Do you want to kill me?

"I'm told your name is Elara?" He sought to ask after walking around me for a moment.

I didn't even notice how handsome he was the time we encountered at the court– his green eyes, long black hair settled on his shoulders.

The chair suited him well; he was in his king tuxedo which was rather tight on him as he was muscular. I must admit he looked devilishly sexy.

'Oh, Goddess, why does she give us sexy mates who reject us?' Lia complained.

Lia's voice sounded sad but lustful. She questioned.

'How could he act like he doesn’t know us at all?'

"Yes.” I responded, deliberately ignoring Lia's comments.

"It's sir for you." he said in an intimidating tone.

He stood in front of me, staring at my face with an air of intimidation. This wasn't the same man I met earlier.

"You killed a man and attacked your best friend?" he accused.

I remained silent, unsure whether denying the charges would make any difference.

"I was also informed you ain't saying anything regarding that matter." he added, noticing my reluctance to speak.

"Alright, here is your duty in this house. You'll work just like any other maid here, but you were assigned to serve the king. You'll cook for me when I want, do my laundry, and take care of all my services. The rest you'll learn along the way. Any questions?" he declared.

"No, sir." I replied, not wishing to engage in further conversation.

"Good, and now I want coffee in my office, just like I like it." he ordered before briskly walking up the stairs.

I stood there in shock, trying to calm Lia down.

'Maybe it's his twin.’ she suggested, attempting to find excuses for his sudden change in demeanour.

'Maybe.’ I replied, more to comfort her than to believe it myself.

I went to the kitchen, luckily finding the young maid from earlier.

"Hi, how many people live in this house?" I curiously asked.

"Inside this house, I would say three: the king, me, and my mom, excluding the guards as they change shifts." she explained. I nodded as I searched for a cup.

"What are you looking for?" she asked, realising my confusion.

"A cup, the king asked for coffe." I replied.

"Alright, I'll help you." she said.

"This is his favourite cup. There was once he broke a cup because the coffee was not in his favourite cup. The girl was fired that same day." she informed, handing me the cup with coffee.

"Thank you." I said, starting to walk towards the door. As I reached it, I stopped.

"His office is the first to your left upstairs." she mentioned as I turned but walked and led me.

Her kindness was a relief.

Reaching the top of the stairs, she knocked on the door and said.

"He's not a monster, as everybody says he is. He's just a perfect person." she added, recognizing my uneasiness then she left.

I entered the office after he signalled me to come in.

"Bring it here." he said as I tried to put the coffee on the table, which was close to him. Despite the proximity, he requested that I hand it to him directly.

With hesitation, I did so. After a brief inspection of the cup, he took a sip, only to spit it out almost instantly.

"What the fuck? Do you want to kill me?" he exclaimed, grabbing a glass of water. I wondered if the girl had sabotaged the coffee to get me embarrassed.

"What's wrong with it, sir?" I inquired.

"Drink! now!" he ordered as he handed me the cup. With a shiver, I took the cup then took a sip to taste it and realised nothing was wrong. I told him that and he responded angrily.

“So you're saying I'm exaggerating?" he accused me. I put the cup down and walked backwards as he walked towards me. Walking closer, he pinned me to the wall, holding my hands in his grip. My chest moved up and down erratically as I breathed.

"I asked you a question." he growled.

"No. sir.. nothing is wrong.. I mean something is wrong with the coffee.. sir." I stammered wondering why he insisted on pinning my hands to the wall.

He leaned in, his breath fanning my neck.

"So what is wrong with it?" he asked again, sniffing my neck then suddenly pushed me aside, and as I fell to the ground on my butt.

He ordered, "Take this cup and make me another cup of coffee. Ask for assistance from Maggie; she knows exactly how I like my coffee."

Feeling intimidated, I stood up, took the cup, and left without a glance.

My heart raced, and Lia tried to calm me down.

'Calm down; at least we got his scent.’ she said.

I ignored her remark.

'We need to leave this place as soon as our belongings get here.' I insisted.

'We're not supposed to leave the country; remember, we have a case pending, and being here is not by choice but part of punishment, still remember that?' she reminded me.

'I don't care. We'll go to another city and live among ordinary humans where we can hide, and no one will ever find us. We have nothing left here.' I said.

'But I have.. a mate.' she responded but I ignored her as I thought of a city to hide and live among ordinary beings. A city came up, it is the same city where I went to study my acting career. It was a school for non-supernatural beings, so I could blend in. I just needed my phone and access to my money, then I could plan my escape.

I was awakened from my thoughts as the maid was now shaking me.

"Hi! I'm sorry, I didn't even realise the time I got in here.” I said, and she nodded.

"I'm Maggie, what's your name?" she asked, taking the cup from my hands

.

"Elara." I replied.

"He said he doesn't like it; I don't know what's wrong with it." I explained.

"Nothing is wrong with it; he just wants to torture you." she said.

She warmed the cup and handed it back to me.

"Take it now, and you'll understand what I mean." she added.

After thanking her, I took the same cup of coffee. I knocked, and after he signalled, I went in. He asked if I asked for help this time. I lied, and just as Maggie said from a sip, he licked his lips.

"Yes! This is how I like my coffee, now leave!" he ordered, continuing to lick his lips.

I turned to leave, but as I reached the door, he pressed a button, locking it.

'What does he want now?' Lia said. I stood frozen with fear.

He advanced towards me; I was facing the door, and he was at my back. I could feel his footsteps as he was my mate after all.

In a swift motion, he turned me and pinned my hands above my head against the wall.

'What is he doing now?' I asked Lia.

'I don't know, but I love it.' she responded sounding a bit excited, but I wasn't. This was harassment.

He bent a little, as I was a bit short. I watched his face as he closed his eyes and sniffed my neck again, sending weird excitement down my spine.

Then, by my ear, he licked it a little, making my chest move even more rapidly as emotions of pleasure and fear mixed up in my system.

Breathing near my ear he said.

"I don't drink coffee without cookies, now go get me some!" in a commanding tone.

I didn't move as his hand was now in my loose, tangled curls. He quickly pulled away and faced the other side.

"Don't mess up this time; you have already wasted my time enough." he said, walking to his table.

Suddenly, the door opened, and I went out in haste. I didn't even go to the kitchen to get the cookies; I went straight to my room, and luckily, I found my bags there. I hastily opened my bag, searched for my phone, as soon as I got it. I switched on my data and immediately called my friend, hoping he was still willing to help.

He picked up after one ring. He always cared for me and had a little crush on me. I dismissed it because he was an ordinary human, and I was a she-wolf.

Life for us werewolves is much more complicated. There was no way I was going to mix him into this by deciding to have him as my boyfriend, especially since he didn't have a wolf. Lia could not connect with him, and I didn't want her to feel left out.

He greeted me warmly, and after talking for a few minutes, we chatted more. As I asked to come live with him to continue my studies, he agreed and promised to get me a job. He owned his art gallery, so he could manage bills. He promised to help me sort everything out before I could go, asking for at least two weeks. Even though I felt disappointed I agreed, hoping that after two weeks, my miseries would end as I planned to escape.

After the call, I went to the kitchen, and luckily, Maggie was there. I asked for the King's cookies, and she helped me get them in his favourite bowl.

When I went to give it to him, he wasn't there. Relieved, I placed the bowl on the table and went straight to my room to go through my phone.

I had only about a thousand dollars from freelancing gigs. I was good at acting, so I did many commercials and that's how I got that money. It was not enough, so I planned to work more and add up. With how much brands loved my work, I knew I would be able to make at least another thousand in a week.

A knock interrupted me; it was Maggie asking me to join her for dinner, but I declined as I was not interested in eating. I went straight to bed after a warm bath.

****

It was early in the morning, banging on the door disturbed me. I glimpsed at my phone and realised it was still seven in the morning. I usually slept until late, so I went to the door prepared to give whoever was there a piece of my mind.

As I opened the door, I ran out of words; it was the Lycan King himself. He seemed like he went for a run, all sweaty in a body shirt revealing his muscles and jogging sports pants, with a towel around his neck.

I shook out of my fantasising world when I realised his stare at my chest, which was not in a bra and my nipples were erected.

I was just in a sleeping shirt that went up to my knees. As he shook out of his thoughts, he spoke.

"My breakfast is usually ready at exactly seven, but since you're new, I'll spare you for today. I'm going to take a shower; I expect my food to be ready when I get down. Also, prepare something for lunch later; the elders are coming to visit."

He leaned in closer, almost to my lips but didn't

touch them. He spoke, his breath fanning my lips, which I pressed together.

His breath smelled so good.

"Also, I was told you didn't eat last night. Don't ever repeat that. Okay?" I nodded, as I hadn't brushed my teeth and my breath wasn't pleasant at the moment.

"And first take a shower. It's an order." he said and quickly walked away, leaving me in shock.

'How are we supposed to take a shower and prepare breakfast at the same time?' I asked Lia.

'Like we're robots.' she agreed. I went straight to the shower to clean up. There was a shower in the room, so it was much easier.