Wymond POV

I was staring at Claire as she tried to hide her nervousness. I could see the pain in her eyes.

I remembered when I first saw her at the werewolf academy. Then, I was just a prince learning the ropes of becoming an Alpha King.

At just sixteen, she was the best fighter at the academy. She was very good at combat and the use of weapons.

I was there for special training, and my lessons were private, so I did not get to talk to her. But her beauty and aura caught my eye. She looked so pure and full of light. I felt her purity because of my Alpha powers. I wanted to know more about her, so I asked the instructor about her. He told me her name and about her family. Her father was the Alpha of the Shadow Claw Pack. I knew about her father then; he was a formidable warrior and ruled his pack well. He was also wealthy, but not many knew because he didn’t live a lavish lifestyle like most Alphas.

I had taken a liking to Claire, but I never got the chance to because, when I knew her, my position as the next Alpha King was on the line. So I had to remove her from my mind for the time being.

After I became King, I looked for her, but I found out she was mated to Alpha Damian. I was told her parents were the ones to choose him for her and she had always loved him. I felt I didn’t have a chance.

Today, she was standing in front of me, shaking and in pain because of the same man. I thought I did not have a chance with her.

She continued to shake. I did not know if it was because of my presence, what I said, or the pain of being severed from her mate. Severing from one’s mate can be painful, especially when they have been mated for long.

I could see she was terrified, but I could also see that she was thinking about it.

Then I asked her, “How do you think Damian and his new lover would react when they find out you are married to me and head over him? Plus, you have nowhere to go, and I can give you a place to call home. Think about it.” I said it so close to her face, with enough authority to let her know how serious I was. I could see different emotions on her face.

“You and your maid can stay in one of my quarters until you have an answer for me.”

I called one of the guards to help her move her things to one of my guest quarters. I left her stunned. I knew she would think about it, and I was sure she was a smart woman, so she would choose what was best for her.

I left orders to the guard to give her the most beautiful quarter in my palace and make sure she was comfortable. I went into my chambers to relax. Her scent was intoxicating. I wondered how a wolf in his right sense could betray such a pure and beautiful soul. To top it, she was a beauty to behold, with her ocean-blue eyes and golden locks. She was the type of beauty that would make anyone turn when she passed by, and that scent was messing with my mind.

I had the thought to kiss her. My wolf was raging the moment he inhaled her scent. I had to calm him down, not to scare her away, and pacify my wolf that, in due time, she would be ours.

I waited for some time, trying to get some state affairs done, but I could not take my mind off her—the way she was trembling when I got close to her. And that bastard Damian. I wanted to tear him limb by limb for making her cry, for causing her pain. I could feel my wolf almost at the surface, scratching to get out so it could find Damian and kill him. But that would be too irrational and impulsive. Plus, it would only cause harm to Claire and my kingdom.

My wolf was too angry now and needed to vent, so I transformed and ran into the forest to hunt to take the edge off.

Usually, for us werewolves, when our inner wolf has been too angry or agitated, we usually go hunt or have sex. But I usually go hunting.

When I came back, I transformed back to my human form and changed into a new set of clothes. That’s when I saw Claire and her maid being escorted to her quarters, which were very close to mine. I could feel my wolf starting to rage again.

“Didn’t I just feed you?”

“You know that’s not what I want. You either let me kill Damian or let’s just have her and make her ours today.”

“We don’t want to scare her off. She just broke her bond with her mate, so we have to let her heal and come to us willingly.”

“I don’t know how long I can wait.”

“Stay calm. In due time she will be ours.”