Page 63 of Lycan King's Captives
35
I groan as I feel the heaviness of my body, aching from the strain of the previous night. My mind is clouded with thoughts of how to mend the shattered pieces of our relationship and how to get Sienna to forgive me. My mind reels with possibilities of how to repair the damages done and gain Sienna’s trust. Yet her rage has put a barrier between us, I must break it if I want to keep her safe. However, the treaty looms like a storm cloud, threatening to rip apart everything, taunting me with its promises of destruction and chaos.
Sienna stirs beside me, and I brush a kiss on her forehead. As she sits up to face me, I’m met with the gaze of a total stranger. The bond between us is still strong, yet something has fractured deep within her; a chasm of hatred I can’t comprehend or bridge. Every fiber of my being screams for her as our eyes lock, instead of passion and love, all I see is a seething hatred. Something has shifted within her, something I can feel through the bond yet cannot fully understand. It’s as if an abyss has opened up between us, a gaping wound that will no longer heal. Her repulsion for me is unmistakable, yet still the bond persists, an invisible shackle that keeps her chained to me.
She springs from the bed with haste, almost as if propelled by an unseen force. Her feet move soundlessly across the floor, and I watch her with a dread that stretches out like a noose around my neck.
“Where are you going?” I murmur, my voice laced with concern.
“To shower… alone!” she retorts with finality.
“No, I need to speak with my parents. Before that, I need you to mark me. Come here,” I tell her, my voice filled with a mix of urgency and desperation.
“I’ll pass, thanks,” she replies coldly, her words like icicles, cold and unforgiving.
My voice thunders with the power of a Lycan King. “Anna! Come to me now!” My words seem to cut through her, freezing her body in place and I feel the battle between us in every moment as rivulets of sweat form across her skin. Though I can sense the anguish my command causes her, she holds firm before me, unwilling to break under my command. I can sense the pain my command inflicts upon her, yet she resists, forcing me to release the command before I cause her further harm or our bond.
“You will mark me!” I tell her, determination coursing through my veins. I rise from the bed and move behind her, gently gripping her shoulders to make her face me.
“And what of Carina?” she utters through gritted teeth, covered in a veil of hate-filled despair.
I clinch my jaw and ball up my fists, barely containing the anger that threatens to burst forth. “What about her? I don’t care for her; all I want is you,” I snarl, my confusion quickly turning into frustration.
“Do you intend to still marry her?” she demands, her eyes boring into mine looking for any deceit.
“It doesn’t matter; the marriage is merely a contract, nothing more,” I admit, my words heavy with regret and sadness. All while hoping she will understand the complexity of our situation.
She scoffs at my words, the sound cutting through the air. “So, you expect me to accept marking you while you’re bound to another woman?”
My heart clenches at her words, the pain of her rejection coursing through me. “Sienna, please,” I plead, my voice filled with my desperation and frustration. “I don’t want her. I want you.”
Her eyes blaze with anger as she walks away, shutting the bathroom door and locking it. “Sienna!” I call out, my voice filled with a mix of frustration and longing.
She ignores me at first, but my persistent knocking and pleading eventually sway her decision. Reluctantly, she opens the door and steps out, a towel wrapped around her body.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” she says coldly, her words like shards of ice.
“Sienna, please listen to me,” I demand, taking a step closer to her. “I know I messed up, but I need you to mark me. It’s for your safety.”
“I can fend for myself,” she snarls, her ferocity palpable in her voice.
“My mother—” I begin, only to be cut off by her harsh words.
“To hell with your mother! I don’t need you looking out for me. Don’t you get it, Xandros? I wanted to die!” she screams, her voice shaking with boiling rage.
Her words pierce me like a thousand knives. The hurt in her voice slices through me, reminding me of the depths of her torment. Instinctively, I reach out to her.
“I won’t let you die,” I tell her firmly.
“That wasn’t your choice to make, you shouldn’t have forced me back here,” she whispers. The agony in her voice rips through me, reminding me of the despair she has been feeling. I inch toward her, raising my hand to her face. She flinches away, and I continue moving forward.
“I know I caused you pain,” I murmur, my voice filled with grief. “And I’m so sorry for that. You have to accept that I need you to mark me.”
“Why?” Sienna asks contemptuously, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “So that you can own me as your property?” Sienna utters bitterly, tears starting to trickle down her cheeks. “For you to keep me as your plaything? So you can have your way with me whenever you damn please?”
I throw my head back in desperation, frustration causing me to clutch my hair. What doesn’t she get? “No, Sienna. Don’t turn away! You have to mark me; it’s the only way I can protect you. Just give me five minutes!”
Her gaze softens, a flicker of vulnerability shining through her anger. She crosses her arms over her chest, a defensive gesture that doesn’t hide the pain etched on her face.
