His Mate, His Prey

Keep Playing House

[Violet]

I stepped out of the shower, water dripping from my hair as I wiped my hands on the towel. The bathroom was steamy, but the chill in the air made me shiver slightly. My gaze shifted to the mirror in front of me, and for the first time since I arrived here, I really looked at myself. The slave crest was still there, on my lower back. The damn thing fueled my hatred for the pack and each time I tried to relax, it throbbed painfully.

My fingers traced the scar in the shape of an oval with a line in the middle, and my skin burned with hatred. I hated that it was still there, that it would always be there, no matter where I went.

I shouldn't have been surprised that my life had been stolen from me—nothing in my life had ever been mine to control. But damn it, this mark—it made me want to rip it off and erase the entire history of it. They took everything from me, and I'd make them pay for it. Every last one of them.

I grabbed the first thing I could find—Lucien's robes. They were too big for me, like everything else in this place. They felt strange against my skin, the fabric was soft but foreign.

When I returned to the bedroom, I looked in the mirror again for a moment, adjusting the oversized shirt that hung above my thighs. My legs were exposed, my thighs showing. I was sure it looked ridiculous. But I couldn't be bothered to care about that right now. I had more important things to focus on.

My stomach growled as it reminded me how long it had been since I'd eaten. The last meal I'd had felt like days ago, but I couldn't remember. It didn't matter. I needed food, and I needed it now.

The house was huge—ridiculously so. I couldn't figure out how to navigate it. Every hallway looked the same, every door leading to somewhere else I didn't care to explore.

Lucien Vargsward—his name had popped up a few times in the pack gossip, though I never paid much attention. People said he was wealthy, said he was powerful. I never bothered with rumours, but now, standing in his house, I could see it was true. Everything here screamed wealth. It was... overwhelming. Yet all I could think about was finding the kitchen.

I turned a corner, my mind racing with the thought of food. But then, something else hit me—the question that had been plaguing me ever since I got here.

'Why can't I shift?'

I'd been trying, even in the shower, willing myself to change. But nothing happened. Nothing at all. My wolf was there, I could feel her inside me, but the bond was blocked. Something was stopping me. And I was getting sick of it.

I reached the kitchen, or what looked like a kitchen. It was more like a banquet hall, full of expensive-looking appliances and counters. I opened the fridge, my stomach demanding something, anything. I pulled out an apple, the closest thing I could find, and before I could take a bite, a voice demanded:

"Who exactly are you? Who sent you and why is Lucien behaving strangely?”

I froze. My heart skipped a beat, and I slowly turned around, feeling like I was caught red-handed. Leaning against the doorframe was Fenrick. His gaze was narrowed and appraising. His brown curls framed a face that looked a little younger than Lucien's—late twenties, early thirties. And those eyes, the colour of caramel, were locked on me, piercing right through me.

"I—" My words stumbled out wondering if I could trick him as well and why he hadn't said anything on the way back. "I don't understand what you mean," I said with a serious expression.

He took a step forward, his eyes darkening. My pulse spiked. I tried to take a step back, but before I knew it, he was right in front of me. His hand shot out for my neck, pinning my cheek to the wall, and I gasped at the sudden force.

"Lucien doesn't have a wife," he growled, baring his fangs. "I would know if he did. And you—" He got in close enough to take a whiff of me. "You're not his wife. So tell me, why shouldn't I snap your neck right now?"

I couldn't breathe. The air felt thick with his suffocating murderous intent and I could tell he was as tough as Lucien or close enough.

"Where's... Lucien?" I managed, my voice hoarse.

He scoffed, almost amused. "Why? So he can protect you?" His grip on my throat didn't loosen, no, it only tightened. "Let me warn you, if you scream, you die."

I struggled to breathe, to say something that would make him stop. But all I could think about was how I wasn't supposed to be here, how this wasn't my life, how nothing about this felt real. I wanted to scream, but I didn't want to die. I wanted to fight back, but I couldn't shift and it would be pointless since he was an alpha as well.

Hence the third option would be to strike a deal. The fact that I wasn't exposed from the start meant that he had some sort of motive, didn't it?

"I don't know who the hell you are but you’ll fill me in soon enough." He began as if reading my thoughts. "But for now, you keep playing house. Keep pretending to be Lucien's wife. The moment you're a threat, I'll deal with you myself."

Fenrick pulled back, his hand releasing my throat, but I could still feel the pressure on my skin where his fingers had been. I rubbed my throat, trying to calm myself, but it was hard to think straight with my heart still hammering in my chest.

When faced with the overwhelming pressure of an alpha, the least a beta could manage was to stay conscious while omegas often collapsed.

Before I could gather my thoughts, the sound of footsteps reached my ears. Lucien appeared in the doorway, his eyes immediately scanning the scene between us. His gaze flickered between Fenrick and me, and he seemed to sense something was wrong.

"What's going on here?" he asked as though having felt the killing intent from upstairs.

I quickly straightened, forcing myself to calm down. "I came down for some food, but bumped into Fenrick here."

Lucien's gaze shifted to Fenrick, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Okay..." He glanced between us again, his expression still guarded. "But... what are you doing here?"

Fenrick stepped back slightly, but his eyes never left mine. "I came to talk business but seeing as you just reunited with your wife, I'm rethinking my timing," he said, his voice almost too casual.

Lucien didn't seem convinced. But before he could press further, Fenrick's phone buzzed in his pocket—once, twice, then a third time with insistent urgency.

With a grunt, he pulled it out, muttering under his breath. "Not now."

Then suddenly his entire posture stiffened.

Lucien picked up on it instantly. "Is something wrong?"

Fenrick didn't answer right away. He turned away from us, pressing the phone to his ear. "Yeah?"

There was a pause, then a sharp intake of breath.

"What? Are you sure?"

Another pause. The colour drained from his face.

"But... that can't be. He didn't even go—" he trailed off. "Okay. I see. I'll call you back."

He lowered the phone slowly, taking a few seconds to cool off before turning back to us. "There's a footage. Surveillance from the werewolf council headquarters."

I listened intently. The werewolf council oversaw all of our kind, even rogues and their headquarters was just a city away. They also likely knew about the Claiming Chase and did nothing to stop it—just to keep their men entertained.

Fenrick continued, his gaze fixed on Lucien as he lifted his phone to play a brief video. "It's a video of you, slitting the council head's throat around midnight last night. They claim the image wasn't tampered with."

We both watched the video and I could hear my heart pounding. "Impossible! That's impossible!" I said.

Lucien looked at me with hopeful eyes since he had no idea what he'd done last night. "Headquarters is not only hours away from where we were, Lucien—my husband, was also with me at the time."

Fenrick sighed. "I know. He was at the Claiming Chase all night and I was with him about an hour prior to that. There was no time to make the round trip. That means..."

"Someone is trying to frame him." I frowned.

As if on cue, a loud banging resounded from the door and before we knew it, the front door was knocked down.

"Lucien Vargsward, by order of the council, you are under arrest!"