"What did she do this time?" I ask Euclio, my general. I and all my ministers are present in the courtroom. Currently, we're discussing Ishtar's advancement. She tried to enter Zaeris again last night but failed miserably.

"She tried to break the high wall," He answers my question. There's an invisible wall build around my kingdom which doesn't let anything from outside come in and anything from inside go out without my permission.

"As usual," I remark casually but Euclio shakes his head while other ministers listen to us carefully.

"There were others with her," At this, my head snaps towards him and I feel a growl building up in my chest. Suddenly, Rey stirs inside me. He is restless all of a sudden. He wants me to go looking for Nefret.

"We've raised caution around the wall and installed more guards," Euclio assures me after seeing my reaction. I nod at him before we discuss other matters in the Kingdom. I can't wait to finish this meeting and go look for Nefret. Something feels wrong.

Judging from the feelings draining into me through the bond, she seems to be up to something that I won't approve. Her wolf seems anxious too. I excuse myself from my ministers before storming towards my wing.

"NEFRET!" I call out for her as soon as I step inside my wing. I rush to her room only to find it empty. A growl escaped my chest when I don't find her anywhere. I exit my wing angrily to find Henricus, the transportation minister waiting outside. He looks hesitant.

"What is it, Henricus?" I growl as I step forward.

"Your Highness, the secluded sanctuary has been found to be opened by someone," He tells me sternly but I did not miss the undertone of fear in his voice. I growl before shoving him aside and storming to the place.

My mind is racing with various thoughts and my chest is bubbling with so many emotions that it's making me feel overwhelmed. I never felt this way. She is doing things to me. She is testing me. She is finding new buttons to push every day.

Rey is angrily pacing inside me. He wants to be let out so that he could go after her and drag her back and mark her as ours. I am trying everything to keep her safe but she is not having it. She is not cooperating.

I am angry at her. There's one more feeling that's foreign to me.

Fear.

I am feeling it right now. What if she has left this place? What if I don't manage to find her? What will become of me without her? I am losing my mind. I want to see her now. I want her to be by my side. If I don't manage to get her then I'll go insane. I'll burn everything down until I find her. I'll move hell and heaven to find her.

I am scared to lose her. I'll be devastated if I lose her.

My nose picks up her faint scent in the dungeons. She has been here! I increase my pace and reach the secluded sanctuary before putting in the pattern. The door opens and I step inside. Her scent lingers in the air. My eyes fall on the burned traveling sand before a thundering growl rumbles my chest.

I'll find her and mark her mine. I won't tolerate this. I'll make her pay for this. No one takes away what's mine. She is mine and the consequence of running away from me will be something that'll make her regret thinking about running away from me in the first place.

Suddenly, the sand on the floor starts swirling before she appears back. She is on her knees when a whimper leaves her mouth. She is back. Good. She has saved me the trouble of hunting her down. Now I'll show her how bad I can get.

Suddenly, she notices my presence in the room before looking up at me. I step towards her and see fear cross her eyes. I bend down before clutching her chin in my hands. Sparks shoot at the contact and she trembles.

"You don't know what you have done," I growl before pulling her up. She struggles to get off my hold. I clutch her wrist as I drag her out of the place.

"Please, let me go!" She shrikes as she tries to free herself. Rey and I, both are upset at her action. We're both raging. She must know the consequence of leaving me. I drag her as she tries to resist. My hold on her wrist continues to tighten more and more on her.

"Arles please," she cries but I don't listen to her as I drag her to the ceremony room. I'll have my way with her. I drag her inside the room. There's a huge fountain in the middle of the room with the statue of the moon goddess in the center of it.

"Please, Arles. I am sorry," she pleads and by now tears are streaming down her face. I turn to face her. My eyes are swallowed by darkness and Rey is clawing at my chest to let him out. It's hurting me to see her crying but it hurt me more when she decided to leave this place.

"I decided to give you time to adjust to me but now you don't deserve it!" I growl lowly in her ear before holding the back of her head steadily and tilting it at one side to reveal her neck. The hickeys I gave her last night are still there. I want a permanent mark on her which will bind her to me. It will make her feel guilty if she ever thinks of leaving me.

As soon as she realizes what I am going to do to her, she starts to thrash around, desperately trying to get off my hold, to go away from me. This makes me madder. Without taking more time, I proceed doing what I've always wanted to do ever since I laid eyes on her.

"Mine," I growl in her ear before I feel my canines elongating. She starts to thrash more but my hold gets tighter. I sink my sharp canines in her skin where her neck meets her collar bone. She screams as I dig deeper into her skin, feeling the bond that I previously created with her get stronger. Rey roars inside me when he feels her wolf.

I taste blood. Her blood. Her struggle starts to die as the consciousness starts to drain off her. When I pull back, she has almost passed out. Her eyes are half open as they gaze into mine. They're brimming with pain and sadness. As a tear escapes her eye and trails down her cheek, I let her go. She falls into the fountain with a huge splash before her body starts to sink deep into the water.

I dive after her before pulling her out. She is completely unconscious when I carry her back to my wing. My mark on her neck is already healing. She is mine.

Completely mine.

"Prepare for the coronation ceremony," I tell my ministers as soon as I enter the courtroom. They're looking at me in shock and surprise.

"But your high-"

"DO AS I SAID! INVITE OTHER GODS AND PREPARE FOR THE CEREMONY!" I growl and everyone lowers their heads in submission.

Later I check on Nefret again. She is still asleep in my room. I have decided to move her to my room. I am not giving her any more space. I've marked her hence she'll be with me. I know it's unfair how I am treating her but it's the way I am.

I am bad.

If she crosses me then she'll have to face consequences. In the past also when she questioned my powers, I showed her how I am. She should have learned from the past that I am not the one to be crossed. On the other hand, if she obeys me and stays by my side then I'll give her everything she could ask for. I have so many things planned for her only if she agrees to be my queen. She'll be my queen either way. There's no escaping for her.

I know I am a pushover but I tried to give her time. I gave her five years! She could have been mine long ago had I not thought about her and acted on my impulse. I gave her time and space to grow up. I could have taken her when she was just a mere girl but I let her grow into a woman before weighing her shoulders down with heavy responsibilities.

When she arrived here, I decided to give her some more time so that she could learn how my kingdom runs and also, believing that she'd start to adjust with me.

After what she did today, she doesn't deserve anything. I am done giving her time and space. It's time for her to return me something. I have been patient all this time but now the dam of my patience is broken. I want something in return for doing so much for her. I am done compromising my needs and desires for her.

It's time for her to compromise now.