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I had to suppress my laughter as Cyrus entered my office with my kicking and screaming mate. She was a feisty one.
'She's gonna be fun to mate with, I just know it.' Amos chimed.
He had been going on all day about mating with her. Placing all of these vivid images of her in my head. It was driving me mad, but I needed to gain her trust before I could act on anything. No matter how bad I wanted to, it would have to wait.
"Put me down!" She kicked and squirmed.
She looked child like when she behaved that way. Once Cyrus was safely through the threshold, he gently put her down. She quickly turned to face me, cheeks flushed with her eyebrows merging together.
"I see you're still upset." I stated.
She glared at me with those beautiful green eyes and all I could think of was ways to make those eyes of hers glaze over in pure ecstasy. The mate bond was definitely something strong. In the past, a woman who acted this roughly would have never attracted me.
I preferred my women soft and sweet, but maybe she's exactly what I needed. The moon goddess did make her for me after all.
"What's your plan? Why keep me here? What do you want from me?" She hissed.
I could see the hate in her eyes. It's safe to say that I was shocked myself that I wasn't immediately repulsed by her being a witch. Instead, it only made me more interested. I've only met witches during the battle, never in every day passing.
I knew how they fought and how they manipulated, but I knew nothing of their culture, or beliefs. It made me eager to know everything that she is and maybe the knowledge I learned from her would help us win this war.
"Why don't you have a seat. Maybe we can work something out." I gestured for her to sit in one of the charges across from my desk.
She looked back at the doorway, seeming to be weighing her options. Cyrus stood blocking the exit, so I knew she had no other choice than to sit. With a loud sigh, she made her wait to the chair and sat loudly.
It reminded me of an adolescent that was called to the principal's office. We sat quietly for a moment. I couldn't help but stare at her. She was very thin, but her curves still enhanced her beautiful. Nothing a little food couldn't fix.
"You gonna talk or you're gonna keep staring at me?" She snapped, bringing a smile to my lips.
"Are you always this fussy?" I asked with amusement.
"Only when I'm being held captive!" She snapped.
I could understand that. If I was in her shoes, I doubt that I would be any more pleasant than she was.
"I'm not keeping you captive, little witch, I just want to get to know you. That's all." I stated, leaning forward at my desk.
"Why?" She asked, clear confusion on her face.
"Why else?" I asked.
A full on smile covered my face. I couldn't help it. She was so small yet fierce. It was so god damn cute.
"The moon goddess got it wrong." She spoke softly as she bowed her head.
It was the first time I heard her tone of voice this low. It honestly caught me off guard. I was expecting her to snap at me with words laced with venom, but instead, she became soft.
"I can't be mated to someone like you." She looked at me through her lashes.
I understood why she said what she did, but it didn't make her words hurt any less. Amos was surprisingly quiet. It felt like he was nervous. Like if I said the wrong thing, I could ruin everything.
"Believe me, little witch, I am just as surprised as you are. I never expected to be mated to the very thing that destroyed my family." Her head snapped up at me.
Her eyes looked at me with both confusion and disbelief.
"But, it doesn't matter to me that you are what you are. What matters is that I've found you." I could feel the walls of fear that surrounded her began to lower at my words.
"I truly want to get to know you." I ran my fingers through my hair.
"I don't even know your name." I stated.
I could see her mentally fighting herself. It took her a while before she finally responded to me.
"Anastasia." Her name rang in my ears and caressed my heart.
"Such a powerful name." She tilted her head to the side looking at me with cautious eyes.
I grabbed the extra cup that sat on my desk and poured her a glass of water. I gently slid it over to her. She inspected it for a few minutes before she picked it up and chugged it.
The way she drank every last drop like she wouldn't get another made me wonder what exactly happened to her. It was clear she was wounded from a wolf bite and she was malnourished. Not to mention the scaring she had all over her body Hannah had told me about. I didn't see it myself but I was told it looked bad.
After she was finished, she placed the glass back onto my desk and looked at me with softer eyes.
"Excuse me if I'm being too direct, but what caused you to be in the state that I found you?" A look of fear displayed on her face and quickly was replaced with disinterest.
"That's none of your business."
'Damn this woman!' Amos finally broke his silence.
'Why is she so damn unreasonable? She's beginning to piss me off!' Amos growled.
'Oh pipe down, Amos. You're always pissed off.' I responded dismissively.
I'll admit, her stubbornness is definitely affecting me, but I also knew that if I reacted negatively to anything she did, I could push her into rejecting me.
'Why hasn't she rejected us yet?' Amos asked, responding to my thought.
'You know what? I don't know.' I answered honestly.
It was a good question. She's shown her hatred of us since she opened her eyes and yet, she still hasn't said the words.
'Maybe, she doesn't know how to?' Amos stated.
That had never accrued to me. She wasn't aware of what a Lycan was, maybe she also wasn't familiar with the rules and laws of the mate bond. If that was the case, then I sure as hell wasn't gonna tell her how to do it.
I wanted her to stay. The last thing I wanted was for her to actually reject me. After a few minutes had passed, I stood up and casually walked around my desk, and leaned against the front of it. She looked up at me. I could see the anxiety wrapping around her like a snake.
"My love, what can I give you that would make you cooperate with me?"
"Freedom." She hissed.
The hate was back in her eyes.
'Goddess! The stress of this woman!' Amos snarled.
'Well it's a good thing I'm in control now isn't it? You would have scared her off by now.' I snapped.
'The woman doesn't need scaring! She's already out the door!' He growled back.
Just when I was about to argue back, Cyrus broke through my conversation.
"Your majesty, they've located Reign. She was caught a few miles from our boarders." I closed my eyes and sighed deeply.
I tried to give the girl the benefit of the doubt, but if she felt the need to run off from the kingdom, she most definitely knew something.
I knew her parents. They were among the many who perished during the last war. It made no sense for her to be involved in any of this, but one thing was certain. I was gonna find out what she knew no matter the outcome.