Jules's POV

The camp was alive with movement. The shouts of soldiers, the smell of horses. I sat on the ground, bound to a post with leather straps, my wrists sore. I was still shaken from what he'd done earlier. I could still feel the warmth of his fingers, the coldness in my chest from how he looked at me, it had made my heart race. At that moment, the captain approached, bearing a paper sealed in black wax. The king Lucian didn't take it right away. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the captain's face, sensing something important.

"What's this?" he asked, voice low but sharp.

The captain handed him the paper, and I watched closely. Lucian broke the seal and carefully opened it, reading the contents inside. As he read, his eyes flickered over the page, moving faster now, and his jaw clenched.

The tension in the air thickened, like the camp was holding its breath.

"This is not good," the king murmured, crumpling the letter in his hand. "We're not going back. Not yet."

I tensed up, panic creeping up my spine. If we were not going back to his pack, where were we going? His presence was needed elsewhere, and I felt a bubble of dread in my chest.

Does this mean that he would let me go?

"Get ready," the king ordered his men. "We ride to Ravenstone pack. Immediately."

I didn't understand why they were going to Ravenstone. But the king's command was final. He mounted his horse with cold authority, not sparing another glance at me. His men moved quickly to prepare. I was shoved onto a horse and forced to ride along, the ropes still binding me tight.

By the time we reached Ravenstone, the sun had already set. The gates opened as if they had been expecting us. The Alpha of Ravenstone stood waiting with his guards, all dressed in polished armor. Their faces were blank, yet welcoming.

"We've been expecting your arrival, King Lucian," the Alpha Gunner with a polite bow.

King Lucian didn't respond immediately. He just gave a curt nod,

The Alpha's face was as serious as his tone. His eyes didn't soften when he spoke, and his posture was rigid, like someone who couldn't afford to waste time. It was clear that whatever business they had here, it couldn't wait.

"We will discuss matters later," the Alpha Gunner said. "But for now, rest from your journey. There will be a change of clothes waiting for you. It's a long evening ahead."

The guards gave a quick nod of recognition and gestured for me to follow. Unsure of the situation, I paused for a moment, knowing how serious this was. But I followed behind them. The guards led me through the pack mansion with huge, thick stone walls and tall spires. It wasn't just a building, it was a place of power. Gunner is a powerful Alpha and this invitation is not only for business, it is a respect for him. Everybody knows it.

We walked through tight spaces, dark and narrow hallways until we arrived at a set of rooms that felt cold and unwelcoming. The guards stood at attention by the door. The head of the guards handed me a set of fresh clothes.

"You can rest now," he explained. "Dinner will be done soon."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked out the door. I stood there for what felt like a minute, focused on the door as it clicked shut behind me.

The room was small, basic, and felt uninviting. I could feel some sort of suffocating silence and thick air, as if I didn't belong there. I was less than just a person, I was included as part of the process for them to use when they saw fit.

With one last, heavy sigh, I slid into the clothing they had given me, feeling like I was falling into an inescapable part. The door creaked open and a guard entered with a food tray.

He gave me a quick glance and placed the tray on the flimsy table at the side of the bed, barely wobbling it. With the smell of stew and bread, I started to get hungry but at the same time felt it was strange and wrong to eat with everything that is weighing me down.

"You eat," the guard looked at me saying almost gently in a low tone, standing near the creaking door. "You've got a long night ahead."

I nodded my head, not sure how to respond. He was not your normal guard, the one that just threw meals through the door and left me to me. This one lingered, and would glance at me while standing there.

I lifted the spoon and took a small bite, forcing its passage past the lump in my throat. He was waiting, and I had no intention of talking to him. But his gaze was heavy and too penetrating.

"So," he said after a moment, stepping further into the room, "how are you doing?"

I glanced up at him. His face was serious, not unfriendly. Something about him unsettled me.

"I don't know. It's hard to get used to... well, being stuck here," I said, lowering my spoon.

The guard raised an eyebrow. "Stuck? You're not stuck. You are here because the King wants you here. You are safe."

"Safe?" I balked, frustration boiling over. "I feel anything but safe. I don't belong here."

He hesitated, looking carefully at me, then offered a slight nod, as if still considering the matter. "You aren't the first to feel that way. This place, this life... it changes you."

"Changes me?" I repeated, unable to suppress my anger. "I didn't ask for any of this. I don't belong to anyone."

The guard narrowed his eyes and changed his stance like he was considering his next line of dialogue. "No one chooses this life. Do you think I wanted to end up here?" His risky tone dropped an octave, as if trapped in a moment of vulnerability. "No one ends up here on purpose."

This moment hit me harder than I would have liked. He sounded like a man who was trapped, just like I was. He wasn't a monster; he was just a pawn like me in this sinister game.

But then I remembered, I didn't want to be a pawn anymore.

I put the spoon down with shaking hands and looked up at him. "Please," I said quietly. "I never chose any of this. I didn't know they were hunting that day. I'm not going to hurt anyone. I can't hurt anyone. I'm not a killer being sent to kill the king. You have to believe me."

The guard's expression softened for a quick second. "I'm not the one you need to convince," he muttered, looking down as his strange comment lingered in the air.

"Then who do I have to convince?" I asked, my voice almost a shriek. I pushed myself off the bed, ready to throw the whole room around. "Please, you have to help me. I don't belong here, I don't belong with this life. I'm not your enemy; I swear. I just want to leave."

His eyes shifted; they darted over my shoulder, and for a short moment, I actually thought he was going to say something but he didn't. He sighed and dragged his fingers through his dirty, blond hair. "You don't understand, it's not that simple."

"Please!" I nearly begged at this point. "I don't know how I got here. I don't know why they brought me...I literally don't know anything except that I want out."

He shook his head, his face looking gaunt with regret. "I can't help you, Jules," he said, leaning in like he had planned to let me in on a secret. "I can't risk it. I'm in debt to the king....it's my life he placed on the line. If I help you, it's basically still me digging my grave."

I stood in silence for a moment, my heart dropping. His words weighed me down like a boulder. "So, you are just going to leave me here?" I asked, small.

No response, and his silence spoke volumes.

"I guess I'll have to do that on my own?" I said quietly, more to myself than to him. The hopelessness in my voice struck the air hard between us.

The guard's eyes hovered over me for a split second, full of pity. "I'm sorry," he finally said quietly, turning and leaving through the door.

At that moment, the door swung open, and I turned to see King Lucian standing in the doorway. His eyes were frosty and methodical, and I felt the room compress as he looked around.

"You will do what, exactly on your own?" he asked, his voice low, dangerous, and filled with subtle menace.

My heart sped fast, panic clenching around my throat tightening; I could not breathe, I could not speak. The king had heard us.

I gulped hard, trying to steady myself. "Simply thinking aloud. I-I didn't mean anything by it," I tripped out, while hating the way my voice sounded so weak.

Lucian looked back and forth from me to the guard standing gripped in the door frame like a deer caught in a car's headlight. Lucian sucked in the corner of his mouth like he was mulling something, then narrowed his eyes at me. "Is that so?"

The atmosphere had gotten thicker, and I felt like the weight of Lucian's stare was heavy upon me. This was going to be tricky, I realized I had to play this carefully or else I would end up paying the price for my desperation.

I took a slow intentional breath, hoping my heart wasn't racing loudly enough for him to hear it. "Yes sir," I murmured, slightly trembling.

Lucian said nothing at first. His eyes roamed over me cold, assessing, like he was searching for the smallest flicker of rebellion. After a long, suffocating pause, he gave a single nod, sharp and final.

"Good. Then keep your thoughts to yourself, Jules."

He took a step closer, so close I could feel the heat of him. His voice dropped, calm but commanding.

"You will attend the celebration party tonight. With me." He paused, eyes narrowing slightly. "Not as a guest. As what you are my slave."

The words hit like a slap, blunt and cruel. My stomach tightened. My pride flinched.

"You'll stand beside me, silent. Nothing more. Nothing less."

He looked down at me and then back up again, with mild disgust as if he'd just seen something offensive.

"And shower again, " he said flatly. "I don't like the way you smell."

He leaned in, his nose virtually touching my cheek. "Familiar," he practically spat. "Just like something I was supposed to leave in the gutter."

I was frozen in place and fists clenched at my sides.

How did I end up here, called an assassin one day, dragged into a collar the next? And why, after all his accusations, did he want me anywhere near him?

He gave a final, dismissive glance. "Don't make me repeat myself."

Jules POV

Lucian spoke, spun around, and walked out, slamming the door behind him. The sound sent chills up my spine; it felt so final.

I was alone again, but the silence that he left behind felt heavier.

The sun was starting to set; the dark purple sky was gloomy and it reminded me how I can faintly hear laughing and voices in the distance. The guards were talking about something that sparked my interest-something that gave me hope.

"They must be done with the meeting," one guard said, his voice faint through the door. "Now it's the after party. The Alpha loves to celebrate."

This would be my chance. Once the party started, people would start to celebrate and they would be more distracted. I would be able to slip away. I just had to figure out how long I had, but it had to be enough.

I walked towards the door, my heart pounding, every step slow and careful. I reached the door, pressed my ear against the wood and listened. Nothing, no voices, no footsteps. Maybe the guards were preoccupied with the party. Or maybe, they weren't watching.

I turned toward the window and looked out. The drop was too far-if I jumped, I'd probably hurt myself badly. That wasn't an option. I needed another way out, and fast.

I gently turned the door handle, moving as quietly as I could, and opened it just enough to slip through. The air was too still, like the quiet before something bad happened. I took one cautious step forward, then froze.

Just a few feet ahead, two guards were standing, speaking in low voices. They were smoking, the red tips of their cigarettes glowing. I held my breath, hoping they wouldn't see me.

One of them spoke first. "What do you think the Alpha wants with that boy, Jules?"

I froze. Me? They were talking about me.

The other guard puffed on his cigarette, his voice low and skeptical. "I don't really know. But that boy... there's something off about him. He doesnt look like a boy, more like a" He hesitated, as if searching for the right words. "More like a-well, I don't know. Something's just weird. Doesn't sit right."

The first guard chuckled darkly. "Yeah, you mean to say he's pretty. I pity him, honestly. When he gets back to our pack... he'll regret being born."

I felt my heart drop into my stomach. The words hit me like a slap. They were talking about me like I was nothing, like I was a thing, not even worth being treated like a person. I clenched my fists, the anger rising within me. But that wasn't what hurt the most.

What stung was how they said it. When he gets back to our pack, like I was already marked for something far worse. I hadn't done anything wrong. I wasn't some criminal or spy. I had just been trying to escape one nightmare and found myself in another.

I took a step back, my mind racing. How have I gotten here? How had it all gone so wrong? I had no idea what King Lucian wanted with me, but it wasn't good. I could feel it in my bones.

I couldn't stay here. I had to leave.

I turned and walked quickly but quietly down the hallway, looking for a way out that didn't have guards. I needed to move fast-if they caught me now, who knew what they'd do. The front entrance was packed with guards, and I couldn't go that way.

I had to find another path, something that would let me sneak out without anyone seeing me. The longer I stayed, the more trapped I felt. I couldn't waste time. I had to think clearly.

The more I thought, the more afraid I got. I had no friends here. No one would come to help me. It was just me, alone in this awful place, with no easy way out. I had to run.

As I moved, my mind raced with ideas, but none seemed right. I had to act fast or I'd miss my only chance to be free. "Please, let there be a way out."

I pressed my back to the cold wall, breathing shallow. Every footstep felt loud. I moved as quietly as I could, keeping low, eyes scanning around me. My heart beat so loud it felt like it could give me away.

I had left the main hallway, but now I realized I had messed up badly. The place was confusing, full of turns, and every door looked the same. I felt lost-no matter which way I went, it just pulled me in deeper.

My boots barely made a sound as I crept up the stairs, every muscle tight with fear. Behind me, I heard the sharp clank of armor bouncing off the walls-too close. Panic filled me. I needed a place to hide.

At the top of the stairs, I rushed to the first door I saw and slipped inside, closing it softly behind me. My fingers brushed a small key hanging beside the frame.

I turned it with a soft click and held my breath.

Silence.

I backed away slowly, eyes scanning the dim space. The room was empty-or so I thought. Then I heard it.

A moan. Soft. Breathless.

I stopped, my ears straining.

Another sound followed-the wet, unmistakable sound of lips meeting. My breath hitched. Someone else was here.

I moved closer, compelled by some intangible thing, maybe curiosity, maybe fear, or maybe a bit of both. Then I saw it: a faint golden glow filtering through an opening in the wall. A hidden door. A secret room.

I crept quietly and went to the edge and put my fingers on the panel. The panel moved to the side and there was a narrow, draped room in velvet no larger than a wardrobe. The glow was from a candle illuminating deep, plush rugs and thick, silky pillows.

And there on the cushions was him.

King Lucian.

His cloak was tossed to the side and his hand was firmly holding a woman once again around her waist. Her back was arched, her breasts heaved as she gasped for air. His fingers were slick with her desire, glistening as they slipped between her folds. I was entranced watching, when he slid two fingers deep inside her pussy, and his thumb was swirling around her clit.

"Fuck, Lucian," she moaned, her voice a low, throaty growl. "Don't stop."

His lips curled into a wicked smile. "I have no intention of stopping, my dear. Not until you're crying out my name."

I bit my lip and tried to repress the sudden flood of heat building between my own legs. My pussy throbbed, wet and aching, I didn't even know why. I didn't even know this woman and watching her writhe under his hands had me on the edge of an orgasm.

I hesitated torn between wanting to leave and needing to know what it felt like to have his hands on me.

I told myself to look away, leave, shut the panel but I didn't. I couldn't.

The mate bond still clung to me like thorns, even after he'd shattered it with that cold, brutal rejection. It should have been breaking by now. It should have been dissolving, fraying like old thread. But it hadn't. Not fully.

Because as I stood there, hidden in the shadows, watching the man who'd called me an assassin and collared me like a beast-I still felt him.

Jules POV

My chest ached. My hands trembled. And god's help me, some cursed part of me still burned when I saw his face twist in desire.

He hadn't even looked at me like that.

Not once.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't my fault. I was trying to survive. I didn't ask for the bond or the rejection that came with it. But watching him touch her like that, hearing the sounds that belonged to a moment I had no place in, shattered something deep in my chest.

I wasn't free of him. Not yet.

I tried to move. To slip away and pretend I had never seen anything.

But I couldn't. My feet stayed planted. I felt stuck-rooted by something deep, raw, and painful.

You love watching, yeah?

I flinched.

That voice, it slithered through my mind like smoke. It wasn't mine. It wasn't my wolf.

It was him.

I lifted my gaze slowly-and there he was.

King Lucian. Standing in the doorway of the hidden room. His shirt was still open, his chest rising and falling. He looked like wrath wrapped in silk.

And he was staring straight at me.

My stomach dropped.

He moved fast. In a blink, his hand was on me, dragging me out by the collar. My shoulder slammed into the wall as he yanked the panel shut with a loud snap.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" he barked, his face twisted in anger. "Were you spying on me, boy?"

I didn't mean to-" I stammered.

But he didn't care.

He gripped my jaw, forcing my head up. "You really are a little freak, aren't you? Couldn't help yourself?"

Behind him, she stepped into view, the red-haired woman. Her dress clung to her like a second skin, lips swollen from kissing, eyes blazing.

"Who is the fool that ruined our moment?" she snapped, her voice sharp and haughty.

"He's my slave," King Lucian said coldly, not even sparing me a glance.

Her eyes narrowed. "Then how did your stupid slave end up here?"

I barely had time to process the insult before her hand came out of nowhere. A sharp crack exploded across my face. Her claws scratched skin, the sting immediate and humiliating.

I gasped, stumbling back.

"You should know your place," she hissed. "You're not even worth the dirt on my shoes."

The pain in my cheek burned. My pride burned worse.

But I said nothing. I couldn't. Not without giving myself away.

So I swallowed it.

Every word. Every bruise.

Because if I didn't... I wouldn't survive.

"He's not an issue," Lucian muttered, cold and dismissive.

Then he grabbed me by the back of the shirt and yanked me out of the room like I was filth. I stumbled after him, my feet barely catching the floor before he shoved me forward and threw me down.

I hit the ground hard. Dust rose from the stone floor as pain shot through my side.

The place echoed with sudden footsteps. The two guards stationed outside my quarters rounded the corner, eyes wide, weapons half-raised.

Looks like they'd been searching for me.

"Take him back to his room," Lucian barked, not even looking at me.

The guards moved toward me in a rush-but he wasn't done.

"And how the hell did he get out?" he said low, dangerous.

He turned on the first guard, the one closest to my door.

The man froze.

Lucian stepped close. Too close.

Then, without warning, he grabbed the guard by the throat. The man barely gasped before Lucian's claws slashed out-clean, sharp, brutal.

Blood sprayed as his claws pierced the man's chest, right over the heart.

The guard shuddered, lips parting in silent agony. But no scream left his mouth.

He knew better.

King Lucian hated screams. The louder you were, the faster you died.

The guard trembled, choking on blood. He let go, and the man crumpled to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

"Next time," Lucian said coldly, wiping his claws on the man's cloak, "don't let him out of your sight."

The other guard nodded quickly, terrified.

He and another hauled me up roughly by the arms. My ribs ached, my lip was bleeding, but I stayed quiet.

No sound. No resistance.

That's how you stayed alive here.

As they pulled me down to my chamber, I turned to look back just once. The other guard knelt beside the bleeding one, trying to stop the rushing blood flowing from his chest.

But it was futile.

No one is going to escape the injustice of displeasing the king.

The door slammed behind me. And before I got my breath back, the guard that brought me in grabbed me by my collar and pushed me back against the wall.

"Do you think this is funny?" he yelled, with bits of spit scattering in the air. "Do you want to keep screwing around until we all get killed? Huh? You really want to die, boy?"

I felt my chest heaving. My lip still burned from where I had bitten it before.

"I want to get out of here!" I hissed through my put-together teeth. "I don't give a damn how many of you die when I do. I won't rest, I will do everything in my power to get out from that monster."

The guard's eyes opened wide.

"I swear to you," I told him, my voice trembling, "if you don't help me... you'll be next."

For just a second we were quiet. My words hung heavy in the air.

"There's nothing I can do for you," he muttered finally and started to back away. "No one can. He owns you now."

And that broke me.

Something inside my chest snapped, sharp and unbearable.

Tears welled up for no reason.

"I just want to leave," I whispered, my voice cracking. "Please... please help me..."

My knees buckled and I crumbled to the floor, curling in on myself, shaking. I pressed my hands to my face, trying to compose myself, but the sobs kept coming.

The guard just stared at me. Stoically. Uncertain.

"Hey," he said. "Stop that. Get up. You can't cry like that..."

But I couldn't stop.

He moved close to me, hesitated for a moment, then reached down to try and yank me up by the arm.

That's when it happened.

His hand brushed the cloth of my chest.

He froze.

I froze.

His brow furrowed. Confusion flashed in his eyes as he looked at me.

Panic flooded through my body.

I turned away quickly, pulling my shirt tight around my chest and pretending to cough-anything to throw him off.

"What the hell-" he began, but I cut him off.

"Don't touch me," I snapped, forcing my voice deeper. "Just leave me alone."

He blinked. Took a step back, suspicious now, but unsure.

"Fine," he muttered. "Suit yourself."

He walked out, locking the door behind him.

I didn't move. Didn't breathe.

Because that had been too close.

One slip. And everything I'd hidden would've come crashing down.

*********

I had already showered. The last thing I wanted was to anger him again.

The scent of soap still clung to my skin, but it didn't make me feel clean. Nothing could. Not in this place.

A hard knock echoed through the door.

It creaked open, and one of the guards stepped in-expression unreadable, but the thick iron chains in his hands said enough.

"Let's go."

Without waiting for my reply, he fastened the cuffs around my wrists, tight enough to sting. My arms locked together in front of me, I was led down the dim hallway.

My bare feet padded across marble as we turned the final corner.

And then the doors opened.

Heat and sound spilled out in waves.

Laughter. Moans. Music that pulsed like a heartbeat-deep, primal, raw.

The room was bathed in golden candlelight and smoky shadows, the air thick with perfume and sweat and desire. Bodies moved in rhythm-slick, half-dressed, or not dressed at all. Women in sheer silks and men with gold chains draped over bronzed skin danced on elevated platforms, their movements hypnotic, vulgar, unapologetic.

The smell of wine, smoke, and lust was suffocating.

I'd heard of this.

The Ravenstone afterparties.

They were infamous.

They weren't just celebrations-they were indulgent rituals, where nothing was off-limits. Where kings let their power be worshipped with tongues and flesh. Where secrets were traded in moans and blood.

And there he was.

Lucian.

Seated at the head of the room like sin incarnate-draped in dark furs, legs spread, a silver goblet in one hand, his other resting lazily on the arm of the chair.

His gaze cut through the haze, cold and sharp, settling right on me.

He didn't move.

He didn't need to.

The guard pushed me forward, past the dancers, past nobles whispering about new conquests and bartering with bodies like coin.

And then I was there.

Before him.

The guard shoved me down onto the floor beside his chair.

I sat, chained like an animal, in the middle of this madness.

I could feel his eyes on me, unreadable, cruel.

A woman moaned somewhere nearby-a high, drawn-out sound-and I turned my head just in time to see a dancer on her knees, mouth full of a noble's pleasure, while another man groped her from behind.

Another girl straddled one of the Alpha princes, her back arched, her dress pooled around her waist. His claws raked down her spine as she rocked on him shamelessly.

I looked away.

But the sounds, the sights, the scent of sex and submission-it all wrapped around me, suffocating and intoxicating.

And through it all, I felt Lucian watching me.

Like I was next.

Like I already belonged to the night.

The music slowed to a seductive rhythm-low drums, sharp strings-and the room shifted. A hush of anticipation rippled through the air like heat before a storm.

"Let the game begin," someone purred.

It was a woman-lounging on a blood-red velvet settee, wine in one hand, her other lazily trailing over the thigh of a naked man kneeling at her feet. Her lips curled with the pleasure of control.

"The Circle of Desire," she announced, rising like a goddess carved from flame. Her dress was sheer and clung to her curves like smoke, revealing everything and nothing.

Everyone clapped. Eager. Hungry.

I didn't understand-at first.

Not until they cleared the center of the room and a circular platform rose from the ground, surrounded by cushions, fur, and silk ropes. Candles cast flickering shadows over the space, and I felt the shift in the air.

It was time for a performance.

Not just any performance-a chosen offering.

Each night, someone would be selected.

To kiss. To strip. To serve.

To be used.

"To make it interesting," the woman said, her voice like a purr soaked in honey and poison, "I'll choose tonight's participant... and let them choose their companion."

Eyes turned to her, breath held.

She circled the room, slow, predatory, stopping by nobles, strippers, even the Alpha's. She trailed her fingers down one's chest... then paused. Smiled.

Then turned.

Toward us.

Toward him.

King Gunner.

Her steps echoed on the marble until she was in front of his throne in between Gunner and Lucian.

And her eyes dropped to me.

Chained. On the floor. Knees aching from cold stone. My breath caught.

"I choose your slave, my King," she said, voice rich with wicked glee. "I've never seen someone so... meek. I want to see what kind of fire you keep leashed."