Chapter Four
Girls in scantily clad clothes walked in, some giving their best seductive looks, others touching their bodies in ways that could arouse any wolf present. They were wolves, it was normal to feed their desires every now and then.
But Enzo was a lycan of over a hundred years; women dressed in revealing clothes did nothing to entice him. On a normal day, Victor would have lost his head for bringing in this kind of trash to irritate the king's view. But today was not a normal day.
Enzo's eyes were fixed on one woman.
She stood out like a sore thumb.
She was dressed in white lace, similar to a wedding gown, the back exposed in a delicate pattern. The dress was short, as though it had been violently ripped off, leaving her long legs shamelessly on display. Her face looked ghostly, her head bowed to the ground, shoulders slightly hunched. Thick, lush black hair cascaded down her back in soft waves, reaching almost to her waist.
First thought that came to him was She did not belong there.
At first, it was mere curiosity that drew his attention. Then her scent hit him.
"That can't be right," he told himself silently.
Alpha Victor noticed the strange change in the king's gaze. Following it, his eyes landed on Arabella standing among the women he had prepared for the king. He almost lost his cool.
Thinking the king would detest her appearance, how dirty and unkempt she looked, Victor motioned for one of his guards to take her out and lock her up. He would deal with her later, along with whoever had let her out to disrupt his carefully laid plans.
He would have already dealt with her long ago if he hadn't completely forgotten her existence after the king's letter arrived.
What Victor did not expect was what happened next.
The guard reached out to touch her.
The king's voice shook the entire hall.
"Touch her, and I will have your hands cut off from the shoulder," Enzo declared coldly.
The guards hurriedly dropped to their knees, slamming their foreheads against the floor countless times as they begged for mercy. Who didn't know it was treason to touch the king's property? They didn't know why the king had said that, and they didn't care. All that mattered was keeping their heads intact.
The hall went deathly silent. Everyone was shocked.
Including Lucian, though he wisely chose to keep quiet and simply watch the spectacle unfold.
The king stepped down from the throne and walked toward the black-haired she-wolf. When he stood before her, he gently raised her chin.
He froze.
Her face looked pale and lifeless, her eyes hollow and empty, yet her beauty could not be hidden. Her eyes were a striking emerald green, her pale skin complementing their color perfectly. Her hair was thick—too thick. He felt an overwhelming urge to touch it but restrained himself.
He was still holding her chin.
"What is your name, she-wolf?" he asked.
"Arabella Montclair," she replied softly.
"Arabella," Enzo repeated. He loved the way the name rolled off his tongue.
"What is your status, Arabella?" he asked, already knowing that only slaves were used to entertain men like this. Yet she didn't look like one.
"Breeder, Your Majesty," Arabella responded through gritted teeth, hatred laced in every syllable.
"Then you shall be the King's Breeder," he said softly.
Murmurs erupted across the hall, shock evident on many faces. Celine and her mother could not hide their open contempt.
Celine almost coughed out blood as her hatred for Arabella intensified. "That slut… even the king has been bewitched by her face," she muttered under her breath.
"Arabella will be the King's Breeder and will return to the capital with me," Enzo announced, completely ignoring the whispers. "Come."
He beckoned to Arabella, and she obeyed, walking over and sitting quietly at the king's feet.
Celine, seething with rage, could no longer contain herself. She stepped forward, playing the role she excelled at best.
"Your Majesty," she cried. "Arabella is my only sister. Our father died and left only the two of us with our mother. Though she is a breeder, we do not treat her as one. How would we survive without her?"
Her mother joined in, crying dramatically and beating her chest.
Enzo lounged lazily on his throne as he watched the pathetic performance. If he couldn't see through such a cheap act, then his hundred years on the throne meant nothing.
Believing the king was listening, Celine continued,
"Your Majesty, please… Why not take me instead? I cannot bear to see my sister taken away from her home."
"So you would come with me if I chose you instead and abandoned your sister?" Enzo asked calmly.
Celine nodded so quickly her head nearly fell off.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"And what will Victor do," Enzo continued, "when he finds out his woman left him to follow another lycan?"
Celine's eyes widened, her body going stiff.
How did he know? She panicked. She had been careful, staying in the background, saying nothing since she arrived.
She had even avoided Victor since yesterday so his scent wouldn't linger on her. Victor has strictly told her to stay out of sight because Enzo might notice she was not his fated mate and he doesn't want any questions or interrogation
"Victor," Enzo said coldly, "put a leash on your bitch. The next time she speaks in my presence without being addressed, I will personally behead her."
She tried to protest, but Enzo smiled wickedly. "I could also do it now."
Tell me Lucian how many people have I beheaded for disobedience" Enzo asked suddenly.
"Three hundred and twenty two, since you took over the throne"
Victor, stunned by how everything had spiraled, hurriedly shoved Celine out of the hall. He immediately began scolding her.
"Didn't I tell you to stay out of sight? Look at what you've caused!"
"I'm sorry," she replied pitifully. "I was only trying to help."
"By making it worse," Victor snapped. "Stay away for now. Go wait in the bedchambers. I'll return once I'm done with the king. Behave."
Celine nodded obediently and left.
When Victor returned, he kept his distance from the king.
"Alpha Victor," Enzo said calmly, "you know she cannot be your Luna. She is not your mate, correct?"
"My mate is, " Victor glanced at Arabella sitting quietly with her head bowed and stopped himself.
"My mate is dead, Your Majesty."
"If that is the case," Enzo said, standing, clearly bored with the conversation, "I'm sure the Moon Goddess can make an exception."
Without waiting for a reply, the king ordered Victor to show him to his bedchambers.