13|I wanted her.

Cyrus POV

I wanted her.

I’ve never desired something so badly and not gotten it. Whatever I wanted, I had to have—whether it was the blood of those I wished dead or the thrill of playing with anyone I chose. Hades always ensured I got exactly what I craved.

It had always been this way… until the day we went to the auction house and saw her for the first time. I was the first to catch her scent, and in that moment, when she appeared on that stage, something inside me snapped. I wanted nothing more than to take her away from the prying eyes of the men that looked at her like she was some commodity– to kill everyone of them, pluck out their eyes and end the pathetic lives of those who dared lay a hand on our mate.

But Hades?

That bastard didn’t flinch. He was an emotionless monster who didn’t feel a thing—not even for his mate. To him, she was nothing more than wolfless, blind, and weak. But I didn’t care. She was mesmerizing—almost too mesmerizing. Her beauty seemed to cast a spell on me, making me lose all sense of rationality.

I wanted her, I wanted to mark and claim her so I simply waited for an opportunity for Hades to slip up. Lose the control he had over me and it came sooner than I expected. 

Finally, I'm out.

“Playtime,” I chuckled, my silver eyes snapping open. A guttural growl rumbled from deep within as her soft lips pressed against mine, shattering the last bit of restraint I had left. I pulled her tighter against me, my hand sliding to her waist and down to her butt, pressing her flush against my hardened length.

My other hand moved to the back of her head, fingers tangling slowly in her snow-white hair as my teeth teased her bottom lip. I rolled my hips against hers, drawing a gasp from her as she instinctively tried to pull away.

But I didn’t release my grip; instead, I held her tighter, pressing her against the door. Her breath hitched, and I could feel the warmth radiating between us, her body responding to mine. A low groan escaped me as heat rushed through me—I wanted her more than anything.

I pulled back, giving her a moment to catch her breath before my lips found her neck, sucking and grazing gently with my teeth with the intention of leaving my mark at where it truly belonged. 

“K-King, what are you doing?” she whispered, her voice barely audible as her cheeks flushed—was it embarrassment? Lust? Maybe both.

“Mate.” I tightened my hold on her, leaning in to inhale her delicious scent at her neck. A smirk tugged at my lips as I stared at her to gouge her reaction. Her pretty white eyes widened at my word and her mouth opened in shock at the endearment. This time, she clung to me even tighter as I carried her to the bed, settling her onto my lap.

“Mine,” I whispered, placing trails of  kisses on her neck. She brought her hand to push me back while she tried to stand but I chuckled holding her close, my arms wrapped around her waist, bringing even closer than we already were. Our lips were only just inches apart and I smiled, using my thumb to caress her swollen plump lower lip.

"It's okay; I won't hurt you. I just need you to sit still for me, mate. Can you do that?" She looked confused, but eventually, she stopped struggling, though I could tell my touch still made her tense.

"I'm Cyrus," I smirked, "Hades' wolf."

“Cyrus?” Her eyes widened as she said my name, but she didn’t pull away. Hearing it roll off her lips felt unexpectedly perfect.

“Do you like my name?” I asked, leaning closer, my breath brushing against her lips as her cheeks flushed a deeper shade. “I like yours, Davina.”

"I… I like yours too," she murmured softly, her hands trembling slightly. I could see she was nervous, and I couldn’t help cursing that bastard, Hades. Look at what he’d done—our mate was actually scared of us.

"Would you like to moan it, then?" I asked, raising a brow.

Her eyes went wide. "What?!"

I laughed. "I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding." She relaxed a bit, though I wasn’t kidding one bit.

“I've always wanted to meet you, mate” I gave a sigh “ My daily prayers have been all, ‘Please, goddess, let me find my incredibly tense, slightly terrified soulmate.’ Dreams really do come true.”

She smiled! She actually smiled. And with that smile, she looked so beautiful it took my breath away. At that moment, I knew I wanted nothing more than to keep her smiling.

“Do you like it here, mate?” I asked softly. She didn’t answer, just looked down at the ground, and I knew the truth. She hated it here. Hades treated her like a servant, despite her being his mate. She was meant to be our Luna, standing beside us with her head held high. But that idiot was too blinded by revenge to see her worth—he wouldn’t realize it until he’d already lost her.

But I, Cyrus, would be a fool to let her slip away.

Not even Hades would make me give her up. 

Wait a second. “Do you want me to mark you?” I asked, practically buzzing with excitement. If I marked her as our mate, then Hades would have no choice but to accept her! I’m a genius.

I didn’t wait for her response; I had to mark her. If I did, the mate bond would strengthen, and Hades wouldn't be able to reject her. If he tried, it would weaken us both.

“No… no” I tilted her head to the side, and her eyes widened in horror as she realized what I was about to do. I felt a pang of guilt for doing it without her consent, but as I’d always been, I was one to take what I wanted—whether she consented or not.

My fangs extended, and just as I was about to sink them into her neck, a low growl reverberated in my mind. It was a warning—a deadly warning.

I could feel it. He was regaining control, and it was only a matter of time. I had to act quickly.

She struggled, but I held her still. As the tip of my fang brushed her skin, I heard his voice.

“Do it, and I’ll end her