Free Web NovelChapter 22: Whoever It Was Wanted Her Dead
She didn’t push him away, even though her hands were resting against his chest. Arianna was savoring every single second of it. His lips trailed from her mouth to her ear, nibbling gently, before moving down to her neck.
Her fingers slid from his chest to his muscular arms, squeezing them tightly as his teeth grazed her skin, biting down just enough to sting.
At first, it was a sharp prick of pain but it quickly melted into pure pleasure. She cursed her foolish heart for loving every single second of it.
When his lips moved again, she couldn’t stop the breathless confession from escaping her. "Kane... I like it."
"Do you want the real bite?" he whispered against her skin, his lips briefly capturing hers again.
"Y-yes..." Arianna murmured, not entirely sure what he meant by that. "Is it going to hurt?"
"Yes. A lot," Kane told her honestly.
"Then I don’t want it."
"If you are going to remain by my side, then eventually, I will have to do it."
"W-what?" The passion instantly evaporated. Arianna broke away from his embrace, stepping back as she gently rubbed her tingling neck.
"It’s called marking," Kane explained. "In the North, werewolves mark their mates to show the world they belong to someone else, so no other wolf can claim them."
"But I’m not your mate... right?"
"No." For the first time, Kane lowered his gaze, and Arianna didn’t miss how much her question seemed to weigh on him.
"Then it wouldn’t make sense to mark me."
"Actually, you’re right, Princess. Ordinary werewolves cannot mark anyone other than their true mates—doing so would kill the other person," Kane said. Seeing the sheer horror wash over her face, he quickly added, "But it is different for me. As the Supreme Alpha, I can mark anyone, including a human. But the bond will be weak."
Arianna swallowed hard. "And what happens if your true mate appears?"
"The artificial bond automatically breaks," Kane admitted quietly. "And I would have to mark her."
"I see. I get the point now."
Kane instantly regretted bringing it up. Even though Arianna tried to mask her expression, he could see the quiet sadness settling over her. And deep down, Kane was facing his own internal torment.
For the first time in his life, he dreaded the idea of his true mate ever appearing to claim their bond... because he was already falling helplessly for his human princess.
"What happened between you and my aunt today?" he asked, abruptly shifting the topic.
Her brows furrowed in confusion, surprised that the news had already reached him. "Wait. Did she report me to you?"
"Not exactly."
"Of course she did," Arianna said with a humorless laugh, shaking her head in disappointment. "What did she tell you?"
"Things I didn’t want to believe you would do," Kane murmured, watching her closely. "No matter how much I tried to remind myself that I don’t know you well enough yet, I couldn’t bring myself to believe her."
"Thank you for at least letting me defend myself before condemning me. Her accusations are completely false," she told him, still unable to believe Aunt Freya would stoop so low. "I would never look at another man as long as I am married to you."
Kane hadn’t expected her to offer such a promise, but a distinct sense of relief washed over him when she did.
"I am a married woman, and I have a very handsome husband. Why on earth would I look at anyone else?" She offered a soft shrug, not giving him a chance to interrupt. "I am not the type of person who would ever betray you like that."
"I won’t be able to fulfill all of my duties to you..." Kane began, his voice trailing off as he alluded to the weak human bond.
"It doesn’t matter. I am perfectly content with whatever you have to offer," she said, offering him a reassuring smile.
Kane stared at her, searching her face. Was she joking? No, she looked entirely sincere, and her heartbeat remained perfectly steady—she wasn’t lying to him. Anger toward his aunt flared in his chest; Freya had no right to slander his wife.
"Forgive me," Kane said quietly. "My aunt did not treat you with the respect you deserve. I apologize on her behalf."
"You don’t have to worry about it. I was furious earlier, but I’m not anymore. All that matters to me is that you didn’t believe her."
The faint, charming smile on Kane’s face faded just as quickly as it had appeared. His eyes darkened slightly as he held her gaze. "Is that why you moved out of my tent?"
"No, Your Highness." She was caught off guard that he had brought that up, too. "I wasn’t comfortable spending the night there after everything I learned today. I would prefer to stay here for a few nights."
"How long?" Kane asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Three or four nights... if you are able to convince me that you won’t try to kill me again," she countered bravely.
"I won’t."
"You’ll have to prove it. But for now, I am spending the night here."
"Hmm... I understand your point, and I will respect your wishes." To her surprise, he didn’t argue further.
Arianna felt a wave of relief that he wasn’t pushing the issue. She was beginning to notice a pattern with him—he always seemed to take a step back whenever she firmly stood her ground. "Let’s call it a night then, King Kane."
"Goodnight, my queen," he murmured, finally turning toward the tent exit.
Arianna couldn’t suppress the sudden smile that tugged at her lips. "Goodbye."
He paused at the flap of the tent. "I will station two guards outside to watch your tent."
"Is that really necessary?"
"I believe so," he replied smoothly. "But it doesn’t mean anything bad will happen."
"As Your Highness wishes," Arianna said, offering a small, graceful curtsy. Kane offered a tight nod before disappearing into the night, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
The moment he was gone, Arianna collapsed backward onto the bed, letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. What on earth is this man doing to me?
A short while later, Maria returned to the tent to tidy up. Dinner was served and after eating, Arianna took a quick bath and changed into her nightgown.
Once her maid left for her own quarters, Arianna lay perfectly still in the dark, reminiscing about the chaotic events of the day. The fleeting warmth of Kane’s kiss faded, replaced by a cold, nagging anxiety.
She couldn’t help but question herself. Would Kane ever forgive her if he found out she had lied to him about Ethan?
He didn’t seem like the type of man to take deception lightly, no matter his feelings for her. Part of her desperately wanted to confess the truth before things went too far, but doing so meant risking her execution.
No, she couldn’t risk it. The secret would have to stay buried.
"I am left with a single choice... to hide the truth, because my life depends on it," she whispered to the empty tent. Sighing, Arianna pulled the heavy blanket she had brought from the West up to her chest and tried to force herself to rest.
Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and she needed to be ready to face her enemies. There were so many of them now that she was starting to lose count.
Arianna closed her eyes and before long, exhaustion claimed her. For a while, everything was peaceful. Even in her sleep, her mind didn’t conjure images of her foes; instead, she dreamed of Kane, visualizing the way he had explained the mating bond to her.
In the dream, his hands gently caressed her neck where he had rained kisses earlier. She basked in the warmth of how he held her, how he looked at her—but the comfort didn’t last.
Suddenly, the phantom warmth turned freezing cold and his grip tightened, pressing ruthlessly down on her trachea.
Her breath hitched. She clawed at his hands, trying to pull away, but her airway was completely blocked. She couldn’t even draw enough air to scream for help. The agony became unbearable, shattering the illusion of sleep.
Arianna’s eyes flew open, but the nightmare didn’t end. The exact same crushing pressure was grinding against her throat in the waking world.
These hands didn’t feel like Kane’s. The tent was pitch-black; every single candle had been snuffed out, leaving her completely blind to her assailant.
Gasping for oxygen, she frantically tried to thrust the shadow off her, but the crushing force only increased. A terrible, burning pain flared in her chest. Desperate, Arianna parted her lips to try and suck in air through her mouth, but a heavy hand instantly shifted, slamming down over her lips and nose, sealing her fate.
Whoever it was wanted her dead. Right now.
With every passing second, the fight bled out of her. Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes as her limbs grew heavy and useless. A heavy dizziness washed over her, and her vision began to tunnel into static.
As consciousness slipped away, Arianna couldn’t think of anything but the cruel irony of her fate. She was going to die here, in the darkest, most agonizing way possible—without ever fulfilling her purpose, and without ever truly getting to live.
