Mated To Rival Kings

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Valen's POV

I hated how easily Raven’s heat had stripped me of my dignity. Dominant wolves don't go into heat in the traditional sense, but we suffer a mirror of it that was designed to ensure that the species continues. It was a cruel trick of nature. Submissive wolves are most fertile during these days, so the universe makes them irresistibly drawn to us, and us to them.

My hands had begun to heal. The skin was knitting back together, and the bones I’d mangled while trying to rip the silver-flecked iron from the wall were clicking back into place. The healing process always itched, but the discomfort was a welcome distraction from the fire in my groin.

I looked over at Darian. He was leaning against the stone wall of his cell, looking far too calm. I secretly envied that composure, but I knew it was all a front. If Darian was feeling even a fraction of the hunger clawing at my insides, he was suffering just as much as I was.

I started pacing. Two steps, turn. Two steps, turn. The rattle of my chains was the only sound in the damp silence.

"You are distracting me," Darian said, his voice tight and annoyed.

I snorted dismissively, not stopping my movement. "Distracting you from what? Your urges? Your noble thoughts?"

"Don't get smart with me, Valen. I am not in the mood."

"What do you know?" I shot back, stopping to glare at him through the bars. "I am in the mood to bother the hell out of you. At least it gives me something to focus on besides the fact that my mate is a few floors above me and I’m stuck in down here."

Darian didn't reply. He just scowled at me, his amber eyes dark and heavy.

"You know," I said, leaning my back against the bars, "you still haven't apologized for what you said to me years ago. We can’t even pretend to be friends if you don’t acknowledge it."

Darian actually laughed. It was a short, dry sound. "Apologize for what? What did I say that was so wrong?"

I felt a surge of genuine anger. "Really? You don't see it?"

"It was common knowledge at the time," Darian said, crossing his arms. "The heir of the Northern Palace had fallen out of favor with the King. It was all my father could talk about back then. To him, it looked like weakness—a lack of cohesion between father and son. When I faced you on that sparring mat, I could see that there wasn't much to you, so I said it."

I felt my teeth grit. "And you call yourself a King. I can forgive your younger self for being a brat who didn't know better, but are you saying that even now, you don't see the problem? It... it hurt me, Darian."

The admission made me feel vulnerable, exposed in a way I hated. I took a breath and kept going. "It was fine for me to know it. I lived it every day. But for an outsider to speak of it, to throw it in my face in front of our fathers... it felt like my shame was out there for everyone to see. I wanted my father’s love, and he withheld it. You cannot understand that."

Darian went quiet. He looked at the floor of his cell, his expression shifting from annoyance to something more somber. "I guess I cannot," he said quietly. "My father loved me in his own way. He was always pushing me to be better, giving me all of his attention. I suppose I had it better than you."

There was a long pause. The only sound was the dripping of water somewhere deeper in the dungeons. Darian finally looked into my eyes, and for the first time, I didn't see a rival.

"I’m sorry I said that to you, Valen," he said firmly. "You were unloved by him, but that doesn't define who you are. You didn't do anything to warrant his coldness. Your father... he was not worthy of your admiration or your pining."

I felt a sudden, strange warmth in my heart. I hadn't realized how much I’d needed to hear those words until they were spoken. Coming from Darian, my number one competitor, it felt like a wound that had been festering for years was finally starting to heal. The bitterness that had fueled my hatred for him for over a decade began to dissolve.

"I’m also sorry for ripping into you," I muttered, looking away.

Darian chuckled, the sound more relaxed now. "It didn't hurt that much. Your claws didn't do nearly as much damage as you think."

I laughed, a real one this time. "That’s a lie. I remember it clearly. You howled in pain and started crying like a pup."

"That’s embarrassing," Darian said, shaking his head. "I was really hoping you’d forgotten that part."

The moment of levity was cut short. A rogue breeze drifted down the stairs, carrying a fresh, concentrated dose of Raven’s scent. It hit me hard. I froze, my pupils dilating.

That’s mate’s scent, Ash unhelpfully supplied, his voice growling in the back of my mind. She must be so wet for us. We might lose her if we don’t claim her now. Why are we delaying?

I felt myself salivating, my wolf pushing against my skin. I let out a long, shaky sigh. "I really hope it’s not only my wolf giving me grief over this," I said to Darian.

"Sage is being incredibly talkative," Darian admitted, his voice raspy. "At this point, he would take just holding her in his arms. He’s begging me to find a way out of these chains."

I restrained a snarl. Ash didn't like the idea of that embrace, but even he was starting to realize we were stuck. "So, oh wise Darian," I said, trying to steady my breathing. "What do you propose we do next time? I don't think I can do this again. My head is going to burst."

Darian stayed quiet for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was tentative, as if he were walking on thin ice.

"The Elder asked if I felt a bond toward you," Darian said. "I told him no. But now that I’m sitting here, I think there could be one. My wolf isn't letting me pursue the prospect, though. He sees you only as a challenger."

He looked at me through the bars. "If we can establish some kind of bond between ourselves—not just through Raven, but between us—we might become more lenient. We might stop seeing each other as threats. What do you think?"

I went silent. Even Ash was quiet, the sheer absurdity of the idea echoing in my head. A bond between the North and South? Between us?

I reached out and took in Darian’s scent deeply again. It was the calming scent of rain and wet sand. I found that it was actually... appealing. But then I imagined Darian actually touching me, and I felt a reflexive shudder of aversion.

"Okay, I see what you mean," I said slowly. "And I think you’re right. There might be something there, but I don’t..." I paused, not knowing how to say it.

"You don't want me to touch you?" Darian asked with a smirk.

I sneered. "Right. I am opposed to that. I’m not gay, Darian. I only want Raven. But I agree that if we work out some sort of bond between us, I might be able to stomach you being with her. It would make the sharing... less unpleasant."

Darian nodded, accepting the terms. "It’s a start."

I noticed that Raven’s scent was fading, becoming less overpowering. She must have gone somewhere outside the building. The fresh air was helping to disperse the pheromones.

I shifted, trying to find a comfortable position against the stone. My curiosity finally got the better of me. "So, tell me. What actually happened to your father? We all heard the official story that he fell ill and died but we both know Alpha Kings don't just drop dead from a fever."

Darian’s expression closed off instantly. He looked away, his jaw tightening as he stared into the shadows of his cell.