Ch. my mate gambled me away to the lycan King 7 my mate gambled me away to the lycan King 7

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Chapter 7 

His chest was solid as stone. He smelled like cedar and cold mountain air, and the scent hit me so hard my knees nearly buckled. 

“Last chance,” he murmured against my ear, too low for anyone else to hear. “Say the word, and I end this 

game right now.” 

I lifted my face until my lips almost brushed his jaw. “And let them think I’m scared? Not a chance, Your Majesty.” 

His fingers flexed on my waist. 

A server rushed over with two glasses of dark red wine. Alaric took both. He handed me one, then hooked his arm through mine, bringing our faces so close I could see the silver flecks in his eyes. 

We drank. Slowly. Eyes locked. When I lowered my glass, a drop of wine clung to my bottom lip. 

His gaze dropped to it. His throat moved. 

Then, in front of two hundred wolves, the Lycan King brushed his thumb across my lip and wiped it away. 

The ballroom forgot how to breathe. 

“Task one,” I said, voice soft. “Done.” 

“Task two.” His voice had gone rough. 

He laced his fingers through mine, his huge hand swallowing my smaller one, holding on so tight it felt like a promise. He pressed his cheek against my temple. 

My heart slammed against my ribs. 

His Beta raised a phone. The flash went off. 

The photo hit the pack chat instantly. It crashed in three seconds. 

[THE KING ACTUALLY DID IT] 

[wait WHO IS THAT] 

[THAT’S LYRA ASHFORD. KEEP UP.] 

[Kane paid 30K to hand his supermodel mate to the King on a SILVER PLATTER] 

[He didn’t lose land. He lost his whole dignity.] 

11:28 Wed, Oct 21 

< Chapter 7 

46 

[Biggest clown in Colorado history.] 

All around the ballroom, phones buzzed, and the laughter started again. But this time, nobody was 

laughing at me. 

Kane looked at our locked hands. At the chat. At every wolf grinning at him. 

Something inside him snapped. 

He charged across the room and grabbed my arm so hard I gasped. 

“Enough! Lyra, you’re coming with me. NOW.” 

“Let go of me,” I said, ice-cold. 

“No!” He jabbed a finger at Alaric’s face. “Task three is canceled! I made this bet, and I say it’s over! Get your hands off my mate, Thorne!” 

Bianca was trembling behind him. “Your Majesty, it was just a joke! Nobody meant for it to go this far-” 

“Since when,” Alaric said, his voice dangerously quiet, “does an acting Alpha give orders in my house?” 

He moved so fast I barely saw it. One sweep of his arm and Kane was stumbling backward, crashing into a table and sending crystal glasses shattering across the floor. 

Then Alaric’s arm locked around my back. His other arm slid under my knees. 

The world tilted. 

He lifted me like I weighed nothing at all. 

My heels dangled in the air. My arms wrapped around his neck on instinct, and his heartbeat thundered against my cheek. 

Kane scrambled up, face purple with rage. “Don’t you dare-” 

Alaric didn’t even blink. He looked down at Kane like he was something stuck to the bottom of his shoe. 

“Fifteen seconds,” he said. “Somebody start counting.” 

11:28 Wed, Oct 21