To Cage a Silver Wolf

Chapter4

Princess Seraphina stumbled backward, her hand dropping from my face as if she had been burned. The arrogant sneer vanished, replaced by a pale, trembling mask of fear as Gunnar’s massive shadow swallowed the room.

"G-Gunnar," Seraphina stammered, her fingers frantically twisting her turquoise silk skirts. "This feral creature insulted me! She has no place in this court…."

"I don't care," Gunnar flatly interrupted, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low pitch. He strode into the room, his heavy boots thudding like a death knell against the stone floor. He didn't look at his betrothed. His burning, dark eyes were locked entirely on my face, tracking the faint, crimson smudge of blood on my bottom lip. His jaw clenched with a violence that made the very air hum.

"Brother, please," Prince Arlo’s smooth voice drifted from the doorway. He stepped into the room with his arms open, the picture of perfect diplomacy. "Seraphina is only stressed. There is no need to terrify your future bride over a nameless slave girl. Let me take the girl out of your wing for the afternoon to defuse the situation."

Arlo stepped toward me, offering a gentle smile that made my stomach heave. I remembered his chilling, sadistic whisper in the bathroom: I will be back for you.

Gunnar moved before Arlo could take another step.

With a low, predatory growl, Gunnar bridged the gap, his massive chest slamming into Arlo’s shoulder and forcing the younger prince back. Gunnar's raw, suffocating alpha pressure flooded the room so violently that Elian let out a soft, sharp breath from the corner.

"Step back, Arlo," Gunnar growled, his voice a pure, animalistic warning. He loomed over his brother, his towering frame completely shielding me from view. "I told you once today. She is my property. If I catch your eyes on her again, I will consider it a declaration of war. Get out of my sight."

Arlo’s gentle mask fractured, I could see pure, venomous hatred crossing his eyes before he quickly smoothed it away. He bowed his head tightly, grabbed Seraphina’s trembling wrist, and escorted her out, slamming the heavy doors behind them.

The silence that followed was heavy and breathless. Gunnar turned to face me. He didn't offer a kind word, but his gaze traveled slowly down my midnight-blue silk dress, lingering on the way the fabric hugged my hips before snapping back to my eyes. He stepped closer, so close that the masculine scent of cedar, leather, and fresh rain completely flooded my senses, making my knees go weak. For a second, his fingers twitched as if he wanted to reach out and touch my bruised cheek, but he forced his hands down.

"The High Lords have called a breakfast assembly for tomorrow morning to inspect you," he stated, his raspy voice dropping into an intimate, low register. "Do not embarrass me, Lena."

Gunnar strode out, leaving behind a lingering warmth that made my skin prickle. But the peace was short-lived. Less than an hour later, the oak doors groaned open again. Two of the Queen’s private guards stepped inside.

"Lena, the Tylo slave," the lead guard barked. "You are commanded to appear before Her Majesty, Queen Lilith. Immediately."

Elian’s face drained of color. He stepped forward instinctively, his hand catching my sleeve with an intense, over protective grip. "She is under Prince Gunnar's care…"

"The Queen Mother’s word supersedes all," the guard cut him off sharply. "Move."

My heart hammered against my ribs as I was marched to a sprawling chamber draped in deep purple velvet and gold filigree. Queen Lilith sat elegantly upon a chaise lounge, examining documents with a terrifying calm. Princess Seraphina sat beside her, her eyes red-rimmed and her face twisted into a pout.

Mistaking a slight hand gesture from the Queen as an invitation, I dared to slide into a gilded chair opposite her.

"How dare you!" Seraphina shrieked, jumping to her feet. "Get up, you filthy stray! Who gave you the right to sit in the presence of royalty? On your knees!"

Queen Lilith slowly lowered her documents, her icy eyes narrowing. The sheer, suffocating disgust in her gaze was louder than any shout.

I scrambled out of the chair, my knees knocking together as I dropped onto the cold floor. "I... I am sorry, Your Majesty. I misunderstood," I stammered.

"You see, Your Majesty?" Seraphina hissed, pacing the room. "She has no shame! She practically threw herself at Arlo to cause a rift between the brothers, and then she raised her hand against me, in Gunnar's wing! Gunnar is blinded by whatever feral sickness this creature carries."

Seraphina stormed over to me, looming over my kneeling form. "My father, Lord Raymond, is furious! He is threatening to withdraw his entire northern union, half of the empire's military supply, if Gunnar does not proceed with our marriage and rid himself of you! If the union falls, this kingdom fractures, and it will be your fault!"

I kept my head pressed low, my palms sweating against the stone. "I only do what Prince Gunnar commands, My Lady..."

"Shut your mouth!" Seraphina yelled, kicking the edge of my silk dress. "You don't speak unless spoken to! If you cause one more drop of friction, I will personally ensure you are dragged back to the labs to be dissected piece by piece!"

The soft clink of Queen Lilith setting her papers down stopped Seraphina’s venting. The room went dead silent.

"Seraphina speaks the truth of the realm, girl," Queen Lilith stated, her voice smooth and terrifyingly calm. "I do not care what fancies my son plays behind closed doors. But I will not tolerate a wolfless piece of trash dismantling alliances this empire bled to build. If you step out of line again, I will destroy you."

The Queen Mother leaned forward, her eyes flashing with absolute malice. "And I will not stop at you, Lena. I will track down every soul that shares your bloodline. I will scrape your entire family from the earth until nothing but ash remains."

A cold, paralyzing dread struck my chest. My family. My mind was violently dragged backward into the dark fog of memory. A sudden, agonizing ache ruptured my soul.

I saw the silver moonlight of my childhood. I remembered the girl who had been my closest childhood friend, the one who had held my hand and promised we would survive anything together. “I will always protect you, Lena,” she had whispered.

But the memory shifted, turning bitter, jagged, and cold. I heard her trembling, panicked voice from that awful night of the border raid, talking to the human traffickers while she tightly clutched a heavy bag of bounty coins. “She’s in there. The Alpha’s daughter is hiding in the cellar. Take her, just leave me alone! She’s the one you want!”

The friend I loved more than a sister had traded my freedom for blood money, leaving me to be thrown into a cage while my village burned.

"Are you listening to me, creature?" Queen Lilith’s sharp voice snapped me back to the plush royal carpet. She stared down at me with deep disgust, noting the stray tears that had spilled down my cheeks.

"Get out of our sight," Seraphina spat.

I bowed my head blindly, my legs shaking so violently I could barely stand. I stumbled out into the dimly lit, vaulted hallway, the ghost of that ancient betrayal and the weight of Lilith's threat pressing down on my throat like iron bars.

I hadn't taken three steps when a massive, calloused hand shot out of the shadows, slamming against the stone wall next to my head.

I gasped, looking up through blurred, tear-filled vision. Gunnar was looming over me, his broad shoulders blocking out the entire hallway, his face a terrifying mask of rage. He had been waiting for me.

"Did you think you could crawl behind my back to my mother?" Gunnar hissed, his face inches from mine. He didn't pull away; instead, his chest heaved against my frame, his rough grip tightening on my shoulder until it bruised. The raw intensity of his gaze locked onto my overflowing eyes, his breathing heavy and ragged.

"Let me make one thing clear, slave," he whispered, his voice dropping into a rough, gravelly register that sent a sinful, terrifying shiver straight down my spine. "Your life belongs to me, not her. If you break during that assembly tomorrow, if you let them see you cry like a weak, pathetic dog, I won't wait for my mother to hunt your pack down. I will slide the blade into your neck myself. Do you understand me?"

Despite this, his eyes lingered on my trembling lips, the air between us thick with a suffocating, intoxicating heat that left me completely paralyzed. Gosh! I must be in sane.