Auctioned to the Cruel King - Chapter 21: Chapter 21
You are reading Auctioned to the Cruel King, Chapter 21: Chapter 21. Read more chapters of Auctioned to the Cruel King.
Kayla’s POV
I should’ve known better.
When Lance entered the room, I knew he wasn’t here to simply talk.
His silence was more deafening than a roar. And when he finally spoke, when that voice cut through the air like a blade, my heart stopped.
"But I still have to praise you for getting that far," he'd said. "Imagine if it wasn't me who found you... maybe some guard did—"
I had thought of that. Gods, I had. And it terrified me.
Now, he was sitting in my room, looking at me like I was prey he was toying with. A part of me wanted to shrink into myself. The other part... the reckless, angry, aching part of me wanted to snarl back.
"You should be sitting," he said, and it wasn’t a suggestion.
But… "No, I'm fine standing."
His gaze sharpened.
"I said sit down."
I obeyed. Not because I feared him—though I probably should—but because something in his voice made my spine tighten. Made my wolf obey and dragged me down with her.
I froze when he mentioned my pack. My heart had even skipped, then raced like a frightened animal and my sight blurred for just a moment.
"Answer me," he demanded, his voice deceptively soft. "Were you going to Howling Crest Pack?"
"No," I said quickly. Too quickly.
A smirk twitched on his lips for the first time since knowing him. One that was directed at me. This wasn't good. "Then where, Kayla? Another Alpha's bed? Another mate, maybe?"
The way he said it, with such disdain, such barely contained fury, made me shiver despite the morning warmth filtering through the windows.
My lips parted to speak, but the air stuck in my throat.
Did he know?
How long had he known about my former pack? About Landon?
His jaw clenched.
"Kayla."
I forced my voice out. "It wasn’t like that. I wasn’t going to Howling Crest. I wasn’t going to anyone."
“So where?”
“Nowhere specific. Just…away.”
His shoulder shifted, blocking the ray from the window. "So you thought you could just disappear? Leave my territory—after the deal you made? After I’ve kept you breathing?"
"I didn’t ask for that."
His eyes darkened. "Do you have another mate?"
The words were acid.
Anger flared in me too. "Why would it matter?"
Even from where I sat, I felt his entire body tense.
"It’s not like our bond was sealed," I pushed, even as my voice trembled. "You never wanted it any more than I did. You said so yourself the night we met. So it won't matter whether I’ve got another mate waiting for me or not.”
“What did you just say?” The air around us changed instantly—thickened, charged. His eyes flashed golden, a growl rumbling deep in his chest.
“You heard m—”
He moved so fast I didn’t see it coming. One second, I was on the bed, and the next, he was looming over me, one knee pressing into the mattress, hands braced on either side of me. Caging me in.
“Fuck,” he snarled, his glowing eyes wild. “You’ve grown bold.”
His breath grazed my cheek, hot and full of fury. Shit. A bad feeling crawled down my spine.
"What were you planning, Kayla? Go to another Alpha? Let him touch you? Mark you? Fuck you?"
"Stop it—"
He growled, pushing me further against the pillows, straddling me like a beast claiming its prey. The wound on my left shoulder throbbed and I hissed. One hand gripped my waist. The other slid up my dress and cupped my breast, thumb grazing the sensitive peak.
"Is this what you wanted from him? His mouth here?"
A shameful sound escaped me. Something between a gasp and a whimper.
"Answer me."
"I didn’t—I wasn’t—"
“I own you!”
“Y-you don't!” I thrashed beneath him. "Let me go—"
"Wrong." His voice cracked like a whip. "The moment I became the highest bidder, you became mine. The moment fate tied us, you became mine. The moment you entered my territory, you became mine."
"I never agreed to any of that!" I shouted, fury cutting through fear. "I was sold, like cattle! Like some prized mare meant to breed!"
His hand moved suddenly to my throat and it was clear how easily he could crush me if he chose. My pulse hammered against his palm.
He ground his hips into mine, and I could feel the hard line of his arousal. “And yet here you are," he rasped, "responding to me in ways you can't hide."
A traitorous heat pooled low in my belly at his words. I hated it. Hated him for doing this. Hated myself for feeling it.
"No other male will touch you again. I don’t care who he is. I don’t care what you were. You are mine."
Then, just as suddenly, he pulled back.
Hands withdrawing from my body with a hiss. He stood without a word, breathing hard, chest rising and falling like he’d just been through battle.
I sat up, confused.
He looked at me like I was a stranger again.
“However, you’ve committed treachery, Kayla."
My heart stopped.
"Which is punishable by death. Your head on a pike for betrayal. But I’m merciful. So you’ll live. On the other hand, your freedom after two years has now been revoked. As of now, it’s indefinite.”
No. No! No!!
"No—!" I jumped to my feet. "You can't—"
"But I have, Kayla. And from now on, you are bound to this territory. If you so much as step beyond the places I allow…you die.”
My knees buckled. Th—this can’t be happening.
He turned and strode to the door, pausing only once.
"Pray you never make me question your loyalty again."
The door slammed behind him.
I stood frozen. Then I crumbled.
Crashing to the cold marble, my body slumped like my spirit had been ripped from it. No sobs came. No tears. Just numb silence.
I was doomed. I was terribly doomed.
The sun had set by the time Doctor Helene arrived.
The sight of her was enough to make my heart beat again. I hadn’t realized how much I’d been dreading this visit until she stepped inside.
She smiled softly. "Come. Let’s take a walk."
I followed, too stunned to speak. My heart beat erratically in my chest. Today was definitely my last, I could feel my ancestors calling me already, there was no escaping this because why was she here? She’d said the results would take two days.
“We won't be needing an escort," she said to the guard when we reached the front porch. "Lady Kayla will be safe with me."
The guard hesitated but ultimately bowed and turned. That made me more uneasy.
When we reached her quarters, she gestured for me to sit on a cushioned bench in her private office. Then she handed me a glass of water.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Fine."
Her eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"
How fine can one be if their death is near? But I nodded. She didn't believe me.
“Kayla," she said gently, "I'm asking as your doctor. How have you been managing your health before arriving in our territory? Any incidents? It doesn't matter how minor you may think of it.”
I didn't answer. I was nearly shitting myself even while I maintained a different font.
Helene tilted her head. "Did you ever experience irregular cycles? Intense cramps? Fatigue?…” she hesitated. “Maybe even a miscarriage.”
My face must have given her the answer she needed at her last guess because she relaxed in her chair.
She drank from her glass and then leaned forward. "I told you the results would take two days. That wasn’t quite true."
"Why did you lie?”
"Because you had looked stiff. Nervous. I didn’t want you collapsing from fear before I got the chance to speak to you."
"Then why are you here?" That definitely wasn't what I wanted to ask.
"You must’ve guessed by now," she said gently. "Why I brought you here, I mean."
I didn’t answer.
"I’m your doctor, Kayla. I was assigned to your care, which includes access to... personal information. Including certain findings no one else has known."
My chest tightened. "So are you going to report me?"
She was a Lycan and loyal to her king, whatever was I expecting?
She smiled. "If that were my plan, I would’ve gone to the King. Not to you."
That made my shoulders slumped.
She shifted in her chair. "Kayla, I’m not sure if you already know this, but to put it in a lame man’s language, you have a weakened womb. It’s not impossible for you to conceive, but if nothing is done soon... it may be. Your reproductive system is under strain. Possibly due to suppressed heat cycles, stress, and lack of proper care. But this can be corrected."
That definitely wasn't what the doctor in my pack said. And yet, something inside me flared—hope or fear, I wasn’t sure. Could I actually be saved?
"What...could be done?” I stroke the glass in my hand, hoping.
"I’ve already started preparing treatments. You’ll need both injections and herbal mixtures. And sex."
I choked. "Excuse me?"
"Sex encourages hormone balance. It also helps to prepare the body for conception. But it may take time. Consistency matters. One time won’t be enough."
My heart pounded. She couldn’t be saying this. Not now.
Helene’s voice turned soft. "Your next cycle is due in less than two weeks. If everything works, you may still have a chance."
Could I be dreaming? I know I do hope for news like this, but this could just be all in my head.
Helene squeezed my hand and I looked up at her. This was real. I-I may not be barren.
“Don’t worry, it will work out.”
So, I wasn't going to die after all.
I should’ve known better.
When Lance entered the room, I knew he wasn’t here to simply talk.
His silence was more deafening than a roar. And when he finally spoke, when that voice cut through the air like a blade, my heart stopped.
"But I still have to praise you for getting that far," he'd said. "Imagine if it wasn't me who found you... maybe some guard did—"
I had thought of that. Gods, I had. And it terrified me.
Now, he was sitting in my room, looking at me like I was prey he was toying with. A part of me wanted to shrink into myself. The other part... the reckless, angry, aching part of me wanted to snarl back.
"You should be sitting," he said, and it wasn’t a suggestion.
But… "No, I'm fine standing."
His gaze sharpened.
"I said sit down."
I obeyed. Not because I feared him—though I probably should—but because something in his voice made my spine tighten. Made my wolf obey and dragged me down with her.
I froze when he mentioned my pack. My heart had even skipped, then raced like a frightened animal and my sight blurred for just a moment.
"Answer me," he demanded, his voice deceptively soft. "Were you going to Howling Crest Pack?"
"No," I said quickly. Too quickly.
A smirk twitched on his lips for the first time since knowing him. One that was directed at me. This wasn't good. "Then where, Kayla? Another Alpha's bed? Another mate, maybe?"
The way he said it, with such disdain, such barely contained fury, made me shiver despite the morning warmth filtering through the windows.
My lips parted to speak, but the air stuck in my throat.
Did he know?
How long had he known about my former pack? About Landon?
His jaw clenched.
"Kayla."
I forced my voice out. "It wasn’t like that. I wasn’t going to Howling Crest. I wasn’t going to anyone."
“So where?”
“Nowhere specific. Just…away.”
His shoulder shifted, blocking the ray from the window. "So you thought you could just disappear? Leave my territory—after the deal you made? After I’ve kept you breathing?"
"I didn’t ask for that."
His eyes darkened. "Do you have another mate?"
The words were acid.
Anger flared in me too. "Why would it matter?"
Even from where I sat, I felt his entire body tense.
"It’s not like our bond was sealed," I pushed, even as my voice trembled. "You never wanted it any more than I did. You said so yourself the night we met. So it won't matter whether I’ve got another mate waiting for me or not.”
“What did you just say?” The air around us changed instantly—thickened, charged. His eyes flashed golden, a growl rumbling deep in his chest.
“You heard m—”
He moved so fast I didn’t see it coming. One second, I was on the bed, and the next, he was looming over me, one knee pressing into the mattress, hands braced on either side of me. Caging me in.
“Fuck,” he snarled, his glowing eyes wild. “You’ve grown bold.”
His breath grazed my cheek, hot and full of fury. Shit. A bad feeling crawled down my spine.
"What were you planning, Kayla? Go to another Alpha? Let him touch you? Mark you? Fuck you?"
"Stop it—"
He growled, pushing me further against the pillows, straddling me like a beast claiming its prey. The wound on my left shoulder throbbed and I hissed. One hand gripped my waist. The other slid up my dress and cupped my breast, thumb grazing the sensitive peak.
"Is this what you wanted from him? His mouth here?"
A shameful sound escaped me. Something between a gasp and a whimper.
"Answer me."
"I didn’t—I wasn’t—"
“I own you!”
“Y-you don't!” I thrashed beneath him. "Let me go—"
"Wrong." His voice cracked like a whip. "The moment I became the highest bidder, you became mine. The moment fate tied us, you became mine. The moment you entered my territory, you became mine."
"I never agreed to any of that!" I shouted, fury cutting through fear. "I was sold, like cattle! Like some prized mare meant to breed!"
His hand moved suddenly to my throat and it was clear how easily he could crush me if he chose. My pulse hammered against his palm.
He ground his hips into mine, and I could feel the hard line of his arousal. “And yet here you are," he rasped, "responding to me in ways you can't hide."
A traitorous heat pooled low in my belly at his words. I hated it. Hated him for doing this. Hated myself for feeling it.
"No other male will touch you again. I don’t care who he is. I don’t care what you were. You are mine."
Then, just as suddenly, he pulled back.
Hands withdrawing from my body with a hiss. He stood without a word, breathing hard, chest rising and falling like he’d just been through battle.
I sat up, confused.
He looked at me like I was a stranger again.
“However, you’ve committed treachery, Kayla."
My heart stopped.
"Which is punishable by death. Your head on a pike for betrayal. But I’m merciful. So you’ll live. On the other hand, your freedom after two years has now been revoked. As of now, it’s indefinite.”
No. No! No!!
"No—!" I jumped to my feet. "You can't—"
"But I have, Kayla. And from now on, you are bound to this territory. If you so much as step beyond the places I allow…you die.”
My knees buckled. Th—this can’t be happening.
He turned and strode to the door, pausing only once.
"Pray you never make me question your loyalty again."
The door slammed behind him.
I stood frozen. Then I crumbled.
Crashing to the cold marble, my body slumped like my spirit had been ripped from it. No sobs came. No tears. Just numb silence.
I was doomed. I was terribly doomed.
The sun had set by the time Doctor Helene arrived.
The sight of her was enough to make my heart beat again. I hadn’t realized how much I’d been dreading this visit until she stepped inside.
She smiled softly. "Come. Let’s take a walk."
I followed, too stunned to speak. My heart beat erratically in my chest. Today was definitely my last, I could feel my ancestors calling me already, there was no escaping this because why was she here? She’d said the results would take two days.
“We won't be needing an escort," she said to the guard when we reached the front porch. "Lady Kayla will be safe with me."
The guard hesitated but ultimately bowed and turned. That made me more uneasy.
When we reached her quarters, she gestured for me to sit on a cushioned bench in her private office. Then she handed me a glass of water.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Fine."
Her eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"
How fine can one be if their death is near? But I nodded. She didn't believe me.
“Kayla," she said gently, "I'm asking as your doctor. How have you been managing your health before arriving in our territory? Any incidents? It doesn't matter how minor you may think of it.”
I didn't answer. I was nearly shitting myself even while I maintained a different font.
Helene tilted her head. "Did you ever experience irregular cycles? Intense cramps? Fatigue?…” she hesitated. “Maybe even a miscarriage.”
My face must have given her the answer she needed at her last guess because she relaxed in her chair.
She drank from her glass and then leaned forward. "I told you the results would take two days. That wasn’t quite true."
"Why did you lie?”
"Because you had looked stiff. Nervous. I didn’t want you collapsing from fear before I got the chance to speak to you."
"Then why are you here?" That definitely wasn't what I wanted to ask.
"You must’ve guessed by now," she said gently. "Why I brought you here, I mean."
I didn’t answer.
"I’m your doctor, Kayla. I was assigned to your care, which includes access to... personal information. Including certain findings no one else has known."
My chest tightened. "So are you going to report me?"
She was a Lycan and loyal to her king, whatever was I expecting?
She smiled. "If that were my plan, I would’ve gone to the King. Not to you."
That made my shoulders slumped.
She shifted in her chair. "Kayla, I’m not sure if you already know this, but to put it in a lame man’s language, you have a weakened womb. It’s not impossible for you to conceive, but if nothing is done soon... it may be. Your reproductive system is under strain. Possibly due to suppressed heat cycles, stress, and lack of proper care. But this can be corrected."
That definitely wasn't what the doctor in my pack said. And yet, something inside me flared—hope or fear, I wasn’t sure. Could I actually be saved?
"What...could be done?” I stroke the glass in my hand, hoping.
"I’ve already started preparing treatments. You’ll need both injections and herbal mixtures. And sex."
I choked. "Excuse me?"
"Sex encourages hormone balance. It also helps to prepare the body for conception. But it may take time. Consistency matters. One time won’t be enough."
My heart pounded. She couldn’t be saying this. Not now.
Helene’s voice turned soft. "Your next cycle is due in less than two weeks. If everything works, you may still have a chance."
Could I be dreaming? I know I do hope for news like this, but this could just be all in my head.
Helene squeezed my hand and I looked up at her. This was real. I-I may not be barren.
“Don’t worry, it will work out.”
So, I wasn't going to die after all.
End of Auctioned to the Cruel King Chapter 21. Continue reading Chapter 22 or return to Auctioned to the Cruel King book page.