24. King

"Wake up, my dear Mate! It's time for breakfast!"

I open my eyes only to close them again when my head starts aching like someone smashed a bottle on it.

"Come on! Get up! I don't have all day!" Mateo shouts, grabbing my arm.

He pulls me up roughly, not caring that I can get hurt.

"What is happening? Where is my father? Where is Leon?!" I ask, remembering that the last time I saw them, they were unconscious.

"Oh, shut up now! Wait, and you will see!" he said, tightening his hold on my hand. I'm sure it will be bruised.

"Was this your plan all the way, Mateo? To get the throne for you?"

"Well, I always wanted to be a King. But when your father killed mine, I made this my sole purpose."

"So all of this for revenge? Did you know who I was when you rejected me?"

"That was a mistake! If I had known, then I would be on the throne by now without all this mess. But it doesn't matter now, Mate! Because everything will go the way I want from now on!"

He said and stopped grabbing my other hand.

"What are you doing, Mateo?!" I shouted when he pushed me to the cold wall and looked at me with hungry eyes.

"I will do all I want to, and no one will stop me!" he said and pressed his lips over mine, grabbing my chin with one hand to keep me in place while the other was holding both of my wrists at my back.

I struggle to get free from his hold but to no avail.

When I tried to push him away, he bit my lips and let go of my hands, which were now stuck between me and the wall.

My lips were bleeding, but I didn't open my mouth. I didn't want to kiss him or let him kiss me.

He pulled away and chuckled. I could see the lust and mischief in his eyes, and I turned my head away.

"You are so beautiful, Mate! Is a shame that you don't want me anymore. What happened?"

But before I could say something, he put his hand between my thighs and started rubbing circles through the thin material, making me gasp, allowing him to kiss me.

"Fuck you, Mateo! I hate you so much!" I said after I bit his lips, making him bleed us well. I spit in his face wishing it will burn him.

"I will never go back to you! Never!"

"We will see about that, Mate!" he said, laughing and wiping his face.

"Now let's go; there is someone I want you to meet. Besides, we will have all the time in the world to get to an intimate relationship, won't we?"

I didn't say anything, trying to come up with something. I could tell that this bastard doesn't have any good intentions, so I need to find a way out.

'Ivy? Are you there?' I ask, hoping she will answer me. But she didn't. Whatever that device was, it was worse than the wolfsbane to us.

'Fuck!' I thought while Mateo was pulling me around the dark hallways.

We enter a well-lit room, and I close my eyes for a second to adjust to the light.

"Amaya..." I heard my father's weak voice and my head turn in his direction.

"Father!" I shout and try to run to him, but Mateo's hand grabs my throat.

"Stay put! Or I will give him more of the treatment he had."

Tears were threatening to spill from my eyes when I took in my father's condition. He was poorly beaten and tied up by a poll. His left eye was swollen, and his nose and lips were bleeding.

"Where is Leon?" I asked.

Mateo starts laughing like a maniac when another door opens.

Two guards were dragging a pretty badly beaten, unconscious Leon.

"What have you done to him? You psycho?"

"Me?! Oh, no, Amaya! Not me! You should ask his lovely Mate. She did all of this!"

My eyes widened in shock. Why would Cora do this?

"I know what you think, Amaya!" Came Cora's voice came from behind the same door Leon was brought.

" You are wondering why and how I did this to my Mate! Well, let me enlighten you! You see, Mates are not something that we die for. Our family doesn't believe in this fucked up bond! I mean, I can feel the tingling and the butterflies, but I will not allow this to dictate my life! I never asked for a Mate! Because I never wanted one. But you see, after you put my brother in the dungeon and left for your run, I came here trying to help him escape. But he refused to. Because he had another plan."

"Your brother?!"

"Don't be so surprised, Amaya! Mateo is my younger brother!"

"I am going to kill you both, you traitors!" Came Leon's weak voice.

"Oh! You are awake! That's great, my dear Mate! You were about to miss the most important part of the story."

"I will kill you first, Cora! I swear I will when I get out of here."

"Stop daydreaming, Leon! You are not going anywhere! Anyway, let's get back. Where were we? Ah! Yes, the dungeons!" she said, smirking like crazy.

"My brother and I know that Leon is my mate. We found out a few years ago. But you already know I didn't want him. So we decided to ask Bianca's help. We all know she hates you. She agreed immediately. So I used Leon to get closer to you. I was the one that injected you. It was a substance I developed. When triggered by some electric shock, it will send you to sleep."

"I heard enough! Now tell me, what do you want? I will give you everything if you let my family!"

"Amaya, no!" both my father and Leon shouts.

"Oh, you silly girl! Why do you think we need you to give us something that we can take by ourselves? Well, not me! All this royal life and leading is not for me. But my brother loves it!"

"And what is that you want then?" I ask in a deadly voice looking at Mateo.

"I want you and the throne. I will be crowned the King of Werewolves, and you will give me strong heirs!"