Chapter 53 

Killian’s POV 

What Have I Done? 

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Those words still lingered in my mind like a cursed song I couldn’t silence. “Yes, I’m jealous. I hadn’t meant to say it–hell, I hadn’t even meant to feel it. But the words had slipped past my lips, unstoppable and unrestrained, and for the first time in centuries, I felt emotions clawing at me, wild and untamed. 

A chaos beyond my control. 

My wolf was thoroughly enjoying my suffering. 

“At last,” he scoffed in the back of my mind, his voice deep and reverberating. “The mighty Lycan King, brought to his knees by a woman. Should I prepare a throne for her beside yours?” 

“Shut up,” I growled inwardly, though my voice lacked the sharpness I intended. 

My wolf let out a low, mocking laugh, shattering my fragile composure. “You can’t even deny it, Killian. You’re jealous. And worse–you admitted it. That woman has you tangled in her claws, and we both know it.” 

I ignored him, pacing the length of my chamber. The air around me felt thick, suffocating, as if ridiculing me for this moment of weakness. I couldn’t let this distraction consume me. 

I was Killian Rudwick, the Lycan King. A ruler feared by nations, revered by wolves across the realm. I did not bend. I did not waver. And I certainly did not succumb to trivial emotions like jealousy. 

Yet here I was–undone by a woman. 

By her. 

Ruby Lucienne. 

“Why do you despise this emotion so much?” my wolf mused, amusement lacing his tone. “Jealousy is as natural as envying another’s power. There is no difference.” 

I clenched my jaw. “It is different.” 

“You’re strange, Killian. I don’t understand why we share the same soul when we see things so differently.” 

“As if I had a choice.” 

My wolf chuckled through our bond. But what truly caught me off guard was his next statement. 

“By the way, I want a new name. Find one for me. Quickly.” 

“Wait, what? A new name? Why the hell do you suddenly want to change your name, 

you bastard!?” 

“A new day, a new beginning. Think fast. I’ll give you exactly twenty–four hours.” 

And just like that, he cut the connection, leaving me no room to argue. 

For hell’s sake, I had no idea what was going through his damn head. If only he had a physical form–I would’ve torn him apart by now. 

What the hell was the point of a new name!? 

09:30 Fri, 25 Apr 

Chapter 53 

I could feel my headache worsening with every passing second. 

I didn’t want to indulge his demands, but I knew better than to resist them. 

He was a part of my soul, and I knew him inside and out–every single one of his infuriating traits. 

I huffed. Fine. I’d come up with a name for that damn wolf of mine. But for now, back to the real problem. 

How do I erase this stupid jealousy? 

Should I drown myself in countless women until she fades from my thoughts? 

But none of them ever tasted as rich, as intoxicating, as Ruby. 

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Damn that woman. Damn her soft voice, her razor–sharp mind, her untamed spirit. And fuck the way she looked underneath me–breathtaking in ways I couldn’t ignore. And those eyes…. that stripped away the armor I had spent centuries forging. Her touch, her smile–every small, insignificant thing about her–somehow managed to awaken something deep inside me, something uncontrollable. 

I could feel my wolf snickering from the darkest corners of my mind, his endless mockery grating on my nerves. 

But all of that faded when my thoughts were pulled back to the memory still fresh in my mind–her lips against mine, the way she melted into me when we parted. 

That kiss had been fire–raw, consuming, far too real. 

And then, I had disappeared into the night, leaving her standing there in her chamber–cheeks flushed, lips swollen from my kiss. 

The following day, as I sat upon my throne, I tried to push those thoughts aside. It was utterly useless–until a new problem was brought before me. 

The grand hall was cold and eerily silent, save for the distant echo of footsteps. When the heavy doors creaked open, two of my guards dragged a man forward. His face was battered, his clothes tattered, and the stench of fear clung to him like a second skin. 

Beta Leonidas followed close behind, his face as impassive as ever. The faint scent of blood still lingered on him, a clear sign that he had personally overseen the capture. 

I leaned forward, resting an elbow on the armrest of my throne, my gaze fixed on the pitiful creature before me. 

“Who is this?” I demanded, my lips curling in distaste. “Another slave? Again? I have no use for more filth in this kingdom, Leonidas. We already have plenty.” 

Leonidas stepped forward, his voice steady but tinged with irritation. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, but this is no mere slave, as you presume.” 

I arched a brow. “Oh?” 

Leonidas cast a sharp, disdainful glance at the trembling man. “A merchant, or so he claims. He has been supplying goods to the palace for the past two months.” 

A low growl rumbled from my Beta’s throat. 

“My men caught him skulking around the eastern wing–where the council’s records are kept.” 

My eyes narrowed. “And why wasn’t he caught sooner?” 

Leonidas shrugged, unbothered by the implicit reprimand. “He was cautious–but not cautious enough. We tracked him 

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Chapter 53 

back to his quarters and found this.” 

He signaled to one of the guards, who unceremoniously dropped a leather bag onto the floor. Its contents spillest on palace schematics, hastily scrawled notes, and an emblem I knew all too well. 

The emblem of the Ravenhold Pack. 

My blood burned with fury. Something deep within me screamed for brutal retribution 

“Dominic,” I spat, the name leaving my lips like a poisonous curse. 

Leonidas inclined his head. “It seems Alpha Dominic isn’t content with losing his precious heirloom. He’s remet is espionage, likely hoping to uncover something he can use against you.” 

“This isn’t the first time,” I sneered. 

Rising from my throne, I moved toward the trembling man with slow, measured steps. He whimpered as I crunched before him, my crimson eyes locking onto his. 

“Do you serve Dominic?” 

The man stuttered, his words tumbling over themselves in incoherent panic. 

“Answer me!” I roared, my claws unsheathing as I seized his collar and hauled him off the ground. 

“Yes!” he squealed. “He forced me! I had no choice–please, I was only following orders!” 

“Following orders?” I echoed, my voice dripping with mockery. “Do you have any idea what happens to traitors? 

His strangled sobs told me everything I needed to know. Disgusted, I tossed him to the ground like a discarded tag my patience wearing thin. 

“Throw him in the dungeon,” I commanded the guards. “I will decide his fate later.” 

As he was dragged away, his pitiful pleas reverberating through the grand hall, I turned to Leonidas. 

“Dominic is pushing his luck. Twice now.” My voice was a storm of barely contained rage. ‘I want him to understand winar happens to those who dare to stand against me.” 

A ghost of a smirk flickered across Leonidas’s face. “Shall I send him a message, Your Majesty?” 

“Not yet,” I murmured, a cruel smile playing at my lips. “Let him stew in uncertainty for now. But keep a close watch on huma -I want to know his every move.” 

The Beta bowed in quiet obedience. 

“Is there anything else, Your Majesty?” 

I waved him off, retreating into the shadows of my throne. 

“No. Leave me.” 

If not for my pact with Ruby, that man and his entire pack would have been rotting in the ground long ago. 

Chapter 54 

Chapter 54