Chapter 6: Chapter 06: The monster clawing at my insides.
"Get out," I snapped, not just to her, but to the servants who were still frozen in place. "Everyone. Now."
They scattered without a word.
Silence fell. Only she and I remained by the pool.
She didn't speak.
Her arms crossed over her chest in a feeble attempt to hide herself, trembling as she hunched lower, soaked and shivering. But the movement only pushed her breasts up, pressing them together beneath the soaked fabric, the cloth clinging like second skin. It outlined everything—every curve, every swell—and the way her arms squeezed against her chest only made them look fuller. Round, firm… perfect. Not too big, not too small. Just the kind that would fit perfectly into a man's hands. Into my hands.
My throat dried.
Gods.
Even through my disgust, I couldn't tear my gaze away. Her nipples were taut beneath the cloth, flushed pink from the cold, peeking like a silent tease—and my imagination, unwanted and wild, betrayed me. I imagined what it would feel like to run my thumb over them, to pinch them, to watch her squirm beneath my touch. I pictured cupping those breasts, rubbing slow circles over their soft skin, dragging my tongue across the tip until she gasped.
And the thought alone was enough to make my cock harden painfully in my trousers.
I clenched my fists at my sides.
My body had turned against me.
Fuck.
My cock pulsed hard, straining in my trousers, and I staggered slightly where I stood.
What the hell is wrong with me?
This was Selene. The girl who murdered my mother. A traitor. A criminal. A slave.
And yet here I was, panting like a damn wolf in heat, imagining things I had no right to imagine. Shame flooded my chest like acid, and the only way I knew to smother it was with something stronger.
Rage.
I clenched my jaw and stepped toward her again, letting the fire behind my eyes rise into fury.
"Why are you still there?" I snapped.
She didn't speak.
Her head was bowed, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest. Her teeth chattered from the cold, but she didn't even try to move. She looked so small. So pathetic. That soaked cloth left nothing to the imagination, and every second I looked at her, my body betrayed me more.
My disgust boiled over.
I crouched in front of her, my eyes full of hate.
"You walk around dressed like this in the Alpha court?" I said, my voice laced with venom. "What are you trying to do—tempt someone?"
Her head snapped up in horror. "N-no," she croaked, voice hoarse and broken. "I—I didn't choose—"
I grabbed the hem of her cloth between two fingers, tugging it just enough to snap it back against her wet skin with a sharp flick.
"Then who told you this was acceptable?" I growled. "Who let a filthy little whore parade around like this in my home?"
She flinched, her cheeks dark with humiliation. "The maid… she gave it to me. I didn't have—"
"I didn't ask for excuses," I snapped.
I stood tall again, furious, the shame still clawing at my insides. I couldn't bear to look at her body another second. Not like that. Not when I knew what it was doing to me.
"MIRA!" I shouted toward the courtyard.
Mira arrived with hurried steps, her head immediately bowing low the moment she stepped into Kael's presence. "Alpha Kael," she murmured respectfully, not daring to meet his eyes. But as she straightened, her gaze shifted toward the girl still kneeling on the wet floor.
Her expression twisted, lips curling ever so slightly in quiet contempt, as if Selene's mere existence was an offense to the air she breathed. She didn't speak, but the glare said enough. She looked at Selene like she was filth that had stained the marble, like she should've known better than to be seen at all.
"Yes, Alpha Kael?"
I didn't even glance at her.
My eyes were still on Selene. Still burning.
"This is what you give my slaves to wear?" I said coldly. "This? She looks like she's been stuffed into a fucking rag."
Mira blinked. "That's the standard issue for labor slaves, Alpha. The supply—"
"Standard?" I snapped, cutting her off. "She's walking around half-naked in front of the entire estate. Is this what you want my household to look like? Filled with desperate sluts trying to seduce the Alphas?"
Selene gasped softly, her arms tightening around herself. Her face had turned red from shame, but her eyes... her eyes were still on me. Wide and wet, but not pleading. Not yet. Just filled with something I couldn't name.
I hated it.
I turned to Mira, my tone sharp and merciless. "Go find something else. Something that covers everything. I don't want to see her in this filthy shit again."
"Yes, Alpha," Mira said quickly, her face pale.
"And if I ever catch her wearing rags like that again," I added, glaring at her, "you'll be the one wearing it next."
She stiffened. "Understood."
I turned back to Selene. She hadn't moved. Still kneeling. The water pooled beneath her knees, her trembling fingers digging into her arms, trying to hold herself together.
She looked like a shadow of a girl I once knew.
And still, even now, her damn eyes found mine. She didn't say a word. Didn't cry. But something in her gaze made my stomach twist.
Why did she still look at me like that?
Like she still saw something human in me. Like the boy I used to be wasn't dead—just buried. That look in her eyes twisted something deep in my gut, something I didn't want to name.
I turned away, my boots splashing through the puddle as I walked off without another word.
I didn't look back.
I wouldn't.
Because if I did, I didn't know if I'd lash out again—scream, break something, tear that look off her face just to make it stop—
Or drop to my knees beside her and give in to the monster clawing at my insides.