All Chapters of Captured by the Cruel Alpha: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

54 Chapters

Catty Courtesans

*Fiona*The women’s parlor is smaller than the banquet hall back home. It’s warm, perfumed with pine oil. Heavy tapestries hang on the walls. They look ancient, like they have been there for ages and never retouched by another weaver. The colors are dulled, but I can make out the depictions of hunts and battles. They might have once looked grand. I walk across the room with Liora and sweep my gaze across the women inside. None of them looks over or greets us. They chatter over each other in high, false voices, laughing at things that aren’t funny, and one of them looks like she’s presiding over the whole spectacle. The woman with pale blonde hair and blue eyes like Lucian glances up at me and then at Liora with something mean gleaming in her eyes. When she turns that gaze on me, I cock an eyebrow. She’s making no effort to hide her hostility. She sets her jaw and looks me over, looking as though she’d like to claw my dress to pieces. I almost wish she would. It’s been too long sinc

She's a Defender

*Varek*He looks stunned when I say it. I keep my expression carefully blank, waiting for him to make up his mind.“If I offer land, there will be a guarantee of a son.”“You misunderstand. Land will be given before you or your son get even a second alone with her.”Though the thought of even allowing that goes against this uncomfortably vicious feeling in the pit of my stomach.I let him see the sharp edge of my teeth. “Though there are less expensive options available.”His jaw tightens. “Don't mock me.”I lift my goblet. “If Princess Fiona is out of your budget, and you have no interest in taking one of the Caldaran courtesans, take your son and ride home before noon.”Ronan and Lucian are both stiff and silent beside me. I can only guess who they are thinking of, but it hardly matters. I don't have the softness of the King of Solara and none of the courtesans are my children.“You want a warrior breeder, there is another available.”The old man’s eyes blaze. His son shifts in his

Spark and Dagger

*Varek*I catch her wrist mid-strike, and she pushes, surprising me with her strength. I actually have to try.I guess the rumors about her aren’t empty.“Your Majesty—”My blood roars hot, mingling rage with something else entirely. Her pulse beats hard and fast beneath my hand. I have half a mind to snap her wrist. I tighten my grip too, but she's not done. She strikes with her other hand, aiming at my elbow and striking hard. A jolt of something passes through my arm, forcing my fingers to twitch and relax just enough that she can slip her hand free. I snarl, reaching out to grab her again. She ducks under my arm and darts just to the side of me. I know she plans to strike me again. I rear back, aiming for her face, planning to strike her to the ground. “Your Majesty—”She spins in a whirl of red fabric and hair. I grab a fistful of her hair and wrench back. She lets out a cry and slams her elbow back into my chest, landing with another jolt of something that knocks the wind out

Wall and Flame

*Fiona*Before he even gives the order, I've turned from him. I walk toward Liora, noting that her expression doesn't ripple and that she hasn't moved from in front of the door. The stupid courtesans peer out of the parlor with wide eyes as I pass. I clench my jaw and force my breathing to remain even as I ignore them and keep my pace steady, putting as much space between the two of us as possible. My heart is racing. I hadn't meant to do that. I hadn't meant to pull his dagger, hadn't meant to try to punch him. I didn't even know I could do that, given how completely he'd overpowered me on the mountain. He is bigger, stronger, an alpha, and he has years of combat experience on me. Was it just his arrogance at work that let me take his dagger and land those blows? I highly doubted that he'd let me, given the situation. He'd definitely been about to break my wrist before I struck him, and I doubted that my bullshit training to keep busy had been the reason I had been successful at g

Spiraling Threads

*Varek*I slam the office door hard enough to rattle the shelves. The echo follows me as I stalk to the desk, my wolf still snarling inside me. I can still feel her against me, breath drifting across my face, her heat burning through my clothes, and that fucking dagger's pommel in my side. I should have put her on her knees right there in the hall. I should have dragged her back to her chamber, silenced that insolent mouth until she remembers that she's just a pawn, and she should act accordingly.My jaw clenches so hard it aches. The dream pushes to the forefront of my mind until I can see her disapproving expression, but there's more fire in it now. The disgust in her eyes is only feeding this twisted desire to make her want me until I'm all she breathes, to bind her to me in every way possible. It's maddening and not according to plan. I need her here, under my control, to get what I want for Caldara, to ensure that my kingdom stays standing.I can't let these urges derail that pl

Powerless

*Fiona*The silence between us is heavy with everything Liora doesn't want to say, but I can see in her eyes that she is on the verge of telling me either because she's needed to talk about it for a long time or because she trusts me for some reason. Maybe that passing loyalty to Varek is a little less than passing."What?"I lean on the windowsill. "The way you talk about him and his stubbornness about his plans…" I turn back and meet her gaze. "You make it sound like he's made plans you've had to just live with when you'd rather not. You might even hate them.”She flinches and looks away."You're not good at hiding your bitterness now that I'm really listening."Her lips twitch. "I have no idea what you want me to say, princess. But I have no reason to say it."I shrug. "No, but I hear venting makes you feel better. What is it that you wanted and he decided it didn't serve him?" She shifted. "I can tell it's more than just a new dress."For a moment, I think she won’t answer. Then h

Unraveling

*Varek*It didn't work, and she knows.I see it in the faint spark at the corner of her mouth, the recognition in her gaze. She realizes my compulsion doesn’t touch her, yet she plays along. From the outside, she looks affected. As placid as she keeps her expression, as well-timed as her stillness is, it’s not real, and she knows that I can tell she's faking it. Her eyes go distant, but I can feel her resisting the urge to laugh in my face. She thinks it's hilarious, and to her it must be. For me, I've never been more on edge in my life. My blood is ice with fear, even as my cock threatens to batter its way out of my pants. I'm trapped between the two feelings and holding still, pretending to be calm, and thinking of the wisest move next. I’ve watched countless warriors bend under my compulsion, seen men, and women alike crumple. Alphas older than me have folded like paper. Ronan shifts uncomfortably in my periphery, and the command wasn't even for him. Lucian holds himself too still

Ancient History

*Fiona*I barely make it back to my chamber before the laughter claws up my throat. The guards close the door behind me, and I press my back to the wood, covering my mouth with both hands. I don’t dare let it out, but my shoulders shake with the effort.Varek is definitely melting down, scrambling, and probably pulling at straws. The fear that he might just have me killed in the middle of the night passes quickly. He has a castle filling with suitors, and Liora knows him better than most. He's too stubborn to cut his losses like that. He's probably too arrogant to think he still can't make me do as he wants, but he can't risk pissing me off and letting me spill the secret.The alpha kings want me as a breeder, but they aren't signing up for someone they have no physical or mental power over. The few who won't care likely won't play Varek's game. I bite down on my lip, finally exhaling through my nose until the giddy rush ebbs. I settle my mind. I need to use this leverage to get out o

Old Wounds

*Varek*The receiving hall stank of foreign wolves and steel. I stand at the threshold of my great hall, jaw set, hands clasped behind my back as the suitors and their families file in.The first is a blustering lord from the west, his voice already loud enough to rattle the stone like he's been drinking. Behind him trails his wife, sons, and daughters. Their gazes sweep over the keep, and I try not to be irritated that he's brought his daughters. This is supposed to be about bidding for Fiona, not a chance to get his daughters married. I offer curt greetings and wave them through. One after another, they come in, pouring out of their carriages. Some of them are smart enough to bring gifts of food, likely to garner some favor with me. Then I saw her. I hadn’t laid eyes on Cara since I’d sent her off years ago. She looks much the same for the most part. She's slighter than Liora, her hair longer, and the softness that had once been in her expression is gone. She looks more like Liora

Loosening the Leash

*Varek* I rub my jaw, considering it. "They're cousins?""Probably. I don't think there are any other lords down that way… why?"My hands clench. This had to be what Cara hadn't wanted her husband to tell me in the hallway. She had been in Caldara when I had been in the battle where I'd met Dante. It must have been a good day when she arrived at her husband's castle and met him. The memory cut through my mind. His eyes had been devoid of hesitation or feeling when he attacked me. Back then, his shifted form was only slightly smaller than I am now. I learned much later that he was much younger than me and nearly untried. He had been relentless, and it wasn't until a white flag had been flown in the distance that he stopped.We had been on opposite sides as support then, and I knew just from the few blows we'd traded that there was a chance I would have lost my life. The thought of him here, in my halls, at my table, sets me on edge, especially with his connection to Cara, who had not

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