CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
WINTER
Winter hadn’t wanted to depart his manor without Sterling, leaving her safety up to someone else, but he couldn’t deny a royal summons. His father had outlined the journey the prince and his new mate would take. Endearing the people to the royals—specifically the king—would be an impossible feat.
After years of making a name for himself as ruthless and cruel, he was expected to convince everyone he was the opposite. Fucking impossible. Was he supposed to fail?
He climbed from the river where he’d been swimming off his anger and pulled his tunic over his wet skin. The fabric clung to him, furthering his annoyance.
“Your Highness?”
Winter scowled up at the juvenile wolf—one of the cook’s children if he remembered correctly—and the boy winced. “What?” he snapped.
“You asked to be told when your mate returned.”
He glanced up at the setting sun. “She’s just now returning?”
“Well,” the juvenile stammered. “She returned a few minutes ago, but no one could find you.”
Winter ran a hand through his dripping hair and released a sigh. At least she made it back all right and hadn’t tried to run off with her brother. If she had second thoughts about their mating, it would’ve been the perfect time to escape.
“I’ll return to my room then. Have a late supper brought up for us both.” He stepped around the youth.
“She’s … not in your room.”
Winter halted in his tracks. “What do you mean she’s not there? I gave precise instructions that she not leave once she returned and to have Lijah outside the door.”
“The—” He shuffled back a step. “The king summoned her to his bedchamber.”
Panic struck Winter’s chest, gripping his heart like a steel trap. What did his father want with Sterling? And in his chambers, no less. Nothing good. “Fucking letch,” the prince thundered, and raced toward the castle.
He stalked through the front door, past guards, servants, and other pack members, straight to his father’s rooms. Caston stood outside the bedchamber, and, as he approached, he cast Winter a nervous look.
A low, dangerous sound rumbled up Winter’s throat, daring the pathetic man to stop him, as he stormed into the room. Time seemed to stand still when he took in the scene before him. His father with his hand fisted in Sterling’s hair, her head forcibly tilted. His mate on her knees.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he growled.
The king released Sterling and held his hands up as if he were innocent of any wrongdoing. “Son, you’re back earlier than expected.”
“Is that all you have to say?” Winter demanded. His father strutted silently toward a small table with a carafe of wine while the prince’s new mate appeared frozen in place. “Sterling, get up.”
She stood, her breaths heavy, and turned to look at him with wide, frightened eyes. “Winter—”
“Go to my room and wait for me there,” he said in a low, warning voice.
Sterling’s lips parted as if she wanted to say more, but the sound of glass clinking made her flinch.
“Now,” Winter barked.
She bolted around Winter and out the door.
“The whore wanted to suck my cock,” Valco offered. “Practically begged me. I, of course, wasn’t going to allow it.” He chuckled to himself. “All right, that was a lie. I was going to fuck her throat.”
Winter balled his hands into fists. His father had ruined any chance of the prince’s future with Talia, and now he was trying to do the same with Sterling.
But, while he always believed Talia had willingly fucked his father, he knew Sterling never would.
“If you touch my mate again, I’ll fucking kill you. ”
“Such a serious threat over someone you seem to loathe,” Valco drawled. “How about this? I’ll promise to only use her mouth until she’s with child, so there’s no question about who the father is.”
Winter’s vision went red. “You will not—”
The king scoffed. “She wanted it, just like her grandmother did. Your mate might be useful to me right now, but she comes from a long line of whores.”
“Her grandmother?” Winter’s brows lowered in confusion. She’d been the hunter who killed his mother, had hated wolves, so why would she lust after their king?
Valco swirled his glass of wine and smirked. “Don’t act so surprised. She was experienced and beautiful—I didn’t care if she was a hunter. Over the years, we would meet, fuck, even after I married your mother.”
“So she killed my mother out of jealousy. Because you didn’t know how to stay faithful,” Winter growled.
“No, she killed your mother because I told her to.” He arched a brow and downed the wine, taunting Winter to make a move.
Winter’s nostrils flared as he pieced together what he was hearing. He’d been sent to murder Sterling’s grandmother in retaliation for his mother’s death, and he’d been glad to end the woman’s life. “Why would you have me hunt her down if you had her kill Mother?”
“Isn’t it quite obvious?” The king chuckled. “She no longer wanted to suck my cock because of her family, so she hid herself away. Very well, I might add. It took you years to find her.”
“You’re a traitor to our court, to my mother.” Winter had always known his father fucked any woman he could behind her back, but this was excessive.
The king’s shoulders stiffened, his face turning scarlet. “Careful what you say. I’m the king, and a king can kill his queen if he wants. Son or not, I’ll have you thrown in the dungeons. Who will save your precious human mate then, hmm?”
“Be careful what you do, Father. Because I’d rather die in a cell with your blood beneath my claws than let you touch what isn’t yours.”
He chuckled darkly. “You’re too soft to take me on. Just like your human-loving mother was.”
Winter didn’t think—he simply moved. One moment he was near the bed with his hands balled into fists, the next, one of those fists cracked against his father’s cheekbone.
The king released a wounded roar as he stumbled backward into the table with the wine.
The carafe crashed to the floor at the same time the pain registered in the prince’s hand.
“Your Majesty!” Caston shouted as he burst through the door. “Should I call the guards?”
“Get out, you fucking weasel,” Winter snapped.
The king grabbed Winter by the tunic and hauled him close. “You get one punch, boy. Touch me again and I’ll name another heir to dance on your grave.”
“Majesty?” Caston squeaked.
Winter shoved out of his father’s grip and lunged at the advisor.
He snarled, then grabbed the wolf’s head between his hands and snapped his neck.
The pitiful bastard fell to the floor at his feet, and Winter faced his father.
“I’m done letting you fuck with my life,” he warned. “I’ll end your life.”
“Oh?” He chuckled. “Now that is traitorous. I would watch your tongue in case anyone besides the corpse at your feet hears. And do you forget, I know about your mate’s brother.
Another precious pet of yours. I may decide to have him transferred here if you don’t behave.
I don’t think he’s … secure enough to make Red Riding Hood cooperate. ”
Winter bared his teeth. “I dare you to try it.”
“This isn’t a game you want to play with me,” Valco replied, his eyes narrowed.
“Now, first thing tomorrow before the sun rises, your mate will travel north to begin discussing her union with the human village. You will follow suit to meet with her two days after, then together you will proceed to a wolf settlement next, and so on. If you refuse to submit to the rules, I do believe I can snap a child’s neck by using just a few fingers. ”
He had to obey for now—that was his only choice. “Yes, Father,” Winter said between gritted teeth. “But you will not cast your eyes upon Sterling before she leaves.”
“Not until she returns.” The king smirked once more. “Perhaps she’ll suck my cock next time.”
Tightening his fists, the prince stepped over Caston’s limp body and left the room with no intent to play his father’s game.
This was his life, and he was done letting anyone destroy it.
His mind churned with the betrayals he’d learned about Sterling’s grandmother and the truth of his mother’s death.
But, most of all, the memory of Sterling on her knees before his father.
When he entered his room, Sterling leapt off the edge of his bed with a gasp. “Winter?”
“Don’t say a word,” he rasped. “I need a minute.”
The Prince of Carnage paced back and forth, his jaw clenched, rage vibrating through every bone in his body. What would his defiance mean? For him? For her? Cyan needed to be moved somewhere safe before the king decided to bring him here.
“I would never fuck your father,” Sterling breathed, her voice shaky.
“I know,” he said. His gaze met hers and softened.
“However, my grandmother fucked your father,” she stammered.
“I know that too.” He paused. “My father just informed me. Did he say anything else?”
“That she begged for it. I think … I think maybe that’s why she killed your mother. I’m so sorry, Winter.” Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.
Winter crossed the room and pulled her against him in a tight embrace.
“It’s not your fault.” He sighed. There was more to the story, but he couldn’t tell her now and make her hate his father more when he needed to make certain she was safe.
“You will never be alone with my father again. In the future, I’ll do a better job of protecting you. ”
“You can’t be with me every moment,” she said matter-of-factly and wound her fingers into his tunic.
“I have things to take care of. Get some rest. In the morning, you’ll travel north to the human village.” He placed a kiss on top of her head in what he hoped was comforting and reassuring. “You need to be as far away from my father as possible.”
“I don’t think you can defy the king for me. A human.”
“For you, I’ll defy the moon.” He pulled her closer and pressed a lingering kiss to her mouth. “And you’re not just a human. You’re my human. My mate.”
This time when he thought about his father’s death, he would follow through with it, and he meant it down to his marrow. Valco had taken everything from him. He’d unintentionally given Winter back his smile through Sterling, and he’d be damned if it was stolen from him again.