30. Breeding mate

**SAVIOR'S POV

My cold and intense gaze held Thalia's unfocused eyes, denying her any escape.

"Why did you keep it to yourself? Why didn't you tell me about your new duties?" I questioned, but her lips quivered, and tears began to stream down her face.

"Forgive me, sire," she begged.

"Forgiveness is for the wise, not fools like you," I scoffed, crossing my arms. "Now tell me, how did you incur those injuries?"

Thalia hesitated, but she knew my anger would worsen if she didn't speak up. "I provoked the Luna, so she poured hot water on my back and broke the ceramic kettle on my head."

"Serves you right for being an idiot," I said, elongating my claws. Then I tore my palm. "Turn around." Thalia complied, and I rubbed my blood on the scalded part of her back, which was extensive. I proceeded to do the same for her head injury.

In less than two minutes, she was completely healed, and so was my palm. I pushed her onto the bed, taking off my trousers. "Don't think I healed you because you are special," I said. "I healed you because I need your services."

Thalia wore a downcast look, but as always, she didn't object. On the inside, my wolf was boiling, wanting to go to Janette's room to punish her for what she did to his precious mate, but not on my watch.

I resisted his attempts to take over, then I decided to appease him by agreeing to mate with Thalia. All night long, we were busy.

Before the sun rose, I climbed off Thalia. She was so exhausted she couldn't even roll away from me like she usually does when we were done mating.

I, however, didn't let her rest for thirty minutes before I woke her up to leave. "Get out, this is not your chambers."

Thalia rolled herself out of the bed and found it hard to locate the dress I had gifted her. Then she searched for her cane. When she was done, she wearily rose to her feet and shuffled out of my room, barely able to hold her body weight.

Last night was tough on her, but it was also passionate. I could remember vividly why I left her in that state; it all started from that infuriating trial...

I was out on a hunt, and I had already scored a few games when a mind link from one of my trusted guards disturbed me.

He was the one I assigned to watch Thalia from the shadows so she would be protected from future harm. He, however, informed me that the harm was going to be inflicted on her from a force he couldn't fight, and that force was Janette.

Kaleb was away on a mission, so I had no option but to go and rescue Thalia on my own. I abandoned my hunting subjects and sprinted back to the castle.

I made it in time for Janette's judgment, and I couldn't be angrier. When I had gotten cleaned from the blood on my body, I went to Janette's chambers, and luckily for her, she was in.

"My love—"

I struck Janette, sending her to the floor. She crawled back in dread as I approached her. "How dare you, how dare you undermine my powers?"

"My king, forgive me, it was but a harmless mistake," Janette pleaded, and I laughed, the sound echoing.

"Did you just say it was a harmless mistake?" I repeated the useless lie she told. "Do you see me as a fool? Do you think I don't know you intentionally targeted Thalia?"

"My love—"

"Don't bloody call me that!" I yelled. "I am not your love. Because if you loved me, you wouldn't be trying to kill my mate!"

Janette gasped pretentiously. "My king, is that blind slave your mate?"

I gazed down coldly at her. "You better stop pretending before I kick you out of this place permanently."

"Fine, I am aware that she is your mate," Janette yelled back. "But stop making it look like it is easy to divorce me; it will affect the kingdom, and you know it."

"If you don't tone down your voice, I won't hesitate to make you scream louder," I warned her.

"Go ahead!" Janette continued to yell, but she toned it down a little. "I will let others know that the king is not gentle with me."

I narrowed my eyes. Janette knew lycan males love to pamper their females, and the general assumption was that the king doted on the queen, which made them dote more on their wives.

And the more loving a lycan is to his mate, the more chances of his mate producing more offspring.

If the subjects learn that I do not dote on my female, they would assume I do not want to have offspring, and it would affect their fight for offspring.

In recent years, mated lycans have been finding it hard to procreate, and I knew it was my fault in a way. If only I had a mate I wanted, we could have been encouraging the subjects, and the goddess would have blessed us, but since I hated my mate, I married Janette to fool the people so they would concentrate on procreating with the assumption I was doing the same with Janette.

Too bad for them, my wolf hated Janette, and it would be hard to successfully mate with her. It was like sleeping with a pig.

"This should be the last time you attempt to hurt Thalia," I told Janette. "I may not want her as a mate, but it doesn't mean I want her dead either."

I turned my back to leave, but Janette attempted to stop me with her accusation.

"You claim you don't want her, but you sleep with her. Do you think I don't know? Everyone knows," she cried. "And it hurts. Please stop it; you are hurting me."

Ignoring her, I left her chambers, but I never anticipated that she would still make another attempt on Thalia's life, which has led me to make this decision.

I will name Thalia my breeding mate.