Chapter 14. The Cruelest Part

Althea was utterly confused.

She was the daughter of a traitor, taken by the Alpha King as a hostage, claimed as nothing more than his breeder. She had expected cruelty, humiliation and a cold prison. But instead, he had marked her, saved her life, and now he touched her like he craved only her.

Althea had prepared herself for the worst. She believed he would be disgusted by her… that he’d simply take her, cold and silent, without even meeting her gaze. Without a kiss. Without concern. Just power, just dominance.

But now…

He was licking and suckling the finger he’d used inside her core, groaning low in his throat as if savoring something rare. As if he tasted something good. Her face burned crimson.

She didn’t know whether to be horrified or… flattered. No man had ever looked at her like this. No one had ever wanted her like this.

‘Right… I’m his mate,’ she reminded herself.

It was the mate pull. The mate bond.

Gavriel was cari