Chapter 5 #2
“In return, you will want for nothing. Protection. Comfort. Safety.” His voice dropped lower. “As long as you please me, you will live better than any human on this forsaken planet.”
“And if I displease you?”
Bold. So dangerously bold.
“Then we discover what happens when a pet forgets her place.” The threat was implicit, wrapped in velvet menace.
Silence stretched between them. Elsa’s throat worked as she swallowed hard. Her gaze dropped to his chest, unable to maintain eye contact under the weight of his stare.
Finally, she nodded. Small. Reluctant. But unmistakable.
Acceptance.
Triumph surged through Sylas’s veins, hot and immediate. He’d won. Claimed her. Made her his in front of witnesses who would spread word throughout the fortress before nightfall.
The human navigator with the Frosted Tears scent belonged to the Alpha King.
“Xar.” Sylas turned to his captain without taking his eyes off Elsa. “Take Mia to Healer Yarx. Explain her duties. If she gives trouble, inform me immediately.”
“Yes, my king.”
Xar moved with practiced efficiency, stepping forward to grip Mia’s arm—not roughly, but firm enough to discourage even the thought of resistance. Before leading her away, he crouched and unlocked the iron restraints binding her wrists and ankles. The chains fell loose with a dull clatter.
Xar turned next to Elsa and removed her shackles as well, the metal slipping free from her skin before he gathered the heavy lengths and tossed them to a nearby Lux Knight without looking.
Only then did he guide Mia forward. The red-dressed female went willingly, relief evident in the way her shoulders loosened as she was led from the throne room.
One problem solved.
Sylas circled Elsa again, slower this time. Savoring. His prize required proper care—inspection, cleaning, feeding. She looked half-starved and wholly exhausted. Whatever damage the crash and subsequent captivity had inflicted needed addressing.
“Ryxin.” He addressed his brother without looking away from the golden female. “Send word to the Lux Sabers. I require attendants for my new pet. Females who understand discretion.”
Understanding flickered in his brother’s cyan eyes. “Of course. I’ll have them sent to your chambers immediately.”
“Good.” Sylas stopped his circling, positioning himself directly in front of Elsa. “You will come with me now. Quietly. Without resistance.”
It wasn’t a question.
Elsa’s jaw tightened, but she nodded again. “I understand.”
“Do you?” He leaned down, bringing his muzzle close to her face. Close enough that his breath stirred the tangled strands of her hair. “I wonder.”
Her pulse jumped, visible in her throat. But she held his gaze this time, refusing to look away despite obvious fear.
There it is. That fire.
It would serve her well in the days ahead. The court would test her, push boundaries, search for weaknesses. His pet needed spine as much as submission.
Lucky for both of them, Elsa seemed to possess an abundance of the former and was learning the latter.
Sylas straightened, satisfaction settling deep in his chest. He’d claimed his prize. Established ownership. Set terms.
Now came the interesting part—discovering exactly what his new pet could do. What she was worth beyond that divine scent and defiant spirit.
A navigator, she’d said. Someone who understood trajectories and star charts and the mathematics of void travel.
Perhaps keeping her alive would prove more valuable than he’d initially calculated.
Perhaps she’d surprise him.
He rather hoped she would.
“Come, Elsa.” He turned toward the private corridors that led to his chambers, expecting her to follow. “Let’s see if you’re as adaptable as you appear.”
Behind him, chains clinked as she shuffled forward. The sound grated—too crude for what she was, for what she represented.
He’d have them removed once they reached his chambers. Replace them with something more suitable. Something that marked her as his without the brutality of prisoner restraints.
The throne room doors opened at his approach, guards snapping to attention. They didn’t look at Elsa—wise of them. He’d made his claim clear. Any male foolish enough to show interest would find himself missing more than just his position.
“Summon the Lux Sabers,” Sylas said without slowing. “Have them meet me in the royal corridor.”
“Yes, my king.” One of the guards peeled away at once, moving quickly to carry out the order.
Sylas continued forward, leading Elsa deeper into the fortress, into corridors reserved for royalty. Each step took them further from the public spaces, closer to his private domain.
His territory. Where he made the rules and enforced them with tooth and claw.
Where his new pet would learn exactly what it meant to belong to an Alpha King blessed by Lux herself.
The scent of Frosted Tears followed him like a promise. Like destiny finally catching up to claim what it had marked as his from the moment she’d crashed into his Holy Land.
Mine, his beast rumbled with satisfaction.
And for once, Sylas didn’t argue.