Stolen By The Alpha King

sy with their own duties, leaving her momentarily alone in the most dangerous place she could be. She was under no illusions about the consequences of disobeying orde

urs cleaning the large, luxurious space with its heavy, regal furniture, trying to keep her head down and make herself invisible. But the m

s this the secret she

ith a soft click. It led to a dimly lit room, smaller and colder than the rest of the palace. Dust lingered in the air like forgo

arrowed as she looked at the faces. There was something familiar about them. The features of the people in the pai

ould have been a coincidence. The next portrait was another woman, but this one had raven-black hair and pale, almost translucent skin. The same sharp, regal

collection? Was he keeping some strange obsession hidden in this roo

ehind her froz

t with an echo that

expression was like stone, but his eyes blazed with fury, darker than she had ever seen them before.

blocking the exit. "What the hell are you doing

es darting between the portraits and him. The way he towered over her, a beast in his own right, sent waves of fear

but even as the words left her mout

ow in intensity with every passing second. "And you decided to poke around in places you

resolve tightened. This was no ordinary collection. These women... they weren't just

h a mixture of fear and boldness she didn't know she ha

uldn't look away from the paintings. The eerie likeness to hersel

for a moment, the heat of his rage filled the room like an inferno. Aria braced herself for the strike sh

nd," Valerius said, his voice dangerously low. There was

now, and his presence alone made it hard to breathe. But she refused to back

cracked, but there was a defianc

something dark and unreadable. Then, he leaned in so close that she could feel the heat radiating

derstand, little human," he said softly, his words more of

t extinguished. There was too much at stake now. She was not goin

on," she insisted, despite th

rip on her wrist was iron, unyielding. His eyes flashed with som

led, his voice dangerously low. "You want answ

this unrelenting power, her heart raced, but not with fear, but with a growing r

ind her voice again. "I don't care if I'

fted in his gaze. A flicker of something - perhaps respect, perhaps regre

as it had come, the

th one final warning loo

ushed him far enough for today. She backed away slowly, her ey

ncovered something - something dangerous, something he didn't want

ew one thing for sure: this myster