He was honest with her when he told her she could roam freely around his house. However, Castiel forgot to mention two guards would follow her everywhere she moved.
It was annoying, but she chose to tolerate them and pretended everything was A-okay.
“I can kill them now if you want” Onyx offered with a chuckle. “One is a bear, and the other is a fox. We snap the fox’s neck first and then deal with Paddington.”
“Just leave them be,” she said to her wolf. “They are doing their job, and besides, there are cameras everywhere. Now is not the time. Not yet.”
She cringed at the thought of Castiel watching her with the help of his hidden cameras. She had to take a shower and change her clothes, knowing that, but she had to act as if she wasn’t aware. Castiel needed to underestimate her at least a bit, so she acted naturally at all times. She easily learned where the cameras were and where the blind spots could be. She did not plan to stay here for long, so she chose one of the many dresses he provided in the wardrobe. No pants were contained within, and her own clothes had disappeared. So, she chose a black dress with sequins, long sleeves and a plunging V cut at the front. It wasn’t what she would prefer to wear while on enemy territory, but the other dresses seemed to be even more revealing.
The mansion she was at was exquisite and filled with pieces of art and expensive decorations. Castiel definitely did not spare any money and had expensive taste. At the same time, everything here felt a bit too much. As if he was trying to prove something. As if he was trying to prove he was a real king. Even the clothes he provided for her seemed like a doll’s wardrobe. He probably saw her as a new pretty possession.
She remembered her mate. Gideon did not have to prove anything to anyone. He never felt the need.
Thinking of him now emotionally hurt her. She wished she could tell him how she felt and why.
Riannon walked down a long and spacious corridor.
It felt like the whole building was empty, and barely anyone lived there. Soon her ears picked up a strange buzzing noise. She decided to follow the sound, and in a few minutes, she found herself in front of huge wooden doors.
“What is that?” she asked one of her guards, the taller one, and he seemed uncomfortable hearing this question.
“We’d better go somewhere else” the shorter one said, mirroring his colleague’s expression.
Now she just had to enter that forbidden place.
“I thought I was allowed to walk anywhere I wanted to in this house,” she quirked her brow, and the men looked at each other, both of them tense.
“You are,” the tall one agreed uncomfortably, “It’s just-This place”
“Open the doors!” she commanded, and they obeyed. At least, she had some kind of power here.
To her surprise, they walked onto a balcony which she noticed was apart of the building. This part was closed, with many doors on both sides. It was at least four floors high. The huge square enclosed the ceilingless courtyard in the centre, where there was a small fountain. She saw girls in red dresses playing and laughing in the square. More women were standing scattered here and there at other balconies nearby, and soon Riannon realised she was standing on the central balcony. A huge chair stood next to her. Almost like a throne.
“What the-” she mumbled.
Two staircases at both sides of her connected all the floors and went all the way down to the courtyard.
Slowly, the other women noticed her. She was not sure whether she liked the attention they gave her as none of them looked friendly.
“I will repeat my question,” she said to the guards, “
What is this place?”
“It’s a recreational-” The short one looked for excuses, and she knew he was the fox onyx mentioned earlier.
“It’s the Harem,” the taller one confessed. The Bear, no doubt.
“A harem?” Ria let out an uncomfortable laugh and looked around.
That made so much more sense now. The red dresses were hardly covering anything on their bodies.
Each was different, but they all branded the women as what? What role did they play here in this place? Slaves?
Concubines?
She wanted to observe them for a while to make some conclusions but was quickly disturbed. Three girls appeared next to them. Two of them tackled the guards with ease, while the third one, a very tall blonde whose hair was as white as snow, grabbed Ria’s throat and yanked her to the wall.
“So it’s true!” she hissed, scanning Ria’s face and body. “He has a new pet!”
The air escaped her body quickly, and she struggled to take a breath as she met the woman’s gaze, which was filled with hate.
There was only one way to get out of this, and Riannon pierced her rival’s foot with her sharp metallic heel, making her shout from the pain and release her grip on Ria. Next, she dislocated her knee with one sharp blow and twisted her opponent’s free hand, freeing her own neck and making the woman scream in pain.
Both her friends struggled with the guards and glanced their way with worry.
“I am not his pet!” Ria spat the words.” I am not his! Choose your words carefully when you speak to me, and keep your hands to yourself! If you want Castiel, he is all yours!”
The blonde stared at her now, trying to understand whether she was serious or not. Then she clicked her fingers, and her two friends let the guards go, stepping away.
“You are one of those” the blonde accused, rolling her eyes and folding her arms across her chest. “He does enjoy this act, though not for long.”
“Please, ladies,” the two guards appealed, appearing at her side, “Don’t cause trouble. We don’t want to let the King know about this.”
They all raised their hands with smirks on their faces as if to indicate they were “innocent”. However, their eyes told a different story. They would kill for Castiel’s attention.
“That’s not an act,” Ria countered, deciding to clear the air between them, “I have a mate, and it’s not your king. I am not interested in him. All I want is to go back home.”
They looked at her with sadness. As if they knew something she didn’t.
“Your mate is as good as dead then,” one of the trio commented. “When Castiel wants something, he gets it.
“Not this time.” Riannon stood her ground. “l am an Alpha myself. My mate is the Western Lycan King.”
“Whatever” the blonde scoffed. “He has been planning to kill the Lycan King for years! You are lucky he wanted you here. As I have already told you, don’t get used to this treatment. He will get bored of you soon.”
“Onyx, who is this girl? What species?” Ria asked her wolf, as she was curious about her opponent.
“She seems to be a bear” Onyx replied at once, ” however, there is something odd about her. Her scent is a bit different. I am not sure why.”
She wanted to mention something else to the girls in red, but the doors behind them flew open, and a very angry Castiel walked in. They all immediately became silent at the sight of him and lowered their heads in submission. All but Ria. She did not care.
“What the hell is she doing here?” he growled angrily at the two guards and walked straight to her, grabbing her to check if she was all right. He checked her the way a seller checks his goods, and she tried to distance herself from him. However, the Fox King only pulled her closer, possessively.
“We apologise,” the taller guard said. “She was curious and-“
“You said I could walk wherever I want in your house!” Riannon interrupted and everyone looked at her, slightly shocked at how daring she was.
“House was the main word in that sentence,” he gr0aned, shifting his attention to her. “This is The Eden.
It’s not a part of my house.”
“It looks like it though,” she retorted, “It’s adjacent and-“
“Riannon, let’s not speak about semantics,” Castiel interrupted, appearing displeased. “l don’t want my Luna here!”
The three girls gasped, and the ones at the nearby balconies did the same thing. Apparently, this was a big deal. Ria felt sorry for all of them.
“Then how lucky we are l am not your Luna!” She chuckled and forcefully pulled herself out of his grip.
“Let’s go,” he ordered through clenched teeth. “This is not the place to speak of these things. Time to have that dinner of ours-“
He took her hand and pulled her behind him, walking purposefully out of this place without bothering to look at any of the dozens of pairs of eyes following their every move.
“Dinner will not be served at The Eden tonight!” he growled right before they left. “I think the girls have forgotten how to behave, and they need to think about it!
She walked after him, thinking and analyzing everything she saw. She knew one thing for sure; she would have to go back to the harem. Even if it was risky.
He took her to a room with a small table set for two and slammed the doors behind them. The two guards stayed on the other side, and she did not like this development at all.
“Sit!” he ordered and everything inside her screamed to throw something at him. Yet, she knew this would not be wise.
Carefully and taking her time about it, she walked to one of the seats. He followed close behind her, helping her with her chair.
She did not thank him and became stiff when she realised he wasn’t moving away. His hands remained still on the back of the chair, almost touching her.
Then a knock on the door disturbed them.
“Come in!” Castiel ordered, and a guy with curly red hair entered the room.
“Excuse me,” he apologised, bowing his head in respect, “I have urgent news, and you told me to inform you at once.”
“Not here!” the Fox King stopped him, clearly not wanting to discuss anything in front of Riannon. “Follow me to my office. It’s soundproof.”
He gestured for the redhead to join him in the adjacent room, and they closed the doors behind them.
Ria relaxed into her seat, disappointed she couldn’t overhear them.
Suddenly, she clearly heard both voices as they joined in a conversation.
“How?” she asked Onyx in awe.
“The blessing of the Moon Goddess gives us more than we are aware of! Let’s not question the gifts and use the wise,” she could feel her wolf smirking in their mind.