Enzo
I watched as my new breeder walked in.
The moment she stepped through the door, her eyes landed on me, and she openly gawked.
I wasn't sure whether I should praise her boldness or punish her for it.
Most women lowered their heads the instant they entered my presence. Most trembled. Most avoided even the slightest glance in my direction.
But not her.
She stared.
Unapologetically.
So I said something that usually made them crumble and become docile. They always did.
"You openly gawk at your king so shamelessly," I said lazily from my seat. "You should come closer. The view is better from up here."
But to my shock, and irritation, she answered in the same tone without breaking eye contact.
"That is a rather bold assumption, my lord," she said, trying to mask her nerves while steadying her voice. "I wasn't gawking. At least… not shamelessly."
My lips twitched.
What a feisty little thing she was.
I observed her carefully. She was breathtaking. The neckline of her gown dipped just enough for the soft swell of her cleavage to tease the eye, as if daring someone to look longer than they should.
My fingers itched with the sudden urge to wrap around her waist.
Her scent drifted toward me, Lavender and orchids. Sweet, intoxicating, dangerously tempting.
My Lycan stirred restlessly beneath my skin.
Midnight had been unsettled since the moment we met her.
I didn't know what was wrong with me.
"Bridle your tongue, woman," I said coldly. "You would do well to remember your place. You are my breeder, which means I have every right to do whatever I want with you."
My gaze moved slowly over her.
"But you," I continued, looking her up and down,
"do not have the same privileges."
Frustration threatened to spill over.
Midnight… is she the one? I asked my wolf for what felt like the hundredth time since meeting Bella.
"I don't know," Midnight replied, equally frustrated.
"I cannot feel her wolf."
What?
That answer surprised me enough that I paused, lifting my wine glass to my lips as my eyes remained fixed on her.
And then,
She rolled her eyes.
Did she just,
"Did you just roll your eyes at me, Arabella?" I asked.
My voice came out deeper than I intended.
Something inside me stirred dangerously as I watched her pretend she had done nothing at all.
The idea came to me on impulse.
A dangerous impulse.
"Anytime you do something wrong," I said slowly,
"I will spank you."
The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
What is wrong with me? I wondered.
Where had that come from?
Before she could react, I moved.
In a swift motion, I pulled her toward me and flipped her across my lap.
She struggled immediately, but the movement only ignited something darker inside me.
I lifted her gown and pushed aside the thin fabric of her underwear until her bare backside was exposed to me.
My hand trailed slowly across the soft curve of her ass and the garter wrapped around her thigh.
"What a lovely ass you have," I murmured. "Too bad you won't be sitting comfortably for a while."
And then I began spanking her.
The sharp sound echoed through the room.
"Count, Arabella," I ordered calmly. "Or I will start over."
She winced beneath me.
"See it as a form of pleasure," I added smoothly.
"Take the pain… and enjoy it."
Her body tensed with each strike.
When I was done, I lowered her clothing and dropped her back onto the chair.
Her face was flushed, tears clung to her lashes, and her chest rose and fell unevenly.
She looked thoroughly wrecked.
And strangely enough,
I loved how freshly fucked she looked.
She grabbed her fork and stabbed her food in obvious retaliation.
I couldn't help but chuckle.
What a night.
"Am I the food?" I finally asked.
"What if I said yes?" she responded, her tone teasing and provoking.
Her eyes shone brightly, as if daring me to react.
This was the first time in years someone had openly defied me.
Before I could respond, she said something else that made my blood run cold.
"Of course that is your only punishment," she said bitterly. "One would think that since I'm a lowly, stinky rogue who is unworthy of your presence, you wouldn't stoop so low as to touch something as filthy as me."
Her gaze challenged me openly.
Her outburst wasn't what struck me.
It was her words.
Stinky rogue.
Did someone tell her I said that?
It didn't take long for me to guess where that rumor came from.
But instead of reacting immediately, I simply stared at her while I mind-linked my head maid.
Linda.
Lying using the king's name was one offense.
But insulting and manhandling something that belonged to me was another.
Linda arrived quickly.
I gave her my instructions, and she left briefly before returning with three maids.
"You can escort Arabella to her room. I want you back immediately after." I said calmly.
She bowed.
Arabella looked like she wanted to protest, but when she sensed the shift in the atmosphere, she held her tongue.
The air in the room had changed.
"Goodnight, my king," she said quietly before leaving with Linda.
The moment the door closed behind her, I released my pheromones.
The air thickened instantly.
The three maids collapsed to the ground.
"Your Majesty, we're sorry!" They cried together. "It will never happen again!"
One of them coughed violently and spat blood as the pressure of my pheromones twisted inside their bodies.
I remained silent.
Waiting.
Eventually, fear broke them.
"It's Lady Sabrina, my king!" one blurted in panic when she realized I had no intention of stopping.
I raised an eyebrow and withdrew a fraction of my aura.
"She heard about the new breeder," the maid continued desperately. "She told us to teach her a lesson. She said the breeder was a rogue whore you picked up during your travels trying to warm her way into your bed."
My eyes darkened.
"And?" I said.
"She told us to break her spirit by feeding her those words," the maid continued shakily. "Calling her stinky… calling her a whore… while pretending those insults came from you."
Another maid continued the confession.
"So when you called for her tonight… to bed her, she would refuse you. And in your anger… you would kill her."
My mind replayed the earlier conversation.
Arabella's accusations.
The way she had carefully avoided saying everything outright.
Did she truly think I would say such things?
"So that's all you told her?" I asked quietly. "If there's more, you should say it now. I might even pardon you."
Silence fell.
Then another maid spoke.
"Mira told her you would bed her and discard her afterward."
My eyes blazed with fury.
"She also hinted about the number of women who never made it out of your bed alive."
"You liar!" Mira suddenly cried in panic. "I never said those things!"
"We all heard you," another maid snapped. "We are Lycans. Whispering doesn't hide words from us."
At that moment, Linda returned.
She opened the door and stepped inside before bowing deeply.
"Linda," I said slowly, "I left my breeder in your care for a reason. Yet moments later, I hear things about her that I do not like."
"My lord, forgive me!" Linda dropped to her knees instantly. "It is my fault. I deserve punishment."
The three maids trembled violently when they saw the head maid kneel.
Only then did they realize the severity of the situation.
"Linda," I said, "I will forgive you this once because you have served me loyally for many years. But there will not be a second chance."
She kept her head bowed.
"Arabella is under your care. Assign her a personal maid."
"Thank you, my king," Linda said quietly. "It will never happen again. No harm will come to Lady Arabella under my watch."
"You may go."
She stood and left.
Soon after, my head warrior arrived as instructed.
He bowed deeply.
"Take these three," I ordered. "Tomorrow, they will receive three hundred lashes each at the training grounds. In front of everyone."
Their faces drained of color.
"Let the kingdom remember what it means to disobey their king."
I paused.
"And demote them to kitchen and housekeeping duties."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He dragged them away without another word.
Their eyes bulged with terror as they were taken from the room.
They should consider themselves lucky.
Execution would have been far easier.
But another name had appeared in this situation.
Sabrina.
She came from a powerful noble house, and I could not risk drawing too much attention to Arabella.
The Lycoria court was a nest of politics and hidden knives. Filled with lots of plotting, not suitable for someone like Arabella.
If I executed the maids, Sabrina would be implicated. Then the court would become involved.
And eventually,
Arabella would be dragged into it.
That was something I could not allow.
My mind churned with calculations as I walked through the castle halls.
For the first time in centuries, I allowed instinct to guide my steps.
Her scent filled the corridor.
Lavender.
Orchids.
It didn't take long before I found myself outside her door.
I listened.
Her heartbeat was steady.
Peaceful.
She was asleep.
I chuckled softly as I remembered her bold attitude earlier.
She tried so hard to appear fearless.
But her heart had betraye
d her every time.
I had heard it racing.
I always listened.
I simply pretended not to.
What better entertainment was there than watching my fiery little vixen challenge me again and again?
Shaking my head, I turned and made my way back toward my chambers.