Chapter 74: His Den

Chapter 74: His Den"Queen Ariana, I will take you to His Majesty’s chambers," Ariana heard Leah say. She halted in her tracks, lips parting in shock as she noticed Leah half-running toward her, her face pale. Ariana’s expression shifted to one of concern as Leah stopped in front of her. Sweat had formed on her forehead. Ariana quickly signed, "Lady Leah, are you okay?" Leah nodded, though her heart was pounding. "Yes, I am, my Queen. I will take you to His Majesty’s chambers," she repeated, trying to steady her breath. Ariana smiled gently. She turned her head slightly to glance back at the place they had just left, then followed Leah. Leah’s heart slowly began to calm. Heaven knew what would have happened if Ariana had gone any deeper—she sighed, not wanting to imagine it. Ariana followed quietly as they walked toward another stairway in a different part of the palace. Her lips parted slightly in surprise. She hadn’t known this part existed—it seemed like the back side of the palace. They moved through a hallway without paintings, unlike the ones downstairs or near their room. These were just plain walls. The large, closed windows still allowed light to spill in, illuminating the path ahead. Leah stopped suddenly. "Queen Ariana... I don’t know if this is..." Worry laced her voice. But Ariana’s determined gaze already told her—there was no turning back. She wasn’t going to retreat. Leah bowed, her steps slowing. "Queen Ariana, I cannot go any further. My apologies... His Highness’s inner chamber is that door right there," she said, bowing once more. Ariana knew it. It was the only door in the hallway. She moved forward, each step cautious, her heart thudding loudly. The atmosphere turned chilling and unbearable. She halted in front of the door and inhaled, then exhaled slowly, trying to calm her breathing. His suffocating presence—she could already feel it in her bones from out here. Just as she raised her hand to the knob, she heard Zavren’s voice—cold and sharp. "Get out." Her body froze, her hand still suspended mid-air. The raw sharpness of his words pierced her deeply. She had never imagined a day would come when such words would be directed at her—from Zavren of all people. Her chest tightened, as though something had stabbed her. The more she tried to breathe, the tighter it became. She pressed her lips together. The pain was clear on her face. Still, she moved—and opened the door. Zavren’s blank expression snapped toward the open door. His cold gaze was instantly replaced with quiet disbelief. His wife... was here. Ariana stared at Zavren, stunned. He looked... normal. As if he had just been working on papers. But something was off. His eyes—were red. Deep, pure red. That was the only difference. "Aria..." His voice caught in his throat as Ariana rushed toward him. Before he could say more, she wrapped her arms tightly around him. Zavren froze, then shut his eyes as the red in them faded back to their usual grey. He was killing the poison—that’s why his pupils were red. He felt her trembling slightly. She pulled away gently, her hands resting on his face, caressing it softly. "I didn’t know it was you outside, sweetheart, I—" he began, but his words were silenced. Ariana pressed her lips against his—gently, then deeply. His eyes widened as she slid her tongue into his mouth. What made him freeze in shock wasn’t just the kiss—it was the way she moved. It wasn’t gentle. It was deep. Heated. She bit his lower lip, hard enough to make him respond. Zavren grabbed her, pulling her to the table. His desk. The one with all the important papers. Ariana braced her hands against his chest, trying to push him back, but he leaned in and kissed her again—rougher this time. Her lips parted as he entered her mouth with his tongue. They sucked on each other, and his eyes turned—not just red—but darkish red, glowing faintly with something greater. He finally pulled away. Ariana gasped, trying to calm her racing heart and steady her breathing from the breathless kiss. Their eyes locked. Her gaze moved around the room as she noticed how simple the place was. Her body shifted as she moved to stand— She was sitting on his desk. "Fuck..." Zavren growled softly, holding her waist to stop her from standing. "I wanted to be a good husband. I wanted to be gentle. But sweetheart... you’ve just summoned the beast in me." Their warm breaths mingled between them as he held her chin, now standing with one leg between hers. "If I ever tell you I’ll be gentle..." his husky voice curled through the air, "Just know I’m lying, sweetheart." Her lips parted in shock. His hands held her neck gently as he made her keep her gaze locked with his. She couldn’t believe this was happening—in his office chamber, of all places. She was sitting on top of what might’ve been royal important documents, yet... His smoky eyes locked on hers, sending sweet chills down her spine as her stomach flipped. He leaned closer, resting his face in the nook of her neck. "When my eyes are red, it means I’m hungry. And when that happens, my desire doubles. Right now, it’s tripled—because of you. So be a good girl and obey." The way his breath tickled her collarbones made her heart stutter. Zavren noticed she was looking for a chance to leave his table. He pulled away. Ariana’s lips parted in disbelief. His red crimson eyes never left hers. "I’ll be punishing you here. No one’s allowed to disturb my quiet time," he whispered. His tongue flicked out slightly, brushing his lips. "No one had dared... and yet..." He moved closer as Ariana felt his wet tongue lick her cheek—devilishly, almost teasingly. Her body trembled, desire dancing across her skin. "Don’t blame me," he added. "You walked into the devil’s den—even after all the warnings. Hmm?" His sinful words made her shiver. Why wasn’t she afraid? Instead... desire washed through her like a rising tide. As she stared at him, her eyes hungrily roamed over him. He moved his hand to brush her hair back, but Ariana’s gaze suddenly shifted. Her eyes widened slightly—desire now replaced with worry. Just as Zavren leaned in, he noticed her attention was now on his hand. The poisoned one. She moved her fingers, brushing lightly against the blackness on them. Zavren’s lips parted slightly as his jaw ticked. He couldn’t believe this woman—his wife—chose now of all times to notice... that. Fuck. His hands trembled slightly as he barely managed to keep himself under control. He didn’t want to be too rough on this pure snowflake of his. In fact, the worry now etched across her face made it impossible for him to even scold her. Ariana’s eyes searched his face, looking for answers. Zavren’s gaze flicked to her pink lips as she shifted slightly. He quickly looked away, trying hard to keep his thoughts from spiraling. He was really holding back—keeping his wolf in check. He didn’t want his beast to take over. "That arrow had poison," he said flatly. Ariana’s eyes widened. Zavren continued, looking calm—almost too calm—but it wasn’t the poison that bothered him anymore. What bothered him now was how badly he wanted to pull her close... kiss her... fuck her until she begged— Damn. He drew in a sharp breath. "The poison contained a substance that makes us wolves numb. That’s why the arrow targeted the heart—it weakens the wolf’s ability. Fighting back becomes hard. To even attack, you have to transform... and that’s the catch." He paused, his red eyes locking onto hers. "When you transform... the pain intensifies. Any contact the arrow makes with the skin—it drives a wolf mad. Even the person who strikes the arrow cannot use their bare hand. It’s risky to them as well—though not as much as it is to werewolves. But I have..." he stopped. Ariana was still tracing his hand, her eyes full of concern. The blackness had faded compared to last night’s, and Zavren could only imagine what her expression would have been if she had seen it then. "You don’t need to worry," he said calmly, his eyes blank. "This tattoo will be gone in no time. My blood is killing it." Ariana stared at him. Tattoo? This man really called a poisoned wound... a tattoo. She bit her lip hard. She had no idea he had been poisoned, and she had told him to stay with her. She could already imagine the unbearable pain he must have felt. Poisons weren’t painless—that’s why they were forbidden in Eltones. Zavren’s voice turned stern. "Don’t bite them, Aria." His eyes darkened, the red deepening in hue. She bit harder. His canines began to elongate. Ariana didn’t even realize his teeth had grown. She was just... staring at his hands. She finally released her lip and lifted her eyes to Zavren, who swept a hand through his hair. His teeth were back to normal. He was clearly struggling—holding himself back. He let out a sharp exhale. His eyes met hers, then darted away again. And yet she remained totally unaware of what she was doing to him. "Whatever you’re doing to my fucking brain... stop, Ariana. I can’t even think straight," he growled, his voice low and husky. "You make me crave. And just when I’m about to devour you... you pull away. Sweetheart, you’re turning me into a madman." Ariana’s heart thudded hard. ’Point of correction—you’re already a madman,’ she thought, though her body tingled and her heart raced. She watched his eyes dilate. The red disappeared into darkish grey....the exact color of that night. Her heart skipped. Had he... had he heard her? "Are you aware," Zavren asked, a predatory smile gracing his lips, "that I can hear parts of your thoughts?" This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om