Chapter 21

LUXURIA.

His words ripped me out of my treacherous thoughts, and I snapped my gaze back to his face, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Tears stung the corners of my eyes, a flood of emotions swirling inside me—anger, humiliation, betrayal, and a twisted desire that I couldn't control.

But the tears came anyway, unbidden and shameful. I blinked them back, but I couldn't stop the trembling of my lips, the weakness in my knees.

How could I feel this way about him after everything? After what I'd just witnessed?

His cold, coal-black eyes bored into mine. The command in his words wasn't lost on me, and I had to fight against the wave of heat pooling between my legs.

His threat wasn't idle. The atmosphere between us crackled with tension, charged with something dark, something dangerous.

"I… I didn't mean to—" I stammered, trying to form words, but my voice faltered, the weight of his presence too much to bear.

"You barged in," he said, his voice a soft but lethal growl. "Uninvited."

"I— I knocked—" I whispered, but the excuse sounded feeble, even to my own ears.

"And now you've seen what you weren't meant to." He stepped forward, closing the distance between us in a slow, deliberate stride.

Goddess... Please... Don't let him kill me.

The heat of him radiated toward me, making me flinch with tension. He loomed over me, his eyes never leaving mine, and I felt small, insignificant under his gaze. "What shall I do with you now?"

I didn't miss the brief smirk that played out on his lips before he masked it with something darker.

His fingers found the loose locks of my curly hair, and he wrapped some strands around his middle finger, twirling it slowly as if lost in his own dirty thoughts.

I swallowed.

"You broke the rules I haven't given you yet," he continued, "And now you will have to face the consequences."

His words sent a shiver down my spine, my heart thundering in my chest. I could feel the raw power radiating off him, and it terrified me. Yet, there was something else—a twisted part of me that wanted to know what those consequences would be. That wanted to feel just how much of a monster he could be.

His fingers trailed through my hair slowly, tugging just enough to make me gasp. The strands curled around his finger, a deliberate, slow act that sent a ripple of heat coursing through me.

I clenched my fists at my sides, fighting the flood of emotions swelling inside me—fear, shame, and a sickening, twisted desire that I loathed myself for feeling.

"You’re wondering why you’re still alive, aren’t you?”

His tone was cold, almost mocking, and I flinched as I finally looked up into his coal-black eyes. They were unreadable, dark as the void, and they swallowed any trace of mercy I might have hoped for.

“I—” My voice was weak, trembling. I had no excuse for barging into his chambers like that. The scene I’d walked into still played in my mind, every detail seared into my memory. I bit my lip hard, trying to will the images away, but they clung to me like a curse.

Parthe’s gaze darkened as he took in my silence. He pulled his hand away from my hair, and I couldn’t decide if I was relieved or disappointed.

Slowly, deliberately, he paced around me, circling me like a predator. “Did you forget where you are? Or do you simply lack the sense to understand boundaries?”

The words cut deep, each one a lash of humiliation. I swallowed thickly, my cheeks burning. “I didn’t mean to intrude,” I whispered.

“You walked in uninvited,” he continued, circling me again, slow and deliberate. “You saw things you weren’t meant to see.” His steps were measured, his boots barely making a sound on the stone floor, yet every movement filled me with dread. "And for that, you should be punished. I should kill you for what you’ve done,”

He continued, his voice soft but deadly. His breath was warm against the back of my neck, and a shiver ran down my spine despite the fire raging inside me. “But I won’t.”

The relief was immediate but short-lived, replaced by a growing dread as his next words followed.

“Not yet.”

I tensed as he stepped around to face me again, his expression unreadable, but his dark eyes gleamed with something—something dangerous.

I shuddered at the finality in his words.

His voice softened just a fraction. "You are... useful."

I swallowed hard. "Useful" felt like a death sentence in disguise. Being "useful" meant he had plans for me, but it also meant I wasn’t free. I was caught in his web, and I would remain there until he decided otherwise.

“You’re not just some prisoner or a passing problem. You are mine now, and you will learn your place.”

His words slammed into me, leaving me breathless.

Mine?

The realization of that word settled over me, and I tried to steady myself, but it was like standing on shifting sands.

Of course, I was his mate. But the way he said it made me feel different.

“You are mine now, Luxuria,” he said, stopping in front of me again. His hand traced the curve of my jaw, the gentleness of his touch contrasting with the coldness in his voice. “And from this moment forward, you will follow my rules.”

His thumb pressed against my lower lip, making my breath hitch as he leaned in closer. “And you’ll follow them because if you don’t... you’ll wish you had.”

He enjoyed this—the way I squirmed under his control, the way I could barely manage to breathe when he was near.

I hated how my body responded to him, how his nearness made my skin tingle and my heart race with something other than fear. There was something darker, something I couldn’t control, stirring inside me. And it terrified me more than his threats ever could.

“You broke one already,” he said, “But you will learn quickly, won’t you?”

I nodded shakily, unable to speak. His gaze darkened, the amusement in his eyes only deepening.

“Rule one,” he whispered, his lips barely brushing the sensitive skin of my neck, sending a wave of shivers down my spine. “You will respect your superiors. That includes Shikta.”

My heart fell. He truly does prioritize her.

“Second rule,” he continued, stepping closer again, his presence overwhelming, “you will not wander beyond the borders of this pack. Your place is here, under my watch.”

His gaze held mine, and I hated how the warmth of him made me weak. My legs trembled, and I had to fight to keep myself upright, my heart thudding in my chest like a warning drum.

“You don’t leave without permission; you don’t stray where you’re not welcome,” he murmured, his fingers brushing against the fabric of my dress now, skimming dangerously low on my waist. “And most certainly, you don’t enter my chambers uninvited.”

I nodded nervously.

“Thirdly,” he said, his voice softer now, more intimate, as though we shared some secret, “you will not speak to anyone outside my pack. You belong to me now, and I don’t take kindly to sharing.”

Belong...

That word hit me harder than anything else, and I struggled to breathe past the weight of it. But even as panic clawed at my chest, that dark, shameful desire stirred deeper, making me burn in ways I didn’t want to understand.

“And the fourth,” his voice took on a darker tone, “you are not to touch anything that does not belong to you. That includes weapons... or people. You will keep your hands where they belong.”

His hand grazed my waist, the lightness of his touch making my skin burn. I could feel him behind me, could hear the smirk in his voice.

“And finally,” he said, his voice soft but menacing, “you will never lie to me. Ever. If you so much as hide the truth from me, you will wish for a punishment far less cruel than the one you will receive.”

He leaned in again, his breath warm on my cheek as he whispered, “Now, tell me, Luxuria. Are you going to obey?”

My pulse thundered in my ears, my lips trembling as I struggled to hold back the tears, the desire, the confusion. My body betrayed me, every part of me screaming to give in, to let him pull me under his spell.

But somehow, I found my voice, barely a whisper. “Yes.”

"Call me Alpha..." He coldly demanded.

"Yes... Alpha..."