The Mate's Forbidden Secrets

Chapter Fifteen

“I need to take your shirt off, Valerie,” the King fiercely commanded, his eyes blazing.

“No.” I let out a loud shriek, followed by a wince at the rapid movement of trying to move away from him.

“We need to properly clean your side.” His nose flared. I took in a large breath.

I was too weak to handle the painful beating of my heart against my ribs.

“No,” I panted out again. This was non-negotiable.

The King's eyes flashed swiftly from the large injury to my eyes, as if trying to gauge how serious I was. He looked like he was momentarily considering pinning me down onto the bed and taking my shirt off before he let out a long sigh, wiping his other hand over his face.

I wanted him out of my personal space.

“Valerie, I need to see the full extent of the injury,” the King spoke quietly, like he was speaking to a wounded, out-of-control animal.

“I'm not that hurt. I'll hold my shirt up, and then you can treat it,” I blurted out in a rush, hiding my shaking fingers.

I could never let him see.

The King's eyes remained calculative on mine, his green pool trying to figure out what I was so afraid of. His shoulders slumped, and he slid to the floor beside me.

The air around him dimmed like he felt defeated, resigned, and at a loss.

“Okay,” he whispered, not looking at me and fully focusing on my injury.

“Okay?” I breathed, but he didn’t answer this time.

I slumped against the pillows. He stood tall to find a few pins to help hold my shirt up so I wouldn’t have to strain my other hand, but I still protectively wrapped my hand on top of my shirt.

I didn’t trust him enough to be sure he wouldn’t try anything.

The King worked on my injury, his hands soft and gentle, and I lay unmoving, fidgeting, and untrusting.

The silence hummed softly, the sound of both our breathing filling the room.

He repeated the same action, cutting his palm open again and pressing it into my injury.

I watched him work through the side of my eye. The King shouldn’t have been bent over for a nobody. He could have instructed anyone to do this.

What was he playing at?

I sighed in contentment when he decided not to seal my skin back together.

“It will heal before morning,” he quietly assured, and we fell back into silence.

“How was growing up in the Ravenwood pack?” the King asked out of nowhere again, and my skin prickled at his sudden question.

I remained stiff for a while before letting out a shrug. “It was okay,” I mumbled, trying to sound casual.

He caught my eyes for a moment. I hesitated, licking my lips before deciding to quench my curiosity.

“How did you know—what Lucas did to his parents? M-my King,” I breathed with effort.

“He threatened a pack healer to poison his mother's herbal drink. She confessed out of guilt.” I let out a harsh breath.

That f*****g bastard.

My nose flared, wishing I could bring him back to life and put a stake through his heart a million times until he was dead.

The King cleared his throat, and I fell back to reality, backside on the floor.

He smelt my anger.

His eyes looked like he wanted to ask more, but then he refrained from it.

My throat was itching to ask why he was doing this to me.

He had saved my life on multiple occasions already, and yet I couldn’t sincerely thank him for it. The anxiety weighing on my shoulders and the fear of him having an ulterior motive wouldn’t go away.

I didn’t believe a word that was spewed from that enchanting mouth of his.

It sounded too much like a fairy tale, and I neither belonged in nor lived in a fairy tale.

No matter how sincere his actions were, I couldn’t allow myself to be caught in another loop of lies and false hopes, only to be hurt—and truly murdered—in the end this time.

The King stood, towering over me when he was done. He lingered for a few seconds more, and I weirdly breathed in his scent. He turned to leave.

“M-my King, thank you,” I whispered.

I was doubtful and afraid, but I wasn’t raised ungrateful. Besides, this would help lighten things up between us if I still wanted to escape here as soon as possible.

I had it all planned out. After seeing that crazed rogue, the thought of becoming one of them made me sick.

I would go live in the human world. I’d fit in there more than anywhere else—as long as I could make it out of here first.

“Zurien.” I inhaled sharply at his words.

“What?” I held my breath. He turned to look into my eyes with such ferocity, his eyes glazing like he could hear my thoughts again.

That was beginning to worry me. I didn’t think I’d heard of werewolves being able to do that without permission or an open mindlink—both of which I had no idea how to use.

Or it could be me overthinking it.

“Call me Zurien,” he whispered before walking silently out of the room.

I let out a very long breath. The King's citrus sandalwood scent lingered around my cottage for long minutes, and as much as I rebelled against it, it was the one thing that soothed my nerves and senses and helped me sleep well.

---

I awoke the next morning with a jerk. There were several feet moving through the cottage, scaring me awake.

I sucked in a breath at the very unfamiliar faces and slumped in relief at the one familiar face.

Aria.

She was running to me the moment she realized I was awake, her face wide with worry.

“What happened last night, Valerie?” her soft voice queried.

“I’m sorry,” I sighed, buying time to figure out a story that didn’t involve me eavesdropping on the King and his fiancée.

The thought of it sent a pang of pain I couldn’t shake off ripping through me.

“I needed some fresh air, and I got lost,” I said in a small voice. Aria sighed, looking like she wanted to touch me but thought against it, her eyes squinting into a smile.

“I’d better inform Melanie you’re awake. She’ll be super excited.” I smiled at her, my mind pulling me into a deep thought, and I swallowed hard. As much as I was enjoying the new attention from women in a similar age circle, I shouldn’t get too close to them.

I was afraid of having anyone get hurt because of me. They had no idea who I really was, and I wasn’t going to remain here for too long. I didn’t want to grow any attachments or take advantage of the two sweetest girls I’d ever met.

“What is going on?” I murmured tiredly.

“Oh, I realized that you may not have been able to bring anything from your former pack, so I had all these brought in for you. Zurien says you’ll be officially joining the Royal Pack.” She said it with a tender smile, while my heart slammed hard against my chest.

My eyes moved to the multiple groups of women moving back and forth, all carrying boxes. Some were in what looked like a tiny closet, organizing some stuff in there.

“I made sure to get everything a girl would need, but if there’s anything else missing, please let me know.” I bit into my lip, unable to draw my eyes back to Aria, knowing what she would find in them.

I blinked several times, clearing the lump in my throat before turning to her.

“Thank you,” I whispered, struggling to get it out without a sob following through. I wanted to let her know how truly thankful I was, but I had no idea how.

No one had ever done something like this for me before, and if I looked at her any longer than a minute, I was certain I would begin to bawl uncontrollably—putting aside being upset about the King's decision to have me as a permanent pack member.