The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 98

VALERIA

I sat up immediately, pressing myself against the intricate steel headboard carved with black roses and leaves, imitating a dark garden.

My legs were pulled protectively against my chest.

The clinking of the heavy chain echoed in the room, as did his approaching footsteps at the edge of the immense bed.

I looked at him with a mix of fear and unease as his features became clearer: ebony-black hair, blood-red eyes, and that cynical smile on his refined lips.

"What do you want from me?" I managed to say, swallowing hard and trying to hide the trembling in my hands and voice.

He sat down calmly beside me, brushing aside the long black coat with golden embroidery.

"I think you know very well what I want from you. It’s incredible that you managed to hide all these years," he said, studying me curiously. His hand suddenly reached for my chin, and no matter how much I wanted to escape his strong grip, I couldn’t. "How did you do it?"

I wanted to defend myself, to summon all my power, to transform and break free. But for some reason, my body felt utterly drained, as if all my energy was being slowly siphoned away.

Even shifting into my wolf form seemed impossible.

He leaned forward, trapping me against the pillows. I couldn’t look away from those hypnotic, cruel eyes.

"I don’t... I don’t know what you’re talking about..."

"That’s fine. What matters now is that you’re here. I never imagined you would be the key," he murmured, his breath brushing against my lips like a sweet spell. "You resemble her so much, except you’re the sweet, innocent version. A kitten compared to the tigress."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. How could those savage beasts do this to such a beautiful face? Don’t you want revenge, darling? Don’t you want to wipe out that race of backward creatures? You have the power, Valeria, and I can help you wield it."

He whispered, planting ideas in my mind, probing through my memories.

His finger slowly caressed my damaged cheek, and his mouth inched closer to mine.

That sweet scent flooded my mind, clouding my senses. I couldn’t stop staring at his beautiful face, even as his hand slid sensually up my leg, pulling along the white nightgown someone had dressed me in.

What was happening to me?

"What are you doing to me?" I asked, struggling to break free from the trance, his lips nearly brushing mine. "Get out of my head!"

"And what if I refuse? What if I tell you I’d rather die than help a psychopathic megalomaniac like you achieve anything?" I shouted, shaking my head to clear the seductive fog he was weaving into my mind. Then I spat in his face.

This bastard was the source of all the evil in this Realm, the cause of Aldric’s children’s deaths and countless others.

He stepped back, laughing coldly. I expected him to shout or insult me, but his calm demeanor made my skin crawl.

He wiped my spit from his face with a finger, then licked it clean. Bile churned in my stomach, and the ominous glow in his red eyes gave me a terrible premonition.

I didn’t even see his hand rise before a powerful slap struck my face, whipping my head to the side. I hissed in pain as fine cuts opened on my cheek, and the smell of blood instantly assaulted my senses.

Before I could recover, he grabbed my long hair with such force that I thought he might tear it from my scalp.

"I figured, as your mother’s daughter, you’d have a rebellious streak. What a pity. But I have the antidote to your defiance," he sneered, dragging me roughly.

I clutched at my hair with both hands as my bare feet stumbled against the carpet. I nearly fell, but the relentless tugging forced me to crawl before he yanked me upright, bent forward.

"Let me go, you damn bastard! Let me go!" I fought with everything I had. I tried to summon the crows, my wolf, the mist, my power—anything—but nothing happened.