Bride of the Wolf King

The Breakfast War

I woke up the next morning and for a few seconds, I actually forgot where I was. I reached out my hand to grab my phone from the small table back home, but my fingers hit cold, expensive wood instead. Then the memories came rushing back like a slap to the face. The wedding. Mario. The fact that I was currently trapped in a house full of monsters who probably wanted to eat me for a snack.

I sat up and groaned, rubbing my eyes. My head felt heavy, like I hadn't slept at all. I looked at the big, dark curtains blocking the sun and felt this hot anger starting to burn in my chest. Yesterday, Mario stood right there in my face and told me to stay in this wing. He said it like I was a dog he just bought and put in a cage.

"Stay in the wing," I whispered, mocking his deep, scary voice. "Yeah, right. Like I'm just going to sit here and wait for you to come and use me."

I felt sticky and gross from the day before, so I got out of bed and went into the bathroom. It was huge, all white marble and gold taps. I turned on the shower and waited for the water to get hot. I stripped off the rest of my clothes and stepped under the spray. The water felt amazing, like it was washing away the smell of that church and the feel of Mario's hands on my waist.

I stayed in there for a long time, letting the steam fill the room. I needed to think. My father told me I had three months to kill this man. Three months to find a weak spot in a guy who looked like he was made of solid muscle and eats nails everyday. He looks so strong. I leaned my head against the cold tile. I wasn't a killer. I was a girl who liked coding and eating pizza in the dark. But if I didn't finish Mario, my father would finish me. That was the reality.

I got out, dried off, and looked at myself in the big mirror. My face was a bit pale, but my eyes were sharp. If I'm going to do this, I need to see the entire house, I thought. I need to know where all the guards stand, where the cameras are, and where the kitchen is. You can't poison a man if you don't know where his food comes from.

I didn't touch the fancy dresses my housekeeper had packed for me. I wanted to look like myself, not a doll. I pulled on a pair of tight black jeans and a cropped top that showed a bit of skin. I brushed my hair, grabbed my phone, and walked toward the door. My heart was beating fast, but I forced my hand to be steady as I turned the handle.

The hallway was empty, but I felt eyes on me immediately. I looked up and saw a small black camera in the corner of the ceiling.

"Hi, creeps," I whispered, giving the camera a fake smile before walking the other way.

I started walking, trying to remember the way we came in last night. This place was like a maze. Everything was dark wood and smelled like old money. I passed a few guards, but they just stared at me and didn't say a word. I kept my head up, acting like I owned the place, even though I was sweating under my arms from nerves.

After wandering for about ten minutes, I followed the smell of fried bacon and very good coffee. It led me to a massive dining hall with a table so long you could probably play football on it.

And there he was.

Mario was sitting at the head of the table, looking at a tablet. He looked annoyingly good for someone who was probably awake at 5 AM doing wolf stuff. He had on a simple grey t-shirt that showed off the dark tattoos on his arms, and he was drinking coffee like a normal guy.

But he wasn't alone.

The blonde woman from yesterday, Bianca, was sitting right next to him. She was dressed up like she was going to a big party, all shiny jewelry and a tight dress even though it was only eight in the morning. A few other guys were there too, including his brother Marco.

As soon as I stepped into the room, the sound of forks hitting plates just stopped. It was like someone had hit the mute button on a TV. Two guards near the door actually moved their hands toward their belts before they realized it was just me.

Mario didn't look up at first. He just kept scrolling on his tablet like I wasn't even there.

I didn't wait for him to invite me. I walked straight to the table, pulled out the heavy chair directly across from Bianca, and sat down. The silence was so loud I could hear the fridge humming in the distance.

Bianca's face went from pretty to "I want to vomit" in about two seconds. She looked at Mario, then back at me, her eyes popping out of her head.

"What is this doing here?" she asked. Her voice was sharp, like glass breaking. "Mario, you told her to stay in the wing. Why is she at the table?"

Mario finally looked up. His golden eyes landed on me, and I felt that weird heat flare up in my chest again. He didn't look angry. He looked... curious. Like I was a game he was trying to figure out.

"I was hungry," I said, leaning back and looking Bianca right in the eye. "And since I'm the one with the ring on my finger, I figured I didn't need to ask for a permit to eat breakfast in my own house."

One of the guys at the end of the table actually choked on his water. Marco let out a little snort, trying to hide a laugh.

"Your house?" Bianca laughed, and it was a mean, ugly sound. "You're a guest, honey. A peace offering. Don't get comfortable in that chair. My father is the second-in-command of this pack, and we've lived on this land for years. You're just a rat Mario had to take because your father was scared."

I felt the anger burn in my throat. I wanted to pick up the bowl of fruit and throw it at her head. I looked at Mario, waiting for him to say something. He just sat there, watching us like he was watching a movie. He wasn't stopping her.

"That's funny," I said, grabbing a piece of toast from a plate. "Because if you're so important and so 'connected' to this pack, I wonder why Mario is sitting here with a 'rat' and not you? It must be really embarrassing for you."

Bianca turned bright red. She stood up so fast her chair made a loud screeching sound.

"You b***h! You think this is real? Mario was supposed to marry me. This marriage is a joke. In three months, he'll throw you out and I'll be the one wearing the crown. You're just a warm body, Anne-Marie. He'll get bored of you in a week."

She looked at Mario, her eyes filling with tears. "Tell her, Mario. Tell her she's nothing. Tell her she doesn't belong at this table with us."

The room went dead quiet again. I held my breath, my hand squeezing my toast until it crumbled into pieces. “Warm body”. That word actually hurt.

Mario set his tablet down slowly. He took a sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving mine. Then, he turned his head toward Bianca.

"Enough, Bianca," he said. His voice was low, but it had that scary rumble that made the hair on my arms stand up.

"But Mario, she's..."

"I said enough," he cut her off, and this time, it sounded like a growl from a big dog. "Anne-Marie is my wife. She sits at my table. And no one in this house will forget that again. Do you understand me?"

Bianca looked like he had slapped her across the face. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. She looked around the table for help, but every man there suddenly started looking at their eggs. She sat back down, her face pale and her eyes full of hate.

I was shocked. My heart was racing so fast I thought it might jump out of my chest. He had actually defended me. He had told everyone I was his wife.

Mario looked back at me. He leaned forward, his big arms resting on the table. He smelled like wood and rain, and it was so annoying how my body was reacting to it. I felt that heat again, that weird feeling between my legs that made me want to move closer to him even though I hated him.

"You broke my rule, little ghost," he whispered, his voice only for me.

"I don't like rules," I snapped back. I tried to act tough even though my skin was tingling. "Who do you think you are to tell me where I can walk?"

Mario's nostrils flared. He leaned in even closer, his eyes searching my face. "Your scent is all over the room and it's bothering my wolf."

"Good," I whispered. "I hope it gives him a big headache."

We locked eyes for a long time. It felt like the rest of the room just disappeared. There was just this heavy, hot energy between us. He looked at my lips, then back to my eyes, and for a second, I thought he was going to reach out and grab me.

But then he stood up, the chair scraping loudly on the wood. He looked at his men. "We're leaving. I want the docks cleared by noon."

He started to walk out, his boots thumping. But as he passed my chair, he stopped. He didn't touch me, but I could feel the heat coming off his body.

"Eat your fill, Anne-Marie," he said, his voice cold and hard again. "But don't think this means you're free. The guards will walk you back to your wing when you're done. Don't make me have to drag you back there myself."

He walked out, and his men followed him like shadows. I sat there, picking at my food, but I wasn't hungry anymore. He had defended me. He had claimed me.

And that was the most dangerou

s thing of all. Because if I started to like him, I was never going to be able to kill him.