The Ruthless Beta’s Forbidden Mate

003

SHANE

"This is your room, sir," the guard said, his voice trembling as he stepped aside.

I didn't bother to acknowledge the shaking man standing in the doorway. I walked straight past him, grabbed the door, and slammed it shut in his face. The bolt clicked into place, locking out the noise of the corridor.

I leaned my back against the panel for a beat, letting out a rough breath. Taking down the beast Alpha Lucas had bragged about for years had been almost too easy. The fury written across Lucas’s face as he walked out of the arena was a sweet reward, but the job wasn't done yet.

Now, I had one more thing to pull off before leaving this territory.

I had to bring the princess back to my own alpha.

It was a stupid assignment. But I guess it was for the best. Taking his daughter in exchange for our rightful pack was exactly what we needed.

That man had stripped us of our pack and our rights twenty four years ago.

Now, it was time for revenge.

And I would stop at nothing to make it happen.

Especially for Cain.

Shaking my head, I pulled my tunic over my head and tossed it onto a nearby chair. The blood from the arena had dried sticky against my skin, and the dirt dug into my cuts.

I had just pulled a towel around my waist to go take a bath when a knock echoed through the room.

I ground my teeth together, annoyance flaring instantly. "Bloody hell, who the f*ck is it now?" I growled under my breath.

I strode back into the main bedchamber, sweats still dripping from my hair down my bare chest. "Come in!" I snapped, my tone loud enough to rattle the latch.

The hinges groaned, and the door opened to reveal a small female carrying a silver tray with a pitcher of water. She kept her gaze pinned firmly to the floorboards as she stepped inside. Rich, dark hair fell over her shoulders in thick waves, partially hiding her face.

She bowed low, her hands trembling slightly against the metal handles of the tray. "I brought you some water, sir," she murmured, her voice soft and tight. She lowered her head further, carefully avoiding eye contact. "Is there anything you would like to have for dinner?"

I stood frozen in the center of the room.

For a second, if anyone had walked in and told me this was the princess standing in front of me, I would have believed them without hesitation.

Her hair was a rich, glossy black, cascading down her back like spun silk. Her skin was flawless—smooth, clear, and glowing under the warm torchlight. And her lips were lush and full, pressed tightly together in obvious restraint.

"Put the water down," I ordered, my voice dropping an octave as I watched her every move.

She hurried over to the side table, setting the tray down with a quick, nervous rattle of glass. Her small hands were shaking, every muscle in her body strung tight as wire.

"What's your name female?" I asked.

She kept her eyes down, her pulse fluttering wild at the base of her throat. "Maya," she whispered.

"Maya," I repeated slowly, testing the smooth syllables on my tongue. It felt unnatural coming out of my mouth, like a mask that didn't quite fit.

I closed the distance between us, until I was standing right over her. I leaned in slightly, letting my shadow swallow her whole. "Did you come down here to spy on me, Maya?"

Her eyes snapped wide, filled with a sudden surge of panic. She shook her head quickly, stepping back until the edge of the table pressed against her hips. "No, sir! I'm not here to spy."

I didn't answer. I reached out, resting my knuckles against the soft strands of hair falling over her shoulder. The texture was absurdly soft between my fingers.

"So rich," I muttered under my breath.

My touch slid higher, tracing the curve of her jaw, feeling the sudden warmth radiating off her cheek. "Flawless."

Before she could pull away, I slipped my thumb and forefinger under her chin, tilting her head up until she was forced to look straight into my eyes. Up close, the resemblance to royalty was staggering.

"You know," I rasped, holding her gaze, "for a moment... you could easily qualify as a princess."

She swallowed hard, her pupils dilated as she shook her head against my grip. "I'm not a princess."

My gaze dropped from her wide, darting eyes down to her rough, plain linen dress. The coarse grey fabric was ill-fitting and frayed at the collar—the standard uniform of a low ranking palace servant.

Of course she wasn't a princess.

My eyes lingered lower, tracing the quick, uneven rise and fall of her chest under the apron. The thin fabric clung to her shape, revealing far more than she intended. She stiffened under my scrutiny, her breath catching as she realized exactly where I was looking.

"Do you offer other services?" I asked, my voice smooth and dangerous.

A deep flush crept up her neck, staining her cheeks a bright, beautiful crimson. She pulled back slightly, though she couldn't break my hold entirely. "My job is to serve you food, sir. That's all."

I hummed, tilting my head as I studied the heat radiating off her skin. "For a maid, you aren't supposed to refuse whatever a guest asks of you."

Her breath hitched sharply, her eyes widening in pure shock.

"I haven't bedded a woman in quite a while," I murmured, leaning in just enough to feel the heat coming off her body.

Her lungs locked up, her chest holding completely still. And then, a faint sweet scent cut through the tang of the room.

Arousal.

The little maiden was terrified, yet the mere suggestion had turned her scent thick and intoxicatingly sweet, filling the air between us. The little vixen was damn arouse.

I let out a low chuckle, my eyes narrowing as I watched the flush spread down to her collarbone. "Have you ever been with a man before?"

She snapped her head back, her response instant and desperate. "No!"

The rapid, defensive denial hung in the silence.

I looked at her for a long second before letting my hand drop from her chin. I took a step back, the sudden air between us feeling cold. "I don't take untouched females," I said coldly, turning my back on her to head toward the washbasin. "Bring me the finest steak they have in the kitchen. And the finest wine."

"Yes, sir," she whispered. She dipped into a rushed, clumsy bow, turned on her heel, and practically bolted out the door, pulling it shut behind her.

The moment the latch clicked, I stopped walking.

I slowly looked down at the front of my towel.

Underneath the damp fabric, I was rock hard. My blood was pulsing thick and heavy through my veins.

I ran a rough hand over my face, letting out a harsh, bitter laugh into the empty room.

"I'll be damned."