Chapter 9 A King's Game
ELIJAH
Stepping through the wooden door felt like entering another world, blinding sunlight after the suffocating darkness of the dungeon attacked my eyes. I had to blink several times before I adjusted.
Hazel was already on her feet, dipping her head in respect. The others? They huddled on the couch like cornered vermin.
Alpha Donald dropped to his knees first. His daughter hesitated, which didn’t much surprise me before reluctantly following suit. Then came the excuse of a man. Landon. The bastard who’d struck Adriana.
My fingers itched with the need to draw blood. I wanted nothing more than to show him exactly what happened to men who put their hands on what belonged to me. The disrespect alone warranted punishment, but it went deeper than that. He was testing me. Wanted to see if I’d actually retaliate.
He’d find out soon enough.
I moved past them without acknowledgment, settling onto the couch. My clothes were filthy with mud and debris from the forest clung to every inch. I stripped them off without ceremony.
“Your attire, My King.” Hazel appeared at my side, holding my royal garments. I couldn’t quite suppress the slight upturn of my lips. She always knew exactly what I needed.
Once properly dressed, I finally turned my attention to the pathetic display before me.
“What a fucking mess,” I muttered, more to myself than anyone else.
Donald was an Alpha. Attacking him meant war. Everyone involved in my imprisonment would face consequences.
The problem? War took time. Preparation. Strategy.
And I was bored just thinking about it.
“This disaster is entirely your doing,” Donald hissed at his daughter, eyes still fixed on the floor as if I might strike him down for daring to look up. “Your stupidity knows no bounds. What possessed you to do this?”
“Oh, spare me the righteous act, Father.” Lisa’s voice dripped with venom. “You never cared about Adriana either. We’re not so different, so don’t put the blame on me.”
Fascinating. So the abuse wasn’t just directed at Adriana. It was woven into their entire family dynamic. Which raised the question; why did she stay?
“You need to apologize,” Donald snapped. “Make him believe it. This catastrophe is your responsibility, and you’ll fix it. Everything we’ve built is at stake because of your recklessness.”
While they continued their little domestic dispute, my gaze shifted to Landon. The coward hadn’t uttered a single word. Just sat there looking utterly useless.
So this was the man who’d stood by and watched while Lisa tormented Adriana. Of course he had.
“Um, Elijah—”
“You will address him properly!” Hazel’s sharp rebuke cut through the air.
Lisa flinched. “Forgive me. My King, I apologize for what transpired. It was a terrible misunderstanding. This doesn’t reflect how we conduct ourselves. We mishandled the situation completely. Please accept my sincerest apologies.”
Every word out of her mouth was bullshit. I noticed the scar marring her face. Almost half of it was covered with the jagged mark. Someone had gotten to her before. Maybe she’d crossed the wrong person.
Not my concern.
What interested me was the game. I excelled at manipulation, at pulling strings until people unraveled completely. And this little group was about to become my entertainment.
“An apology doesn’t cut it.”
Donald spoke this time, desperation bleeding through. “I’ll give you anything. Name it. Surely there’s something you want?”
I let the silence stretch, watching them squirm. An idea came to my head and I leaned forward. The sides of my lips turning up into a small smirk.
“Actually, there is one thing.”
ADRIANA
After Elijah left with those people, I was left to my thoughts. Which were all panic and a couple of worst case scenarios.
I didn’t want to imagine what Lisa and my father were doing to him.
“Are you there, Yara?”
I didn’t get a response so I tried again.
“Yara, please!”
If anyone else occupied these dungeons, they’d think I’d lost my mind. Talking to myself in the darkness. And maybe I was losing it, because the fear was suffocating.
I’d always hated the dark. Getting my wolf should have changed that. It was supposed to make me braver, stronger. Instead, it made everything worse. Now I had someone else to depend on who kept disappearing when I needed her most.
The food plate sat untouched where the guards had left it. My stomach turned with hunger, but I wasn’t stupid enough to eat what was obviously poisoned.
Lisa wouldn’t give up that easily. She’d sent food hoping I’d be desperate enough to take the bait.
Well, she could shove it.
Except my stomach wouldn’t stop growling. The hunger gnawed at me, relentless and consuming. Maybe if it was poisoned, Yara would protect me? She’d claimed to be special, after all.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed the spoon. One bite turned into two, then three, until I’d devoured everything. I slumped against the wall, temporarily satisfied.
When had I last eaten? Days, probably. Starvation made you stupid.
I scrambled to the bars when I heard the round of footsteps. Stupid hope flaring in my chest.
Did Elijah return for me like he’d promised? I didn’t think he would. My heart had stared to beat faster in anticipation.
It felt like I was poured cold water when I noticed the approaching silhouette. The person was too small to be him.
A woman emerged from the shadows. She had on combat pants, a leather jacket, boots that looked like they could crush skulls. Her curly hair was pulled into a careless bun, highlighting sharp features that the lamplight made her dark skin more striking. She’s gorgeous. She didn’t even look like a normal human like us. She had to be an angel or something.
Snd she was effortlessly intimidating.
“Adriana?”
I nodded automatically, my brain struggling to form coherent thoughts. How could anyone look that cool?
“You’re coming with me.” She glanced at someone I hadn’t noticed. “Open it.”
I moved closer as the cell door swung open, keeping my voice quiet. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out.”
I wanted to hesitate but her presence was too compelling. I found myself following her.
Was this another one of Lisa’s schemes? And where was Elijah? Had Lisa actually convinced my father to execute him?
Terror clawed at my chest as we headed toward the main house. Was I about to face judgment? Would they still force me to marry that monster of a Lycan King?
We entered the house and my jaw dropped.
Elijah sat like a king dressed in elaborate royal clothing. My father, Lisa, and Landon knelt before him, eyes trained on the floor.
Did I walk into a different dimension?
“What’s happening?” Were the only words I could manage to utter.
Elijah’s smile was warm when he looked at me. Lisa’s head snapped up, her expression murderous, like everything was somehow my fault.
I ignored her.
Elijah gestured to a chair beside him. I perched on the edge, acutely aware of Lisa’s warning glare.
“Still think I was lying?”
Words failed me. My mouth opened and closed uselessly as his words from earlier came to me. He really was the Lycan King. Not the decrepit old man Landon’s brother had described.
Unless… maybe he was the King’s son? But no—the crown sat on his head. Unmistakable.
He laughed at my obvious confusion. The ethereal woman from earlier stood at his side now.
“I can’t—”
“If you’re finished gawking at him,” Lisa’s acidic voice shattered the moment, “I have something to say.“