The Rogue King's Cursed Mate

˙❥ VALKYRIE

"Would you prefer I repeat my statement or... Do it myself?"

I shuffled my feet, suddenly forgetting how to pull a dress off, "Uhm... Sorry," I mumbled, fumbling with the tie of the gown.

"Now."

How was I supposed to shred a dress this expensive-looking?

"No. I won't," I said defiantly, taking two steps back.

"You won't or you can't? Choose your words carefully, Val." He sat upright, returning the glass to the stool. My feet kept dragging me to the door. I won't destroy the dress or take it off.

I looked boldly at his face, noticing the shade of emotions; from anger to something darker.

Doom's words at the auction replayed in my mind. "They would continue what their mother started." Tears welled in my eyes, clinging to my lashes.

"Let me go!" I screamed, but he was sitting unmoved, taking more drink from the wine glass.

You don't have to wait for him to take action. The words rang in my head, and I lurched to the door, placing my hand on the knob so I could bolt out but it was locked.

How?

My heart raced.

I didn't remember locking the door when I stepped in.

"No, please." I shook the door, glancing over my shoulder only to see him closely behind me. His hand quickly grabbed my neck, the air chilled, sharp as a broken glass in my lungs.

His finger stuck painfully on my wound.

"So silly of you to think you can run from me." His lips whispered near my ear, the tickling sensation making it twitch.

Stupid ear.

I haven't even thought of how I was going to escape this hell, this pack, and the weird people in it. I only wanted to leave the room to avoid spoiling the dress and stripping before him but it seems I have a plan to orchestrate now. Leaving here.

"Argh!"

His hands gripped my neck hard, and I felt my throat stiffen. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as my hands held tightly to his wrist.

"Plea..."

"Strip!" He threw me off, my waist hitting the table in the middle of the room.

"You're wolf-less, Val." He fumed and I was shocked. Why was he so angry? "An Omega. A witch!"

Hot fluid ran down my cheeks at his words. No, it wasn't the words, it was the way he said it. Like I was an abomination. Something that shouldn't exist.

I found my footing, holding the edge of the table so I didn't fall. Without hesitation, I shredded the dress and the ripping sound filled the room.

The room was warm with the red glow from the fire burning in the hearth, but cold chills washed over my body, as if tiny ice were placed on them. Worst was his stare; it made my skin crawl in disgust.

He moved in light steps, watching me with his head tilted like he was analyzing a specimen.

Afterwards, I felt him behind me, his lips on my neck; just there, not moving.

His hands roamed my skin and I whimpered, clenching my teeth. My fist curled at my side.

"I hate you!" I seethed, not scared if I would get punished for my utterance but his next word made my legs shake.

"But your body says otherwise, Val. You don't know it but I can feel the way you shiver under my touch."

"It's a lie."

He stepped back a bit, his eyes sweeping over my frail physique-from my face to my chest; staring a bit longer than usual before looking at my face again.

"Then prove me wrong," he muttered, snaking his palm around my waist. Before I could resist, he slammed his lips on mine, our tongues entwining like twisted vines.

Heat flushed over my skin, and an unknown desire I didn't know existed gripped my body.

A loud moan escaped my lips, my hands finding their way to his shoulder. My nails dug lightly into his shirt as I tried to control the turmoil swirling in my head.

The sound on the door disrupted us and I pulled away quickly from his hold, arranging the torn piece of my gown.

My ribcage hurt with each thud of my heart.

I glanced towards Alpha Ryker but his face was calm, like we weren't almost caught in an act.

Like he didn't just make my skin crawl with need.

"Take the cloth on the bed..." I turned to the black dress on the mattress, a large contrast to the torn golden gown. "And get out."

Why was I dressed in a nice gown only to make me spoil it?

I slid the dress over my head, rushing toward the door but like earlier, the door wouldn't open. The knock came again, followed by a feminine voice.

"Ryk, would you open this door?"

I glanced towards Alpha Ryker and he pointed at the side of the door. A tiny hole was seen with a long, metal object that seems like a key but isn't.

"Twist it," he said stiffly. The moment the door opened, a lady in a tight, blue corset burst into the room.

She stared at me for a while, her eyes sizing up my disheveled appearance.

"Ryk, don't tell me it's true," she retreated slightly, her eyes darting from Ryker to me. "Don't tell me you really bought a low-life Omega. A pleasure slave?"

The words stung, and I rolled my tongue to hold the words that lay at the tip of my lips.

"I bought her because I wanted to teach her a lesson, Noura," Alpha Ryker muttered, trudging to the young lady.

A lesson?

My fingers trembled, restless, grasping for something solid until they wrapped around the doorknob but I couldn't run, not when my legs were weak with fear.

Alpha Ryker opened his arms, bringing her to his chest as he planted a light kiss on her hair.

He was the same man who held me in that same manner. Who had made my legs clench with need?

I scoffed inwardly.

So foolish of me.

"Why?" The lady whispered, her hands hugging tightly as if he had vanished if she let loose.

"She killed her mother and for some reason, I was intrigued. What kind of power does she have?" Alpha Ryker muttered above the lady's head, his eyes looking into my white ones while stroking her back up and down in a slow, intimate pace.

His words jabbed at my heart like a sleek ice,

"I didn't kill my mother!" Heat coiled in my gut, ready to spill.

"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? It's like a black wolf saying they're white. Doesn't it sound ridiculous?" The lady whom Ryker had referred to as Noura, said. Her arm didn't loosen entirely from his waist but she spun just enough to look me straight in the eyes. "When I'm speaking, you bow."

My voice thickened with unspoken curses but I swallowed the words, bowing.

"So... how do you intend to punish her?"