A King's Weakness (Book 1)

Chapter 33

I'M RUNNING DOWN THE HALLWAY LIKE MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. My heart thrashes painfully in my chest, but I find my room eventually, letting my instincts guide me.

The door slams shut behind me, and I collapse against it, my back hitting the wood with a dull thud.

The insides of my thighs are wet, sticky with a substance that smells just like him—all lush spice and smoke. The evidence of what I did—what we did—is smeared on my skin, labeling me a whore as clearly as he did.

I'm a fucking idiot.

Shame coats my skin in a syrupy layer, and I suddenly can't get out of my dress fast enough. I strip, the sharp sound of ripping fabric tearing through the silence of the room, and I throw myself into the shower, turning both handles to full blast.

Icy water shoots out, drenching me, and goosebumps rise all along my body as I watch the water swirl down the drain. The color is a muddled brown, a mixture of my makeup and the blood the prince and I drew.

I'm panting as I take a bar of soap in hand and start to scrub, scouring my flesh until it's raw.

You feel so good...

The water feels like tiny shards of glass embedding into my skin.

Just like I imagined you would.

A choked sound reaches my ears, but I keep scrubbing. I will not cry.

You fuck like the shifter whore you are.

I will not give him another piece of me, not a single atom. Not a tear, not a thought, not a tremor.

It takes me a long moment to realize that the water from the shower head is quite literally freezing as soon as it touches the air, hardening into drops of hail.

"You can take nothing else from me," I seethe in a whisper, closing my eyes and focusing on the magic sparking in my veins. I will it into submission, force the ice to recoil back into my body. The water begins to warm, rinsing away the soap, and my shame with it. "I won't let you have one damn thing more."

My head drops, and I press both palms to the wall of the shower, letting my hair fall forward in a black wave.

I read once that an addict will only truly commit to recovery once they've hit rock bottom. This—this is mine. There is nothing else that Dante or his fucked up father can take from me.

The only power they have over me is what I give them, and I'm all out of generosity.

I've been so focused on trying to get out of here, on getting back to Kage and my normal life, that I managed to forget that it doesn't exist anymore.

I am not normal.

I have magic that is a million different kinds of unpredictable, a wolf side that despises being caged, and an uncle that would be disappointed I've been playing a short game when everyone around me has so clearly been playing a long one.

The water turns off with a soft click, and I straighten, wringing out my hair. When I see myself in the mirror, I feel like I finally recognize the girl staring back at me for the first time.

She is violent. She is ruthless.

And she does not bow to anyone.

It's time that everyone learned exactly what it means to be a King.