All Chapters of The Kings Captive: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

DEREK'S POV:My body felt heavy and my muscles ached like I had been dragged through hell when I woke up, confused. My mouth felt as dry as a desert, and my head ached. I looked about, blinking against the faint light coming through heavy curtains. It was a hotel room with cream walls and soft carpets, yet the air had a slight scent and cigarette odour. When I sat up and saw that I was only wearing my boxers, my bewilderment turned to fear.Pushing my way through the club, attempting to get away from the suffocating commotion, the flashing lights, and the tightening embrace of bodies, was the last thing I remembered. Then again, nothing. An empty canvas.I noticed a shadow move close to the window. There stood Annalise, silhouetted against the dim light of the metropolis outside. With a cigarette dangling from her lips and a camera in one hand that flashed menacingly in the low light, she was leaning nonchalantly.I made an effort to collect my thoughts, but the mental haze would not

DEREK'S POV:With a snarl that echoed around the room, Bowlser sprang out of the shadows. He looked horrific, a hideous hybrid of beast and man. His enormous frame seemed to throb with unadulterated, animalistic strength, and he was at least eight feet tall. His muscles bulged and rippled with each movement, and his skin was a mottled grey. There was a wicked thirst burning in his red-glowing eyes. Sharp fangs glinted in the low light, and clawed claws flexed as if ready to tear flesh.My entire body tensed in anticipation as I tightened my fists. My blood was getting hotter, and I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins. As Bowlser stepped closer, his heavy feet making the floor tremble, the room around us seemed to contract, the walls pressing in. I heard nothing but the thunderous pounding of my own heartbeat for a while, and then he suddenly charged.For something so big, his speed was astounding. In a matter of seconds, he was on me, swinging his huge arm in my directi

VERA’S POV:I gazed out at the wide undulating hills beyond the castle walls through the high slots in my cell. The grey tint of the sky, which mirrored the weight in my chest, served as a continual reminder of my captivity. Days had passed since the fight, since Sylvester had lashed out at me and called me a traitor, and I had been left to ruminate.I thought of ways to get out, but suddenly there was just doubt. My musings were cut short by a crisp, authoritative knock. Before I could react, the door sprang open, and two guards entered, their expressions expressionless and nearly impersonal."King Sylvester has called for you," one of them replied in an emotionless tone.Despite my refusal to display fear, I could feel the blood draining from my face. I nodded and straightened my shoulders as I followed them through the castle's chilly stone hallways. Each stride reverberated, a hollow sound reflecting the void I experienced inside. What on earth could Sylvester want now? His intent

Derek’s POVThe air was thick and damp, a cold that clung to my bones and gnawed at my skin, reminding me every second of where I was. The dungeon. It reeked of mildew and rusted metal, a place long forgotten by most and designed to break the strongest of men. But I wasn't just any man.The guards dragged me in, their grip firm but wary. They’d seen the way my wounds were healing, faster than they expected, and it made them nervous. I could see it in their stiff movements, the way their hands clenched tighter around their weapons every time I so much as twitched. Good. They should be nervous. Because no matter how deep they tried to bury me, I’d claw my way out.One of the guards shoved me, hard enough to make me stumble. I caught myself, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me fall."Think you're something special, don’t you?” he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "Well, let's see how special you are down here. No light, no one to hear you scream."I met his gaze, r

Vera’s POVThe walls of my chamber seemed to close in more each day. I wasn’t allowed to leave, not even to see the sunrise or feel the cool night air on my skin. The guards posted outside my door stood like statues, their faces impassive, indifferent to the desperation that clawed at me.I couldn’t understand why Sylvester hadn’t thrown me in the dungeon like he did with others who defied him. He had every reason to. My loyalty to Derek had been made painfully clear, yet here I was, locked away but kept in relative comfort. It felt like a cruel twist the room was a prison cloaked in luxury, but still a prison all the same.Perhaps, I thought, he still cared for me, or at least clung to the idea of what we once were. But if I didn’t find a way to protect Derek, whatever feelings Sylvester still held would mean nothing. He wouldn’t hesitate to destroy Derek, and I couldn’t let that happen. I’d have to go along with his demands, deny Derek publicly, make him believe I was breaking ties.