Cassia's POV
The whispers about the Alpha Prince wouldn't leave my mind.
Even after the assassination attempt, after the blood had been cleaned from my floors, after Darius had left me with more questions than answers, my thoughts kept circling back to one thing.
Who was he?
Why was his name spoken in hushed voices?
And why did I have the sinking feeling that my presence here had something to do with him?
"Are you alright my lady?" It was Darius at my doorstep.
"Doing well my lord."
This was my chance, I had to ask Darius.
"The Alpha Prince… who is he?" I asked as he walked into the chamber.
"Forget you ever heard that name." His response had been curt.
That was the end of it. No explanations, no answers.
"Why?" I asked.
"He is the most feared man in the kingdom and if you want to know he's a monster." he said and for some reason I knew his words were true.
"Feared than the king?" I frowned.
"You might say so." Without another word he left, again.
He didn't want to tell me? Then I would have to find out about him myself.
The castle was eerily silent as I slipped through the halls. I should have stayed in my chambers, but I couldn't.
Not after everything that had happened.
I wandered aimlessly; my bare feet soundless against the cold floors. I didn't know where I was going until I turned a corner and stopped short.
The hallway ahead was different from the others.
The walls were lined with black banners, embroidered with a sigil that wasn't the royal crest. A wolf with blood-red eyes.
The moment I stepped forward, a chill ran down my spine.
This place felt forbidden, but Important.
I took another step, then another. The air felt heavier, different here,
Then I saw a door, slightly ajar, with a golden insignia carved into the wood.
I hesitated. Something in me screamed to turn back but at that point my legs were moving on their own.
I pushed the door open.
The chamber inside was dimly lit, the glow of the fireplace. The scent of leather, spice, and something else filled the air. But the moment my eyes adjusted; I froze.
A man lay sprawled across the massive bed. He was not alone.
A woman was beside him, tangled in the sheets, her bare skin half-covered by furs. Her face was turned away, dark hair spilling over the pillow.
But the man… he was handsome, and his eyes… gods, his eyes were golden, but not like Darius. They were burned.
My stomach twisted. I had made a mistake. I wanted to turn around and leave but instead I walked to where he was laying bent over and before I knew it my right hand was on his face, my thumb brushing against his eyebrow
And then his eyes flutter open.
This was a terrible, irreversible mistake.
The man shifted; his movement was. The muscles in his bare chest tensed as he sat up, the sheets sliding down his torso.
"Who the hell are you?"
His voice was low, rough but Lethal.
I couldn't speak.
Was... he the Alpha Prince?
"I—" My words caught up in my throat, my mind searching for an explanation.
The woman beside him stirred, her dark lashes fluttering open. She turned, her sleepy gaze landing on me before narrowing.
"Who is she?"
The Alpha Prince's eyes didn't leave mine.
"That," he said slowly, "is what I'm about to find out."
He stood, completely unconcerned by his state of undress. Every inch of him screamed power, danger but all I could think about was how the gods did well create him. How stupid was I?
"I didn't mean to…" I forced the words out; my voice was barely above a whisper.
"Didn't mean to what?" He interrupted, stepping closer. His presence was both suffocating and intoxicating. "Didn't mean to enter my chambers uninvited?"
"I… did n..ot know… this is…your cham…ber." My jaw clenched as I stammered.
"And yet, here you are."
I opened my mouth, but no words came. I had no excuse. No defense.
His gaze flickered over me. "Who are you?" He repeated, "I believe you were blessed with a name?" His tone was lower this time.
"Princess Cassia of Lysoria." I lifted my chin.
The woman in his bed sat up abruptly. "The human?"
The way she said it made my skin crawl.
The Alpha Prince said nothing, his golden eyes locked onto mine.
"Why are you here?" His voice was softer now. Dangerously softer.
"I was sent to marry Lord Darius as part of the treaty." I swallowed.
Something in his jaw ticked.
I didn't understand why, but the moment I said Darius' name, the tension in the room changed.
"You shouldn't be here." His voice was cold now.
"I didn't mean…"
"Get out."
The command hit me like a physical force, and immediately I took an instinctive step back, then another until I was out the door. I felt breathless with my heart hammering.
I didn't stop moving until I reached my chambers. I shut the door behind me, pressing my back against the wood.
I could still feel his eyes on me, even from across the castle.
Who was he?
No, what was he?
And why did I feel like I had just done something unforgivable?
I feared that he wouldn't forgive me.
Asher's POV
The moment she was gone, the room felt colder. I stared at the door, my pulse still thrumming in my veins.
Her scent still lingered.
Something inside me shifted, I had spent years mastering control, but the moment she stepped into my room, something had snapped.
I clenched his jaw, shoving the thought away.
"Kael?" The woman beside me, Arora, said watching me.
"Leave," I ordered.
"But…" She frowned.
I turned to gaze at her, and she scowled but obeyed, dressing quickly before leaving without another word.
The door shut behind her, leaving me alone. Alone, except for the feeling that something had just gone terribly, terribly wrong.
I had never met the human princess before. So why did her presence feel like a threat?
Why did my wolf, the beast that had never bowed to anyone react as if she was something its instincts refused to ignore?
Why did we feel ashamed, and scared that we betrayed her?
My hands clenched into fists.
No. She was nothing.
And I would prove it.