Chapter 10
“So, Miro. When were you going to tell us, you got an omega to keep your bed warm?” Polina asked once they were sitting at their usual table.
She had been away on official missions but had kept in touch with the royals. After all, her first responsibility was to the kingship, and the King at the moment, was her best friend, the barbarian of all time.
“She’s not an omega. She’s a rogue,” King Miroslav said and his friends looked at him as if to ask him if there was any difference there over the years they had pitched both, and right now it seemed like their king was changing courses. But was that all there was or was Miroslav truly worried for his new mate?
“Well, who is she to you then? You played some good games earlier, pretending to be mad at me. You think she bought it?” Polina asked, even though she had been glad that Miroslav had not gone after Ralphine,
She wouldn’t have been able to handle the humiliation, especially since she had been subject to being the only girl in Miroslav’s life. Perhaps she was hoping for too much, or maybe, just maybe, she was thinking there was no way that Ralphine would be a threat to her and her dreams, right?
But even then, what were the chances that this would pan out well for them?
“You think she bought it?” Miroslav asked and Heion facepalmed. He couldn’t be hearing his best friend right, yeah?
“Hold on. Don’t tell me that this was all an ACT???” Heion asked, clearly not understanding what the heck was wrong with his friend. The entire week, Miroslav had changed. He had become more cooped up in his thoughts, occasionally checking in on Ralphine and coming out sad when he realized that she wasn’t awake.
Heion was happy that for the first time, his brother hadn’t gone out to sleep around, or even mess with other girls. He was happy that Miroslav had decided to make the right choice. But then apparently there was never a choice, or was that just what Miroslav wanted them to believe right now?
“You seriously don’t believe that I would be whipped for a rogue I met on the ground, hurt as hell and bleeding? Surely you couldn’t be that dumb, right Viktor?” the King said and his friends just stared at him with wide jaws, clearly not knowing whether they were supposed to be glad that this was happening and Miroslav hadn’t changed, or they needed to be worried about what the hell was going on in Miroslav’s head.
It just didn’t make any sense that he would start playing games like this. None of them understood what it meant and frankly. they were worried. Well, save for Polina who was still giving Miroslav doe eyes and rubbing the King’s arm like it was her newest obsession.
“I don’t know about my romance, brother. Just point me in the war zone and I’ll be your best weapon.” Viktor shrugged even though a part of him felt terrible for Ralphine. They had hoped that she would be their queen and right now, they didn’t even know what to expect. So, they continued their conversations casually, as they ate their lunch before Heion began choking roughly.
“Jeez, Hei. What the hell got into you this time?” Polina asked before He struggled to breathe while he pointed at something
behind Miroslav.
“What the heck are you even pointing at?” Miroslav said as he turned to see what had gotten Hei so out of his element and what he saw, got him instantly silent.
His mate was out of the palace, alone and with no one’s help. What was even worse, was that she was in the dining room, just like everyone else who had come to lunch. She didn’t have her maidservant with her and looked different: a little different from what Miroslav had sent earlier.
“What does this bitch think she is doing?” Polina asked, infuriated as she watched Ralphine sit at the farthest end of the room, like she didn’t just gather the attention of everyone with her rogue scent.
Everyone knew Ralphine was their king’s guest, so none of them would ever, ever dare to say a word about the woman, especially when the King was in sight. It was something that pressed them, but then what would they do, when the woman was possibly the next Lycan queen?
“Let it play out,” King Miroslav said, even though his eyes were twitching in anger. He hadn’t expected this from his Erasthai and had always assumed she would be some timid girl who did what was wanted. Well, she did as he wanted, because earlier. the King had gotten her out to take her to lunch, and he hadn’t kept that promise.
11
Chapter 10
Mayis was just Ralphine trying to not starve. Then again, that would be a pretty good excuse, if Kara hadn’t brought her
food in her room.
“You’re not seriously considering letting her mingle with us, are you?” Polina asked, clearly threatened by Ralphine’s presence. She knew the woman was special to the King, even though a part of her was hoping that in the end, Miroslav would choose
The King may have been ‘sleeping‘ around, but that was a probable rumor. No one had actually caught him, or no one had ever seen him in the company of another female. However, somehow the rumors got to spread, with Miroslav not bothering to clean them up. If someone wanted to ask him about his life then they just had to step forward and do the asking, other side. there was just no point in risking losing their heads.
“Get back to eating,” the King said, the warning clear to everyone in the room, including those at his table.
Soon enough, everyone finished and cleared up. Hei and Viktor had decided to leave and go keep looking for data about Ralphine. They knew just about enough, but there was still more that they needed to seek out before making a comprehensive report and sending it to their King. That wasn’t up for debate anyway.
As the dining hall emptied, the Lycans stared at the rogue among them, unsure of what they were supposed to do with the information of her presence. They despised rogues, but they couldn’t voice that out at the moment. So, they just walked out, until it was just the King, Polina, and Ralphine who seemed unbothered by the King and Polina’s presence, but was that it? “Let’s go, Miro. Polina said and the King looked at her like she was insane, Was she asking him to leave his unmated rogue mate, unattended and alone in a place where everyone wanted her out? Perhaps that doesn’t mean much to Polina, but to Miroslav, the woman at the farthest end of the room was his lifeline. He would do whatever it took to make sure she was okay. even if she was dangerous; a possibility he was yet to confirm.
When Miro had sent Heion and Viktor looking, the only thing they came with was her name and her family. They didn’t give him any information that would warrant her being a rogue. Granted, she had lost her parents and she had run away from home, but without a banishment, she was supposed to be a normal wolf, from Koslov, trying to get through her grief. But that wasn’t what the King smelled on Ralph.
He had smelled pain, a different kind of pain, one that scared him on her behalf. It was the kind that shattered her from the inside, and he didn’t know what he could do to make it all better for her. Maybe this time there would be better information, right?
“Leave.”
“Seriously?”
“I said, leave us, Polina. That’s an order,” King Miroslav said, his voice so cold and so demanding that Ralphine felt the air leaving her lungs even though the command hadn’t been for her. She knew the King was dangerous. She knew he would ruin her easily and no one would ever step up to help her.
Ralphine was aware that nothing would stop the man from coming after her, but even then, Ralphine tried her best not to show any emotions. After all, she had always learned to accept whatever was sent her way. So why was it so hard for her to accept that this place was probably just a trap for her?
“Fine. I’ll see you in the evening,” Polina said as she got up angrily.
She was so mad that Miroslav was choking to stay with the rogue woman. So mad to the point that she grabbed Miroslav’s face, while she looked at Ralphine, and then slammed her lips on the King who didn’t even seem bothered. If anything, King Miroslav returned the kiss, and this time, his eyes were trained on Ralphine, like he was daring her to say a word about this, to come up and defend her position as his queen.
But Ralph didn’t do anything, even when the kiss lasted a few minutes, even when her supposed mate and the best friend ate each other out and she didn’t say anything, when Polina left one last peck on Miroslav’s lips, her lipstick marks so evident on the King’s lips.
“Bye, for now, Miro.”
“See you later, Polina,” the King said, as he watched Ralphine. Her face was blank, and emotionless, even though she should have been angry at the betrayal. He looked at her anticipatorily, hoping to see an ounce of emotion, but a girl trained in so much pain and horrors, Ralphine had learned to accept her reality.
If this was one of them, then she just had to prepare herself to leave, because there’s just no way the King had brought her to
Π
this pl. ~ in the name of an amide bond he didn’t respect. Drescher had rejected her, and now a king that had pretended to be bermate, had let himself be literally eaten out by a woman he claimed was his best friend.
Oh. Ralphine’s fate was a cruel one, and she was convinced about it every single day.
“Why did you come King Miroslav asked Ralphine when it was just the two of them. He hadn’t made a move from the place he had been sitting but his voice was loud enough for her to hear him. Her lavender scent had now filled the empty room and the King was thriving on it, so much so that he was desperate for more, but he didn’t know where he stood with her.
“I was hungry, and I didn’t want to eat alone in a closed room, Ralpline sand earnestly as she looked at the empty plate in front of her. She had eaten so well, that anyone would think she wasn’t affected by what Miroslav and Polina had been doing. Even if she was affected, she wasn’t going to say it to him, no matter what the situation was
“You could have said so
You had visitors and I didn’t want to ruin your day, Ralphine said earnestly, as he looked at the King. She wondered if she was here for his pleasures. If she was supposed to be his pleasure slave, given he hasn’t acknowledged her or even treated her like a king would his Erasthai, or whatever the hell Lycans called their mates
“Is that the only reason?”
“Yes. Your Highness. Ralphine said. her face once again showing no emotions. She wouldn’t let him know how much she felt betrayed, or how her wolf had just realized that they were truly mates when Polina had left the room. It was something that she would keep in silence. because she wasn’t ready to create another bond, much less face a rejection again.
“Don’t you want to ask about Polina?” Miroslav asked as he walked toward her. Zhe knew that had to have affected her, because as much as he wanted to deny that he didn’t feel his Lycan demanding that he push Polina away earlier, he felt it too.
“No. Your Highness. You are the King, and I am a rogue you took interest in for whatever reason. Your word is law to me. You said you were taking me out to lunch, and I acted out earlier. My apologies. It will not happen again. 1 shall take any punishment you see fit for me. Ralphine said and Miroslav faltered in his steps, his heart crushing at the honesty in Ralphine’s voice.
Was that what she thought she was to him?
Then again, it wasn’t like Miroslav had been so welcoming to her, right?
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