards his bed and pushed her onto it.

She lay back, her head resting on the soft pillows. Her eyes were glazed over, barely aware of what was happening.

He was about to move... when he stopped. And stared. And stared again.

He wouldn’t take advantage of her. He couldn’t do that. He would only take her if she wanted him to. Forcing a mating always had consequences.

He thought she was unconscious because of the silver in the cells or the stress he’d caused. He knew how fragile little wolves could be. She was just a pup. Barely of age.

Her constant defiance often made him forget how young she was. Or maybe it emphasized her youth. But she was young. And delicate. And weak.

But in reality, she was none of those things. Neither of them knew why the little wolf had passed out. But Cathan and his followers did. As did Ellathoria.

While Cathan forced his own agenda into the young fae wolf’s mind, Ellathoria and her faction worked to reverse it and bring her to the boundary as planned.

Ellathoria knew Cathan couldn’t be trusted, but watching his people, she came up with her own plan.

She knew about the wolf’s power, and the fact that they were related could help them make peace with the werewolf kingdom.

The council wanted war. She wanted justice and peace for her people. Coexisting with the werewolves wasn’t such a crazy idea.

And the young fae wolf was the key.