Chapter 4: Chapter: three

Quill nudged open a pair of grand, ornately carved doors, revealing the throne room.

A lengthy red carpet stretched from one end of the room to the other, leading up to the throne where the king sat, awaiting her arrival.

The warrior stayed close as they made their way through the room.

Aylin felt the weight of a pair of scrutinizing eyes on her. She stepped aside, keeping her head bowed in respect. Her fingers were tightly interlaced.

“Your Majesty—”

“Silence!” he barked at Quill. His harsh tone made her wince. “So, you’re the girl from the cells?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Tell me, why should I spare your life? You’ve trespassed on my land.”

Quill was hoping for a convincing answer from her. His life was at stake too. He could see her nerves.

“I don’t have a reason, Your Majesty.”

~“Oh shit,”~ Quill thought.

The king shot Quill a lethal glare. Quill immediately lowered his head, realizing that was not the response she should have given.

“Look at me,” he ordered.

All the while, Kaia was screaming inside Aylin’s head. ~“Mate! Mate!”~

~“Quiet, Kaia. He’s a king, and I’m nothing.”~ Aylin was aware of the king’s intoxicating scent filling her nostrils, but she knew he would never want a wolf like her.

Little did Aylin know, the king was also struggling with her scent. Every muscle in his body was tense, and all he wanted to do was tell her the truth. But he wouldn’t.

He didn’t need a mate, nor did he want one. Mates were a weakness.

When she lifted her head, their eyes locked. Aylin was taken aback by his features.

He was incredibly muscular, with slightly tanned skin, deep forest green eyes, slicked-back blond hair, and a chiseled jaw with a hint of stubble.

He might have been the most beautiful creature she had ever seen.

She noticed his fists clenched on the arms of the throne, tightening even more when their eyes met.

“So, you trespassed on my land, and you can’t give me a reason why I shouldn’t kill you?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Then there’s nothing stopping me from throwing you back in the cells?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

As he stared at the girl before him, the king was at a loss for how to react. Here was a girl who, by law, should have been killed on sight, yet she stood before him, seemingly indifferent to her own fate.

Despite her thin frame and apparent weakness, she was beautiful. Her slightly damp chestnut hair fell to the middle of her back, and her stunning blue eyes sparkled when she looked at him.

She was petite, barely five feet tall. It pained him to see how thin she was. Something had happened to this creature that he couldn’t comprehend; he wasn’t going to ask.

Aylin’s gaze quickly shifted to the woman leaning on the throne beside the king. She was reminded of her past, how Daemon had rejected her for someone more beautiful and worthy.

This woman was no different with her long black hair, deep brown eyes, slightly tanned skin, and a skirt that left little to the imagination; she was everything Aylin wasn’t.

Once again, her heart sank at the thought that her second-chance mate was with another woman. She wasn’t surprised, though.

“What’s your name?”

“Aylin Turner, Your Majesty.”

“Well, Aylin Turner, it’s rare that trespassers are brought before me. Quill seems to think there’s something different about you. Frankly, I don’t see it.”

His words made Aylin’s shoulders slump. “Do what you will with me.”

“Quill.”

“Majesty?”

“Take her back to her room,” he commanded.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Quill approached Aylin, placing his hand on the small of her back. A rumble came from the king’s chest, but he did nothing. He watched as they left the throne room.

Once the doors slammed shut, the woman beside the king began to chuckle. “Oh, Ezekiel, just end her misery. She’s a pathetic excuse for a wolf.”

Slamming his fist down on the arm of the chair, he growled at the woman. “You know nothing, Ana. Don’t speak of things you know nothing about again.”

Bowing in submission, she said, “I apologize, Your Majesty.”

“Go wait in my room.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

She scurried off, leaving Ezekiel alone with his thoughts. Who was this girl? Where did she come from? And why did she have such a low regard for her own life?

He knew that as a king, having a queen would strengthen his kingdom. Clearly, she was aware of who he was and what happened when his land was trespassed upon.

But still, she seemed to have no concern for what could happen to her. He wanted to know who had hurt her so deeply that she was so broken and lost.

“Your Majesty,” Angus’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

“What is it?”

“Did you meet the girl?”

“Yes.”

“Was Quill correct? Is she worth keeping alive?”

“I want you to find out where she came from, what pack.”

“To what end?”

The king rose to his feet, anger coursing through his veins. “Do you question ~me?~ Your king?”

“No, Your Majesty, but she’s a weak wolf. What use could she be?”

“Do as I say!” he roared at his beta.

Bowing, Angus didn’t want to provoke Ezekiel’s wrath any further. “As you wish, Majesty.” He turned on his heel and left him alone again.

“What happened to you, Aylin Turner?”

***

After opening the door to her room, Quill followed her in. He’d heard the king growl when he’d touched her, even slightly. That gave him hope.

The mystery girl from the forest was the solution he'd been seeking. “Well, that didn’t go too badly,” he said, trying to sound reassuring.

Aylin perched on the edge of the bed, her mind spinning with the recent encounter with the king.

She had an urge to attack the doll-like woman who was so close to him, to choke her with her own hands. “He didn’t kill me,” she murmured, glancing at the warrior.

Quill, sitting beside her on the bed, was taken aback by her words. She genuinely believed the king would have killed her.

He was certain she'd heard the stories and expected the worst. He was consumed with curiosity about her past and where she came from.

“No, he didn’t. Are you disappointed?”

“He has a reputation,” she responded.

“That he does.”

“I’m not worth keeping alive.”

“Apparently, you are. Why question it?”

She buried her face in her hands, and tears began to flow. “I’m nothing,” she wept.

Quill was at a loss with the crying woman. If he comforted her and faced the king again, he'd surely be executed.

The king might be denying her significance to him now, but once he acknowledged it, there would be repercussions for even speaking to her.

Ignoring his better judgment, he put an arm around her shoulders to comfort her. “Maybe you should get some rest.”

He helped her off the bed's edge as she nodded between sobs. He pulled back the covers for her, and Aylin crawled into the vast bed.

After tucking her in, Quill switched off the light, leaving her to rest.

He strolled down the hallway. Quill’s mission was to find Ezekiel and talk to him about Aylin. For some reason, he felt compelled to protect her.

Having served the king for so long, Quill knew his ways. Ezekiel never wanted a mate, so he hadn’t remained celibate, unlike other wolves.

As Quill neared his wing of the castle, the sound of Ana’s moans reached his ears. It made his skin crawl. He couldn’t understand why the king kept her around. There was no need now.

He knocked on the king’s door, and the moans stopped after a moment. He knew this was a risky move, but he was determined.

Ezekiel answered the door, wearing only his boxers. “What?” he barked.

“Your Majesty, I’d like to speak to you.”

“About?”

Quill raised his eyebrows, and the king understood his implication.

“Give me a moment.” Whines came from the other side of the door, followed by a curt, “Shut up.”

Emerging, Ezekiel was dressed in a snug T-shirt, medium-washed jeans, and boots. The two wolves made their way to the king’s office, not far from his room.

After the king settled into his seat, Quill stood, waiting for the signal to begin speaking.

“Well, Quill. Tell me, why did you interrupt me while I was fucking Ana?”

“That’s just it,” he began.

“Excuse me?”

“You know who Aylin is to you. Why are you still messing around with Ana?” Quill struggled to keep his anger in check, especially since he was no match for Ezekiel.

“Watch it, brother. I’m still the king.”

“And as your brother, I’m looking out for you. For once, listen to me.”

Ezekiel leaned back in his chair, contemplating his brother’s words.

“If you think that she doesn’t know who you are to her, then you are dead wrong. In fact, it’s killing her.”

Ezekiel sniffed the air for a moment, and his eyes darkened to black. “Why do you smell like her?” he growled, slowly rising to his feet.

“Nothing happened, Zeke. She was crying. I had to console her.”

“Why was she crying?”

“Because she believes she’s nothing, nobody. She wanted to know why you didn’t kill her on the spot!”

Ezekiel backed up, leaning on his desk.

“If you don’t want to lose her, then I suggest you dump the tramp.”

With that, Quill turned and left his brother in his office, leaving him to ponder his words.

He hated being so confrontational, especially with his older sibling, but he knew that if he didn’t, then no one would.

Ever since Aylin had arrived at the castle, he'd noticed subtle changes in his brother. The fact that he was bothered when they left the throne room only fueled his determination to ensure they ended up together.

Now the question was, would Aylin accept him as her mate? Another burning question was, did she already have a mate?

After heading back toward Aylin’s room, Quill cracked the door open slightly. Seeing her sleeping form brought a smile to his face. She was exactly what Ezekiel needed.

Moving further down the hall, he went to his own room. Just as he was about to open his door, a voice stopped him. “Do you really think that weakling is worthy of being the queen of this pack?”

Angus’s voice always grated on Quill’s nerves. He was such a jerk. “That’s not up to us. That’s up to Ezekiel.”

Getting in his face, Angus seemed ready to challenge him. “You may be the king’s brother, but you are nothing. Weak, like her.”

“Watch what you say about her, Angus. The king might not take kindly to that.”

Laughing darkly, he shook his head. “I don’t know. I walked by the king’s room, and he’s already back to fucking Ana.

“I don’t think that little wolf means a damn thing to him.”

Brushing past Angus, Quill shook his head at his brother’s actions.

~When Aylin discovers all of this, there will be nothing Ezekiel can do to prevent her rejection.~