Bride of the Wolf King

The Lion's Den

The car door opened, and the cold air hit me like a slap. Mario didn't wait for me. He didn't even look back. He just stepped out, his boots hitting the gravel with a loud crunch, and walked toward the big stone steps like he was the only person on earth.

I sat there for a second, staring at the empty seat where he'd been. This guy's really an asshole, he couldn't even open the door for me to get out of the car.

I grabbed a handful of my big, stupid white dress and tried to get out of the SUV. It was a total mess. There was so much cloth I felt like I was fighting a giant blanket. By the time I finally got out of the car, I was breathing hard and my hair was a disaster. I looked up at the house, and my mood got even worse. This wasn't a home. It was a prison. The walls were thick grey stone, and the windows were small and dark.

I stood there for a second, my eyes moving fast. Two guys were standing by the front doors, their hands resting near their belts where their guns were. I saw the cameras too, one over the porch, two more hidden in the trees near the driveway. I noticed a spot near the bushes on the left where the camera couldn't see. I kept that in my head. If I was going to run, I needed to know every single exit.

"Move it, Anne-Marie!" Mario shouted from the top of the stairs. He was standing there with his arms crossed, looking down at me like I was a slow worker.

I pulled up my skirt, nearly tripping over the bottom of it, and marched up those stairs. My heart was doing a fast thump-thump against my ribs, but I wasn't going to let him see me shaking. No way.

At the top of the stairs, a woman was waiting. She was tall, blonde, and looked like she'd never smiled a day in her life. She looked me up and down with so much hate I thought she might actually spit on me.

"This is the human?" she asked. Her voice was loud and sharp. "Is this the pathetic little Lukasz you brought home, Mario? She smells like a rat."

Mario didn't even look at her. He just kept walking toward the big doors. "She's the bride. Deal with it, Bianca. She isn't going anywhere."

I looked Bianca right in her fake-lashed eyes as I walked past her. I didn't say a word, but I made sure my face told her exactly what I thought of her. If she wanted a fight, she picked the wrong girl. I had enough fire inside me to burn this whole place to the ground.

The inside of the house was even scarier. It was all dark wood and high ceilings. It had this old leather smell and something raw, like a zoo, but for rich people. About twenty men were standing in the main hall, watching us like we were a TV show.

Mario stopped in the middle of the room and turned around and the whole place went dead quiet. You could hear a pin drop.

"Listen up!" he shouted. His voice was deep and heavy, echoing off the walls. "This is Anne-Marie. She's my wife now. She stays in the East Wing. Nobody touches her unless I say so. Is that clear?"

The men all nodded. They looked terrified of him. I stood there in my big white dress, feeling like a prize he'd just dragged in from the bush.

"Go with the maid," Mario said, pointing to a small woman standing near the stairs. "She'll show you your room. And Anne-Marie? Don't think our talk in the car changed anything. I'm still the boss here. You belong to me."

"I don't belong to anyone, you arrogant prick," I snapped back.

I saw a couple of guards actually jump. The maid's eyes went wide like saucers. Mario's face went hard, and he took a long step toward me. I didn't move. I stared him down, even though my legs felt like they were made of water. For a second, he didn't look mad. He looked interested. Like he liked that I was talking back. It was the most twisted thing I'd ever seen.

"Take her upstairs. Now," he growled at the maid.

I followed her, counting every step. Sixteen steps to the first floor. Three doors on the left. Two cameras in the hallway. One guard at the end of the hall. I really needed to understand this place, so I can plan my escape.

The maid opened a heavy wooden door and ran away before I could even say thank you. I walked in and heard the lock click. Clink.

The East Wing was cold as ice. Everything was dark wood and black curtains. It smelled exactly like Mario, that woodsy, sharp smell that made my head spin. I went to the big wardrobe and started throwing my bags inside. I needed to do something with my hands before I started screaming my head off.

"Asshole," I muttered, shoving a pair of jeans onto a shelf. "Big, hairy, arrogant asshole."

"You should watch how you talk to yourself, little ghost. People might think you're going crazy."

I nearly jumped out of my skin. I spun around, and there he was. Mario was leaning against the door, his arms crossed. He'd changed out of his suit and was wearing a black t-shirt that was way too tight for his big arms. He was just standing there, watching me like I was a show he was actually starting to like.

"Don't sneak up on me!" I snapped, trying to get my heart to stop racing. "Why are you here? Don't you have a kingdom to run?"

Mario didn't answer. He just started walking toward me. His footsteps were totally silent. He stopped right in front of me, so close the heat from his body felt like a heater turned up to the max. He was so tall I had to tilt my head all the way back just to see his face.

"I came to check on my property," he whispered. The sound was low and dangerous. "And to make sure you didn't forget the rules. In this house, I'm the only one who matters."

"I'm not your property, Mario. I'm a Lukasz. You might have a ring on my finger, but you don't own me."

For half a second, his face changed. That mean smile disappeared, and his eyes went dark, like he was thinking about something that actually hurt him. But then it was gone. He looked at my neck, then back to my eyes. A small, mean smile came back to his lips. He knew my heart was beating fast. He could probably hear it with those wolf ears. He knew my body was acting weird even though I was insulting him.

He reached out his hand. I thought he was going to grab me, and I froze. But he just let his fingers brush against the back of my hand as he reached for a small box on the table behind me.

The touch was tiny. Just a second. But it felt like a bolt of electricity shot through my whole arm and settled right in my stomach. I pulled my hand back like I'd been burned by fire.

"Don't touch me," I spat at him.

Mario's smile got wider. He didn't even look bothered. "Why? Are you scared of what happens if I do? You can't hide from me, Anne-Marie. Not in this wing, not in this house. Not ever."

"I'm not scared of you," I lied. "I'm just disgusted by you."

"Is that right?" He leaned in even closer, his face just inches from mine. "Because your heart is beating like a trapped bird, and your skin is turning red. That doesn't look like disgust to me."

"f**k you,"

Mario let out a low, dark laugh that gave me goosebumps. "Maybe later, little ghost. For now, learn the rules. You stay in this wing unless I tell you. My people are watching everything. You are in my world now."

He turned around and started walking toward the door. I stood there, my hands in fists, feeling like I'd just run a race. My whole body felt heavy and buzzy. I hated him so much, but I couldn't stop looking at the way his muscles moved under his shirt.

"One more thing," Mario said, stopping at the door and looking back. "Try anything stupid, like trying to run or calling your dad, and you'll regret it. But if you behave... I might decide to reward you."

"I don't want your rewards!" I yelled at his back.

"We'll see," he said, and then he was gone, the door slamming shut.

I sat on the edge of the bed, my legs feeling like jelly. What the hell was wrong with me? This man was an arrogant jerk. He was the enemy. He was the man I was supposed to kill in three months.

So why was my skin still tingling where he touched me? Why was I sitting here, breathing hard, thinking about the way his voice sounded?

I looked around the room. I felt like a bird in a cage. He was testing me. He was trying to see how much I could take before I broke.

I won't break, I promised myself. I'll kill him first.

I had eighty-nine days left to finish this. But as I closed my eyes and felt the heavy silence of the house, I realized that three months was a very long time to be trapped with a man like Mario.

And if my body kept acting like a traitor, I wasn't sure if I'd be the one holding the knife at the end.