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I crossed my arms in a huff. “You’re the one who quite literally just told me that everything is an exchange for the fae. You can’t blame me if all I see is a means to an end.”

A flash of what looked like genuine hurt crossed his face. “Is that truly what you think of me?”

What the hell was with this guy? I couldn’t believe for a moment, that after everything he’d said and done to me, he’d assumed I would come to care for him. Was he really this dense, or was he just trying to trick me into feeling bad for him?

“Alaroth,” I said slowly. “What exactly did you expect this to look like? You sent my brother to take me from my home, from my pack, and threatened me into an engagement. Can you really be surprised I’m not super enthused about all of this? Besides, you were convinced I’d be your queen before you’d even met me. Don’t act like you’ve loved me for anything other than my designation and supposed role in this stupid prophecy the whole time.”

He wrapped his fingers behind his head and laid back, humming as he thought. “You’ve presented some compelling arguments, beloved. However, I am a king, and as such my hand in marriage has never been one to offer for mere love. So yes, I wanted you before I knew you. But trust me, spending time in your presence has only helped to convince me that you are the right choice. I am all the more motivated to sway your stubborn heart, and that cannot be achieved through distance. We must spend time together, get to know each other better.”

If the lives of my pack weren’t on the line, I think I would have preferred torture and a cell.

This is for them,I told myself. And I guess Wasabi, now, too.

I laid down next to him, trying to keep as much space between us as possible, but he pulled me into his side immediately.

His lips trailed down my neck, and he inhaled me deeply. “Oh, how I desired you tonight,” he whispered, his breath tickling my skin and giving me goosebumps. When my nipples hardened, he mistook it as a sign of arousal and grabbed my breast, kneading it roughly as he ground his erect cock against my back.

“You said we’d only be sleeping,” I sighed, taking his hand off me. “Are you going against your word?”

He chuckled darkly and moved his hand back to my chest. “What can I say, I find it difficult to control myself once yourintoxicating scent invades my senses.”

I tried to remove his hand again, but it didn’t budge. “Alaroth!” I barked. “Knock it off!”

My pack had always respected my barks, even if they didn’t carry the same commanding tone as those from alphas. Alaroth seemed more annoyed than anything, though. “I don’t appreciate your sharp tone, omega. Perhaps a hard cock will dull its edge.”

He moved himself on top of me, pinning me to the bed. No, no, no, this wasn’t good. I wriggled as best I could to get out from under him, but he was too heavy and strong to budge.

“Please,” I begged, as he nestled himself between my legs and grabbed my wrists, holding them captive in one large hand. “You said we’d just be sleeping!”

If I screamed for Ezra, would he hear me?

Would he even come?

Alaroth’s lips skated across my jaw, his clothed lower half thrusting into me. “Shh,” he said, sucking and biting my skin. “I’ve been fucking for hundreds of years, I know exactly how to make you feel like the goddess you are. What can an alpha do, hammer you with his knot? That is not sex, that is mindless breeding. They are no better than the animals they shift into. One night with me and you’ll forget you ever had a pack.”

He couldn’t do that, could he? Not that I thought getting raped would feel so “amazing” that I would forget the males I actually loved, but I was afraid he might possess some kind of magic that would mess with my head. I knew he could induce both immense pain and pleasure—what else was possible?

And did Ezra know his true feelings on shifters? If only I’d been able to record this, would watching his bestie bad mouth him and assault his sister be enough to finally wake him up?

Even if I couldn’t stop Alaroth tonight, at the very least I wasn’t going to make this easy for him.

“Stop!” I screamed, bucking my hips and thrashing as hard as I could. “I don’t want you! I’ll never want you! I want…”

MARLOWE! MARLOWE, WHERE ARE YOU?

I gasped. “Cam? Cam, is that you?”

“Cam?” Alaroth repeated. He raised himself on his hands, his face contorting into anger. “Who is this ‘Cam,’ and why do you call his name when you’re in bed with me?”

Marlowe! We’ve crossed, we’re here.

Elias… it couldn’t be, how could they be actually speaking to methrough the bond?

I was scared to death, but hearing their voices brought tears of joy to my eyes. How they had found the portal, how they’d accumulated the Aetherium needed for the crossing, and how they planned on saving me, I didn’t know. But they hadn’t forgotten me, and they were still fighting for me with everything they had.

And now that we could communicate with actual words, and not just feelings and emotions, I might actually be able to help.

I’m in the king’s castle, it’s heavily guarded.