Chapter 13 Skoll - Amelia’s POV
I watched Alpha Marcus walk away, the door closing behind him with a soft click that somehow felt more final than a slam. He hadn't looked back once. Twelve years in his pack, and he'd handed me over like a used book he no longer wanted, not worth even a goodbye. My hands trembled in my lap as I fought to keep my breathing steady. 'Good riddance,' Kaela spat in my mind, her voice vibrating with rage. 'I hope the rogues tear him apart.' But her anger couldn't quite mask our shared fear—we were now alone with the Alpha King, a man whose reputation for violence eclipsed even Beta Dominic's.
"Once you're stronger, we'll have a proper talk about Blackwater." His deep voice startled me, making me flinch before I could stop myself. Those purple eyes watched my reaction with unnerving focus, missing nothing.
'He's going to eat us alive,' Kaela whispered, uncharacteristically subdued.
The Alpha King leaned forward slightly, and I shrank back into my chair. "Not all the rumours about me are true," he said, his voice deliberately lowered. "Most are, yes. I am a violent man. But—" he paused, and those eyes flashed brighter for a moment, "—I don't condone the beating of innocents."
I blinked at him, uncertain how to respond. His words should have been comforting, but coming from him, with that intensity, they felt like a different kind of threat.
"I smell the silver burns on you," he continued, watching me closely. "I'm going to get one of my healers to see to them."
My eyes widened before I could control my reaction. Silver burns meant werewolf. Werewolf meant wolf. If he thought I had a wolf...
'He can smell me,' Kaela realised, her presence pulsing with sudden anxiety. 'That's not possible. No one has ever smelled me before.'
"I—it's not—" I stammered, unsure what lie to tell. The truth seemed impossible; he'd never believe I had a wolf I couldn't shift into.
He held up a hand, stopping my fumbled explanation. "The healer is discreet. No one else needs to know about your injuries."
He thought I was embarrassed, not panicked. Relief washed through me, quickly followed by a fresh wave of anxiety. What would happen when the healer realised my situation was more complicated than some silver burns?
The Alpha King stood, towering over me. I had to tilt my head back to keep his face in view, my neck protesting the angle. "Come," he said, extending a hand to help me up. "I'll show you to your suite. You'll have your own space for as long as you want it, even after we are wed."
I took his hand hesitantly, surprised by the warmth of his skin. He helped me stand with surprising gentleness, given his size and reputation.
'He's being suspiciously nice,' Kaela observed. 'What's his game?'
"Thank you, Your Highness," I managed, unsure what else to say. The thought of having my own space—a place where no one would lock me in or drag me out—was so foreign it hardly seemed real.
I glanced at the table with its half-eaten food. Habit made me reach for the plate, intending to clear it away. His hand shot out, catching my wrist with alarming speed but unexpected gentleness.
"Leave it," he said, releasing me immediately when I froze. "I have staff who are well-treated and well-paid who will look after this. You are to be my bride. You aren't a servant here."
I pulled my hand back, cheeks burning with embarrassment. Of course he wouldn't want his future wife clearing tables like a servant. "I'm sorry," I murmured. "Force of habit."
Something flickered across his face—anger, I thought, though not directed at me. He offered his arm instead, a courtly gesture I'd only seen in movies. After a moment's hesitation, I placed my hand lightly on his forearm, feeling solid muscle beneath the expensive fabric of his shirt.
As we walked through the doorway, I felt a strange pressure in my head—different from Kaela's presence, wilder somehow.
'Girl hurt,' growled a voice that wasn't Kaela's, deep and rumbling like distant thunder. 'Hurt by those who should protect.'
I stumbled slightly, shocked by the unfamiliar voice in my head. The Alpha King steadied me without comment, but I could feel tension radiating from him.
'That's his wolf,' Kaela whispered, awed and terrified in equal measure. 'He's letting Skoll speak to us directly.'
The castle corridors were a maze of opulence, each more impressive than the last. The Alpha King moved with purpose, occasionally pointing out landmarks.
"The library," he said, gesturing to a set of massive double doors as we passed. "Over ten thousand volumes. You're welcome to visit anytime."
I couldn't hide my surprise. "I can use the library?"
He glanced down at me, one eyebrow slightly raised. "Do you like to read?"
"Yes," I admitted. "When I could. I—" I stopped myself, not wanting to remind him of my past as a servant who stole moments with borrowed books.
"Then yes, you can use the library," he replied simply. "And the gardens are through there." He indicated a glass-paneled door that revealed glimpses of vibrant greenery beyond. "They're quite extensive. The east section is particularly peaceful in the mornings."
I tried to imagine it—having the freedom to walk in gardens, to choose books from a library, to move about without fear of punishment. It seemed impossible, too good to be true.
'Don't trust him,' Kaela warned. 'This could all be a trap.'
We ascended a curved staircase to what he called the eastern tower. The higher we climbed, the more my legs protested, unused to so much activity after being confined to basement corridors for years. By the time we reached a set of ornate double doors, I was breathing harder than I wanted to admit.
"Your suite," he announced, pushing the doors open.
The space beyond was breathtaking—sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating a sitting room larger than the entire servants' quarters at the Frozen Mountain. Plush furniture in soft silvers and blues, a fireplace with a marble mantle, bookshelves already stocked with volumes. Through archways, I glimpsed a bedroom, a bathroom, what looked like a study.
"This is... for me?" I couldn't keep the disbelief from my voice.
"Yes." He stepped aside, allowing me to enter first. "The bedroom is through there, bathroom beyond it. There's a small kitchen if you prefer to make your own tea or coffee, though meals can be sent up."
I moved into the space cautiously, half-expecting to wake up and find myself back in my basement cell. The carpet was so thick my feet sank into it, the air scented faintly with lavender and vanilla.
"I'll let you rest now," the Alpha King said, remaining near the doorway. "I'll have lunch sent up for you soon. Eat what you can, but don't force it. Your body needs to relearn having full meals."
I nodded, still overwhelmed by the suite, by him, by everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.
"The healer will come to check your back this afternoon," he continued. "And I'll send someone to arrange for clothes for you as well."
"Thank you, Your Highness," I said, the words wholly inadequate for what he was offering. A space of my own. Medical care. Food. Clothes that weren't hand-me-downs with holes.
His voice dropped lower, almost gentle. "Tomorrow we'll talk. But in the meantime, if you need anything, you can come straight to my office."
With that, he stepped back and closed the doors, leaving me alone in my new prison—or sanctuary. I wasn't sure which yet.
'Well,' Kaela said after a long moment. 'This is... unexpected.'
I sank onto a nearby sofa, the softest thing I'd sat on in years. "He can hear you," I whispered, remembering that strange second voice in my head. "His wolf... Skoll... he knows you're there."
'That's impossible,' she insisted, but I could hear the uncertainty in her mental voice. 'No one has ever sensed me before.'
I stared out the window at the sprawling city below, beautiful and terrifying in its alienness. "Nothing makes sense anymore," I murmured. "I don't know what's going to happen to us."
'But at least we'll find out with a full stomach and on a real bed,' Kaela pointed out, trying for pragmatism despite her fear.
And that, at least, was something.