"He proclaid his son." Dimitri’s lips curled into a cruel smirk as his laughter echoed off the walls, the sound filled with tornt, madness, and pain.
"But choosing as his son..." He paused, his eyes gleaming with sothing dark and unreadable. "That was the greatest mistake he ever made."
He took a step forward, his voice deepening with venom as he continued,
"They all believed I had lost my mind. That I had forgotten my family, my past, my pain. Fools. All those years I spent acting like a puppet even though I was the beta lord...like a mindless shell....were never wasted. I was watching and learning. Gathering information. Strengthening myself in silence. Because when the ti ca to deal with them, I didn’t want it to be a battle."
His lips twitched upward again, and the laughter returned....shorter this ti, but colder.
"No... I wanted it to be easy. Easy peasy."
He turned then, his gaze resting on Sorayah, who stood rigid, trying to keep her expression neutral despite the storm swirling in her chest.
"Even if I don’t rule this Park for long," Dimitri said, his tone taking on a surprising calmness, "even if the curse prevents from producing an heir and claiming a legacy...if my curse remains unbroken, then so be it. Soone else from my Park, soone I managed to protect and nurture, could rise and take my place as Alpha Emperor."
A fire burned in his erald eyes as he added with conviction,
"And that ruler... they’ll reshape the laws. End the slaughter of neighboring Parks and the senseless killing of humans. We’ll only raise arms against those who raise theirs first. And those families that defy order or refuse to pay their taxes....they’ll face justice. But no more blood for sport. No more power gas soaked in innocent lives."
He scoffed, his voice suddenly thick with a quiet finality.
"So, Sorayah, listen to well. I’m not going to risk your life or force you to help with my curse. I might die from it... or maybe not. I don’t know. But whether I live or fall, before that day cos, I want to ensure every task I set out to accomplish is completed. I want to make sure you know exactly how I feel."
He took a slow breath, then let his next words fall gently, almost vulnerably.
"I’ve felt this way since the very first ti I saw you... back in the human kingdom. You were dressed as a boy then, but I knew you were no boy. And I told myself it was none of my business. That I couldn’t fall for a human. Especially not a girl from the very kingdom that offered up my people as bargaining chips to please the forr rulers of this Park."
His gaze flickered over her, and he gave a short laugh, more bitter than amused.
"When your kingdom fell... when your father was betrayed by Lupien’s father....I won’t lie to you. I was glad. I rejoiced. Because the ones who helped destroy my Park were finally choking on their own treachery. And then..."
His voice faltered for a mont before he clenched his fists.
"Then I saw you again. At the camp. Just one girl among the others, being forced into slavery . I should’ve killed you on sight. I wanted to. I hated you... hated your bloodline. But I couldn’t do it. Because no woman, no enemy, no creature had ever driven mad the way you do."
Dimitri’s voice dropped lower, rougher, like gravel scraping through the silence.
"The way you looked at ....it was maddening. I felt like I was going insane, Sorayah. But I controlled myself. I told myself I’d make you suffer instead."
His eyes burned with a complicated mixture of hatred and longing.
"I made sure you were brought to my manor. I made you a sex slave. I watched you cry... and I thought, maybe, just maybe, if I saw you broken, those stupid feelings in my heart would finally disappear."
He let out a humorless chuckle before continuing,
"The way I treated you when you first arrived? That was reminding myself that you’re my enemy. That you should have died. But I couldn’t bring myself to kill you... and once I discovered your dragon blood and the powers it held....the possibility that you could cure my curse ...I convinced myself that was the only reason to keep you alive but it wasn’t."
His voice dropped further.
"And yeah... that night, the night of the full moon....was when everything shattered. The mont we had sex."
Sorayah swallowed hard, her breath catching in her throat as she listened. Dimitri’s tone wasn’t cold, nor was it mocking. It was laced with sothing raw and vulnerable.
"After that night, I could no longer carry on with any punishnts. I didn’t want to hurt you anymore. I only wanted to hold you... to keep you close. But I couldn’t. Not when you hated ."
His expression shifted, softening just slightly.
"But I know you hate Lupien. And since our goals align, I used that as a reason to get closer to you. To stay near. And even now... I still want to get closer to you, Sorayah."
He took a step forward, closing the distance, and Sorayah instinctively moved back, her legs trembling as her mind raced to process everything she had just heard. Her thoughts felt like fire....burning, chaotic, and overwhelming. Step by step, she retreated until her back hit the wall.
Dimitri, still unclothed, slamd his hands against the wall on either side of her, caging her in with his presence. She gasped but didn’t look away.
"I’m not here to force you, Sorayah," he said firmly, seriousness etched into every line of his face. "And I want you to understand... not all werewolves are monsters. I’m giving you a chance. A chance to think. To decide for yourself if I deserve a place in your life....if I deserve even the tiniest bit of trust from you."
But before he could say more....
"No!" Sorayah scread, her voice filled with rage and pain as tears spilled freely down her cheeks. "I would rather die than accept a proposal from a werewolf! I hate you all!"
Dimitri’s expression faltered, but she didn’t stop.
"You said humans were your enemies, and you got your revenge by slaughtering my people....my family! You led that attack, Dimitri! I still rember the cruel laughter on your face as you cut them down. And now you’re standing here, telling you’re giving a chance?"
Her voice broke, but her anger didn’t.
"I hate you more than anything! And I swear, just like you, I won’t rest until this Park falls. Until I take my revenge. My parents, my people....they deserve justice. We were once partners in cri, weren’t we? Well, you’ve taken half your revenge... now finish it. As for , I haven’t taken any. And since our goals align again, then yes....let’s tear this Park apart. But don’t expect love. Don’t expect anything romantic from . All I want is vengeance. Nothing else."
Her chest heaved with sobs, her eyes wild with fury and grief.
"Sorayah..." Dimitri whispered, pain flickering in his eyes as he stared at her, his hands still braced against the wall.
She straightened her spine and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, trying to compose herself.
"Please, Your Highness," she said, voice trembling but firm. "I’d like to return to my chamber now. And tomorrow... I want to leave the palace for a while. I need to visit the place where I buried Lily... and the belongings of my parents. I need to see them again....to make my heart stronger. To remind myself of why I must keep fighting. Why I must win."
She sniffled and blinked away more tears.
"I was told we harem won need your permission and a pass to leave the palace. So I’m asking for both."
There was silence for a beat before Dimitri finally nodded.
"Sure," he said, though his voice was laced with quiet sorrow. "You can do that. And yes... we’re still partners in cri, Sorayah. We’ll bring down the ones responsible for all this suffering. But even then, I still hope you’ll think about my confession. I won’t force you. I’ll wait... until you’re ready. Until you can see not as your enemy, but as soone you can trust. Soone you can rely on."
"Goodbye, Your Highness," Sorayah murmured.
She reached out to push one of his arms aside, and in the process, her elbow struck his golden mask. It clattered to the ground with a sharp thud. Her gaze dropped to the mask, her heart lurching.
The mask....his sacred shield. The face no one was allowed to see. The face that was said to bring death to anyone who dared.
Her breath caught. She stared at the mask on the floor, unable to look up, her mind already spiraling with fear.
He’s going to kill ... she thought, chest tightening as panic set in.
"Look at , Sorayah," Dimitri’s voice ca, deep and steady, but there was a tremble beneath it.
Her entire body froze.
"Now he wants to kill ," she whispered under her breath, still crying, refusing to raise her eyes.
"Just look at !" Dimitri suddenly roared, grabbing her chin and turning her face toward his.
Their gazes locked.
Sorayah gasped, her eyes going wide the mont they t his.
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