Chapter 396

I bury my scowl at the prospect of meeting my enemy and nod to Gabriel, letting my face break into a pretty smile like I’m excited about it. Gabriel stares at me for a moment, I think surprised, and then breaks into a dark laugh, shaking his head as he leads me away. “You can drop the front around me, Ariel,” he murmurs, wrapping my arm tight in his so that I walk close at his side. “Though it is good around everyone else. Yes, let the court believe you docile and sweet.”

“There is no front, highness,” I say, quite light, smiling and nodding to those around us who take a moment to nod to me. “I’m very pleased to be here. You’ve saved me from the tyranny of my home land.”

He huffs a laugh and glances down at me again. “Lies. I know you for the patriot you are, Ariel.”

“Patriot I might be,” I say, raising my eyes to his. “But it doesn’t mean I can’t believe that some things are done better here in Atalaxia. We could benefit from your influence, especially in terms of our social structure and family lives.”

Gabriel studies my face, I think honestly considering whether or not I mean that. And inwardly I shout my thanks to Faiza, because every inch of it was a wretched lie.

There’s no time to talk on it further, though, as we arrive at the throne.

“Behave yourself,” Gabriel snaps, his voice a harsh whisper, his arm tightening harshly on mine. “If you do anything to embarrass yourself, Juniper will pay.”

I take a deep breath and nod, letting him know that I consent. For Juniper and Jesse – just in case he does have them – but also for myself. Because this plays into my plans as well.

I focus on the man in front of me, taking in the richly-adorned King, an old man – much older than my father – who sits straight in his throne. He frowns, suspicious and disapproving, as his eyes sweep over my form. And even though I don’t dare look at anything else, I don’t miss – in the corner of my vision – that a photographer steps forward and begins taking pictures.

Good, I think. Good. Let this all go to the press.

Behind the King stands a young man whose familial relationship to Gabriel and Elias could not be clearer. I recognize him instantly, of course – the Crown Prince. The crowned young man I last saw in my own Palace before Midwinter.

And, as it was then, his wolf is wrong. Wrong, wrong. I can smell it on him, sense it. Even if I cannot see his wolf in the same way that I see Gabriel’s, I know that it’s the same. Wrong, corrupted.

And so, I realize as I focus my eyes on the monarch, is the King’s.

For he, too, is corrupted.

Gabriel stops a few feet away from the King but loosens his grip on my arm, continuing to hand me forward so that I step to the King alone.

“Uncle,” he says, his voice low. “May I present to you my mate, the Princess Ariel Sinclair.”

The King says nothing, still frowning at me, waiting for me to show my cards.

So I act, my Princess training coming in quite handy now as I step forward, bowing my head and dropping to my knees before my enemy. “Your highness,” I say, my voice low and reverent. “Thank you for this welcome to your court.”

“The welcome is all at Gabriel’s insistence, Princess,” the King murmurs formally, offering one hand to me. “I suggested that you be thrown in the dungeons with the rest of the dogs we captured from your nation, but my sentimental nephew is convinced he can train you up into a proper Atalaxian lady.”

I nod, reverent, my head still bowed. “I will endeavor in all ways to follow my Alpha’s lead,” I murmur.

“Then you may begin,” the King says, offering his hand, his emerald ring shining, “by denouncing your allegiance to your homeland. And vowing allegiance to me.”

Instantly I take his hand, like it’s some gift offered to me that I’ve always wanted and never thought I could have. “I vow it,” I say, raising my eyes to him, willing earnest truth into my eyes. “I disavow any ties to my old life, the land that raised me, my family there. I belong to my Alpha now and swear to honor his will, and through it, yours.”

And then I bow my head, and press my lips to the King’s ring as if it’s my lover.

And when I raise my eyes again I see a small smile on this monarch’s lips. And even as hatred and a very deep, very real desire to burn this entire room to the ground races through my heart, a little pleasure swells there as well.

Because in lowering myself before him, and disavowing everything I’ve ever known, I’ve played into every concept that the Atalaxian’s have regarding womankind: that we’re wayward, and stupid, and that all we need is a strong Alpha’s guiding hand to show us the way.

In thus debasing myself, I think – I hope – I have made my first step towards fooling this man into thinking that I, too, am just a foolish little woman.

Even though I have every intention of ripping out his throat and walking all the way home with his blood dripping from my fangs.

It’s hours before Gabriel escorts me back to my room. Hours of laughing at horrible jokes about how lucky I am to be saved from the homeland I treasure. Hours of smiling at old men who ogle me in my ridiculous corset and openly compliment Gabriel on what a catch he stole from that heathen land, what beautiful sons I will produce for him. Hours of simpering women who congratulate me over and over on the luck I’ve had to be mated to this…monster.

As we walk back to the room, my head pounds – absolutely pounds becuase the entire time I endured the courtiers, did my best to hold my mask up as they actively insulted my father, called my mother a peasant whore, laughed at my aunt for calling herself a doctor – the entire time… Gabriel’s wolf pushed. Pushed towards mine, sought to get to her, sought to bully her into accepting the bond and building the bridge between our souls. He snarled at her, and threatened her, and howled to her.

My head aches now with the hangover of the effort between negotiating my inner and outer worlds, both of which were an assault.

Gabriel doesn’t say a word as we approach my door, instead simply grasping the handle and pushing it open. But the moment I step into the darkness of the room he moves, shoving me hard towards the bed and slamming the door shut behind him.

“Go,” he growls as I spin and trip over my feet in my shock, trying to push him away as he moves with me, shoving me onto the mattress and climbing over me as I fall onto my back. “Submit, Luna.”

“Get off of me!” I scream, shocked and terrified, any thought of my sweet Princess persona ripped from me.

“No,” he snarls, lowering himself so that his body is pressed along the length of mine. “You will submit to me, and I will mark you now so that you know who your master is, and –“

But my wolf snarls, ripping away my shock, and I remember my lessons with Blaze. I snarl too as I wrap my hands in Gabriel’s shirt and throw my whole weight into my left shoulder, rolling Gabriel over onto his own back in the same moment that I shift into my wolf. He looks up at me, shocked, when he realizes what happened, but my teeth are already at his throat.

I only have the advantage for a moment, though, before Gabriel roars and hits me, hard, with the side of his arm, sending me flying away. Not before my teeth graze his neck – but enough that my tiny wolf body goes flying across the bed, bounces once, and then careens to the floor where I hit, hard.

I yelp, my paws scrabbling for purchase, desperate to get up and see where he is –

But suddenly the lights turn on and I scurry around the side of the bed, desperate to know who’s here – who has come to my rescue. My eyes lock on Pippa, at the door, staring horrified with her hands over her mouth as Elias roars and storms forward, grabbing Gabriel by the back of his shirt as he lurches for me, hauling my mate back and away from me.

“Gabriel!” Elias barks, shaking his brother roughly, making him turn.

“Get your damn hands off me, Elias!” Gabriel roars, turning his head to snarl at his brother, his fangs long and ready to pierce. “She’s my fucking Luna –“

Elias, to my shock, drops Gabriel’s shirt and winds his hand back, delivering a heady slap across his brother’s face. Gabriel gasps and stumbles to the side, his hand going to his face.

“Whether or not she is your mate,” Elias growls, advancing again on his brother, “gives you no right to assault her. Even by Atalaxian standards you go too far.”

“When she is my Luna,” Gabriel snarls, standing and glaring hard at his brother, “I have a right to her body –“

“And she is not your Luna!” Elias shouts, taking a single solid step towards his brother and grabbing the front of his shirt, shaking him again. “You weakling, is this seriously how you would have your mate!?” He casts a hand out towards me. “Trembling in fear!?”

I take a moment to assess myself, not very surprised to find that Elias is right – I’m trembling in every one of my limbs, my little wolf paws sliding and struggling to find purchase on the marble floor. Pippa snaps her gaze to me as well and gives a little cry of dismay, dashing across the room to me and wrapping me tight into her arms, pulling me half into her lap. I give a little wolf cry of dismay as my mind comes back to me, as I begin to realize how horrible and terribly close that was.

And that there’s nothing to stop him from doing again.