5. RHYSON

POV Rhyson:

Her scent lingered throughout the hotel room. The couch where I made her climax for the first time. The sheets where we made love late into the night. The shower I carried her to just before dawn because we had run out of bed and had sex against the tiles. The towel I placed on the bathroom counter as I folded it over the top and pounded it.

We had finally fallen asleep on the couch, and I woke up the moment she got off me, but I didn't move. With my eyes closed, I listened as she left the room. After a glance around, I realized she hadn't taken the clothes I offered, nor the dress. She must have transformed and returned home as a she-wolf.

I laid the torn dress on the bed and stared at it as if that could provide me with some answers.

Last night had been... different. I hadn't experienced sex like that since... well, forever. I had lost control. I could have hurt her. She was so intoxicating.

When I finally managed to clear my head, I made a phone call. Two hours later, Alpha Larson and her new companion were in one of the hotel's conference rooms. They carried a mixed scent, from both.

But not from a mating bond.

It wasn't surprising. Nowadays, few wolves formed mating bonds.

"I wanted to personally apologize for not attending the ball to celebrate their union," he said cordially as he gestured for them to sit. "There was an incident that distracted me."

"You don't need to apologize, Your Majesty," Larson replied as she bowed deeply. "I felt honored just to have received my invitation. I know you are a busy man."

"Yes, but meeting each of the alphas in person is on my agenda, and I planned to do most of that last night. Now I'm going to invite them to come here next month while I evaluate them and their clans."

"I'm sure the alphas will be just as eager as I am to meet the newly crowned king," Larson murmured, and the two took their seats. Serena's chair slid a few inches away from Larson's, creaking against the floor, and she muttered an apology. Larson grasped the arm of the chair and pulled it closer to him.

"Tell me about the woman you rejected."

There were more pressing matters I needed to address. The fact that I had allowed myself to be distracted by a woman last night had significantly derailed my plans. I would remain here for at least two more weeks, doing everything I should have accomplished last night. The last thing I needed was to further distract myself with her, yet she occupied my thoughts incessantly. I took several showers while thinking about her, and I ran early this morning to ensure I wouldn't carry her scent, but she was all I could focus on. I needed to concentrate.

"Maya?" Larson frowned. "She's the daughter of an alpha, Bruce Callahan. She's Serena's cousin on her mother's side."

"Was she your intended before Serena?"

"Nothing had been formalized, but her father and I discussed aligning our packs through marriage. It's no secret that I had intended to marry her, but later I discovered her infidelity. Maya sleeps with anything that moves. That's not the kind of woman I want by my side."

My stomach churned. "By infidelity, I assume you mean infidelity to you. And you, have you been faithful to her?"

"Yes, I have."

A lie, and it wasn't even well delivered. His smug smile indicated that he hoped I would understand.

"So, because of her infidelity, you humiliated her at the ball?"

"No. Because of her infidelity, I rejected her. I humiliated her because she humiliated me. All the men at the ball had slept with her."

Serena opened her mouth, but Larson squeezed her hand tightly, causing her to close it immediately. I studied the scene. "You are Maya's cousin on your mother's side. Are you part of the Callahan clan?"

"She's now Chalmer Basin," Larson interjected. "She's mine."

So, Maya hadn't gotten what she wanted last night. Did she know who I was then? I hadn't revealed that I was the new king; I merely mentioned the name of my previous clan. Since she hadn't managed to catch Larson, was she aiming higher?

I had been careless last night, and I was so close to my goals. I hadn't become king to throw it all away because of a redhead in a lace dress. Rage replaced my obsession, but I forced it to cool and harden. I wasn't going to lose my mind over it. I hadn't cared about her sexual past last night, and worrying about it now would mean that last night mattered more to me than I wanted to admit.

She had used me. I knew she had used me. It was pointless to fret about being just another notch on his bedpost.

Still, I couldn't tolerate a she-wolf who disrespected her mate. Loyalty was our strongest trait, and clearly, she wasn't capable of it.

Forcing myself to relax in my chair, I focused on business. "Tell me about your clan."

Once Larson and his bride-to-be left, I returned to my room and found it wasn't empty. Duke turned from the window and frowned. "I think bleach won't be enough. You may have to set it on fire before the hotel lets anyone else sleep here."

He wasn't wrong. The sheets had been changed, and the carpets and upholstery were cleaned at my request, but it still smelled of sex.

And of her.

"You were at the dance."

My right-hand man and oldest friend raised an eyebrow. "And you weren't? I heard you played the role of a hero for that humiliated beauty in the daring dress. Did you have fun?"

I shrugged. "What did you discover?"

"The girl?"

"Of the clans, Duke. I know everything I need to know about the girl. She's nothing more than a one-night stand."

A small smile appeared on his lips. "Strange. I hadn't said anything to the contrary." When I growled, he merely chuckled. "I learned that King James granted them freedom a long time ago. He was just as lazy with them as he was with everyone else. All twelve clans here are cordial with one another, but there is tension. Chalmer Basin is the largest clan, and therefore Alpha Larson holds the most power in clan conflicts. The Callahan clan is led by Bruce. They call him the Golden God, and he is very dear."

"I think it makes sense that they want their clans united, even though Bruce didn't achieve that with his daughter. Your niece will do it."

"Serena is not Bruce's niece. She is Maya's cousin on her mother's side, but Bruce and Maya's mother never married. Maya's mother died when she was born, and Bruce took her in to raise her alone. He never married."

"So the clans are stable?" Something felt a little off, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was. It didn't matter. If the clans were stable, it meant my job would be a bit easier.

Duke hesitated. "From my information last night, yes, but I think we need more details."

"We will make it. All I need to know is if the clans can hold on a little longer. A newly crowned king must make them behave for a while. We'll find the rest of the alphas here, and then we will spread the rumors that I am continuing the trip. That should give me at least a month to head to the mountains."

"You're going to end up dying."