The Rogue's price
1333 Words
Panic, cold and sharp, flooded my veins. I thrashed violently against his grip, but Killian’s arm felt like an iron band welded around my waist, unyielding and heavy. The scent of him cedar, sharp ozone, and the unmistakable metallic tang of pure, unadulterated danger filled my nose making my head spin with a dizzying rush of vertigo. I was hyper-aware of his heartbeat, a steady, powerful rhythm against my chest that mocked my own frantic terror, a constant reminder of how easily he could crush me if he chose to.
"Let me go," I hissed, dropping the submissive act entirely as I realized tears and pleas would get me nowhere with a predator. My wolfless nature made me physically weaker than any standard alpha in the Eclipse Court, but the raw fear for my brother gave me a sudden, reckless burst of adrenaline. I shoved my forearm forcefully against his throat, straining every muscle in my body to force his head back and break his claustrophobic hold.
Killian didn't even flinch. He merely tilted his head slightly, his golden eyes gleaming behind his mask with an amused, dark curiosity that made me feel entirely insignificant, like an insect struggling against a glass jar. "A wolfless little thing, sneaking into the royal quarters with a stolen ledger, looking for the prince. You have a lot of teeth for someone so incredibly fragile."
"I don't have time for your twisted mind games," I gritted out through clenched teeth, my eyes darting toward the heavy double doors at the edge of the room. Every single second I wasted in this room increased the chances of Kaelen walking in on us, or worse, the royal palace guards discovering my identity and throwing me into the dungeons. "If you're not Kaelen, then you have absolutely no business with me. Let. Me. Go."
"Oh, but I do have business with you," Killian murmured, his voice dropping to a dangerous, silky whisper that vibrated deeply against my skin. He leaned in closer, his lips almost brushing the sensitive shell of my ear, sending a terrifying tremor straight down my limbs. "You see, anything that belongs to my dear brother... instantly catches my interest. Especially a pretty little thief who smells so beautifully of pure desperation."
"I am not his!" I snapped, struggling harder, kicking my heels out against his shins in a desperate bid for freedom. "I came here for a trade. A trade to save someone's life. He has no claim on me, and neither do you, rogue."
Killian’s grip tightened just enough to steal the breath right from my lungs, effectively silencing my protests and cutting off my oxygen. He reached down with his free hand, his long, scarred fingers wrapping around the velvet pouch containing the northern ledger. With a quick, effortless tug, he ripped it away from my fingers.
"Hey! That's mine!" I cried out, reaching for it frantically, but he held it high above his head, well out of my reach as he looked down at me.
"It was yours," Killian corrected, his dark smirk widening in the shadows of the hearth. He tossed the velvet pouch onto a nearby leather armchair without even looking, his intense focus remaining entirely anchored on my face. "Now, it's mine. Consider it the price of admission for walking into my room uninvited."
"You're a monster," I whispered, tears of sheer frustration and terror burning behind my silver filigree mask. If I lost that ledger, I lost my only bargaining chip with the royal family. My brother would die in that damp, underground cellar, his veins turning to ash from the agonizing silver-rot. "Please... you don't understand. I need that antidote. Kaelen is the only one who has access to the royal vaults."
Killian’s demeanor changed in an instant. The playful, mocking amusement vanished from his eyes, replaced by a cold, calculating sharpness that made him look every bit the rogue king who had once terrorized the borders. He leaned down, his face inches from mine, his dominant aura flaring so sharply that the air in the room grew suffocatingly cold, making it painful to breathe.
"Let me tell you a little secret about my brother, little bird," Killian growled softly, his fingers gripping my chin tightly, forcing me to look directly into his terrifyingly intense eyes. "Kaelen doesn't make trades with the lower tier. He takes what he wants, and then he breaks the person who gave it to him just to ensure their silence. If you had handed that ledger to him tonight, he would have taken it, fed you to his hounds, and watched your brother rot anyway. That is the kind of man you came to beg to."
The brutal honesty in his words sent a fresh wave of horror crashing through me. Deep down, in the quietest part of my mind, I knew he was right. Kaelen was a tyrant in training, a man devoid of empathy. But I had been too desperate, too consumed by grief and timeline pressures, to care about the consequences of my actions.
"Then what am I supposed to do?" I choked out, a single tear escaping my mask and tracing a wet path down my pale cheek.
Killian watched the tear fall, his golden eyes tracking its path with an unreadable, intense expression. Slowly, his thumb reached up, brushing the moisture away from my skin with a surprising, fleeting gentleness that contrasted sharply with his terrifying physical strength.
"You trade with me instead," Killian whispered, his deep voice vibrating against my skin and echoing in the quiet room. "I can get you the antidote. I can get you anything you want in this palace. But my price is much higher than Kaelen's."
"What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper, terrified of the answer he might give.
Killian’s eyes darkened, a predatory hunger swirling within their amber depths. "You. You're going to help me tear his kingdom down, piece by piece. Starting tomorrow, you play the role of Kaelen's perfect, submissive little fiancé. You spy for me. And in return, your brother lives."
I stared at him, my mind spinning as the true gravity of his words hit me. He didn't just want to escape; he wanted a revolution, and he wanted me to be the weapon he slipped into the crown prince's bed. The sheer scale of his ambition was staggering, matching the terrifying aura that surrounded him like a cloak.
"You're asking me to commit high treason," I whispered, the words feeling heavy on my tongue. "If Kaelen finds out I am passing information to you, he won't just kill me. He will ensure my death is an example to every rogue on the border."
"Then don't let him find out," Killian replied simply, as if the matter were as mundane as a dance step. He leaned back slightly, giving me just enough room to breathe, though his hand remained a solid, heavy weight on my waist. "You have the cleverness to slip past my brother's guards. Channel that survival instinct into playing the court's game."
I looked at the leather chair where the stolen ledger lay, then back at the golden eyed monster holding me captive. Every instinct yelled at me to run, to scream for the guards, to take my chances with the law rather than this lawless king. But the image of my brother, pale and shivering as the silver-rot crept up his throat, anchored me to the spot.
"If I do this," I said, my voice hardening as I found a fragile anchor of resolve within my fear, "I want proof that you can actually deliver the cure. I won't risk my neck for a phantom promise."
Killian's smirk returned, sharper and more dangerous than before. "Smart girl. I like a thief who negotiates."
- Writer
