Chapter 4 Lies Between Us

Fourteen years of marriage, and I couldn't believe that I was the only one who felt joy and love for the mate that the Moon Goddess had chosen for me. Davina was everything I could have hoped for in a wife and queen. Why didn't she feel the same way?

I gave her everything she wanted. I fulfilled all her needs. There was only one request I refused, and that was to separate. I tried to be a good husband while striving to be a wise leader. But nothing could satisfy her.

A knock on the door broke my reverie. "Come in," I replied.

A guard opened the door. "Your Majesty, Ethan Darkwood won't last much longer," he reported. "The doctor estimates he will die tomorrow morning."

"Has he refused food and drink?" I asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he answered.

"Very well. You may return to your post." I changed my mind as I remembered something. "Wait. Have a servant prepare Carissa Moss to serve me tonight."

After trying for ten years and failing, I agreed to my wife's request to have a child with another woman. The royal doctor declared us healthy and without reproductive problems. The Moon Goddess might have other plans for us.

Davina chose every woman who slept with me. She would ask the doctor to check the woman's fertility. I would sleep with her for a week and wait three weeks for the results. If it failed, my wife would choose another woman.

I did all of that as my duty to produce an heir. My kingdom needed the assurance that it would have a leader if I were gone. My love and respect for Davina did not diminish even though I slept with other women.

I had no idea what Carissa had, but I was attracted to her. Perhaps four years of trying had changed my mind about my wife's method. For the first time, I refused Davina's suggestion to choose another woman. I only wanted to sleep with Luna from the Blood River Pack.

"Your Majesty, I bring you Carissa Moss," a servant called from behind the door.

I took a deep breath and only allowed the Luna to enter. I looked at the clothes I was wearing. The servants helped me clean myself up. Carissa would be comfortable with our intercourse when I was clean and smelled good.

The fresh scent of forest roses reached my nose when the guard opened the door. The beautiful woman stood in the doorway, looking at me without fear. Her long blonde hair covered her chest to her waist. Her luscious body almost made me lose control.

"Sit down," I ordered.

I told her about her husband's condition because I would have forgotten about it if I slept with her first. I wasn't surprised by her reaction. Carissa could think about other men when she was with me; I wasn't a romantic man.

There was only one thing I wanted from her: to submit to my authority. I couldn't forget our first wild night together. Carissa resisted me with all her strength, which only aroused me more. Taming her was the best s*xual experience of my life.

Although I liked our first night together, I liked it even more when she obeyed me. Everything was more intimate and satisfying when she wasn't being stubborn. Her quick response to my touch made everything easier. For some reason, she was different from other women, even my wife.

I kissed her hungrily because I hadn't been with her for three weeks. I impatiently opened her coat, wanting to feel her skin. Thankfully, she wasn't wearing anything under her robe. Her body felt perfectly smooth.

"Kiss me," I whispered when she remained motionless.

Feeling her return my kiss, I prepared her body to unite with mine. I couldn't wait to be in the best place in my life and feel the peak of pleasure after a terrible day.

"Your Majesty, I beg you," Carissa pleaded.

"What do you want?" I whispered.

"I want you," she moaned.

"You who?" I teased.

"King Duncan Bayhill."

"When no one's around, call me Duncan."

I knew why Davina chose Carissa. The woman had been married for four years, but she and her husband had no children. For four years, I had obeyed my wife's request and tried to impregnate the woman of her choice.

I didn't need to check the health of other women. They must have had similar backgrounds to Carissa. I couldn't believe that the woman I respected and loved so much could humiliate me like that. Sleeping with the same woman was my revenge for her crime.

'Today is not the right day to sleep with any woman. Why did you break our agreement!?' Davina shouted through the mind link.

After cutting off communication while I enjoyed Carissa's body, I allowed my wife to speak to me. 'I know her schedule. Next week is her fertile period.'

'I decide the day, Duncan, not you!' she protested.

'You embarrassed me in front of the elders. It was just a small punishment from me. Now you know how it feels when your partner sleeps with someone else,' I replied.

'Don't you want children anymore?' Davina asked.

'What about you? Do you want children with me?' I questioned.

'Of course! I sacrificed myself for you and our kingdom,' she answered.

'Really? What did you sacrifice?' I demanded.

Davina scoffed. 'Do you think I'm happy seeing you sleep with other women? I have to endure the shame because everyone knows I failed to give you a child. They also know you sleep with other women to get an heir. That's my sacrifice.'

'Oh.' That was all I could say.

My wife didn't love me. And she might never have loved me. I knew why she rejected me earlier. Davina was frustrated, and I knew why. I wouldn't let her leave me. Our separation would only weaken my position as king.

Everyone was watching my every move because I had a weakness. That damn heir shouldn't be a problem. I was thirty-five, not seventy. Why were they so impatient about me having children?

Remembering the unfinished business, I took Carissa to the dungeon. I didn't want her to miss her husband's last moments. But I didn't expect Ethan to use that opportunity to reject his partner.

Did Carissa also experience the same marriage problems as I did? We married our true partners, but they loved other people. If that was the case, maybe that was the reason I was attracted to her.

"What should we do with his body, Your Majesty?" the prison guard asked.

"Have Elder Ewan prepare a cremation ceremony for him," I ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he replied obediently.

Even though Ethan Darkwood was the biggest criminal in the kingdom, he was an Alpha. He had the right to die as the leader of his pack. The man was lucky to die honorably in my territory.

I carried Carissa, who had fainted after feeling the pain of being separated from her husband. The man must have been furious because he suffered unbearable pain in his chest for one week every month. After all, I slept with his wife.

I laid the woman on my bed when I arrived in the room. I smoothed her long hair so it didn't cover her beautiful face. The mark on the curve of her neck caught my attention. The bite marks shaped like two small flowers were gone.

I stayed with Carissa until she woke up. I wanted to be the one to tell her about her husband's funeral arrangements. She seemed strong in accepting the information. Unfortunately, some bad news ruined my plan for an intimate breakfast with her.