Chapter 178 Chapter 177
Rayena knelt there still, her hands frozen at her sides as she stared at the wolf's slumbering form, the chains straining around it. Desire still hummed within her, and she had no idea where to go from here.
"Is everything alright in there?" Morvan's voice rang out. Rayena snapped out of the trance she seemed to have slipped into, glancing at the steel doors.
"Yes!" she cried out in a hoarse voice.
"Can I come in?" he asked again.
"Hold on a minute!" she cried out, bringing out a handkerchief to clean off the mess on her face, even as the scent clung to her nostrils. She managed to get some off, but it was still smeared all over and extremely difficult to clean off completely. She huffed in frustration. "You can come in now."
The sound of bolts unlocking filled the silence, and moments later, the steel door creaked open and Morvan stormed in. He froze at the entrance, his gaze fixed on the wolf that snored behind Rayena.
"He's asleep?" he asked, voice filled with disbelief.
"Yeah. He fell asleep the instant he did... this." Rayena muttered, a flush staining her cheeks as she pointed at her dress. Morvan's gaze flickered toward her, and he seemed even more shocked to see the King's handiwork.
His mouth slackened, and he took another step into the room, still stunned. "Oh heavens, he's— How did you get him to..." He trailed off, clearing his throat. "How did you get him to listen to you?" he asked again, his voice firmer.
"I honestly don't know..." Rayena answered sincerely. "I'm just glad he did." Rayena gazed at the sleeping wolf. "Him asleep — it's good news, right?"
"Well, I still have to monitor him. He needs to revert back to his human form in order for me to know he's in the clear. But this is a step in the right direction."
Rayena let out a sigh of relief then, feeling the tension that had coiled around her chest finally dissolve away. Morvan glanced at her again, and her face heated up when she caught where he was staring. She instantly reverted her gaze, balling her hands into fists.
"We should get that cleaned up," he muttered slowly, walking toward the door. Rayena looked back at the slumbering wolf before following after, watching as he locked the door behind them.
"You'll stay in the palace for this night. It's too late to walk back to the harem. I'll take you back tomorrow," Morvan said as he led her out of the underground chambers into the main palace. Rayena followed timidly, unsure of what to say. He took her through a huge corridor, stopping at one of the doors that lined its sides. Bringing out a bunch of keys from beneath his cloak, he pushed one into the lock and opened up a chamber for her.
"I'll have the maids bring in hot water for your bath," he said as she stepped in, quickly rushing to light up a brazier. How he could find his way in the dark, Rayena couldn't tell, but she was glad when the fire began to burn, illuminating everything in the room.
"Would you like to have anything to eat?" he asked, and Rayena turned to him.
"Yes, I'm quite hungry," she responded, hearing her stomach growl. He nodded.
"The chef will whip up something for you. Please, wait here," he finished, bowing his head before walking out of the room and gently closing the door behind him.
She gazed at the door, long after he left. That had gone surprisingly well.
Rayena stood in the center of the room, basking in the silence before slowly making her way to the brazier and crouching next to it, letting the fire's warmth seep into her bones. She tried not to think about the King's essence drying on her clothes, tried to ignore the peculiar scent of musk stuck in her nose, tried to ignore the desire being with the King's wolf had awakened and the need simmering beneath her skin.
A knock came at the door, and at her approval, it opened — maids trooping in with a huge tub and several buckets of steaming water. She was startled to see they were all men, and they seemed more surprised to be serving a woman, but with a respectful bow, they quickly dropped their materials and trooped out of the room.
Rayena let out a breath. She was about to get rid of her clothes when another knock came on the door.
"Come in!" she called out, growing cautious yet again. The door swung open, and this time, the maids were bringing in trays upon trays of food. Rayena caught a whiff of the delectable scent wafting through the air, and her stomach grumbled, reminding her of how hungry she was.
After placing the trays on the table at the center of the chamber, the maids bowed and left the room. This time, Rayena went on to lock it after them. Her hands reached for the bindings of her dress, and one by one, she pulled off her clothing until she was standing bare. Ambling toward the huge tub filled with steamy water, Rayena climbed in, letting out a sound of pleasure as the hot water soothed her frayed nerves.
Leaning at the edge of the tub, Rayena picked up the bar of soap they had provided and promptly began to wash herself. The water lapped against her skin, and for a moment, every concern and worry melted away from her mind. She continued washing until her skin was squeaky clean, then rinsed off the soap with an extra bucket of water. Her skin had pruned before she stepped out of the tub.
Wrapping a towel around her body and another around her damp hair, she wandered to the couch, sank into it, and began to eat. Each bite felt like bliss, and a small sound of delight escaped her now and then.
By the time her hunger was sated, her eyes had begun to droop, countless yawns slipping past her lips. She barely managed to slip into the male tunic they had provided as a nightdress before falling asleep, out like a lamp.
When morning arrived, she was woken by a gentle knock on the door. Blinking her heavy eyes open, Rayena looked around in a daze before another knock prompted her to stand up from the couch she had slept on. She strode toward the door and opened it, surprised to find a maid standing behind it, holding neatly folded clothes.
“For the lady,” he announced, stretching the clothes toward her. “General Morvan will be here to walk you back to the harem. It’s best if you get dressed quickly,” he informed her.