TO TAME THE BRUTAL LYCAN BEAST-Chapter 40: BAITING HER

(A MOMENT EARLIER)

Alice came slithering in like a snake, her see-through silk robe untied, demanding my focus right in the middle of a meeting with Eros.

Her excuse was wanting my attention, but I could easily see through her ruse; I am not the only one who enjoys games in this castle. It was all a show—her way of asserting dominance over her newest rival.

Everyone had seen the kiss. The supposed favor bestowed upon the king’s favorite, Valoria Wilderose.

So, of course, Alice came wanting a piece—to prove to herself and everyone else that she is just as special, if not more.

Ordinarily, I would not have given in to her. I despise being a pawn in someone else’s game.

But tonight, something inside me burned hotter—annoyance, anger, and beneath it all, a deep, insatiable hunger I could no longer ignore.

I told myself I wanted to torment Selene’s agent — to crush Valoria’s spirit, to strip her of every ounce of grace her precious goddess had gifted her.

My goal was not Valoria for herself but Selene through her: to make the goddess feel the desecration of everything she loved. That has always been my purpose. My plan. My war.

But then I kissed her.

The fucking best kiss of my endless existence.

In that brutal second, everything I’d sworn to do — the cruelty I’d rehearsed in my head to wound Selene — collapsed into something else: a raw, animal hunger that had nothing to do with strategy.

The act that was supposed to desecrate became the very thing that made me forget why I wanted to desecrate at all.

That temptress had my full attention the moment she stepped into the wedding hall. A ceremony I had never truly cared for suddenly consumed me whole.

I followed the motions without thought, without restraint—and she wasn’t even present enough to care. So I kissed her. To punish her. To bend her to my will. To make her taste the man she claimed to hate.

It made sense then. But it was a mistake.

I never make mistakes.

And yet, that truth began to unravel the moment Valoria walked into my life.

Because now, I wanted to prove something different. That she was nothing special. That she was just another woman I would tire of—no different from the dozens I could have.

I wanted to remind her, and myself, that she didn’t matter. That once again, I had won.

So, I gave in and fucked the desperate whore. She’s nothing but a wet, eager pussy begging to be used, no different from the others—a pawn in this long, endless game.

A means to an end.

Just as I anticipated, I felt her drawing closer, waiting at the door for the longest five seconds before it flew open, just as the she-wolf on top of me began to grind into me, enveloped in pleasure.

I looked at Valoria with anticipation, holding her stunned eyes for a moment, gauging her reaction. I met surprise, then anger—but it was not enough.

I want it to hurt as much as it did earlier today when she ignored me and stared with those resentful eyes.

I want her more broken than I am—shattered and ruined, unrecognizable to the world, except to me.

I want those bright eyes void of light and innocence, her soul torn to shreds until she is nothing and desperate. And then I...

I want...

"Oh... you’re here already," I acknowledged her loudly enough for the gyrating woman on top of me to realize it was time to play.

Her eyes flickered open, darting toward the door, noticing Valoria before she smiled delightfully.

"Oh my, Valoria... I didn’t see you there. Would you care to join us?" she offered. Her part was deliciously played out, just as I imagined—cold and vicious.

What will you do now, Valoria? How will you react? Do something fun—cower, cry... anything at all to make all of this worth it. Make this good for me!

She remained standing still as a statue.

Somehow, she managed to gain control of her expression and emotion, swallowing most of it down until nothing but disgust was left on her face. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

She didn’t move, didn’t speak. Her cold gaze watched me, completely detached. Something ugly and disgusting crawled into my chest.

"That’s enough," I ordered.

This isn’t fun anymore. I’m bored.

"Get off." I pushed her roughly.

She fell backward against the bed with a gasp, sitting upright with a questioning look directed at me.

Her lips moved to question my decision until I threw her one threatening death glare that shut her up.

She cowered in fear, quickly picking up her piece of cloth and wrapping it around herself. She leaped off the bed, practically running past Valoria through the door, and shut it behind her.

The second she was gone, I felt as though I could breathe again, focusing on Valoria.

She was dressed in something similar yet more conservative, meant to catch my eye for tonight, showing more skin than usual.

It’s a mystery how I find it more attractive than the practically naked woman who was literally on top of me. I fight the urge to focus on the tent forming in my pants.

"To think you’d actually walk back in here on your own two feet after such a passionate declaration today. I’m surprised. I imagined I’d have to drag you myself and fulfill the final rites, but of course, trust you to suck the fun out of everything," I tease her on purpose.

Then I gauge her for a reaction, waiting for her to explode like a ticking time bomb.

I know she’s only holding it back—her shame and embarrassment—swallowing it whole just to appear tough. Her biting her lower lip in front of me gives her away.

"D-d-did I interrupt s-s-something? I can come back later," she blurts out, hiding her face away. Without waiting for a response, she turns toward the door, ready to make her escape.

The reality of the situation must have dawned on her. Her courage fades as she realizes she has to face the horrid man she hates so much.

"Running away again?" I call out before she can grab hold of the doorknob. "It’s getting pretty boring, you know. How many days has it been since you came here, and you’ve not even achieved anything? How long are you going to waste your time instead of doing what you’ve been ordered by your goddess to do?"

Baiting... and then boom—she reacts.

Her furious eyes lock on me, holding back tears, hating the fact that I’m right.

Just as swiftly as she was about to leave, she storms toward me, charged up on a rush of adrenaline. I smirk, watching her without flinching until she stands right in front of me like a tiny little elf, trembling.

Her small, slender hands press against my chest, pushing me back onto the bed with barely any strength. Still, I let her, falling back and sitting up lazily.

"Oh, feisty..."

She ignores me, focused but scared, breathing fast and uneven. Every flicker of emotion on her face is readable now.

She wants nothing more than to run away, but her fierce spirit won’t let her. She wants to prove me wrong.

Slowly, she begins to strip in front of me, and I’m reminded of that night again as each piece of clothing falls one by one.

Something about her innocent hesitation makes it all the more intoxicating.

I hold my breath like a giddy fool until the last piece falls, leaving her completely bare again—naked as the day she was born.

I’d sworn back then that her effect on me was only because it was the first time I’d seen her naked.

But after days of replaying that image over and over, seeing her again like this... I think it’s safe to say that theory has been completely debunked.

Whatever this woman is—whatever spell she’s managed to weave around me—I don’t care. I want her.

Purely for sexual purposes. To ravish her until I’m satiated and done. Until her skinny body means nothing to me.