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What was the best move?

“I can make this all go away,” he said quietly. From where his hand rested on my face, a small feeling of relief began to grow, spreading down my neck and to my chest. Then he removed his touch, and the pain returned like a sharp wave. I whined, tears spilling freely from my eyes.

“You need simply apologize.”

God, I couldn’t take the pain anymore, but giving in to him could hurt me worse later on.

“Please, it hurts me to see you like this,” he cooed.

His words, dripping with condescending concern, helped me make up my mind. I didn’t want to make this easy for him, no matter the cost.

“No.”

He hissed and grabbed my hair, yanking my head back as I stifled a scream. “Why must you be so stubborn? Submit to me, omega.”

I closed my eyes, breathing deeply through my nose. Every cell in my body was on fire but I couldn’t back down. I was running on pure spite now. And if he did end up killing me, then at least he couldn’t use me to see his plan through.

“I want you to love me, to be my wife.” His hand tightened its grip, and I clenched my teeth. “I was prepared to make many concessions to see that through. But if you insist on disobedience, then I will have to settle on your agreeability by way of threat.”

“Hurt me all you want,” I spat. “I will never obey you.”

He chuckled darkly. “Oh, you sweet, naive little thing. I’m not just going to hurtyou.”

His lips lowered to my ear. “For each day you defy me, I will have Ezra bring me the head of one of your alphas. You have five now, correct? Will it take five days? Rank them for me, in order of which you like the most to the least.”

My body went cold, and my heart nearly stopped. “No,” Iwhispered. “Please, this is between us, you can’t…”

“I am the king; I can do whatever I want. And right now, I want your total submission. I want you sitting at my feet and eating out of my hand, ready and willing to do my every bidding. And if I have to destroy five middling alphas to accomplish that, I will.Gladly.”

If I hadn’t felt like I’d been burned alive and then stabbed by thousands of poisoned knives, maybe I could have come up with a better strategy. But my current condition combined with the threats to my pack meant he had me right where he wanted me, and I had only one path forward now if I wanted to protect them. Because as much as I wanted to spit in his face, it wasn’t worth their lives.

“Fine,” I replied. “You win. I’m sorry.”

He exhaled deeply, placing a hand on my hip. The pain left my body immediately, my breathing no longer labored. But he didn’t let go.

Alaroth remained behind me, one hand in my hair and the other sliding up and down my side. The heat from the magic pooled in my core, and I gasped, trying to wriggle out of his hold as an orgasm began building inside me.

“It would be rude not to accept my gift,” he chided, so I closed my eyes and rode it out, thinking of my pack. I panted as my climax built, moaning my release while his fingers lightly grazed my ass.

It didn’t even mean anything—this magic required no skill on his part to seduce me, it was all an involuntary bodily reaction. So it irked me that he thought he had won something, like I had succumbed to his charms in some way.

He breathed in deeply, much too proud of himself, and gave me a kiss on the cheek as I tried to hide my revulsion. “Beautiful. Now imagine how good you would feel with my cock inside you.”

Ugh, gross. Never.

Alaroth picked me up and carried me outside in the hallway lined with heavy, locked doors. Guards and sconces alternated against the walls between them until we reached a staircase leading up out of his dungeon.

“I really can be quite sweet and loving,” he told me as we ascended. “All I want is to dote on you.”

I didn’t answer. What could I even say at that moment? He knew whatever affection I showed him would be fake, but he seemed perfectly happy with that. As long as I appeared in love with him, he didn’t care what I was actually feeling.

Bright light poured through the windows that appeared as wemade our way up, and I wondered how long I’d been out. For one night, at least.

The sound of his boots echoed along the marble interior of his castle. “Why are you so quiet? You speak freely with your brother, and I love the sound of your voice.”

I knew it was a stupid thing to say before it even came out of my mouth, but he’d also asked a very stupid question. “Maybe because he doesn’t hurt me when I disagree with him.”

He rested his cheek on the top of my head. “Oh, Marlowe. Until I am assured of your devotion, I’m afraid the lines you cannot cross with me must be absolute. But once you are mine, in my bed every night and screaming my name as you come, looking at me with nothing but pure adoration in your eyes, then you can say whatever despicable things you’d like and I will forgive you instantly.”