*Isla*
I am sitting at my table in my room, eating lunch, trying to get what happened the night before out of my head while Poppy talks about life at the castle and hangs up new clothes she’s gotten for me in my closet. I try to pay attention to her, but mostly I am lost in thought as I eat my salad.
At least I have enough to eat while I am here. I don’t know how long I’ll be at the castle, but that’s something.
“Really, though, Mrs. W. was the worst. You know, she wasn’t ever even married? They always call the heads of house staffs missus even if they’ve never been touched by a man. Really, what man would want to touch her? I mean other than to knock the shit out of her like Beta Seth did.” She laughs, and I laugh, too, even though I wasn’t really listening to what she said.
Once her words catch up to me, I stop laughing. I didn’t like it when the Beta had that woman beaten in front of me, even if it was on my behalf.
She continues on, and I try to listen, but I am thinking about King Maddox again. Why was he in my room? Why was he pulled out so quickly?
Why didn’t he come back?
Would he come back?
My question was answered by a knock on the door—even though that wasn’t quite what I had in mind. He wasn’t going to proposition me in the middle of the day—was he?
Somehow, I knew it was him. Rather than jumping up and preparing myself, bowing or something, I sat there with my fork hanging over my bowl while Poppy goes to open the door, still talking about nothing.
“Yes?” she says as she opens it. As soon as she sees who it is, her eyes widen, and she drops her head, bending at the waist. “Your Majesty!”
“Hi, Poppy,” he says, clearly annoyed. “Can you give us a moment, please?”
“Of course,” she says, standing back up. He has to clear his throat for her to leave the room. What she thought he meant before, who knows?
He turns to look at me, his eyes piercing through me, and that’s when I realize I’m just sitting there with my fork in my hand, looking at the king.
I quickly drop my fork and leap to my feet, but he stops me.
“No, no, no, Isla, that’s okay,” he says, waving his hands in front of me. “You don’t have to do all of that. Especially not when it’s just me in here.”
I look at him for a long moment before I sit back down, unsure of myself. I don’t know what to say so I just sit there… quiet.
“I… uh… just wanted to check on you,” he begins. “After last night.” His face is a little red, though I’m not sure why.
Why would he be embarrassed? He’s the king. He can do whatever he likes.
“I’m fine,” I tell him.
“Good. I just… I wanted you to know that someone slipped something into my drink last night. I don’t usually act like that.”
I stare at him a moment, and then it all comes together, and I realize that’s why he was attracted to me last night. He was drugged. It makes perfect sense.
What other reason could someone like him possibly have for being with me?
I feel my cheeks redden and I drop my eyes so I’m staring at his knees. “Okay,” is all I can get out.
“I mean… I hardly know you, and even though I understand what it is that your Alpha brought you here for… I’m not that kind of a man. Usually.”
I think I am getting what he’s trying to say. He’s apologize for scaring me, for leaping on top of me the way that he did. But I’m still unclear if that means he might do it again one day—once he gets to know me.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” is all I can say.
“So… if you… uh… I mean… I would like to get to know you better. If… that’s all right with you.” He stands there, staring at me, with his hands in his pockets, and I can’t imagine why a king would be nervous to say something like that to me.
“Certainly,” I tell him.
He looks at me for a few moments before he says, “I’m asking you, Isla, if you are interested in getting to know me. As a person. Not as a king that owns you.”
I am shocked and in awe. Why? Why would he even care what I want? He doesn’t have to worry about my thoughts or feelings. He’s the king! He can do whatever he wants.
Perhaps there is more to the terrible, cruel King Maddox everyone has always told me about that hurts others and does nothing to help his people.
No, this doesn’t sound like the same person at all.
“Yes, of course,” I tell him.
He nods a few times before he says. “Very well,” and then he takes a few steps backward toward the door. “I’ll speak to you soon.”
I nod. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
He opens the door and disappears so quickly, it’s difficult for me to even follow his form out with my eyes.
Just like that, he’s gone.
So strange….
And yet, I can’t help but feel a little giddy that I’ll be getting to spend more time with him soon. I understand that he’s the king and I am no one, and perhaps he is just trying to be nice to me before he uses me for the reason that I have been sold to him, but still… being in the same room with him makes my heart palpitate. Now, I know I will get to spend even more time with him.
I suddenly realize I have no idea how to talk to someone like him…. Maybe this isn’t such a good thing after all.
Still… I want to see him again, and I am hopeful that I will get to.
A few moments later, Poppy bursts through the door. “Well? What did he say? What did he want? Is he making plans to ravish you later this evening?”
My eyes widen, and I can feel my cheeks heating up again. “Uh… no,” I tell her. “But he did ask if he could come and talk to me soon.”
Poppy’s face falls. “Talk to you? About what? Why would he want to do that? You don’t even talk! No offense.”
I shrug. “None taken.” I don’t point out that she doesn’t give me a chance to talk. “I don’t know what he wants to talk about,” I admit. “I guess I’ll find out.” I go back about eating my salad, and I can tell that it’s killing her that I don’t have more to say.
Oh, well. Let her stew.
I smile to myself as she goes back to hanging up clothes and talking.
I begin to daydream about sitting on a couch near King Maddox and talking about our favorite books or all the places he’s visited, and I can’t help but let my smile widen.
Maybe being the king’s Breeder isn’t so bad after all.
* * *
Maddox
Back in my office, my mind is on Isla, even as Seth goes over all of the information I will need for the meetings I have later. I know I should pay attention to him, but I can’t.
She hadn’t seemed angry at me, and I couldn’t understand why.
Most women would be shocked that a strange man had burst into their room with plans to ravish them, but not Isla.
Not that she’d seemed too eager to have me claim her the night before, either. She was clearly nervous last night, but perhaps there was a chance she found herself responding to me, despite the fact that we hardly knew one another….
“Alpha?” Seth says, clearing his throat. “You’re not listening to a word I’m saying are you?”
I chuckle. “I’m trying to,” I tell him. “But you’re boring me to tears. How’s the maid we locked up? Did you do as I said with her?”
“Put her in the nicest jail cell we had available and make sure she has everything she needs? Yes, I did. But Alpha Jordan is asking to have her released, saying he’ll send her back to his pack. He says this whole thing seems to have been a mistake, and he doesn’t want her to be punished for it.”
I scoff. “A mistake? He knows, and I know, that it was no mistake. It was his daughter.”
“I am sure he probably does, but he’s not going to stand by and watch her be punished either. What do you intend to do about Zabrina?”
I can’t help the smile that pulls up the corners of my mouth. “I’m still trying to decide. But whatever it is, it will be fun.”
He shakes his head at me. “Just be careful. Alpha Jordan is powerful.”
“Last night, you were ready for me to punish Zabrina!” I remind him. “Now, you want me to be careful not to offend her father?”
“I’ve thought about it,” he says with a shrug. “You weren’t physically harmed, thank the Moon Goddess. Neither was the girl.”
“Her name is Isla,” I remind him.
“Yes, of course. I know her name,” he says. “She’s fine. You’re fine. Perhaps… let’s just be thankful for that and let it go.”
My eyes lock on my Beta’s face for a long moment. “Are you getting soft on me, Seth?” I ask him.
He clears his throat and looks away, and I realize there’s something he’s not telling me.
“What is it?” I demand.
He shakes his head slightly. “Nothing. Just some rumors.”
“What kind of rumors?” I lean forward in my chair, my forearms resting on my desk. With all of the other mindless garbage he’s told me, I don’t understand why he can’t tell me the important information he has, like what he’s hinting at now.
“I’ve been told that some of Alpha Jordan’s allies have been speaking about the possibility of combining their forces to take over some of the smaller packs near them. My understanding is that the only reason they haven’t done so is because of their allegiance to Jordan. Not you. If you were to do something to make him angry, there’s a chance he might step back and let them do as they will.”
I understand now why Seth was hesitant to tell me that. I feel the weight of it in the pit of my stomach. The idea that Jordan could potentially be more important to some of the other Alphas than I am angers me.
So does the possibility that Jordan knew this information but didn’t share it with me—and he might stand by and do nothing while more vulnerable packs are taken over. We were discussing how vile it is that some of the stronger packs are doing that on the other side of the kingdom just a few days ago, but he said nothing of this.
“I want names,” I told Seth.
He opens his mouth to say something, but I can tell by his expression it’s going to be him disagreeing with me.
“Now.”
Seth nods and picks up a pad of paper and a pen from my desk, knowing it’s better for me if he writes this sort of thing down.
When he’s finished, I take it and see the names of four Alphas whose packs are relatively large and one small one—Green pack, led by Alpha Ben.
“Thank you,” I tell him, putting the note in my desk.
“What are you going to do?” Seth asks, clicking my pen quickly, which grates on my last nerve.
“Stop them,” I tell him.
He nods. “Yes, but how.”
I don’t want to tell him I don’t know yet, so I say, “Decisively.”
Seth’s head rocks back and forth, and he stops his line of questioning. We move on to other matters, and my mind slips back to Isla.
I need a stress reliever in the worst way possible, but I want to get to know the girl before I take her.
Having an heir would help calm much of this madness, I know. The Alphas are in an uproar because they see an opportunity, but once I have a child, it will be more difficult for them to try to claim my throne.
So… I need Isla more than ever to fulfill her duties.
Yet, I want Isla more than ever to fulfill my desires.
I hope the girl and I can get to know one another soon because I don’t know how much longer I can keep myself out of her room at night.