Chapter 16
Derrick's eyes narrowed as he concentrated on what I was saying. I didn't care about the piano, which is why I wasn't talking about it. I observed him grasping the wine glass stem once more, and this time, I was able to see the white of his own knuckles.
"Perhaps I will play something for you once you have finished eating." I nearly choked on the meal I had been consuming as he continued to rouse me. "Now that you've said it, I'm very certain you would appreciate the way my fingers reach the right notes too." His eyes sparkled, and I swallowed. He seemed unafraid of what he was giving away, and I clenched my teeth and looked at the piano.
What if he played me instead, and I sat on top of it?
"Kylie?" The sound of my name on his lips caused my attention to go straight towards him. "I need you to concentrate on your food; I am barely holding myself together as it is." He muttered. I was now examining him closely and examining every detail of his posture. He might appear composed to others, but I could see the thread he was clinging on to, and even though I had teased him, I didn't want that thread to break.
As soon as I resumed eating, my mind swiftly returned to my food. The atmosphere lightened up just as I was finishing the platter.
"I have a question." I looked up a little, and he gave me a nod so I could go on. "How come my previous pack didn't know that this was your territory?" He leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table and tilting his head.
"The royal pack doesn't normally stay on the same territory for long; we own a lot of land across the globe, and we tend to flit between territories around every twenty years—it's a security precaution."
"Why did he look so good when all he did was the simplest things?" The people who have sworn a personal pledge to me are the only ones who are aware of the royal pack lands." It made sense, yet that was interesting.
If all you did was live in one location, how could you be the monarch of an entire species? Leaning back in my chair, I asked him the remaining questions that had been on my mind ever since I had noticed the royal insignia on his coat the day before.
"Will I have to take a personal oath to you now that I know your territory?" His eyes grew gloomy as I asked him out loud.
In the past, I had seen oaths taken, typically by fighter wolves or at the beginning of a new gamma or beta. It was a private process involving the exchange of words and blood. On my knees, as I vowed my devotion before him, I'm certain he would adore me.
"Are you planning on selling my secrets, Kylie?" I sneered, because I wouldn't have anyone to tell if I was. An omega could not even get a chance to speak, much less have their word accepted.
"No, of course not," I groaned, taking a cautious sip of my wine. "I'm just curious about what is supposed to happen to us from here." He hummed thoughtfully, and I found myself staring at him. He grabbed me by the arm of my chair and dragged me in his direction, since he didn't like it when I turned my back on him. I shrieked as the chair scraped against the wooden floor and nearly propelled me out of my seat. Our legs bashed against each other, and I braced myself, flinching when he grabbed my chin.
"You will rule by my side as the Queen of wolves and the Luna of this pack." The intensity of his words made me quiver, and I felt instantly inadequate for what he desired from me.
Someone better—someone who wasn't broken and who had fewer demons—was supposed to live this life, not me. Someone without filthy, contaminated blood.
As he snapped me out of my reverie of racing thoughts, his thumb brushed against my jaw.
"You will be moving in with me so that it will be easier for you to fulfill your duties as my mate." I met his stare, my heart hammering against my rib cage.
He had not really asked me what I wanted from him or any of this since I had known him; believe me, I had not put completing my duties as his mate on my wish list. Instead, all he had done since I had known him was take over my place in his life.
Did royal wolves treat their mates like this? Was Derrick planning to subjugate me in the same way—to trap them into becoming their breeding machines?
Perhaps if I had been more innocent, I would have accepted it, but this was just another prison with more comfortable furnishings, and I knew exactly what it was like to be in a cage.
I felt as though I was suddenly frozen to him, with cold water coursing through my veins.
I had a bad habit of acting foolishly when I felt constrained, and I didn't think this situation would be any different.
"My duties?" I asked, but he seemed unaffected by the word or how medical it was.
Despite the panic that was building inside my chest, he nodded.
"Your presence will strengthen my pack, and you will conceive my heirs." I was startled by the words, but the panic now turned to rage inside of me. I pressed my body against the back of my chair and shoved his hand away. I had to put as much distance between us as possible. I needed to think for myself and breathe my own air.
"So you're just going to treat me like a glorified chess piece?" My harsh statements caused him to suddenly lose his face. He studied my look and scowled, but he did not reach out to seize me once more. He placed a hand on his jaw and stroked his facial hair.
"I feel like I've said something wrong." He muttered something deep.
"Are you going to keep me chained to your bed as your personal baby maker?" The image in my imagination appeared to grow larger, and his frown deepened.
After everything I had to go through to gain independence, I wasn't going to give it up. It was never my intention to be mated to a royal wolf, much less the fucking Alpha king, so he had no authority to compel me to comply.
"You don't want to have children with me?" Seeing the pain in his eyes made me lose my temper, but it panicked me more because he hadn't rejected my claim yet.
I had to get out of here before I was unable to flee, if this was all he wanted from me.
"Is that all you want from me—to pump out your pups?" When he finally realized what had happened, his eyes grew wide.
Like the genuine leader that he was, he looked at me and was silent for a minute, considering what to say next.
"How old are you?" Instead of offering an apology, he was inquiring about my age.
"I just turned twenty-one a couple of months ago." He sighed and slumped back in his seat as I gritted my teeth. I felt insecure because he didn't seem to be happy with the number.
"You're young; I can see how that is a problem." His words pricked at my skin as he mumbled. The problem was that word again. That was the call he made to me yesterday, and that was the call he made to me today.
"How old are you?" I shot back, crossing my arms across my chest in a rebellious manner. He leaned back towards me, resting his elbows on his knees, looking interested in the way I bit the question back at him.
"Twenty-eight." My eyes grew a little wider.
It was evident to me that he was older than I was. He exuded a highly distinguished aura, though I assumed that was mostly due to his status. He didn't appear much older than twenty-four to me, but I should have realized earlier that wolves mature considerably more slowly than humans.
The reason he was so determined to have successors was finally made obvious. Between twenty-five and forty was the ideal age range for a male wolf to produce offspring. What was the urgency when he still had a good twelve years left? My heart pounded at the idea, unless he wanted more kids than he could tally on his fingers.
I balled my fingers into fists and felt my hands begin to shake.
I had to leave this place.
"I need to go back to my apartment and make sure my friend is okay; she's probably worried sick about me." I shifted the conversation to Vera and concentrated on her. I was a lousy friend for not thinking of her sooner, and by this point she had definitely gone insane.