Saint Claire Lake

*Chapter 98*

"Do you like the view?"

I snapped back after staring at the lake with admiration. My heart softly caressed at his soft tone. But that wasn't what I liked. "It's fine," I said nonchalantly.

Frederick nodded his head, smiling. "It would have been better if you soak your feet, yes?"

I looked at him in disbelief when he removed his shoes and rolled up his trousers to below his knees. He sat down and soaked his feet before he sighed and looked up at me.

"Come, my goddess." Frederick offered his hand. "You should try it."

"This is nonsense." I gritted my teeth.

But Frederick ignored what I said. "Well, if you don't do anything we wanted to do, I might not consider having you leave the villa. What do you think?"

My eyes widened. "What?" Was that true?

I didn't manage to get hold of my thoughts when Frederick pulled me down and made me sit on his lap. "Wait!" I panicked when he removed my shoes and had me soak my feet in the water as he placed me in between his legs.

I did not protest anymore when I felt how cool the water was from Saint Claire Lake. I even relaxed.

I jolted when I felt a pair of arms wrapped from behind. Then a soft kiss on my shoulder.

"Do you like it, my goddess?" he asked softly.

I frowned at his arms but I did not dare to move. If I did that, I would be having a hard time getting out of his hold because Frederick would use his strength as a lycan which was why I had no power to even overpower him with strength.

Though I could fight him in close combat, it would be futile since he knew how I fought. He already knew how he would counterpart me.

"Is that true? Will you allow me to leave now?" I asked, ignoring his statement.

"In one condition, of course."

"What condition?"

Why did I have the feeling that I wouldn't like what he was going to say?

I inhaled softly when he massaged my flanks before he whispered, "Marry me and become my duchess."

"No!" I exclaimed and tried to remove his arms from me. "Frederick, damn you! Release me this instant!"

But he did not let me.

The more I struggled, his arms tightened holding my waist, keeping me at bay. His arms were somewhat made up of steel. This was so annoying.

I knew I could get away from his hold but why was my body betraying me and it made me feel weak to fight against him.

Then it hit me.

I gritted my teeth in annoyance upon realizing that my wolf was fighting with me.

"That's the only way, Novalie." I turned my head when his tone smeared bitterly cold yet his eyes were smiling.

"What do you mean the only way? You are just leaving me with no choice," I said, infuriated.

I suddenly felt intoxicated when he drew his face closer to me. Frederick smiled. I distanced my head because with one more move from him, he would be so close to kiss me.

"You said earlier that if you wish for me to be happy, you wouldn't push or force me to marry you, Frederick." I couldn't help retorting back. "Have you forgotten what you said and you are just saying empty promises?"

Frederick drew closer and this time, he pulled me more to his chest. I gasped when he suddenly lifted me up and made me straddle him.

"Frederick—"

My words were cut off when he buried his face in the crook of my neck. I almost moaned from that when his lips landed on it.

"I have changed my mind as soon as I have you in my arms," he murmured under my skin. I shivered when he breathed my skin and massaged my flanks. "You wish to become a duchess, right? Marry me then, my goddess. You will become Novalie Argerich de Carteret, the Duchess of Redwinter..."

I got distracted when he started raining some sensual kisses on my neck. I even felt his bulging crotch to the apex of my thighs which made me want to command him to please me right now.

I snapped back and halted him by pulling his hair back. I looked down on him like I was belittling him.

"I said before that I do not wish to get married, do I?" I asked in a stern tone. "Why aren't you listening to me, you useless lycan?"

Alright... I was slowly grasping my attitude. It was all his fault anyway. He kept provoking me which was why I had to take control or else, Frederick would become uncontrollable.

"That's the only way, my goddess..." he said, breathless. His breathing had become uneven as his eyes were sparkling with lust. He also looked thrilled when I was looking down on him.

"You are always giving me no choice, darling..." I said as I brushed my thumb to his lower lip.

"My goddess..." He parted his mouth.

Why did I suddenly feel turned on now that I was slowly dominating him? This method... I was more than willing to dominate him rather than him dominating me.

"Why would you go to such lengths to marry me?" I asked, seducing him. My wolf stirred seeing Frederick squirming under my palm.

"Because I want you and have loved you for a very long time, my goddess." Frederick licked my thumb while looking into my eyes.

This suddenly made me excited. I missed this part that I had been treating Frederick like this. My wolf wanted me to fix the mate bond I shattered and still wanted Frederick no matter what happened.

"Is there no other way that can make me marry you?"

Frederick's face darkened with my question. "Don't insult me like that..." He looked displeased and removed my hands that had been cupping his face. "Your only choice is to marry me if you wish to get out here."

"But would I still stay here if I chose not to?" He nodded. I almost tsked because I found it troublesome.

He took my hand and brought it to his lips. "You can become my duchess, my goddess. I, the Prince of Redwinter, and you, the Duchess of Redwinter... I can make your deal from Brother Azarius come true. You can become my duchess," he said dreamily. "If you wish to become an Alpha, then I am willing to give up my Alpha position of Redwinter and I can bestow it to you."

My eyes widened at his words. "You're kidding, right?" I said in disbelief.

He scoffed. "I am not going to jest when it comes to you. You can even make me your slave again."

That jolted me. Was he being serious right now? He was willing to give up the things he had just to bestow them to me?

Must I believe this?

"Then, I can have concubines if I want to," I said, wanting to see how he would react.

Frederick growled a warning. "Not a chance. There shall be bloodshed if I happen to know that you are sleeping with another man. I don't intend to share you with any man." He was clenching his jaw after he uttered those words. "I am not going to suffer like what you did before so refrain from asking stupid questions, Novalie."

"You're ordering me?" I asked firmly and grabbed a handful of his hair causing him to register a painful expression on his face. I was using the same force of grabbing his hair from its roots.

"My goddess..." He hissed and closed his eyes for a moment. "I am not..."

"I don't see it, you useless one."

He opened his eyes. He had a look of pain and desire written on them. "P-Please refrain from asking stupid—I mean nonsensical questions, my goddess."

"Hmm? Who are you to even request that?" I didn't know why but I was starting to have the fun treating Frederick like this.

Gone was the mischievous attitude he had. All I saw right now was my submissive Frederick that wanted his goddess' attention.

I forced him to look at me. His forest green eyes were sparkling in delight. "I am... your useless mate who is willing to submit and bestow everything my goddess wants. Except for leaving the premises, of course."

I released a soft sigh. I almost had him with that. I thought that I would force him to say that I could leave but I was wrong.

I released my hold and got off from straddling him. His bulging crotch had already given me a great distraction and a good rub against my clit. Now, I could tell that I was wet.

Damn it...

I returned from sitting beside him and soaked my feet in the water.

"My goddess..."

I ignored him and gently flapped my feet. "You hurt him yet you even want to marry me to hurt me more. How ironic..." Ah, shit. The bitterness I felt right at this moment had ruined the mood.

"I am not going to hurt you again. This time, I will make things right. Just give me one more chance, Novalie," he pleaded.

"I find it hard to believe. You made me fool so many times." I looked up in the sky, feeling remorse. "You made me like this, Atticus." I looked at him, indicating that I was calling him by his first name. "I became the harlot of the town because of you. I became a person who ended up going to the brothel to sleep with male prostitutes because of you. My relationship with my father worsened because of you. What I am today is because of you. It is all your goddamn fault in the first place. Shouldn't you feel responsible for what I am right now? It was because of you that I rejected you as my mate."

Frederick opened his mouth to say something but he closed it after a while and looked away. "I'm sorry if I am a bastard..." He sighed. "I just want to make things right."

"By forcing me into a marriage again?" I smirked. "Classic... You are only thinking of yourself. You never wish for my happiness."

"T-that's not true!" He raised his voice.

I shook my head. "Ask yourself if I am happy at your actions by abducting and bringing me here." I forced a smile before I decided to stand up. "You shall see that you are only favoring yourself," I said before I decided to leave.

"Novalie... I have loved you for a very long time."

I halted as my heart fluttered at his words. My wolf even responded to that by wanting me to turn around and telling him I forgive him.

"I took the risk of wanting to win you again. I have done something that hurt you. It was our first engagement... I wanted to tell you that I love you the moment I laid my eyes on you. But..." His voice became shaky as he choked back his words.

"I will never love you even if you force me to marry you, Frederick. You taught me the hard way not to love a man again." I turned at him as I felt my eyes getting misty. "I have been wanting to have a person to save me from this hell because you are the one who caused this."

Those words I uttered broke me.

Frederick stood up to look up at the sky. I could tell that he was on the verge of tearing up but he was controlling himself.

"But instead, I have been given people who always made me a fool, treating me like I am some sort of a toy," I added. I ended up growing up to use people as my tool as well.

My wolf was feeling melancholy. She knew how I struggled to get back on my knees after my engagement with Atticus.

"I should have not loved you when you have given me false hope..." My voice croaked.

"Novalie... Please don't say that... I also loved you that time," he said but I started to walk away and briskly wiped the tears off my face.

I have thought before that I could please my father if I agreed to be engaged with Frederick.

Even though I had never seen him, I could tell that Atticus would be good to me. He had been sending gifts or sometimes, flowers to express that he was happy to be engaged with me.

I even received the pyrope crystal ring as my engagement ring. I cherished it and started to fall in love even though I knew that he was not my mate.

And then... on the day of our engagement party, Frederick had put me into a humiliation causing my fragile heart to shatter into pieces...

...which led me to have hatred against him.