The Alpha King’s Virgin by Charmeleon (Raine & Amari)

Chapter 38

“Let her go, Luna Daciana! You’re not thinking clearly.” Ross had his dagger drawn, ready to attack.

“Your king killed my mate!” She screamed and with every word her claws dug deeper into my throat.

skin. “An eye for an eye…” I was starting to see spots before my eyes as her claws ripped my

‘She’s going to kill us!’ Tasha pushed through the boundaries of my mind, urging me to shift.

“Think about your little girl, Daciana.” I managed to choke out. “She needs her mother.”

“I am nothing without my mate!” A broken howl tore from her lips, all the anguish she felt in that one) sound.)

‘Raine! Shift! I can’t throw this without injuring you.’ I heard Ross’ voice in my head.

My body was Daciana’s perfect shield. “But you’re everything for your baby…” I sobbed, trying to get through to her. Pulling at the death hold she had on my throat, my fingers slipping. I was fading to grey.

Then, a little bit at a time, her hold relaxed, claws retracted, and she fell at my feet. Ross sprang towards me and yanked me away from her, pushing me to his back. The dagger flashed in his hand, and I screamed.

“Don’t!”

Ross looked back at me, and in that split second, Daciana leapt up and disappeared into the thickets.

Guards came rushing towards us and Ross pointed them in the direction she fled. When he looked at me, his wolf glared at me with its yellow eyes.

“Raine! Do you realize what you’ve done?” He towered over me, fists clenched at his side.

Tasha whimpered with her tail between her legs, but I forced myself to meet his heated stare. I folded my arms over my chest.

“Yes, Beta Ross, I do. I stopped you from disobeying an order from the king.” I said with more conviction

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Ross lifted his fist and shook it at my face. “And what do you think Amaris would have done if he were here? She nearly killed you!”

I cringed involuntarily from the anger-fueled power he was projecting.

Amaris’ black wolf came charging at us. He snarled at Ross, canines exposed, and hackles raised. Ross stepped back from me, and I reached for Rage. It was the first time I touched him in my human form. He was enormous, his head came up to my armpit and his back was broad enough for me to sit on. But his fur was silky, like Amaris’ hair. Still growling at Ross, he pressed himself against me.

Tasha was excited by the sight of her mate and wanted me to shift, but I held her back. Amaris wouldn’t want me exposed in front of Ross.

Ross was speaking to him through the link. It was clear from Ross’ face that they were engaged in an intense argument and Ross wasn’t backing down. I ran my fingers through Rage’s soft fur, sending sparks cr ack ling wherever I touched him.

A ser vant came running with Amaris’ cloak and fell on his knees to present it to me. I held it up as Amaris changed back into his human form. He enfolded both of us with the purple and gold embroidered cloak. Only then did I realize that my top was torn to shreds.

Ross turned on his heel and with a curt nod in our direction excused himself.

“You shouldn’t have stopped him, Raine.” His voice sounded above my head, deep and thick with emotion. “I am going to go after her and put her down and I will not be merciful.”

“No, no, Amaris! She can still be helped.” I pulled back from him. “Her baby…”

Amaris wrapped the cloak around my body and shifted back into his wolf. He lifted his head in a long, bone-chilling cry and sped off, his paws shaking the ground. He had just declared Daciana’s death

warrant with that howl.

‘Amaris, please don’t do this. I tried to communicate with him through the link, but he’d closed it off.

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I ran back to the castle with the guards Amaris had assigned to me following at a short distance.

Nice work, Raine, I scolded myself. Once again, you’ve messed things up. Amaris was angry at me, Ross would probably be punished because of me, and I felt like a weakling who needed to be protected from

I

everything including herself.

Blindly I rushed up the stairs, passing serv ants who I hardly acknowledged in my hurry to get back to our bedroom. I wanted to hide myself from all the eyes judging me, the silent whispers in the hallways.

Rhona caught up with me as I was about to enter our suite. “Your Majesty, what happened? The castle is buzzing with news that you were attacked?” She took the cloak from my shoulders to inspect my injuries.

“I need to take a shower.” I said, brushing her off. The scratched have already healed leaving me with crusty, dried blood on my skin and what was left of my top. “I’m fine, Rhona. Just leave me be.”

“I’ll fix you something to eat.” Rhona said and excused herself. As if food would make me feel better.

Amaris found me staring out of the window at the view of the black mountains in the distance. I didn’t

turn around when he came into the bedroom, afraid of what I would see.

He embraced me from behind, sniffing my hair, breathing my scent in. I knew it helped to soothe him.

“It had to be done. Stop beating yourself up about it.” His breath lifted the small hairs at the back of my neck.

“What about you, Amaris? You killed a she-wolf, you’ve orphaned a pup. Have you no conscience?” I clutched the windowsill, taking strength from it not to face him. His hands stilled around my waist.

“Raine…” He rested his head on my shoulder. “You are my first priority. Your safety…”

I turned around then, moved out of his embrace. “No, what about your kingdom, your subjects? Should that not be your first priority? She could have been saved!”

“No!” Amaris picked me up by my upper arms so that we were face to face. He propped me

up against

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the stone wall, snarling into my face. “You have no right to judge me! Do you think I took pleasure in killing her? But she was losing her mind. That is what happens when you lose your soulmate.” He pressed his forehead against mine. “I don’t want that to happen to us.”

“My mother didn’t lose her mind when my father was killed. She was pregnant with me at the time, that is what she told me. The love she had for me kept her sane.” I looked into Amaris’ eyes and saw the pain reflected there. He thought he did the right thing.

“Then he either wasn’t her soulmate or she lied to you. He could still be alive.” He let me down gently.

“My mother wouldn’t lie to me.” I reeled at the idea. Could my father still be alive?

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