"I am the King of the Vampires... Valen."
Kongar had left me behind. He had disappeared into the crowd without so much as a glance back. And now another man stood before me, his crimson eyes fixed on mine, carrying himself like a prince while calmly declaring that he was the King of the Vampires.
Then again... why was I even surprised? I'd been sharing a room with a werewolf for days.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," I murmured.
"The pleasure is mine, Luna Kayra."
I flinched at his reply. Even I had barely heard my own voice.
The corner of his lips lifted ever so slightly at my reaction, as though every response I gave amused him.
"Arkan..." I said, then cleared my throat and corrected myself. "If you're looking for Alpha Arkan, I last saw him over there."
I gestured toward the crowd behind him, but he didn't take his eyes off me for even a moment. His crimson gaze remained locked on my neck.
I swallowed involuntarily and shifted where I stood.
"It seems there's a mark on your neck."
"Yes—"
Before I could answer, he suddenly appeared beside me.
"Ah... this must be your mate mark," he said, slowly tracing it with his cold fingertips.
I quickly covered my neck with my hand and stepped back.
Damn it! He had touched my mark. Worse yet, Kongar wasn't beside me anymore. I could already feel my neck beginning to grow warm again.
"My apologies," he said, inclining his head slightly. "I've been rude once again."
Despite his words, the expression on his face told an entirely different story. His smile had spread across his lips, and for the briefest moment, his eyes seemed to gleam.
He was definitely enjoying himself.
"If you'll excuse me," I said, clutching my neck as I tried to walk past him.
I couldn't afford to waste any more time with him. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered to life once more.
"Kayra."
The moment I heard my name, I turned around.
Valen was still standing exactly where I had left him.
Kayra?
Why had he suddenly called me by my name? Just a moment ago, he'd been calling me Luna Kayra.
Was he making fun of me now?
The arrogance of kings really knew no bounds.
The instant our eyes met, he appeared right in front of me. Slowly lowering his head toward my neck, he drew in a deep breath.
"You smell wonderful," he murmured, his cold breath brushing against my neck.
The gesture only fueled the fire burning inside me, yet the coolness of his breath spread a strange sense of relief across my skin.
Just like Kongar...
A powerful roar echoed through the hall, sending a wave of desire coursing through my entire body.
That had to be Arkan.
No other growl stirred such an irresistible desire within me.
Ignoring Valen completely, I frantically searched the room.
Where was Arkan?
As my gaze swept across the hall, I realized the other men were staring at me as well. Without even noticing, they had surrounded me. I was trapped in the middle of a circle, with Valen still standing directly in front of me.
"Delicious..." Valen said, slowly running his tongue across his lower lip without taking his eyes off me. "...and intoxicating."
He took a deep breath and began walking toward me. As he drew closer, I instinctively retreated. Yet my body ached for relief. Perhaps that coldness could extinguish the fire that refused to stop burning inside me.
Valen continued closing the distance between us, but he wasn't the only one. The men surrounding us were moving toward me as well.
Just then, one of the men approaching me suddenly rose into the air, only to be sent hurtling across the hall a heartbeat later. Before the one who had sent him flying could lunge at me, someone else slammed into him at inhuman speed. The two of them crashed to the floor and rolled into the crowd together.
By the time the distance between Valen and me had vanished, one of the men behind him slashed at him with his claws. Valen slipped aside with a single fluid movement before driving him away with inhuman strength. The man skidded across the hall, only coming to a stop when he slammed into a wall.
Valen turned his attention back to me.
This time, his glowing crimson eyes were fixed on my lips.
"My prey—"
A powerful roar cut him off.
The entire hall fell silent.
Valen's body tensed at the sound, but I felt the exact opposite. That single roar had unsettled even the King of the Vampires, yet it only fueled the unbearable desire already burning inside me.
I needed Arkan.
I needed him to touch me... to hold me.
"Kayra!"
Hearing my name from somewhere within the crowd, I turned toward the voice. Alara was running straight for me.
Arkan was mine.
Mine alone.
When I looked back at Valen, a massive creature burst through the crowd, sending everyone in its path flying.
The moment I saw it, my heart felt as though it would leap out of my chest. It had the head of a wolf atop a towering, muscular, fur-covered humanoid body.
A Lycan...
This was the very creature from the painting on the wall.
"Ar... Arkan," I whispered.
Or at least, I thought I had. What escaped my lips sounded more like a needy moan.
In an instant, every eye turned toward me again. Even Valen had his back to the Lycan now, yet he never took his eyes off me.
With a deep growl, a massive claw clamped around Valen's head and wrenched him around to face him.
"Kayra is mine."
Arkan's deep, beastly voice blended with his growl as he opened his jaws wide, baring every one of his fangs at Valen.
He could actually speak in that form? And he really had transformed into a Lycan.
Valen dug his long black nails into Arkan's fur-covered arm.
Arkan didn't even flinch.
The instant I saw blood running down Arkan's arm, a surge of fury I couldn't explain flooded through my entire body. Without a second thought, I grabbed Valen's hand and tore it away from Arkan's arm.
"He's mine!" I shouted.
My voice was deeper and louder than I had ever heard it before. I could even feel the strain burning through my vocal cords.
Everyone in the hall flinched and took a step back. Only Alara remained where she was. Arkan never took his eyes off me. Low, rumbling sounds, almost like murmurs, escaped his throat.
When Valen began struggling in Arkan's grasp, Arkan hurled him across the hall. Instead of crashing to the floor, Valen caught himself against the wall with impossible grace, bared his fangs, and hissed at Arkan.
Just as Arkan started to turn back toward him, I grabbed his arm.
The moment I touched him, his glowing blue eyes shifted to me.
"Don't go," I whispered, gently stroking his arm.
At that moment, Soren stepped in behind Arkan.
"Alpha, you need to get Luna out of here," he said, trying to place himself between Arkan and Valen.
Arkan held my gaze for several long seconds before his eyes drifted past my shoulder.
I didn't like that.
"Alara."
I was going to tear that girl apart.
"Take her somewhere safe. I'll be with you shortly."
The moment I heard those words, I wrapped my arms around Arkan and pressed my body against his.
"I don't want to go with her," I said, rubbing my body against his. Then I buried my face in his fur and took a deep breath. "You smell so good."
Arkan let out a low, muffled growl, and both of us shuddered. Then he gently took hold of my shoulders and pulled me away from him.
"Go with her," he said, giving me a gentle push toward Alara. "I'll be there soon."
Then he turned away.
As Alara took hold of my arm and tried to lead me toward the door, Arkan's furious roar echoed through the hall.
"I'll tear that freak apart too!"
For a brief moment, his words filled me with fear. But the very next second, the image of him ripping that irritating dress right off me drove every trace of that fear away.
"Then tear this annoying dress off me first."
Alara froze, staring at me with wide eyes.
Oh no...
Did I just say that out loud?
The men's gazes suddenly turned to me, filled with desire, while the women covered their mouths in shock.
Arkan let out a furious roar.
"Alara! Take her!"
Alara flinched, tightened her grip on my arm, and hurried me out of the hall.
---
I'd been waiting in an empty guest room with Alara for a while. Outside the door, guards stood watch with what looked like clothespins clipped to their noses. According to Alara, they were less affected by the scent I was giving off that way.
I wished they'd handed them out to the guests, too.
The thought made me smile to myself, and Alara looked at me curiously.
"Is something wrong, Luna Kayra?"
Before I could answer, the door slammed open, crashing against the wall.
Arkan stuck his head inside first, then ducked as he tried to squeeze his shoulders through the doorway. His Lycan form wouldn't even fit through the doorway.
I wanted to climb him.
I quickly turned to Alara. When I continued staring at her in silence, she finally looked back at me.
"Ah..." she said, clearing her throat. "I think I'd better leave you two alone."
With that, she hurried out of the room.
As soon as she was gone, Arkan told the guards to leave before closing the door behind them. As he walked toward me, his body gradually shrank and the fur slowly disappeared. By the time he stopped in front of me, he had completely returned to his human form.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears. My knees trembled, and I couldn't stop myself from letting out a soft moan as I sank to the floor.
The more Arkan's scent filled the room, the harder it became to breathe. It felt as though it wasn't just filling my lungs—it was enveloping every part of me.
When Arkan lifted me off the floor and into his arms, I wrapped mine around his neck. The moment I saw the mate mark on his neck, I couldn't stop myself. My tongue instinctively traced over it, slowly sliding from the bottom to the top.
Arkan tensed beneath my touch. A low groan escaped his lips as he carefully lowered me onto the bed.
Now I was lying on my back.
Still trapped inside this awful dress.
The moment I started tugging at it in frustration, Arkan gently caught my wrist.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
When I only frowned at him, he held my gaze and continued.
"Do you accept becoming my mate? There's no turning back after this."
At that moment, I was only certain of one thing.
Arkan talked far too much.
Summoning a courage I didn't know I had, I grabbed his arm and pulled him closer. Leaning toward his ear, I whispered,
"I want you."
Arkan held my gaze with his glowing blue eyes for a long moment.
"I want you too," he murmured before pressing his lips against mine.
As my lips parted for him, his tongue slipped into my mouth. Our kiss deepened with every passing second, and muffled moans escaped both of us despite our attempts to hold them back.
The moment his bare body pressed against mine, I caught my breath and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer.
When Arkan finally broke the kiss, he left gentle kisses across my forehead, my nose, and my chin before making his way down to my neck.
As he kissed my neck and left soft little bites along my skin, I writhed beneath him. Then, without warning, an icy chill brushed across my face, and I lifted my head.
My moans stopped instantly.
My eyes widened as my heart skipped a beat.
What I was seeing couldn't possibly be real.
Kongar hung upside down, half of his body seemingly embedded inside the bed's headboard. His face was level with mine. His short hair hung toward the floor, while his black eyes remained locked on mine.