The Vampire King's Pet-Chapter 316: Staying?

Rymora stood aside, making sure not to make herself visible from start to finish the entire time they were in the werewolf realm. She remained at the edges of every gathering, her presence carefully muted, her scent masked as best as she could manage. She went as far as hiding herself the very second she noticed Gregory—her previous fiancé—or anyone who had known her in the past coming too close for comfort. The risk was too great. One wrong glance, one familiar scent, and everything would be over.

Beyond that, because of how worried she was about Lord Drehk—whom she could not take her eyes off as she watched him fight—her plan to run away instantly took a backseat. Fear wrapped tightly around her chest each time he was struck or surrounded. Logic told her he was strong, more than capable of handling himself, but her heart refused to listen. She tracked his every movement, her body tense, breath shallow, silently begging him to remain standing.

By the time she had confirmed that Lord Drehk was fine, her instincts finally screamed at her to move. Instantly, she returned to her plan, already calculating how to disappear the moment an opening presented itself. But before she could even take a single step, she was stunned to see him dash to her side.

So shocked was she that she instantly jerked back in surprise, despite her great sense of hearing and smell. She hadn’t sensed him approaching at all. It was simply that she had assumed—foolishly, now—that he would stick to the king’s side until the entire affair was finished. That he wouldn’t notice her lingering presence in the chaos.

She was wrong.

Staring down at her with a wild smile on his face, he easily towered over her, his shadow swallowing her whole. "Are you good?" he asked, concern flickering briefly in his eyes.

Before she could answer, he pulled her closer, his arm wrapping firmly around her waist. Rymora froze. She felt eyes on her instantly—curious, suspicious, lingering. She had no choice but to stick to him, allowing his huge body to shield her completely from view. The last thing she wanted was to shift away and risk being recognized.

But that decision led to worse consequences.

The moment she leaned fully into him, Lord Drehk seemed to decide—without hesitation—that he would never let go of her. Without warning, he lifted her into his arms as though she weighed nothing at all. Rymora gasped softly, fingers clutching at his coat as he headed straight back to the carriage. The look on his face left no room for argument. It was clear he had absolutely no intention of ever setting her down.

True enough, he didn’t loosen his hold on her throughout the entire journey. Not once. And even when they arrived and stepped down before the castle, he kept her close, as if daring anyone to question it.

Rymora’s heart hammered painfully in her chest, but she forced herself to breathe. She had a plan—one she had prepared for carefully. She had packed all her savings into the folds of her clothes, every coin hidden and ready. She watched him step forward as the king spoke, promising Lord Drehk anything he desired as a reward.

Her heart thumped louder than she would have liked when she saw Lord Drehk instantly glance back at her the very second the king dismissed him. She cursed under her breath, dread pooling in her stomach.

She barely had time to react before he dashed back to her again. At this point, Rymora had to admit there was no way he didn’t know what she was trying to do. It was written clearly in the sly smile permanently etched on his face, in the way his gaze never left her.

Moving to her, he wrapped her in a tight hug and easily picked her off the ground once more. "Now we can get married!" he declared, saying it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Rymora stared at him in complete shock, her mind struggling to catch up. When had the cold, distant, high hulk of a vampire suddenly turned into... this? Into someone so openly warm, so undeniably certain? That day alone, she had seen him smile more times than she ever had before.

"The child will also be allowed to live," he added quickly, his voice firm. "There’s nothing to worry about."

Right then and there, Rymora was tempted—so terribly tempted—to confess everything. To tell him she was a werewolf. That she was living on borrowed time. That the truth would destroy everything. She might have done it if not for the fear clawing up her spine. If not for knowing she would be killed—if not by the vampires, since the king and Aria already knew, then by the werewolves, who would rather die themselves than allow her to marry a vampire lord.

Lord Drehk didn’t even wait for her to speak.

He carried her straight into the carriage, intent on them leaving immediately, only pausing when she asked him to wait. She needed to see it. Needed closure. She wanted the king to burn Lord Dangrey—the one who had enslaved Aria’s mother.

After that, she had no choice.

She was carried back into the carriage once more, doing her best to calm herself, her thoughts racing as she tried to convince herself that she could still find another way to escape. That this wasn’t the end of her plans.

Then she felt Lord Drehk lean closer.

His lips crashed against hers suddenly, stealing the air from her lungs. She gasped, overwhelmed by his heated breath and the sheer intensity of him. The carriage was larger than most, built to accommodate his size, but it still felt far too small for the two of them now.

The carriage felt impossibly small, filled entirely by him. Her senses reeled as his touch tightened, possessive but careful.

He paused—just barely—his forehead resting against hers.

"May I?" he asked, voice rough with restraint.

Her answer never reached her lips.

The kiss deepened, not rushed, but full of pent-up emotion. Surprise gave way to something dangerous and warm, her body responding before her mind could catch up. His red eyes glowed faintly, betraying his excitement even as he struggled to keep control.

The kiss was far more intense than she had expected. Her senses reeled as he deepened it, and she felt him pause just long enough to murmur for permission, even as his lips returned to hers with renewed urgency. His red eyes burned with excitement, and there was no mistaking how affected he was by her presence.

Rymora’s heart pounded wildly, her carefully constructed plans unraveling with every passing second as she realized just how tightly Lord Drehk intended to hold on to her—body, soul, and fate alike.