Chapter 6 Unfazed

Alexander’s POV

She didn't answer.

That simple silence—

Even the wildest rogue wouldn't dare do that in front of the King!

That refusal to give me what I wanted should have infuriated me, should have made me want to break her until she learned proper respect. Break her till the last bone.

Instead, it made something dark and hungry curl low in my gut.

I released her chin and began to circle her.

I did it slow.Took my sweet time. My boots made no sound on the stone at all.

I'd learned long ago how to become the shadow of death.

Her back remained straight.

Interesting…

"You are still not trembling," I observed, my voice a low rumble as I moved behind her. "Most do. Before I've even touched them."

Still nothing. Not even a hitch in her breathing.

I stopped directly behind her, close enough that my body heat should have made her shiver. Close enough that she could feel the sheer size of me looming over her kneeling form.

My hand found her shoulder.

The cloth beneath my fingers was such cheap fabric,it didn't even require touch to tear.

Someone had chosen it specifically to humiliate her…degrade my mate! My wolf growled in my head.

I traced along the curve of her shoulder, down her arm, watching the way her skin pebbled beneath my touch despite her composure.

"There it is," I murmured, leaning down until my lips nearly brushed her ear. "Your body betrays you, little wolf. Even if your face won't."

I paused, utterly shocked at my own tone. There was a strange gentleness in my voice. An alien kind of affection.

She said nothing.

My hand closed around her wrist.She was too thin, too fragile feeling. I could snap it without effort.

The mere violence of that thought disgusted me while my wolf practically purred.That beast found a turn on with gore. I didn't blame him. He was different from the rest of the Lycan lot.

I loved my wolf, but I was also aware of his faults.

I pulled her arm straight, examining the chain that bound her wrists together. The silver infused metal was also enchanted.I could tell it was taking a toll on her.

"I could break these," I said, running my thumb along the metal. "Free your hands. Would you like that?"

Still no response.She sat there like a fucking statue.

I released her arm and continued circling back to her front. Crouched again. This time, I let my gaze drop—let it travel deliberately down her body.

The dress gaped at the neckline, revealing the shadow between her breasts. Bruises bloomed there too.I could see fingermarks. Someone had handled her roughly before she'd even arrived at my door.

My jaw tightened.

She was mine… all mine. Mine to protect.

I felt a burning urge to snap a few necks.

"Who did this to you?" I asked, my voice quieter now. More dangerous for it.

Her eyes finally met mine. Still those dark, steady pools of—nothing. No fear. No defiance. No recognition of the monster crouched before her.

She simply looked at me.

And my wolf ached.

"You don't speak much, do you?" I reached for the collar of her dress. The fabric tore easily beneath my fingers. It wasn't a deliberate rip but it exposed more of her shoulder, more of her chest. "That's fine. I wasn't planning on having a conversation."

I watched her face as I tore another strip. Nothing. Just that same maddening stillness.

My fingers brushed her collarbone as I worked the fabric lower. Her skin was warm. Soft in a way that made me want to press harder just to feel the contrast.

"You should be afraid," I said, and I meant it as a warning even to myself. "I have killed people for less than what I am considering right now. Killed a many innocent ones too. "

Her chest rose and fell evenly. No quickening of breath. No pulse hammering in her throat—though I could see it now, the delicate column of her neck exposed as I tore the dress further.

My hand stilled over her heart.

Steady.

Impossibly steady.

I pressed my palm flat against her sternum, feeling the beat beneath. It was so calm as if she were sitting in a garden rather than kneeling half-naked before a king with blood on his hands.

"What are you?" The question escaped before I could stop it.

She blinked once slowly.

It was the first reaction I'd gotten.

Something in my chest tightened painfully.

I ripped the dress the rest of the way.

It was almost a savage tear that bared her to the waist, a reactionary one. The fabric fell away in ruins around her hips, leaving her in nothing but the chains and the shadows.

My breath caught.

Not because of her body—though it was lovely, curved in ways that made my fingers itch to explore. But because of what decorated it.

I saw scars.

Too many of them. Some old, some new, layered over each other like the tattoo of a map of suffering. I saw whip marks,burn marks,cuts that had healed badly and cuts that still looked fresh.

Someone had been hurting her for a long time.

And she still didn't tremble.

Fuck!!!

I stood abruptly, putting distance between us. My heart was pounding—actually pounding—in a way it hadn't since before the curse took hold.This was new! This was strange!

"You are damaged," I said, and the words came out rougher than I intended. "That's what this is. You've been broken so long you don't even remember how to feel fear."

I turned back to face her. Circled again. Let my eyes drag over every exposed inch of her.

"Then let us fix that."

I crouched behind her this time, my chest against her back. My hands found her hips,her bare skin beneath the ruined dress.

I gripped hard enough to bruise.

"Can I make you feel something?" I murmured against her neck, breathing in that impossible scent of hers.

She smelled like snow…so fresh and sweet and something else—something that made my wolf want to roll over and show its throat.

I bit down gently on her shoulder. Not hard enough to break skin. Just enough to make her nerves react, her body to feel.

But her body didn't flinch.

Yet I felt the faintest shudder beneath my teeth.

Yes!

Yes… yes… yes! My wolf purred at that. This was exactly what we wanted. A good start!

I soothed the bite with my tongue.

Fuck! That taste! She tasted like salt and something sweeter underneath. My hands slid up her sides without any further thought, thumbs brushing the undersides of her breasts.

"You will scream for me eventually," I said. My voice had gone dark with controlled desire. "And I am really curious!"