PLEASURE AND POWER

CRACKED ICE

The heavy mahogany door to my bedroom didn’t just open, it groaned with an authority that seemed to freeze the very air. I scrambled backward, my heart slamming against my ribs like a trapped animal. My legs were still shaking from the pleasure I had just felt, but now that heat was replaced by a cold, sharp panic. The shame and adrenaline were hummed beneath my skin.

I grabbed the heavy silk blanket and pulled it up to my chin. My knuckles were white because I was gripping the fabric so hard. I felt like a total fraud, a girl pretending to be a powerful heiress when I was actually terrified.

Did he see her? Did Marcus run straight to him and tell him everything?

Questions swirled in my head like a storm, and I had no answers.

My father, Alpha Lyncas, stepped into the room. He was a man made of stone and shadows. He was a billionaire Alpha King known for being heartless in both business and life. He didn't turn on the lights, but he didn't need to. His presence alone filled the room with power. He shut the door with a loud click that made my stomach drop.

For a moment, he just stood there in the dark. I looked toward the door, almost wishing my mother’s ghost would appear to comfort me like she used to before she got sick and passed away. But she wasn't there. The man in front of me was the only parent I had left, a king who saw me as a political asset rather than his daughter.

The bed groaned as he sat on the edge of my mattress. I held my breath, every nerve in my body on fire. Right beneath me, hidden by the thick bed was Zee. I could almost feel her terrified breathing vibrating through the floor. She was so close that if he leaned down even a little, he would hear her heart racing.

"I thought you were asleep?" he asked. His voice was a low rumble that I felt deep in my stomach.

He reached out and ran his thick fingers through my hair. It was supposed to be a fatherly gesture, but it felt like a hunter touching a soft animal before the kill. I wanted to flinch, but I forced myself to stay still. I had been trained since birth to keep my face as calm as marble.

"I just wanted to check on you, my princess," he murmured. His eyes were sharp as knives as he searched my face in the dim moonlight. "What is wrong? You seem... troubled. And your scent is unfamiliar."

I felt sweat on my palms under the covers. My mind raced to find a lie. I needed to explain why I looked so worried and why the room smelled the way it did.

"It was just a dream, Father," I snapped. I tried to sound cold and mean to hide my fear. I used my "Ice Queen" persona as a shield. "It was a bad dream. I was sleeping fine until you walked in and made enough noise to wake the dead."

He didn't pull his hand away. He kept touching my hair, his hand feeling heavy. I was terrified he'd discover the unfamiliar scent – Zee's jasmine perfume. Every second he sat there, Zee was in danger. If she coughed or sneezed, it would be the end.

"A dream," he repeated. I couldn't tell if he believed me. "Well, calm down. You have a big day tomorrow. The Red Gala is happening, and the castle will be full of important people from the north. I expect you to be the star of our family."

He stood up, his huge shadow covering the bed where Zee was hiding just inches from his boots. The power he gave off was suffocating.

"Wear crimson," he ordered. "Something that looks powerful. Remind them that even though you are a woman, you are a Lyncas first. And behave yourself, Ava. The whole world is watching. I won't have my heiress acting like a shaking baby."

He paused at the foot of the bed and looked at the empty pillows next to me. My heart stopped.

"Where is the Beta’s daughter?" he asked suddenly. "I know Zee was staying here. Is she not with you?"

The air in my lungs felt like lead. I thought about Zee, curled up in the dust under the bed, listening to him.

"She is in the guest wing," I lied. The words felt like ash in my mouth. "She was tired after we went riding today. She’s probably been asleep for hours. You know how soft she is."

He nodded slowly. A long, scary silence followed as he thought about my words. He knew I lied to him sometimes, but I hoped he didn't know the truth about this.

"Okay," he said finally, turning to the door. "Go to sleep. Tomorrow, everything changes. The nobles are looking for a queen, Ava. Don't make them look too hard."

The door shut and the lock turned. I didn't move for a long time. I waited until I heard his footsteps disappear down the hallway. Only then did I let out a shaky sob of relief.

I leaned over the side of the bed and whispered into the dark. "Zee? He’s gone. It’s okay."

Zee crawled out from under the bed slowly. Her movements were stiff and shaky. When she finally looked at me, her face was as pale as a ghost. Her eyes were wide with fear. She didn't stand up; she just collapsed onto the rug, breathing in quick, jagged gasps.

"He was right there," Zee whispered. She stared at the floor where my father’s boots had been. "Ava, I could hear his shoes creak. I heard every word. I thought my heart was so loud he would feel it through the floor. I was waiting for him to flip the bed and see me."

I slid off the bed and sat on the floor next to her. We were both naked, and I realized how much worse that would have made things.

Over the years, people had whispered to my father about my "private tastes." Every time a guard or a jealous person tried to tell on me, I crushed them. I didn't just say they were lying; I destroyed their lives until they were begging for mercy. But my father wasn't stupid. He let me win those fights, but I could see the suspicion in his eyes. He was just waiting for the one piece of proof I couldn't destroy.

I reached for Zee’s hands. They were cold as ice. I held them in mine, trying to warm her fingers, but I was shaking just as much as she was.

"Do you think he knew someone was here?" I asked quietly. "I think he was hunting, Zee. He didn't come in to check on me. He came to see if I would show fear. He’s playing a game, and he's the only one who knows the rules."

"Marcus," Zee said, looking at me with panic. "The guard at the pool who saw us. What if he told your father? What if he told him his daughter was with the Beta's daughter?"

"If he told him, we would already be in serious trouble," I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. "My father doesn't do things quietly. If Marcus had told him, He's reactions would have said it all. I just think Marcus is keeping that secret for himself. He's waiting to see how much money or power he can get for it. But trust me Zee, I will make a move as soon as possible to do away with him."

We sat in the dark, and my expensive room suddenly felt like a cage. The smell of our bodies and the perfume, which had felt so sexy before, now felt like a crime. Any feeling of pleasure was gone, crushed by the weight of my father being there. We weren't lovers in that moment, we were like two soldiers in a hole, waiting for the next bomb to drop.