The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation romance Capítulo 4

VALERIA

His entire demeanor screamed, I'm the damn master of everything here, the absolute ruler.

I immediately lowered my head, trembling.

It didn’t matter that I lacked an inner she-wolf— the power radiating from that man felt like it could suffocate you, crush your soul, and he wasn't even standing that close to me.

He was a Lycan, the superior species of werewolves, the ultimate evolution, and I was almost certain this was the most powerful of them all—Aldric Thorne, the Lycan King.

"Sasha, take out the trash and make sure my next personal maid isn’t a scheming whore, or she'll lose more than her head," his deep, cold, and intimidating voice echoed, followed by the sound of footsteps retreating.

"This is a disaster. That's the fifth one in two months. I don’t know what goes through these girls' heads. I warned them," the housekeeper muttered as she approached, pulling a small vial from the dead woman’s hand.

"Another one who tried to drug the King with an aphrodisiac. Idiot. I'll call a servant to take her away. And your first task begins now—clean up this mess."

And so, scrubbing fresh blood off the floor, my work in the Lycan King's castle began.

The first lesson I learned: never, ever try to mess with that dangerous man, or you'll end up headless.

Unfortunately, I soon found myself on the razor's edge again.

*****

Sasha introduced me to the staff, a group of she-wolves and wolves working in the castle, attending to the Guardians.

They all stared at me as if they were looking at a monster.

I didn’t care—I just wanted to keep existing and stay invisible.

"The Guardians"—that’s what they called the five Lycans who lived in this ancient, dark castle.

They enforced the laws of our world, or at least those affecting werewolves, maintaining balance with other supernatural creatures.

They delivered justice, protection, and punishment—often in the most brutal, merciless ways. Especially the Lycan King.

At least, that's what I had always heard.

I was forbidden from climbing the stairs or wandering beyond the service quarters. And honestly, I didn’t plan to try.

I focused on working and healing with the medicine the housekeeper gave me.

The food here was good too.

Except for the first day, I had gone three days without seeing any of the other Guardians.

Until this morning.

*****

"Hey, I heard the housekeeper saying she still hasn’t found a suitable candidate for the King's maid. Maybe she'll give us a chance."

I was scrubbing the floor on my knees, listening to the whispers echoing through the castle's massive kitchen.

My head stayed down, and my long black bangs nearly covered my eyes, helping to conceal the disfigurement on my face.

My hands kept moving the cloth over the tiles, but ignoring the gossip was impossible.

Suddenly, the room went silent. Heels echoed from the hallway, and tension filled the air— it was the housekeeper.

"Stop what you're doing. I want all of you in a line," she ordered, her voice sharp. The cooks, maids, and even me—the lowly cleaner—all lined up like prisoners, standing side by side.

She began her inspection, passing each trembling figure, heads bowed low.

When her shadow passed in front of me, I thought she would move on. She didn’t.

"What was your name again?" she asked.

"Valeria, ma'am," I replied softly.

Her cold finger pressed beneath my chin, forcing me to raise my head.

My blue eyes met her intimidating green gaze.

"Good. I think I'll try a different strategy this time. Come with me," she ordered, and a sense of dread twisted in my chest.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the stares from the other women in the line. Bitter glares filled with jealousy, anger, envy.

Nothing good. That much was certain.

"Listen carefully, Valeria. You're going to be King Aldric's personal maid," she dropped the bombshell casually, as if it were nothing, walking toward the other side of the kitchen.

"Do you know how to cook, iron, organize a man’s things, his clothes, and so on?"

"Y-yes, ma'am. But… I don’t think I'm the right choice for the position. Perhaps someone more—"

"It's not optional," she cut me off, turning abruptly.

"You either accept it, or you leave. I don't need a floor cleaner right now. I need a maid for the King. Understood?"

I had no choice but to nod. Sometimes, I forgot that this harsh woman had saved my life.

Though, honestly, I still didn’t know why—especially now that she was sending me straight into the Lycan's den.

"Memorize everything I'm about to say. The King wakes up at… He doesn’t like… Prefers it this way… And his meals are only prepared by the cook from this section. Make sure it’s always her… And you must taste it before serving him."

She paced through the kitchen, the laundry area, practically the entire service zone, listing the King's preferences and dislikes.

I followed, my brain nearly short-circuiting from the overwhelming information. I need to write all this down later!

"Alright. You'll deliver his first breakfast now. Do exactly as I told you," she said, placing a silver tray full of covered dishes in my hands.

"And Valeria… remember, head down. Stay invisible. You're nothing but a piece of furniture."

"And I trust you haven't forgotten the scene from your first day here. If you try anything against the King, believe me, he was merciful with that woman."

Her warning made me swallow hard as I nodded.