(Duncan)

I stared at each of the elders' faces. They had come to see me only to discuss an old issue: the heir. Davina and I had been married for fourteen years, and we had no children. I didn't know why, because we were both healthy.

"Our kingdom is at peace, but war could break out at any moment. If you were to die in battle, who would lead the kingdom? You won't stay young forever, and our kingdom needs the assurance of a new king when you are gone," Ewan said.

"The queen has failed to produce an heir. You must immediately choose a healthy woman to give you a son. We hear you have been sleeping with Carissa Moss for the past few months. You'd better find another woman, because she has also failed," the chief elder continued.

"Do you think I'm a manwh*re?" I challenged him.

"Carissa Moss is barren. She has been married for four years and has no children with her husband. Your Majesty, you are thirty-five years old. How much longer must we wait until you assure us that this kingdom will have a leader if you are no longer here?" he argued.

"I won't die that quickly if you pray for my well-being."

"The people are restless, and the warriors are worried. If the situation continues, your reign will weaken because the people no longer trust you. Your brother—" Ewan countered.

"One more word about him, and you're dead," I threatened.

I didn't care that they were people I should respect. Everyone who belittled my position as king had to submit to me. They clenched their fists, bowed their heads, and cried when I unleashed my aura.

"I protect you with my life. You can live in peace because I risk my soul on the battlefield. You eat well, sleep soundly, and can enjoy your retirement, while I cannot enjoy any of that for your welfare," I explained.

"Then, you have the audacity to think my sacrifice is meaningless just because I don't have a son. Is my brother more valuable because he has two sons, even though he doesn't have better leadership skills?

"If you suggest again that I give my throne to him, I won't hesitate to take your lives. Davina and I are healthy. We have regular marital intercourse, even when she is in heat. We are also victims of this situation, not just you and all the people."

I suddenly felt an excruciating pain in my chest. I clenched my fists, trying to endure the agony. Damn it. Why did she do that while I was in a meeting? That shameless woman! I had to settle the score with her!

"I have to get back to work. The kingdom cannot run itself without someone to take care of it. If there is nothing else you want to say, let's end the meeting here," I said.

The elders stood up. The arrogance that had been on their faces had vanished. "Thank you for your wisdom, Your Majesty," they said.

I waited until the last person left, and the guard closed the door. After everyone was gone, I clenched my fists on the table and tried to catch my breath. The pain was getting worse, but I forced myself to stand up.

I walked out of the meeting room toward the stairs. Even though the pain made me angry, I walked calmly, unwilling to attract anyone's attention. Arriving on the fourth floor, I turned left and approached a double door guarded by two soldiers.

Sensing my anger, they spontaneously knelt and put their heads on the floor, bowing before me. They were not at fault. So, I just walked past them and opened the door. A disgusting smell filled my nostrils.

A woman sat on top of a man. I couldn't see her face, but I knew she was enjoying the intercourse. Neither of them wore a single piece of clothing. The man lay on the bed with eyes full of fear, staring at me.

"Your Majesty," the man said with difficulty, trying to fight his passion.

"Relax. He won't hurt you," Davina said casually.

Of course, I wouldn't hurt that ant. I lunged at Davina, grabbed her by the neck, and pushed her onto the bed, her back hitting the mattress. Her bedmate hurried up from the bed, put on some clothes, and left the room.

The pain disappeared in an instant. I regulated my breathing and waited until my heart was beating normally. Davina struggled, but I didn't loosen my grip. Seeing her pale face didn't make me feel sorry for her. She played with fire, so she deserved to get burned.

'Why are you angry?' she protested through the mind link. 'You can sleep with any woman you want. Why can't I do the same?'

'If you give me a child, the elders won't come see me every damn month just to pressure me about an heir.' I tightened my grip. 'You did that when I was with them. I know you wanted to embarrass me!'

'You're the one who embarrassed me by sleeping with another woman!' she snapped.

'Have you forgotten who suggested that dumb idea?'

'I allowed you to sleep with one woman for one month and wait for the results. But you've been sleeping with that whore for months. Do you think I don't know you're in love with her!?' Davina protested.

'I'm not a wh*re who sleeps with every woman just to get them pregnant. Your plan has made me a laughingstock. No, Davina. I won't follow your way. If you want to remain queen, Carissa will give birth to our child,' I stated.

The anger in Davina's eyes faded, and her gaze softened. My wife closed her eyes, hiding her pain from me. That charade wouldn't melt my heart. She used the same card repeatedly, and I had had enough.

'I don't want to be your queen. None of this would have happened if you had let me go.' The woman shed tears.

I loosened my grip before releasing her neck. Davina took a deep breath and covered herself with a blanket. That body had once tempted me and aroused my passion. Even though we were a couple, I had no desire to touch her.

I jumped out of bed and walked over to the window. The smell of their lovemaking made me sick. The afternoon air was cool, even though the sun was shining brightly, because it was autumn. I took a deep breath, trying to forget the scent of that betrayal.

"You and I are descendants of nobility. We cannot marry the people we choose. You should be happy that we are fated mates. I love you and give you everything you want. Why do you still bring up the past?" I muttered.

"You know the reason. Because of you, I lost my love."

"I didn't choose you to be my mate. Blame the Moon Goddess if you object."

Davina scoffed. "You only care about the kingdom and your throne. You didn't want to reject me because you wanted to be the most powerful king in history. Look at the consequences of your selfishness. You and I have no children."

"I forgive you. That is the last time. Don't do it again." I walked towards the door.

"Let me go, Duncan. We've been together for fourteen years. No matter how hard we try, we won't produce children. Find another woman who can give you offspring," the queen said in frustration.

"Go back to your office. Today isn't the weekend. You should be working, not screwing around," I ordered.

"I, Davina Haylor," Davina said, making me stop in my tracks, "Queen of the Moon Night Kingdom, reject you, Duncan Bayhill, as my mate."

Fourteen years of marriage, and I couldn't believe that I was the only one who felt joy and love for the mate that the Moon Goddess had chosen for me. Davina was everything I could have hoped for in a wife and queen. Why didn't she feel the same way?

I gave her everything she wanted. I fulfilled all her needs. There was only one request I refused, and that was to separate. I tried to be a good husband while striving to be a wise leader. But nothing could satisfy her.

A knock on the door broke my reverie. "Come in," I replied.

A guard opened the door. "Your Majesty, Ethan Darkwood won't last much longer," he reported. "The doctor estimates he will die tomorrow morning."

"Has he refused food and drink?" I asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he answered.

"Very well. You may return to your post." I changed my mind as I remembered something. "Wait. Have a servant prepare Carissa Moss to serve me tonight."

After trying for ten years and failing, I agreed to my wife's request to have a child with another woman. The royal doctor declared us healthy and without reproductive problems. The Moon Goddess might have other plans for us.

Davina chose every woman who slept with me. She would ask the doctor to check the woman's fertility. I would sleep with her for a week and wait three weeks for the results. If it failed, my wife would choose another woman.

I did all of that as my duty to produce an heir. My kingdom needed the assurance that it would have a leader if I were gone. My love and respect for Davina did not diminish even though I slept with other women.

I had no idea what Carissa had, but I was attracted to her. Perhaps four years of trying had changed my mind about my wife's method. For the first time, I refused Davina's suggestion to choose another woman. I only wanted to sleep with Luna from the Blood River Pack.

"Your Majesty, I bring you Carissa Moss," a servant called from behind the door.

I took a deep breath and only allowed the Luna to enter. I looked at the clothes I was wearing. The servants helped me clean myself up. Carissa would be comfortable with our intercourse when I was clean and smelled good.

The fresh scent of forest roses reached my nose when the guard opened the door. The beautiful woman stood in the doorway, looking at me without fear. Her long blonde hair covered her chest to her waist. Her luscious body almost made me lose control.

"Sit down," I ordered.

I told her about her husband's condition because I would have forgotten about it if I slept with her first. I wasn't surprised by her reaction. Carissa could think about other men when she was with me; I wasn't a romantic man.

There was only one thing I wanted from her: to submit to my authority. I couldn't forget our first wild night together. Carissa resisted me with all her strength, which only aroused me more. Taming her was the best s*xual experience of my life.

Although I liked our first night together, I liked it even more when she obeyed me. Everything was more intimate and satisfying when she wasn't being stubborn. Her quick response to my touch made everything easier. For some reason, she was different from other women, even my wife.

I kissed her hungrily because I hadn't been with her for three weeks. I impatiently opened her coat, wanting to feel her skin. Thankfully, she wasn't wearing anything under her robe. Her body felt perfectly smooth.

"Kiss me," I whispered when she remained motionless.

Feeling her return my kiss, I prepared her body to unite with mine. I couldn't wait to be in the best place in my life and feel the peak of pleasure after a terrible day.

"Your Majesty, I beg you," Carissa pleaded.

"What do you want?" I whispered.

"I want you," she moaned.

"You who?" I teased.

"King Duncan Bayhill."

"When no one's around, call me Duncan."

The doctor assured me that all the women my wife chose were healthy, especially since they had children. I didn't understand what was wrong with my approach that prevented them from getting pregnant. Since sleeping with different women didn't yield results, I decided not to replace the last woman.

I knew why Davina chose Carissa. That woman had been married for four years, but she and her husband had no children. I didn't mind that, because the doctor said she was healthy. I took it as a challenge. Her husband failed, but I would succeed.

My wife knew that the woman I slept with had to have a child as proof that she was fertile. She thought I'd just keep quiet after she chose a woman who didn't meet the criteria. Sleeping with the same woman was my payback for her trickery.

'Today is not the right day to sleep with any woman. Why did you break our agreement!?' Davina shouted through the mind link.

After cutting off communication while I enjoyed Carissa's body, I allowed my wife to speak to me. 'I know her schedule. Next week is her fertile period.'

'I decide the day, Duncan, not you!' she protested.

'You embarrassed me in front of the elders. It was just a small punishment from me. Now you know how it feels when your partner sleeps with someone else,' I replied.

'Don't you want children anymore?' Davina asked.

'What about you? Do you want children with me?' I questioned.

'Of course! I sacrificed myself for you and our kingdom,' she answered.

'Really? What did you sacrifice?' I demanded.

Davina scoffed. 'Do you think I'm happy seeing you sleep with other women? I have to endure the shame because everyone knows I failed to give you a child. They also know you sleep with other women to get an heir. That's my sacrifice.'

'Oh.' That was all I could say.

My wife didn't love me. And she might never have loved me. I knew why she rejected me earlier. Davina was frustrated, and I knew why. I wouldn't let her leave me. Our separation would only weaken my position as king.

Everyone was watching my every move because I had a weakness. That damn heir shouldn't be a problem. I was thirty-five, not seventy. Why were they so impatient about me having children?

Remembering the unfinished business, I took Carissa to the dungeon. I didn't want her to miss her husband's last moments. But I didn't expect Ethan to use that opportunity to reject his partner.

Did Carissa also experience the same marriage problems as I did? We married our true partners, but they loved other people. If that was the case, maybe that was the reason I was attracted to her.

"What should we do with his body, Your Majesty?" the prison guard asked.

"Have Elder Ewan prepare a cremation ceremony for him," I ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he replied obediently.

Even though Ethan Darkwood was the biggest criminal in the kingdom, he was an Alpha. He had the right to die as the leader of his pack. The man was lucky to die honorably in my territory.

I carried Carissa, who had fainted after feeling the pain of being separated from her husband. The man must have been furious because he suffered unbearable pain in his chest for one week every month. After all, I slept with his wife.

I laid the woman on my bed when I arrived in the room. I smoothed her long hair so it didn't cover her beautiful face. The mark on the curve of her neck caught my attention. The bite marks shaped like two small flowers were gone.

I stayed with Carissa until she woke up. I wanted to be the one to tell her about her husband's funeral arrangements. She seemed strong in accepting the information. Unfortunately, some bad news ruined my plan for an intimate breakfast with her.

(Carissa)

The servants left me after helping me get dressed. I looked at the food they had laid out on the table. I filled my plate and began to eat. I didn't want to cry over the passing of a man who didn't care about me.

I was his fated partner, Luna of his flock, but he gave his heart to another woman. Ethan didn't appreciate the time and devotion I had given him during our four years together. How could he be so cruel?

I didn't know what had happened to my pack because no one had given me any news. I reached out to them via mind link, but no one answered. I sent messages regularly. Unfortunately, they didn't reply.

I thought my people had scattered. I didn't expect them to be waiting to select a new leader. Who would be the new Alpha and Luna of the Blood River Pack? I knew of several candidates, but none of them were born Alphas. Ethan had younger siblings and cousins. Maybe one of them won the battle for the title of Alpha.

"It's time to start the ceremony." A servant came to see me in the room.

As night fell, Duncan hadn't returned. I didn't leave his chamber because he told me not to go out. The woman who came was the servant who used to deliver his message to me. So, I believed the king sent her.

"What about His Majesty?" I asked.

"Sleeping with the king doesn't give you the right to know what he's doing," she quipped.

"The king asked me not to leave the room," I explained.

"Come with me if you want to see your husband's funeral," she said sarcastically.

I stood up and smoothed my skirt. I was wearing a luxurious black dress, complete with a beautiful fur coat. As autumn approached, the night air felt chillier. But we were in the middle of the forest, which made the air even colder.

The woman walked towards the ground floor. A car was waiting in the front yard of the palace. The maid got into the car in front, while a soldier opened the car door in the middle for me.

The vehicles drove into the forest. I got out of the car near the path. The servant walked ahead, so I followed her. Several residents were gathered around something. They made room for me when the woman ahead of me announced my arrival.

I was shocked to see Ethan lying on a pile of wood. They were cleaning the blood and dirt from his face and body. I approached to see his handsome face one last time. He was wearing clean clothes and smelled nice.

I would miss his deep, lively brown eyes so much. His light brown hair made me jealous because he looked even more handsome with dark hair. My light hair color often made people say we weren't a good match, but I didn't care.

Unfortunately, he ended our relationship near the end of his life. I didn't understand why he called me a traitor. I was only trying to survive. I wasn't wrong to give my body to the king. I did it all to stay alive and for his safety.

I didn't forget my partner and my friends. I never stopped looking for a way to escape from the king's captivity. If I had known Ethan was in such bad shape, I would have freed him and left the cursed place.

"The moon has risen. It's time to begin the ceremony," a middle-aged man on a stage announced.

The people around me stopped talking. They turned their gaze to the elder. A woman approached him and handed him a container. The man accepted it and raised it high, then returned it to the woman.

The priest descended the stairs and walked towards me. She gave me a container filled with liquid. I accepted it and poured it with a broken heart onto my mate's body. After returning the stainless cup, I received a torch from a man.

I took a deep breath. No one from Blood River attended the ceremony. Why hadn't Duncan invited them? Did Ethan's status as a prisoner mean that the members of his pack weren't entitled to witness his passing into the afterlife?

"Alpha Ethan of the Blood River Pack will return to the embrace of the Moon Goddess. May he be reborn as a good man and live a long life. All praise to the Moon Goddess!" the elder exclaimed.

"All praise to the Moon Goddess!" everyone repeated.

I burned the wood with the torch. The fire consumed the wood quickly and burned Ethan's body. I stepped back and returned the torch to the man. Even though the fire was raging, I could see my partner behind the flames.

It was probably for the best. We had been in captivity for three months. Ethan gave up because he was suffering in prison. A leader with such high self-esteem would not easily give up unless there was no other way. Fate brought us together. Fate also separated us forever.

People began to leave the forest because the ceremony was over. I wanted to stay there longer, but the woman with me urged me to return. I turned to look at the ashes one last time.

"Ugh!" All the women escorting me stopped and placed their hands on their left chests.

"It can't be," the woman on my right murmured.

"Our queen!!" they cried out in unison.

They knelt on the ground, shocking me. They placed both hands on the ground to support their heads. All the servants roared while shouting the queen's name and begging her not to leave.

I widened my eyes. What!? The queen died?? Even though I wasn't a resident of the capital, I was part of the Moon Night Kingdom. I swore allegiance to the kingdom and the Lycan King. Why didn't I sense her death?

I let them grieve. The pain of loss would consume them physically and emotionally for several hours, because the one who had died was our supreme leader. That sight gave me an idea. An opportunity like that would never occur twice!

'The servants are in a weakened state. That means the guards are grieving too,' Quinn said.

'Right. It's the perfect chance to escape!' I stepped back and turned around.

Seeing no soldiers near me, I ran toward the border wall. Whatever the servants gave me, I was grateful to them. I didn't feel the pain of the queen's death. Though Ethan's death pained me, my strength had fully recovered.

My wolf urged me to shift, but I refused Quinn's suggestion. I'd need clothes while in the forest. I couldn't return to my pack in wolf form. Seeing the wall ahead of me, my heart raced.

'Finally, we can go home!' my wolf exclaimed.

I sprinted, fixing my gaze on the top of that high wall, but something strong and fast slammed hard into my right side. I was pushed to the left and fell into the grass. Before I could stand, a man was on top of me, pressing down on my neck.

"Damn it! Let me go!" I struggled fiercely.

Clyde chuckled. "Duncan's suspicions were right. You were going to try to escape tonight."

I gave up because his strength was greater than mine. "How come the queen's death didn't weaken you?"

"The queen's death didn't weaken you either," the Delta replied. He stepped back and stood up. "Come on, it's time to go back to the palace." The man held out his hand.

Hearing footsteps near me, I knew my chance to escape was gone. Servants and soldiers surrounded me. I took Clyde's outstretched hand and stood up. After fixing my hair and clothes, I followed them.

Clyde walked beside me, making sure I couldn't escape. B*stard. Just one step and I would be out of that hellish place. I clenched my fists, stopping the tears from streaming down my face.

The atmosphere in the palace was tense because everyone was grieving. The door guards, who were usually cold and alert, were in pain, and their eyes were watering. I knew how it felt because I had lost several people in my pack due to illness and war.

Seeing us continue to climb the stairs, I stopped. "Why are you taking me to the king's chamber?" I asked in confusion.

"It is the king's order," the woman beside me said.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The king couldn't have asked them to take me to his quarters. He couldn't ask me to serve him on the day of my husband and his wife's deaths. Duncan had been cruel to Ethan and my companions, but he wasn't a heartless man.

"Your Majesty, I am escorting Carissa Moss," the servant in front of me said.

"Only she may enter," Duncan replied.

My heart was pounding. My whole body was shaking. I knew the king had asked me not to leave the room earlier. I thought he had said that so we could go together to the cremation ceremony. If I went in, I would have to serve him in bed.

I couldn't do that, but going against him would be the same as destroying the rest of my flock. I couldn't face his powerful guards. Resisting him would be like starting our relationship from scratch.

"Why are you just standing there? The king is waiting." The woman beside me pushed my body.

I forced myself to step forward. After I passed through the door, the two guards closed it. I clenched my fists, feeling helpless and frustrated. I was the Luna of Blood River Pack, not a prostitute.

I took a deep breath, and something caught my sense of smell. The fragrant aroma, the lime that made my mouth water. It wasn't the king's perfume. Wait a minute. I knew that scent. My heart was pounding, and my breath was racing.

I searched for the source of the fragrance and met the king's gaze near the window. Duncan strolled toward me; his eyes fixed on me with admiration. The scent grew sharper as we drew closer. No. That couldn't be.