My Alpha's Wolfless Daughter
My Alpha’s Wolfless Daughter – Chapter 63

Ayla

I awoke the next morning to an empty bed. I was grateful to have a moment alone as I gave myself the necessary pep talk I’ll need to get through another day in this hell. Even if Dante was nothing but caring, he still wasn’t my Nate. He’s the only one I want to do all these sweet things for me. And I pray that the pain I felt the night I spent in the Western kingdom was all a lie. I pray it was all a misunderstanding and he loves me as desperately as I love him. If I can’t have Nate, I don’t want another man. Even without the bond, my entire heart and soul crave him.

After our bath last night, Dante kept his promise to feed me. The doctor also left me some painkillers and a bottle of seawater. After pouring some of the water on my painful core, I drank the rest of it. Mermaids need seawater like humans need oxygen. And after the bottle was empty, I felt better. My core still ached but my headache had cleared.

The door to the bedroom opened, pulling me from my thoughts. I sat up and stretched as Dante walked over to the bed. He insisted on holding me all night and I was too tired to protest. Besides, I needed him to believe I was all for this relationship.

“My love, how are you feeling?” He asked, sitting beside me on the bed. I crossed my legs and hissed as pain shot up through my core. My breath lodged in my throat as I tried to breathe through the pain. Dante wrapped his arms around me as I unwrapped my legs and willed the throbbing to settle.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have crossed my legs,” I mumbled, breathlessly.

“You have nothing to apologize for. But I am surprised at how much you’ve warmed up to me.” He chuckled and I looked at him. Great, he can see through my acting.

“What do you mean?” I asked, playing innocent.

“You did have a mate.” He gave me a pointed look. I sighed, moving a hand to his thigh. He looked down but quickly looked back up. I didn’t have to force the tears into my eyes as my core still throbbed.

“He cheated on me. I felt it. I should be thanking you for taking me away from someone who never loved me.” I told him as sincerely as I could while holding down the bile that was threatening to come up. His lips broke out in a huge grin as he believed the lie I had just spilled.

“You have no idea how happy you’ve just made me.” I grinned back at him. I may be looking at Dante, but I was thinking about Nate. Nothing about Dante will ever make me smile like this.

He rested his back against the headboard beside me and pulled me to his side. I closed my eyes and rested my head against his chest. I can do this, I repeated in my head.

“Dante, can I ask you a question?” I hesitantly asked him. I didn’t want to piss him off, but I had so many questions about vampires.

“Anything, my love.” He leaned down and kissed my temple.

“How do vampires claim?” He leaned down. I could feel his hot breath against my ear.

“First, you drink my b***d, and then I bite your pretty little neck.” He purred, running his fingertips up my neck.

“And all of it done in the heat of passion between souls.” He finished.

“And you can go out into the sun?” I blurted out and he chuckled.

“Yes, vampires can go out into the sun. We also don’t get affected by diseases. If you are a vampire, you are immortal until you are killed.” He explained.

“And it was your mother, who was a mermaid?” He let out a sigh as he drew circles on my back.

“I killed my father after he killed my mother. He was the reason I was stripped of being the black pearl.” I gasped. Lifting my head off his chest, I looked up at him.

“I’m so sorry.” I cupped his cheek with my hand. He turned his head and kissed my palm before leaning into my touch.

“It was a long time ago. And now I have you.” He kissed my palm again.

“Thank you for trusting me enough to share that with me.” I smiled. He pulled me back into his chest and kissed the top of my head. I’m sure I looked like a hot mess. Dante fed me after our bath and then I went right to sleep. I was so tired after I had eaten.

“Now, how are you feeling?” He asked, after a few minutes of silence.

“I’m okay,” I answered and he squeezed me.

“Good, our guests should be arriving soon. And you need to start getting ready.” He said and I snapped up to look at him.

“Guests?” I stammered.

“We will have dinner in a few hours with our supporters,” he confirmed.

“Dinner?” I asked confused. He chuckled.

“Yes, my queen. You slept for almost twenty-four hours. It’s almost dinner time again.”

Before I could say anything, a phone started to ring. Dante sighed before pecking my lips.

“Go get ready and I’ll be back soon.” I nodded and he kissed my forehead before standing up from the bed. He didn’t answer the phone until he was closing the bedroom door behind him.

I let out a sigh. I wish I could get out of here, but at least I was able to get some sleep. I do feel better even if my core still has a slight throb now. I just had to remember not to sit cross-legged.

I carefully climbed off the bed and headed to the bathroom. As I suspected, I looked like a hot mess. My hair was everywhere and I still had dark circles under my eyes. Groaning, I started the faucet in the tub. I needed a hot soak to help with the anxiety growing in the pit of my stomach. How could we possibly be having dinner with others? And so soon. I’ve been here for a day and now I will face Dante’s supporters. And with all the people around, how was I going to kill Dante and escape? I wish I had been trained for a situation like this.

When the tub was full and the bathroom was steamy, I stripped off Dante’s shirt he gave me to sleep in. I’m glad he also gave me a pair of panties. I noticed some b***d when I stripped my panties off. I must have ripped a scab when I crossed my legs.

“If that fucker was still alive, I’d force the shift to rip him apart,” Kaia growled as I climbed into the tub.

“He’s dead now and we will heal. I’m sorry you had to come forward.” I knew this was going to affect her more than me. I felt the pain but she took the trauma.

“I’ll be better once I have Duke back.” She whimpered and my heart broke for her. I know how she is feeling. I miss Nate. I miss our bond and how he made me feel complete. No one could ever replace Nate in my life.

“If we had more time, I’d join you.” Dante purred from the door. I jumped, not hearing the door open. The water swooshed around me and my heart pounded in my chest. I clenched my chest as I turned to face him.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he chuckled.

“It’s okay, I should have been paying attention.” I breathed out.

“As much as I would love to stand here and enjoy the view, you have to start getting ready. Everything you’ll need can be found in the drawers by the sinks. And I laid out a dress on the bed for you.” He smiled, walking over to me. He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

“I’ll be back soon to escort you to dinner.”

“Thank you,” I smiled, looking up at him.

“f**k, you make it hard to restrain myself,” he purred, leaning back down. His lips were against my ear.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. He gripped my chin gently as he forced me to look at him.

“What he did to you was not your fault. You have nothing to apologize for. I won’t take you unless you are fully healed. I would never want to hurt you.” He said with so much sincerity, I almost believed him. I underestimated how good of an actor Dante was. He deserves an award.

“Thank you, Dante. I appreciate your kindness.” I said, matching his sincerity with a smile.

“Only for you baby. Now get ready.” He peaked my lips before he stepped out of the bathroom. I sighed when I heard the bedroom door close.

“You also deserve an award. Wow.” Kaia praised my acting skills.

“Thanks, but now I have to act around other people,” I grumbled.

I got out of the tub and hopped into the shower. I needed to wash my hair if I was going to make myself pretty. I needed to sell this facade to a room full of people. Just the thought of others believing I would be interested in Dante makes my stomach churn.

I finished my shower after my extensive pep talk. I can do this, I repeated to myself to stop the nerves from twisting my stomach. I can do this or I’ll die trying.

When I was dry and the black fluffy towel was secured around me, I walked over to the sinks. I found a hair dryer and a curling iron. I also found a drawer full of makeup and a brush with hair ties.

This is something I would replace incredibly sweet if it was Nate who had thought of it. But since it was Dante, I knew he was manipulating me into believing he cared. He’s had enough years to master the art of manipulation and deceit.

When I was finished drying my hair, I curled the ends before pulling it back into a high ponytail. I then curled some hair to frame my face. Then I applied some eyeliner and some red lipstick. I didn’t need a full face of makeup.

“We got this,” Kaia whispered as I looked at myself in the mirror.

“We got this,” I repeated to her before I left the bathroom to get dressed.

On the bed lay a red slip dress. It had a cowl neckline and a plunging open back. I sighed, knowing I wouldn’t be able to wear a bra with this dress. I went into the closet to get a pair of panties and a pair of black heels. The dress is beautiful, but red isn’t my color and I would rather be wearing it for Nate.

I was admiring myself in the mirror when the door to the bedroom was opened. The dress fit perfectly and it fell just below my knees. I was surprised by how confident I felt in something that left little to the imagination. It may cover my body but it was tight and my back was on full display.

I watched from the mirror as Dante approached me. He was dressed in an all-black suit. And if I didn’t know he was the devil, I would think he was devilishly handsome. He wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his face into my neck.

“Gorgeous.” He purred against my neck.

“You look pretty handsome, yourself.” I felt him smile against my neck at my words.

“Let’s get downstairs before I decide to keep you all to myself.” He mumbled before pulling me with him to the bedroom door.

“Only a few more days, and I’ll be all yours.” I purred and he spun me into his chest.

“Only a few more days.” He repeated my words before crushing his lips to mine. He licked my bottom l*p to deepen the k**s. As much as I hated the way he tasted, I granted him access. I needed to sell this and I could wash my mouth out.

I was left breathless when he finally pulled away and rested his forehead against mine. I gasped when he bucked his h**s against me. I could feel how ready he was for me and I had to force down the shiver running through my body.

Dante led me through the castle with a hand on my lower back. Most of his hand was on my bare skin since the back of the dress was exposing my entire back, down to my a*s. I tried to calm my nerves by looking at all the paintings and statues as we walked. The hallways were dimly lit, casting an eerie glow throughout the place. I would not want to walk alone through a place like this.

“We keep the lighting low to help preserve the paintings. Most of them are quite old,” Dante said.

“That makes so much sense now.” I turned to him and smiled. I’ll feel even more guilty when I burn this place to the ground.

I could hear the chatter as we came upon massive double oak doors. My hands began to tremble and I clasped them together in front of me. I can do this.

“Don’t be nervous, my queen. Everyone already loves you.” Dante mumbled, kissing my temple. I gave him a small smile before nodding.

Two men standing on either side of the doors, stepped forward to open the doors for us. My heart rate sped up as I looked around at all the faces at the bottom of the stairs. Dante led me into a grand ballroom and we stood on the top of a grand staircase.

Crystal chandeliers hung on the high ceilings with massive painted glass windows surrounding the room. The floor was down in a decorative design with black and gold stones. This room was truly beautiful. It’s a place I would imagine holding a wedding reception. But I felt like I was walking to my death as I took hold of the stair railing. With Dante’s hand still on my back, we walked down the stairs in silence. All eyes were on us as I scanned the faces, praying someone I knew had infiltrated the party.

My b***d started to boil as I noticed some of the council members of the western sea and also a few heads of our military. I wasn’t surprised to see Andrews here, but I was taken aback to see his grandson, Collin. He was supposed to be proving his loyalty to me to gain the Western kingdom. And now I was kicking myself for not getting those reports before I left.

As soon as we stepped off the stairs, Dante stopped me.

“Gentleman, our queen, the black pearl.” He announced before taking a hand and kissing the back of it. Looking around, I didn’t see any women in attendance. Great, there is no way I can slip away now.

Everyone began to clap as we moved through the crowd. Everyone was congratulating us and kissed my hand. A smile spread throughout my face even though I was slowly dying inside. With all these eyes on me and having members of the Western kingdom here, I was quickly losing my composure.

“Not yet, Ayla. Breathe.” Kaia reminded me.

“King Dante, it’s good to see you again.” My skin crawled when Andrews stepped forward with his grandson.

“Andrews, always a pleasure. And this must be Collin?” Dante asked him, after shaking his hand.

“King Dante, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Collin shook his hand, while I was struggling to keep the smile on my face. I wanted to slap both of them for betraying my grandmother.

“You look lovely, my queen.” Andrews turned his attention to me. He brought my hand to his lips and I had to hold down the bile ready to spill. Everything about this man gave me the creeps.

“My queen,” Collin bowed his head. I gave him a tight smile, trying to keep the anger I was feeling from bubbling to the surface.

“The kingdoms are planning to arrive here tomorrow evening,” Andrews asked Dante, as I stared at Collin trying to read him.

“Yes, and that’s when we will take all the kingdoms over. We need leaders in line who we can trust.” Dante said, and my head snapped to his.

“That would kill hundreds of people. My people.” I blurted out.

“And that is the sacrifice that will be made to ensure our royalty,” Dante said nonchalantly, but he squeezed my hand in warning.

“My king, there has to be another way. If we go in killing, the people will never trust us.” I pleaded with him.

“Please excuse us,” Dante growled before pulling me along with him. He didn’t even wait for an answer. I could feel his fury even though he was smiling and nodding to everyone we walked by.

When we made it to the far side of the room, men opened up doors for us and Dante pulled me in. He waited until the doors were closed behind us and we were standing alone in a study. I froze when Dante turned his now glowing red eyes to me.

“Dante, I’m sorry,” I stammered out as he stalked towards me. I backed up until my back was digging painfully into a bookcase.

“Let me make one thing clear, Ayla. You may be the black pearl, but this is my kingdom. You can change anything in this castle. Your job is to please me. Everything that pertains to the ruling of this kingdom is none of your concern. You are to look beautiful by my side. I’m I clear?” His voice was deadly serious. I have no doubt he will kill me when he gets what he wants.

“And don’t forget, I can take you right here, without giving a f**k about hurting you. Do you understand?” He yelled, wrapping his fingers around my neck. I gasped as my black and deep purple scales covered my body.

“f**k, you are lucky you’re sexy.” His hot breath hit my ear. I let out a whimper. I didn’t mean to look weak, but I was starting to panic.

A commotion coming from the other side of the doors pulled Dante’s attention away from me.

“Now!” Kaia roared in my head. My fingertips tingled and before I knew what was happening, my claws were buried deep into Dante’s chest.

He g*****d as he looked down at my hand still buried in his chest, and then his eyes raised to mine. B***d started dripping from his mouth as I twisted his heart, beating against my hand. I watched as life left his eyes before pulling my hand back, removing his heart with it. Dante’s body collapsed at my feet, in front of me. His heart fell from my hand.

I’m not sure how long I stood there, looking at Dante’s body. I can’t believe I just killed someone. Panic started to set in as my body shook violently and I fought the urge to empty my stomach.

But fear gripped my entire being as the door handle began to turn. There was no way I was getting out of here alive. Not with Dante’s b***d on my hands. I couldn’t move as the door was thrown open and I clasped my hands over my mouth to hold back my gasp. How is this happening?