Zedkiel
I gaze down at the woman who tried to disobey me.
"What’s wrong with her?" I ask the healer coldly as he finishes tending to her as she lay in my bed.
"She needs time to heal, that's all, My Prince."
She had actually tried to escape me; she is foolish to think she could. A naive fool, one I should have killed by now for her disobedience, but somehow, I hadn’t. Not yet, anyway.
She is pleasing to the eye, as an omega should be. From the curves of her body to those eyes full of an innocence I wish to destroy, there is something else that sets her apart from all I have seen before. I run my knuckles down her smooth cheek, the dusting of freckles on her nose and cheeks only adding to her allure. I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted her begging for my cock.
This feeling… When I touched her out there, I felt it, almost as if something were pulling me to her, and her scent only made my sense of smell heightened. A fool might question if it was perhaps the rare fated mate bond, which is almost non-existent in today’s day and age, but it is also something I don’t think I’ll ever have.
Only a mere handful find their mates, and above that, if somehow I do have a mate, why would it be a lowly omega?
I pull the sheets down slightly, admiring her breasts. Why does she entice me more than the women I had?
Perhaps this hunger for her is because of who she is. What better way to torment someone than to take the woman that the bastard Sinclair wants for himself? I could tell she is currently untouched since omegas would carry the scent of the man they were claimed by, and she is still pure.
I’ll change that. I will soon make her mine and watch the bastard burn with jealousy. If he wants, I’ll allow him to watch the show.I sneer coldly, twisting a strand of her black locks around my finger, and tugging on it.
Anger rushes through me as I turn to look at the healer, who cowers before me. I frown, my cold eyes boring into him. "Time? It was a crash. Why isn’t she healing faster?”
He lowers his head, joining his hands in front of him. "She needs a lot of rest. She doesn’t seem to have her wolf, or she’d be healing already, My Prince."
My eyes blaze, and a vicious snarl leaves my lips as I grab the fool by the scruff of his neck. "She is eighteen. Her owners made that clear," I hiss.
"Y-yes, M-my Prince! However, it seems she just hasn’t shifted! Or has no w-wolf! Forgive me, My Prince. I have done my best!"
I hear the slight change in her heartbeat and drop him. "Get out!" I snarl.
He flinches, clambering to his feet, the smell of fear coating the air as he all but runs to the door.
My eyes snap to the woman on the bed. Despite the change in her heartbeat, she doesn’t move.
When the door to my quarters shuts after him, I look down at the woman closely as she pretends to sleep. Tilting my head, I place my knee on the bed, still, she doesn’t move, but her eyes fly open when I take hold of her jaw.
Her erratic heartbeat is rising, seeing how terrified she is, is amusing. Oh, how fun it is to hunt the terrified. She tries to move, only to whimper at the pain.
Ah, that is a sound I am going to enjoy hearing.It will come, and she’ll be moaning my name and begging for more. I never saw the charm of a meek little obedient omega before, but now, it looks highly appealing.
Slowly, I brush my thumb over her soft, plump lips, making her breath hitch, her lips quivering under my touch. How soft they are, almost as if the slightest pressure would split it open and make her bleed.
I look into her eyes, my own expression cold and calculating. "I don’t follow or care for many rules in life, Little Omega, but the few I have, I expect them to be obeyed." I tighten my hold on her jaw, knowing I am hurting her. "Try to run again, and you won’t survive."
Her eyes brim with tears, pure despair filling them before she nods slowly. She blinks, trying to fight her tears, her thick lashes caressing her cheeks as she tries to control herself, but she fails, and her tears trickle down her cheeks.
"Am I clear?" I ask icily.
Her eyes flutter open as she looks at me, fear swirling around her as she nods again. "Y-yes."
"Glad we’re on the same page." I let go of her; even if she tries, she is far too weak to run.
She has several broken bones, multiple fractures, and has dislocated her leg completely. She doesn’t respond, trying her best not to cry, something she is failing at miserably. She struggles to sit up. My gaze dips to her breasts for a moment before I turn my attention back to her useless struggle.
She gives up after a moment, the tears streaming down her cheeks. "P-please let me go," she whispers.
A menacing growl leaves my lips as I turn, grabbing her by the jaw again, only for her to flinch. "If I hear those words from you again, I will kill you. I'm a monster, remember that, and just like all those rumours I'm sure you have heard, I won’t hesitate to end your pathetic life," I hiss.
She whimpers, nodding slowly, and I shove her head to the side, letting go of her.
"Your owners didn’t want you. You’re simply collateral, and if you dare defy me, I will kill you and the entire Welhaven family."
Her eyes widen with horror as she shakes her head, her heart pounding violently.
"Please, no! I'm sorry! I won’t run, don’t h-hurt th-them!"
She seems to care far more for those who discarded her than they do for her.
I am done with this conversation. Turning away, I storm out of the room and head out of my quarters for a bit of air that was not clouded with her scent. Her rejection is only adding to the burning furnace within me.
The truth is, something about her intrigued me from the moment she could not look away from me. Unlike everyone at the ball, she didn’t even lower her head in respect. But her eyes had held fear just like the rest of them.
Fools.
I walk through the dark stone walls of the castle, my footsteps echoing in the silence.
Sinclair Welhaven… his arrogance from dinner flashed through my mind, making my anger rise. I wouldn’t mind tearing him to shreds for his disrespect.
FLASHBACK – EARLIER AT DINNER
"It’s a pleasure to dine with the heirs to the throne, and I'm sure whoever is chosen to be King will be deserving," Sinclair remarks.
Ragnar smirks, "Of course."
The table I am seated at holds the future Alphas to all six packs, save the Night Dust Pack, which was still without an Alpha heir.
"Rumours are saying it will be put to the people, a contest of some sort?" Darvin Flint, future Alpha of the Moonshine Pack, adds.
"Then, may the best man win," Sinclair declares, raising his glass.
"To the future and rightful ruler," Chasyn adds, raising his glass.
I scoff, refusing to join in their petty toast. If it is going to go to the people, they could easily be bought.
"Will you not join us, Prince Zedkiel?" Sinclair remarks.
Raising my eyebrow, I down my glass and place it down. I ignore him, but it is obvious he won’t let the conversation go because his eyes remain on me, even after they clink their glasses, drinking to their petty toasts.
He puts his glass down and chuckles lightly. "I understand the topic must be hard for you, Prince Zedkiel, when the majority had assumed you would be given the sign of future ruler in the Chamber of Sight. It's a shame it wasn't so, but alas, we can’t change these divine decisions. The one most fit will be King."
Blistering anger festers inside me, and my grip on the glass tightens, shattering and startling the women at the table. I clench my fist, letting the glass shards cut into my palm.
A tense silence follows as Jeremiah warns Sinclair to fall silent, but the damage has been done. He mentioned my Blood Ritual.
The Vilkas family are not werewolves but Lycans, and as Alpha heirs, all sons of the King are made to participate in a Blood Ritual on the night of their eighteenth birthday. It is a ritual within the Chamber of Sight, located deep beneath the castle, and only the royals may enter. Anyone else who steps foot in it dies. Within the Chamber is an opening that shows the moon shining down upon the Lake of Truth. There, we are shown our future path, a path only we know of and one we are encouraged to keep to ourselves.
However, when the next king is chosen, the moon’s glow brightens, bathing the city in white light for a few moments. The King expected I’d be the next chosen one because, despite what I am, I am the strongest. Yet the night of my ritual…
Scoffing, I don’t pay him any attention while watching my hand heal. Only after it did, I turn to the man who dares to mock me…
END OF FLASHBACK
"Zedkiel."
I am brought from my thoughts by the booming voice of my father, a man who holds a lot of power, yet he is still beneath me in terms of true strength.
Slowing down, I look at him, raising an eyebrow, a response that clearly agitates him. "Zedkiel, what you did today… was dangerous."
The sound of approaching footsteps makes him go silent, and the three omegas bow their heads as they hurry past, holding bundles of laundry. That is the one thing that irks me about omegas: they aren’t easily noticeable.
Apart from her, her scent is delectable, as sweet as I'm sure she’d taste…
"Zedkiel, are you listening to me?!" Dad growls in a desperate hiss as he glances down the hall.
I cock my brow and slip my hands into my pockets. "I am, although if you keep blabbering, I’ll move on. Whatever you want to say, get it over with."
He exhales sharply, his eyes flashing as he speaks in an irritated whisper. "If anyone learns what you are, they will want you gone. Do not draw attention to yourself."
"I'm already different and get unwanted attention without trying or wanting it," I growl back. "Who do you fear? We are Lycans, a race superior to them all. They cannot harm us. As for me, why should I worry about those outsiders when the threat from within might just be greater?"
As I expect, his face falls, and a look of concern and denial replace it. "That’s not true, Zedkiel; your family cares for you. It’s you who are pushing them away!"
A fool. Blinded in the name of bonds and family. He doesn’t see the snakes at Court or those from his own blood.
"I don’t need family, respect, or status. Nor do I care about being accepted. I’m feared, and that is more than enough." Turning on my heels, I walk off, the hunger within me growing. The urge to rip them all apart is seeping through my pores.
"Zedkiel, where are you going? What have I said-"
"I know what I'm doing." I snarl warningly, and he falls silent as I head to the exit, the beast within me needing to be unleashed.