The Alpha Princess And Her Dragon Mate

A Dragon's Love

Possessive and arrogant—these were the two words Sabrina could use to describe Alaric's behavior at this moment. The way he gripped her arm, refusing to let go even after she tried to pull away, showed that he was unwilling to let this matter slide.

Had Allen's request infuriated him this much? Did the thought of giving away his w***e to another man wound his ego this much? Sabrina felt only disgust. The way he spoke, one would think she belonged to him—that he owned her and she had no choice but to concede to whatever he desired.

"I will not treat you badly," he said softly, as if Sabrina were a child throwing a tantrum and he was trying to coax her into obedience. "Name what you want, and I shall give it to you."

She dug her claws into his wrist, feeling the warmth of his blood against her palm. The dragon didn't even flinch, but he understood her silent warning well enough to let go of her. If he hadn't, she might have ripped out his arm entirely. The asshole!

"I will not be treated like some accessory you own! I will not be like the other women you keep around here! Do you know the only reason I agreed to go with you? It’s because I thought you could be useful to me. The only reason I am still here is that I need to figure out my next plan of action." Sabrina wiped her bloody fingers on her dress. The fabric felt too sticky, too gilded—proof of how different the two of them were, and how easily Alaric could take her down if he wanted. Yet, he was putting up with her tantrums, and that was infuriating. "I... I don't know what you want from me!"

Why would he ignore her for weeks, only to show up the moment someone else showed interest in her? Was it really his ego—or was it jealousy? But jealousy would imply he liked her. She hated being confused.

"You are beautiful and fierce, unlike any woman I've met before. I like you. Is that so hard to believe?"

"It doesn't matter! Even if you do, I don't feel the same! I will never feel the same." How could she? The last person she'd had romantic feelings for had betrayed her. She didn’t think she had it in her to like someone like that anymore. "My only purpose is to avenge my father. I... I don’t care about anything else."

Alaric scoffed. Honestly, the whole situation was ridiculous. Here he was, confessing his feelings for a woman, and all she could think about was her petty revenge—something impossible and far too dangerous. Was she so blind she couldn’t see how hopeless her odds were?

"I've investigated your past, and as far as I know, your lover and sister are happily married. Your pack has allied with the Lycan King, meaning that any threat to them is a threat to the Lycan King himself. You can't do this alone, little Luna. No one in their right mind would risk waging war against an imperial race for you. You've lost your battle. The best alternative is to stay here—to live out the rest of your life under my care and protection. You will have no regrets."

"I'd rather die than be one of your bitches! I will not degrade myself to that level!"

"Degrade yourself?" Alaric's pupils flashed brightly in the dim light of the room. Sabrina took a cautious step back, glaring at the King in warning, ready to defend herself should he launch an attack. Most people would tremble at the sight of his fury, but Sabrina stood her ground. This was what made her different. This was why he was so attracted to this troublesome pup. "You think being with me is degrading?"

The Luna didn’t respond, but Alaric didn’t care about her words at this point. The disgust in her eyes was answer enough. No one had ever spoken to him the way this woman did. He was feared, loved, and revered by his people—his words were law. He’d never had to beg anyone to linger by his side.

Women threw themselves at him, competing fiercely to become part of his harem, even if it meant he might never bed them. And yet, the one time he displayed affection toward a woman, he was met with brutal rejection. She held him in such low regard. Honestly, the best thing to do would be to throw her out of the palace and let her become someone else’s problem. But Alaric couldn’t do that—because he actually liked this broken soul. More than he should.

"Get out," Sabrina hissed with disdain.

Alaric scoffed and headed for the door, slamming it hard enough to alert the guards outside. They bowed respectfully before retreating, seeing no immediate threat.

"Guard the door," he commanded, malice dripping from his voice. "Don't let her set a foot outside. Await further instructions."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

His gaze drifted back to the door before he walked away, his fists clenched at his sides, his eyes burning with more anger than he’d felt in a long time.

* * *

Sabrina woke up the next day when the sun was high in the sky, a result of how long it had taken her to fall asleep the night before. She realized she had only woken up because of Leyla's presence in the room. The maid was cleaning the bedroom and greeted Sabrina with a smile, though it lacked the usual cheerfulness she displayed when interacting with her mistress.

"Good morning, my lady. I hope you slept well."

"Yeah," Sabrina muttered as she rubbed her eyes tiredly. They were swollen and a bit painful from all the crying the night before. "Thank you. How was your night?"

"It was alright. Why don’t you go wash up? I’ll bring you something to eat from the kitchen."

"But... I usually have breakfast with the others."

"There’s been a change of plans, my lady." Leyla avoided Sabrina's gaze, and the hesitation in her voice immediately made Sabrina feel that something was wrong. "From now on, you will have breakfast, lunch, and dinner in your room. Don’t worry, my lady—I will keep you company."

"Why?" Sabrina shuffled to her feet. When Leyla didn’t respond, she walked directly to the door. She had no idea what was going on, but she had no intention of staying locked up in her room. Surprisingly, the door didn’t budge when she tried to unlock it.

"Leyla, what the hell is going on?"

"My lady, the King has placed you on house arrest. You... can’t step foot out of your chambers. There are guards at the door. I’m afraid you’ll have to bear with—My lady!"

Leyla rushed to Sabrina’s side and tried to hold her back as she pounded on the door, over and over again, until her knuckles were bloody.

"No way!" Sabrina’s entire body trembled. The damn door wouldn’t budge. She felt like she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. This situation was too familiar. It brought back flashes of her time locked in the Pack’s dungeon—her sister’s condescending words, the men who had raped and bruised her. No freedom.

"No, no, no!"

"My lady! Please, calm down!" Leyla wrapped her arms around Sabrina as the Luna broke down in tears.

"He can’t keep me here! He can’t!"

"I’m sorry. It... it will only be for a while. Don’t panic."

Sabrina’s body trembled as more tears streamed down her face. Leyla held her mistress through the sobbing, silently cursing the Dragon King for being so cruel. What the hell was he thinking?

* * *

Rose heard about Sabrina’s punishment from one of the maids serving in the harem.

"He locked her up? But why?"

The maid shook her head. "Nobody knows. I heard the King visited Lady Sabrina last night. When he came out of her chamber, he was very angry and ordered her to be locked up."

"Last night, huh?" Rose muttered. Alaric was supposed to spend the night with her, but he had excused himself, saying he had an important matter to attend to. It turned out that he had gone to see that dog woman.

"Well done," Rose said coldly as she handed a few gold coins to the maid before leaving to find Alaric. She found him in his study, nose buried deep in his work. He didn’t even acknowledge her when she walked in, a clear sign that he was in a bad mood.

"I heard you put Sabrina on house arrest. Why?"

"Came to plead on her behalf?" Alaric asked, his tone sharp. "I’ve noticed how close the two of you have gotten."

"Don’t change the subject, Al. We both know you don’t go out of your way to punish people you deem irrelevant. Isn’t that what you told me yesterday? That Sabrina was irrelevant. Yet you left my company to go see her."

"I didn’t think I needed your permission to visit a woman in my harem," Alaric replied, his voice colder now.

Rose could no longer hold back her frustration. What she hated most was being treated like a fool.

"Look at you! You’ve gone and fallen in love with that dog woman! Are you still going to deny it? Will you continue to lie to my face, you asshole?"

"Watch your tongue!" Alaric roared, slamming his fist on the table. The expensive oak split apart under the force of the blow. He advanced toward Rose, and she did her best to hold back more insults.

"I do not love her. Dragons do not love. You know that."

"Oh, I know that all too well. But I’ve been stupid enough to hope that, with time, your heart might open up! It’s been years, Al! How can she manage to affect you in so little time when I’ve been trying for so long?"

"It’s... not like that," Alaric said quietly. He could see Rosaline fighting back tears and didn’t think twice before pulling her into an embrace.

"You’re my closest friend, Rose. I care about you the most."

Rose wanted to laugh bitterly at his words. Perhaps a few weeks ago, she might have believed them. But how could she now?

She found herself hating Sabrina even more than before. That woman would no doubt take everything from her if she didn’t act fast.