And so, I step hard on the floor and pull at him, but he's not budging. And so, I sit on the floor and hide my face. I can't do this! I will be drowned in pleasure again!
"What?!" he glowers at me.
"Let me go!" I scream back.
"I said no! You are going with me to my room!"
"What are you going to do when we're inside?!"
"You perfectly know what will happen! You are mine and I will lay claim on you again! No one is supposed to touch or kiss you!"
"Let me go, Theo…" I whisper this time.
"No! You need a reminder!"
"Reminder of what?!" I ask. "That I am nothing but your whore? Fucked when needed? Played around when you see fit? I may be the lowest, and you are the King, but Theo…" I whisper. "I am a living being. I can feel too. You freed me from slavery, but I never felt free with you."
Theo's hand on me loosens. "You… mated with me. It's not a question of being free."
"No matter how much this mate bond controls my desire for you, I still have a heart and soul. I can think and go against it. So, the mate bond doesn't matter!"
"It matters a lot! You said it before, you only mate with Kings! And I am a King now!"
I look up at him. "What did you say?"
He looks taken aback. Instead of answering, he pulls me up and wraps his arms around my waist. I push at his chest. Instead of letting me go, his teeth nibble on my neck and then bite. I jerk at the pain and I struggle against his hold. I used my magic, but his magic is much stronger than mine. And so, he continues to bite, suck and lick at the same spot where Klevon kisses me.
When he finally lets me go, I am heaving with desire for him. My face is red hot and my heat is throbbing for him, so much that I can't stand straight anymore. I am dizzy and he watches my reaction with intensity.
"You still want me," he whispers.
I do. My body is craving so much for him, but I'll be damned if I let him.
"Let me go…" I say weakly. Just one touch from him and I know I will burst. "Let me go please…" I beg him and yet, I want to burst into tears instead.
"Just say that you want me, and I can fix this need for you. No matter how long it takes."
"I don't need any fixing. I want to escape. If you can't be mine alone, then I want nothing from you."
"If I am King, then I need to have other women."
"Then, leave me alone…"
"But if… I am not a King, I…" he falters.
Courageously, I look at his face. And oh damn, I want to smother him with kisses. I want to touch him. I want to… I stop myself.
"If you are not a King, then what?" I ask, my voice shivering in desire.
"You are getting worse. Let me help you." He is about to touch my crotch when I hit his chest.
"Don't you f*ucking dare!" I scream at him.
I know I am losing it. My fists close and when he looks confused, I gather all my remaining magic, no matter how unstable it is, and then successfully take a step back.
"Kaiya…"
His voice sounds so enchanting. I want to… I shake my head. My body needs to be cooled down. I look to my left and, in my dizzy state; I know it is the bathhouse. Before Theo can follow me, I dash toward it and lock it up.
Inside, I remove all my clothes and submerge myself in the cold water. The instant I did, I touch myself and enter my fingers inside my heat. Just one thrust and I scream in pleasure–having release at my own fingers. I am heaving and screaming and getting dizzy. My muscles are tensed at this clawing need for my mate. Why do werewolves even have to go through with this? This is nothing but being a prisoner in this yearning.
And yet, as pleasure courses through my body, I cry. This is too much that I am shivering in desire for him. This need, and thinking of him while I f*uck myself, it's making me quiver in pleasure. I hate it, but the juices that come out of me say otherwise.
And when my body calms down, I feel exhausted. My eyelids feel heavy and I fall asleep in the tub of tepid water while feeling sorry for myself.

******************
I jerk at the first ray of sun that comes from the slit in the room. I look around. I am still in the bathhouse. The water is cold and I am naked. Thankfully, there is no more excruciating desire for Theo, but my muscles are aching.
I get out of the tub, noting the soreness in my body. As I subconsciously pick up my clothes, my mind wanders to my dream-of human Kings and amazing she-wolves. It must have been because of that book Harbin lent me and because Theo told me that I only mate with Kings.
When he's my student, is my previous mate a King from Duran? Is my mate secretive to the point that Theo did not learn who he was then? I wince. Sleeping in a tub of water is not a good idea, even when I am going crazy with desire.
After cleaning up, I leave the bath. I am a bit grateful that Theo is not outside. Servants are scurrying around, but they are too busy to acknowledge my presence.
And so, I return to my room to change my clothes before going up the deck. I hope General Lorant won't scold me for not doing my responsibility last night. I am supposed to help Ami and the rest.
I shield my eyes from the glare of the sun. The ship is already anchored on the island and everyone is busy preparing to off-board.
"You look exhausted." I turn towards the voice and see Klevon leaning over the wall. "Had a ple-"
"I slept in a tub of water overnight," I say, cutting him off.
"Tub of water?"
"Fall asleep while taking a bath."
"In the King's room?"
I frown at him. "At the bathhouse," I correct.
"Oh," he mutters. "You escaped him?"
I hit his shoulders. "You f*ucking riled him up!"
"Sometimes, I can't help but tease him. Yesterday, he looks as if you are still his, even if you are no longer his lover."
I hit him again. "And you left after riling him up! Talk about irresponsible!" I scold.
Instead of shouting back, he grins. "Okay, my little werewolf." He lightly pinches my chin and adds, "Next time, I will take responsibility."
"Stop saying it in such a disgusting manner," I say, evading his touch. "And stop calling me, your little werewolf. It's creepy." His grin only widens. I didn't like it. "Also, you still owe me a lesson or two on magic!"
"Okay, okay."
"How about three lessons?" I ask.
"Okay, once you are free." He starts to walk towards the center of the deck to help.
"How about four?" I call after him.
He laughs. "No matter how many it is, I will teach you."
"How about forever?"
He guffaws. "Are you sentencing me into a lifetime of slavery?"
"Klevon!" I call after him again. He stops and looks at me. "I am not kidding. I want to learn."
"Why? You plan to become a Pitchford General?" he jests. "You-"
"Yes," I say, cutting his amusement off. We stare at each other. He, gauging if I am serious, and me, if it's really possible.
Instead, he exclaims. I thought he was going to say no. Instead, a proud smile appears on his face. "Now, we are talking. How about we restart after this mission?" he asks, glancing at the island behind him.
I nod. "That will be great."
"You do know that I will ask for compensation?"
"I know."
"I will steal a few kisses, touches, and a couple of flirting… at times you least expect it."
"Okay."
"Then there's no deal-what?"
"I said okay."
"You are agreeing with it? You heard what I said, right? You understand it?"
"Yes. Besides, you said that you can't help it."
He frowns at me. "This is not to rile up the King? And to cause my death in the process?"
"That's part of it," I say, grinning. "But you know the risks already, right?"
He's speechless for a while, before a smile appears, which turns into a grin, and then, he is laughing his ass off. He moves towards me and places his arms around my shoulders.
"Oh damn, this is hilarious," he says, in between his laughs. "I think I will enjoy the following days. It will be a thrill of guessing when I will drop dead."
"Don't die too soon. I need to learn a lot from you before you can die."
"Yes, yes," he says. He steals a quick kiss on my temple, before moving away from me. "Then, my dear werewolf, I will have to go and take care of my other responsibility," he says.
When he leaves, I wipe the kiss on my temple before going to Ami and the other wind magicians. This time, I can finally help them.