Betrayal

...I didn't get to say goodbye....

...That's all I could think as the...

...Werewolf King rode on,...

...carrying me to whatever...

...future lay ahead. My father,...

...my mother, my brother...

...didn't know if I would ever...

...see any of them again....

...To think, the last thing I'd...

...said was that they weren't my...

...real family. It made me sick...

...with myself. If only I'd told...

...them how I really felt.that I...

...loved them. That they were ...

...my world 🌎 ...

...Now, all I had to hold on to...

...was the fur on the King's...

...back....

...The King. How I despised...

...him. His ravishing looks...

...didn't fool me; the man was...

...the definition of cutthroat. He...

...was willing to dispose of...

...whoever got in his way....

...Including me....

...After hours of clutching onto...

...him for dear life, I didn't...

...know much more I could...

...endure....

...I was exhausted and...

...famished. At points, I...

...considered letting go, falling...

...and cracking my neck,...

...anything to escape the fate...

...that lay ahead of me....

...But I didn't have the courage...

...to die. Not today. Finally,...

...thankfully, the King came to a...

...stop, and before I could climb...

...off, he began to shift....

...Within seconds, I lay in his...

...***** arms, staring up into...

...those black eyes. His bare,...

...powerful chest heaved with...

...exertion. In his eyes, I...

...thought I sensed a trace of...

...compassion. Of interest....

...But then he blinked and threw...

...me aside, grabbing a pair of...

...trousers and slipping them on,...

...addressing his men. Back to...

...business....

..."We rest here! Make camp!'...

...he shouted....

...I tried to hobble away, to find...

...shelter in the cold dark of...

...night, but I felt a hand grip...

...my arm....

..."Not so fast,...

..." the King said....

..."Where do you think you're...

...going?...

...I turned to him, suddenly...

...remembering what he'd done...

...to my father and Sean, to me,...

...and felt a volcanic rage boil...

...up within me....

..."Let go of me," I hissed....

...You dare give your King...

...orders?...

..."No King of mine would...

...have acted the way you have....

...To his own men. His own...

...alpha....

...99...

...His eyes narrowed and his...

...nostrils flared....

..."You think...

...you know everything, do...

...you?"s...

..."I know where you're taking...

...me. You're giving me up to...

...the Demon Lord. To keep...

...peace. For the "greater...

...good "...

...You would rather I let every...

...werewolf die? So vou may...

...live?...

...When he put it like that, I...

...didn't know what to say. I...

...looked aside, feeling ashamed...

...all of a sudden. Selfish....

..."No," I admitted....

..."You have...

...to do what you have to do."...

..."Belle."...

...I turned, surprised to hear my...

...name on his lips. The first...

...time, it had been purely...

...logistical; a way to confirm...

...my identity. This time....

...This time, I didn't know what...

...I was supposed to feel....

..."I am not a monster," he said....

..."I must appear that way to...

...you now. But I assure you…I...

...only hurt those who defy me....

...I am the King, after all. I...

...cannot back down. Ever."...

..."What if I refuse? To back...

...down?" I said, staring him...

...straight in the eve....

..."Then you would force my...

...hand.?...

..."You would hurt me."...

..."I wouldn't enjoy it."...

...Before I could stop myself, I...

...flung a hand at his face to...

...slap him. He was so fast, I...

...didn't even see him move....

...His hand was around my...

...wrist, gripping it tight...

...-SO...

...tight…it hurt....

..."Please," I begged...

..."I warned you, did I not?' he...

...growled...

...For a second, I thought he...

...was going to snap my wrist in...

...half. His eyes burned with a...

...rage I didn't know him...

...capable of....

...I fell to my knees. I had never...

...known pain so excruciating in...

...my life. But I refused to let a...

...single tear escape my eye....

...I wouldn't give him that...

...satisfaction....

...Just when I thought I couldn't...

...take it anymore, I heard a...

...voice in the distance....

..."Keith, let her go. She's had...

...enough!"...

...The King glared at the man...

...who yelled. But, much to my...

...relief, he finally let me go....

...I grabbed my wrist, feeling it...

...swell already. Then, he turned...

...sharply and stomped away....

..."Are you okay?"...

...asked one of...

...the King's warriors, with...

...unexpected kindness in his...

...eyes....

...«You should get a...

...handle on those outbursts if...

...you want to stay alive. Don't...

...push him."...

..."He is a beast." I seethed....

..."That, he is,...

..." he sighed. "But...

...that's what makes him so...

...good at being our King. I'm...

...sorry, I forgot to introduce...

...myself. I'm Xavier.»...

...When I attempted to say my...

...name, he stopped me with a...

...hand gesture....

..."I know who...

...you are. You're the mystery...

...girl the Demon Lord wants,...

...he chuckled....

..."Something like that," I said....

...He handed me a blanket, and...

...I covered myself, grateful....

...I was going to ask him where...

...we were going when the King...

...returned. He had washed...

...himself. His hair was wet....

...Small droplets cascaded...

...down his sculpted chest to his...

...torso before disappearing...

...beneath his trousers and....

...No, no! It's happening again....

...Control yourself, Belle!...

...He caught me staring and...

...gave a wicked grin....

...I immediately looked away,...

...disgusted with myself. How...

...could I be attracted to the...

...man who had hurt my...

...brother, my father, and me,...

...just a few moments ago?...

...But some uncontrollable urge...

...inside my chest drew me to...

...him. Made me crave his...

...touch; made the most intimate...

...parts of me warm with desire....

..."Come," he said, nodding to...

...me....

..."You will sleep in my...

...tent tonight."...

...I took a step back, eyes...

...widening....

..."So I may keep an eye on...

...you,...

..." he corrected my train....

...of-thought....

..."Can't have you...

...running off now, can we?"...

...He nodded to Xavier with...

...thanks, then escorted me into...

...a large tent. I expected a most...

...decadent setting, fit for a...

...king, but the adornments...

...were simple and spartan....

...He saw himself as a warrior...

...first, clearly....

..."You will sleep here,...

...9 he...

...said, nodding to a small bed...

...that had been made up....

..."Don't try to escape. I have...

...guards watching the tent....

...Then, without another word,...

...the King collapsed on his...

...larger bed and almost...

...immediately fell asleep. The...

...run must have really taken it...

...out of him....

...Looking at him- quiet now,...

...peaceful-...

...I felt my disgust...

...and anger subsiding…and...

...curiosity taking their place....

...Who was this Werewolf King,...

...anyway? He was alternately...

...terrifying one second and...

...considerate the next....

...He was gorgeous and...

...monstrous. Powerful and...

...pitiful. A contradiction I...

...longed to truly understand....

...But not tonight....

...No. Whether guards were...

...watching or not, tonight, I...

...intended to escape....

...They seemed to swarm all...

...around me, their skin slick...

...with an oily, glowing...

...substance....

...For a second, they almost...

...looked like.....

...But they couldn't be, could...

...they? The Demon King...

...would wait until I was...

...eighteen years old. Surely, he...

...wouldn't be sending his...

...minions after me now.....

...would he?...

...But then. I saw one of the...

...creatures grinning...

...demonically, eyes fixed on...

...me....

...It stepped closer. Closer. It...

...stretched a hand toward me,...

...and even though it stood ten...

...meters away, the arm kept...

...stretching, impossibly long...

...and elastic, until its ugly...

...black, oily hand was about to...

...tear at my face....

...I was done for....

...I was just about to shift into...

...my wolf form and try to make...

...my escape, when a big jaw...

...closed around his neck,...

...ripping open his throat. Green...

...jelly spewed through the air....

...The King had come to my...

...rescue. And suddenly, the...

...King's men were everywhere,...

...fighting every demon in sight....

...For a second. I was almost...

...grateful. Until I remembered...

...he'd gotten me into this mess...

...in the first place....

...When the creatures were all...

...disposed of, I stepped out of...

...the shadows and approached...

...Xavier....

..."Are you okay?" he asked...

..."I am," I replied. "Are...

...these....

.....?" I expected Xavier...

...to finish the sentence....

..."Demons,...

...» he nodded....

..."Were they here for me?"...

..."Probably. You...

..."ve never seen...

...them before? Wait until you...

...see a nymph!'...

...At first, I thought Xavier was...

...joking. But his expression...

...made it clear-...

...-he wasn't....

...I was so stunned. I couldn't...

...speak. There were more...

...beings in this world than I...

...could ever have possibly...

...imagined. One of which had...

...already tried to kill me....

..."We're leaving." the King...

...growled as he approached...

..."Unless, of course, you want...

...to try escaping again."...

...The asshole hadn't even...

...asked me how I was. But...

...then, a thought crossed my...

...mind....

..."Why did you fight for me?'...

...I asked....

..."Why not just let...

...them have me??'...

...The King looked away....

...Had he changed his mind?...

...Was he not going to hand me...

...over to the Demon Lord after...

...all? Why else would he have...

...fought so ferociously to...

...defend me?...

...Maybe there was more to the...

...King than met the eye....

...As the sun cast its vivid hues...

...of oranges and yellows across...

...the sky, slowly disappearing...

...beneath the horizon, we...

...finally stopped at the base of...

...a majestic castle....

...The King hollered to the...

...werewolves on the wall, and...

...the massive gate before us...

...opened, revealing a gorgeous...

...female, who rushed toward us...

...with her thick auburn hair...

...flying behind her....

...She threw herself at the king,...

...wrapping her legs around his...

...waist and locking her mouth...

...to his, thrusting her hands...

...into his thick black hair....

...For reasons I couldn't...

...explain, it made me burn with...

...jealousy. I wanted to rip this...

...woman's heart out....

...Moon Goddess, why does this...

...keep happening?...

...I didn't want the King. Far...

...from it. And yet my body...

...seemed to have other ideas....

..."Xavier," I asked, turning to...

...the warrior. "Who is she? The...

...bitch??'...

...«That bitch is my sister,...

...Zena,...

..." laughed Xavier....

..."Don't worry, she is a bitch,"...

...he reassured, after seeing the...

...embarrassed look on my face....

...Zena left a trail of kisses...

...along the King's jaw, making...

...my stomach twist in envy and...

...disgust. I couldn't believe it....

...It was actually making me...

...nauseous....

...She turned and eyed me up...

...and down....

..."Who's the girl?'...

...He considered me, and for a...

...moment, I thought his...

...traveling hands and lust-filled...

...eyes were imagining what he...

...might do to me....

..."Somebody.…singular," he...

...said...

...Zena didn't seem to like that...

...answer because she pulled...

...back and frowned....

..."Singular,...

...how???...

..."She's the first woman ever...

...to defy me."...

...Now, Zena understood, and...

...her lips curled into a cruel...

...smile....

..."Did she, now?"...

..."She even tried to escape me,...

...can you believe that?"...

..."Unforgivable."...

..."I don't know about that." the...

...King muttered, with a playful...

...flicker in his eyes....

..."But a...

...little time in the dungeon may...

...do the trick.?...

..."What?!" I screamed....

..."Keith, is that really...

...necessary?" Xavier protested....

...The King didn't bother...

...answering. He turned and...

...continued to make out with...

...his woman....

..."I hope the Moon Goddess...

...strikes you down, you...

...heartless animal! I cried, as...

...two of his warriors dragged...

...me away by the arms....

...I tried to catch Xavier's eye,...

...but he wouldn't look at me....

...I shot my eyes back to the...

...wretched King one last time....

...His mouth was buried in...

...Zena's neck, but his eyes...

...were watching me,...

...unblinking....

...And for a second, the look in...

...the Werewolf King's eyes...

...made it clear as the full moon...

...above us....

...He wished he was kissing...

...me.....

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