“Andlotsof compensation,” she says.
My lips curl into a smile. “So much they’ll be running home with smiles on their faces.”
Some of the stiffness in her body eases. “I doubt that,” she says, although there’s less bite in her tone now. “They’ve been traumatized, the poor girls.”
And it was worth it.
To find this amazing woman.
It was worth it.
“It was not my first choice,” I say hesitantly.
“I should hope not,” she says, her chin in the air, staring defiantly at me. “It’s a barbaric custom.”
“I… apologize. I was desperate.”
“For what?”
I take a deep breath and my whole body softens. “For you. It was all to find you.”
“Me?” She puts her hand on her chest and steps back, those defiant eyes melting my soul. “And what makes me so special?”
“You’re my mate,” I say softly. “You’re our queen.”
She doesn’t move as she stares at me for a long moment, and then she bursts out laughing. “Yourhighness,” she says sarcastically. “I make candles. I don’t rule wolf kingdoms in far-off strange lands.”
I step forward and take her hand. Her laughter quickly fades.
“And I have been living without half of my soul for forty-one years,” I say, my voice low and firm. “I have struggled in loneliness. Nearly lost my wolf to grief. I was drowning without my queen and now my feet are on solid land. A lot has changed today.”
She stares at me as the weight of my words settles between us. For the first time since she was dragged into this room, I see uncertainty flicker in her eyes—not fear, but something quieter. Something deeper.
“I don’t understand,” she says softly. “Why you’re saying things like that. If you want to force me into your bed, you don’t have to pretend there’s love and… more here.”
I shake my head fiercely. “There will be no forcing anything. Do you not… feel it?”
Her inquisitive eyes look me over as her mind works. I wish I could read her thoughts and discover what she’s thinking. I want to feel her feelings and experience her thoughts along with her. I want to be a part of her in every way.
“What’s your name?” I ask when she doesn’t answer.
“Morwen.”
“Morwen,” I whisper, savoring the succulent name on my tongue. “Beautiful.”
“King Alaric,” she says, rubbing her thumb on my hand. It’s such a small gesture, but it makes my thick, powerful legs buckle. She can bring me to my knees with such ease.
“You’re ready to put a crown on my head and place me on that throne,” she says, motioning to the empty seat with her eyes. “When you don’t even know me?”
“I know you,” I say immediately. “Intimately.”
She scoffs. “Yousmelledme. That’s not the same thing.”
“To a wolf it is,” I say. “A wolf you woke from the dead.”
Her head tilts. “You lost me.”
“And you found me,” I say, holding her hand tighter. “You’re my mate, Morwen. And I’m yours.”
