A knock came on the door, shattering the blissful silence I had slipped into for a while. The sound echoed through my chambers, and I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that whoever was behind the door would give up and leave me alone. That did not happen. If anything, the rapping grew louder, more insistent."Your Majesty!" A loud yet familiar voice boomed, and my dormant beast began to prowl inside me, its presence stirring up a mix of emotions I'd rather not face. "It's me, Mortis. I want to see you." He added, his voice firm. I growled, curling myself into a ball on the couch. "Go away..." I muttered, my voice barely audible. Why couldn't everyone just leave me alone?"I am afraid I cannot do that, your majesty," Mortis replied, his voice unwavering. "The issue is of utmost importance, you have to come outside." He stated, and I frowned, my mind foggy. What issue could be so important?"No. Now get out." I snarled, holding my head in my hands. The headache that had been assaulting me
Lord Mortis returned after a while and Lady Nymeria who had been pacing around for a considerable amount of time stopped abruptly, rushing towards him. "How is he? Did he call on me?" She asked hurriedly, her face hopeful as she brought her hands to her lips."Well, he isn't in a great condition but he's going to be fine. As for summoning you, he said he'll call on you when he needs you." Lord Mortis answered. Some of the tension erased from Lady Nymeria as a tiny smile adorned her face. "In that case, I should get ready then." She muttered to herself, turning on her heels and marching down one of the hallways. "Maids, come prepare me to meet the king!" She called out and several other maids who had been standing around promptly followed, leaving me alone with the Lord. I felt his gaze on me and I immediately lowered my head. "You, come here!" Lord Mortis announced, his voice stern. My entire body tensed, but I took in a deep breath and walked forward, keeping my gaze to the groun
The sounds would continue till early evening, where it had come from loud screams to broken groans. The eerie echoes seemed to reverberate through the corridors, making my skin crawl. As shocking and nauseating as that was, what was more surprising was everyone's response to it. The soldiers didn't seem fazed by what was happening, their faces impassive as they stood guard. The maids, on the other hand, were... jealous!? Crazy as it sounds, they were. I must have caught a couple of them wishing it was them instead of the woman in the room with the king. They whispered among themselves, their eyes gleaming with a mixture of envy and admiration.Everyone just went about their normal business while I lingered around, uncomfortable. I tried to make sense of what was happening, but my mind was reeling with questions. Finally, it came to a stop, and a long while later, the door creaked open. Lady Nymeria limped out of the room, her well-styled hair already disheveled and sticking to her s
Shortly after Lady Nymeria got dressed, Lord Mortis came to see her. "We have to leave now." He announced, his deep voice reverberating through the hallway as he stood by the threshold, staring at Lady Nymeria who was still inside the chambers. A relaxed expression on her face, it looked she had no plans of leaving. A flicker of surprise and disbelief crossed her face but she blinked and it was gone. "What do you mean we're leaving now? Can't we stayed behind for a few more days? I am not fit for travel." She stated vehemently, crossing her hands and pouting her lips in displeasure. "You know how tempremental his majesty can be if he finds out you stayed behind without him giving you the express order to. After all, you have witnessed it a few times." He gave Lady Nymeria a scrutinizing look and she averted her gaze, a faint flush staining her cheeks. "He doesn't like people around him and he won't agree that we're staying here out of pity. He'll call on us if he needs us." Lord Mor
I woke up with a scream, my body trembling and soaked with sweat. Looking around in panic, I searched my body to see if I sustained any injuries. There's none. Helen stood in a corner, staring at me with a confused expression on her face. My scream must have startled her. "Are you alright?" She asked, her voice tinged with concern. I hurriedly nodded my head, jumping down from the bed, still rattled from the dream. "Yeah... I'm fine. Just feeling... Uncomfortable stuck inside like this." I rushed out. "Can I come out now? I need to come out, it's been days."Helen watched me for a minute before nodding her head. "Well, you can venture to other parts of the castle. Some places are out of bounds for the nobles so you wouldn't find them there. ""Where is it?" I asked, stepping forward. "The gardens in the West Wing. No one really goes there. You can take a short walk there, get some fresh air. You have been cooped here for days after all. But you'll need to be careful okay?After my d
I froze, desperately hoping that the voice I heard was in my head. Please, heavens, let it be in my head. I couldn't bear to face the reality. But my heart had begun racing and an uncanny sensation had settled beneath my skin. This was real. That's when I caught it, the gentle ruffling of movement. Someone was indeed behind me. My body began to tremble, cold sweat breaking out of my skin. Slowly, I turned behind and all the blood drained out of my face, my knees growing weak. Of all people to catch me trying to escape the castle, why did it have to be the Lord of the castle himself!? He was standing several meters away from me, his arms crossed, an unreadable expression on his face. My heart shriveled up in my chest, a lump growing iy throat. I glanced about, trying to look for an exit or escape but found nothing. Even if I tried running, this man before me would catch me before I took a step. He moved even closer, his steps filled with lethal grace, his sharp gaze never leaving min
I strolled through the hidden hallways, my footsteps echoing off the cold stone walls. My hands were clasped behind my back, a habitual gesture that betrayed my introspective mood. As I walked, my thoughts drifted to her - the human who had been trying to escape my castle for what felt like an eternity.'She keeps trying to leave,' I thought to myself, a wry smirk twisting my lips. Every moment she spends here, she keeps trying to escape from this place. The thought made something odd flutter in my chest, a corner of my lips quirking up but not quite forming a smile. It was nice to see she wasn't giving up yet. The fire in her eyes hadn't died yet. It was exactly what I needed.I returned to my room, the heavy wooden door creaking shut behind me. The space was still shrouded in darkness, the only sound being my gentle breathing and the soft whirr of the wind rushing into the barren space. But I didn't need light to see; my eyes could pierce the darkness as if the sun were shining brig
I was starting to grow restless staying trapped in this castle and it was telling on me. I could no longer plot my escape without the fear of the Lycan king catching me again and severely punishing me for it holding me captive. Apart from that, it seemed like everyone, including the guards were now keeping their eyes on me, making it nearly impossible for me to make another attempt at escaping. My nightmares were now more intense, most of it being with the same beast and it made no sense to me. I was still worried about my mother and I wanted to see her. If only I knew that the worst was yet to come. I was in the maids quarters, washing sheets with Helen when two burly knights matched up to us, their expressions set into a grim line. Rinsing off the soap in my hands, I stood to my feet, wondering what they would be doing here. "You have been summoned by the Lycan king. Do not keep him waiting." One of them growled, his gaze fixed on me. My heart skipped multiple beats, then began to
After what seems like forever, I'm back in this dream space once again. I've never been so happy to be here. Looking around, I find the beast lying on the ground, his body still injured and bleeding, and my heart aches at the sight."Hey..." I call out hesitantly, and it turns to look at me, a low growl escaping its lips. My heart squeezes tightly in my chest, like someone is reaching in and strangling it. I did this to him.When it makes no attempt to move, I inch towards it, lowering myself next to its side, my eyes fixed on the wound."I'm sorry... I'm sorry for hurting you. Please, forgive me. I didn't mean to," I whisper, my voice breaking as tears stream down my cheeks. It lets out a low moan of pain, but a paw reaches out, touching my hands. I stiffen, and it purrs slowly. I sniff, blinking eyes."You forgive me?" Again, another groan. But it doesn't sound angry."Thank you so much," I mutter, squeezing its paw. Its ears flicker, a sparkle of happiness in its eye. I glance at t
I returned to the cave, still reeling from Helen's revelation. My heart was heavy, my mind foggy despite my numerous attempts to clear it. Reaching the edge of the cave, I took a deep breath, shuddering slightly as Helen's words replayed themselves yet again. As much as I wanted Kael to heal, I wasn't sure I was ready to lay down my life for that purpose. Besides, wouldn't that devastate him further? We'd had such little time together, with threats popping up left and right. No wonder he kept refusing every time I brought it up."He most likely doesn't want to lose you that way," Helen had said, picking up a twig on the ground while she played with it. "If you still want to go ahead with it, however, you're going to do more than just convince him. You need to prepare yourself for the pain that would come."Taking a deep breath, I entered the cave, staring at the pathway that led to the corner where Kael stayed most of the time, recovering. I felt tears sting my eyes, and I hastily bli
"Is your beast truly dormant?" I asked Kael after a while, my voice soft and almost inaudible. We were alone in the cot, lying next to each other at his request, our bodies barely touching. He glanced at me, his expression turning blank, and I felt my heart pound with concern. The old lady's words had been echoing in my mind relentlessly since she left, weighing heavily on my chest."I haven't felt its presence since I woke up, so it must be," Kael groaned out after a while. "Even if it was active, my body feels too weak to contain its presence. The most it can do right now is force an aggressive shift that might kill us both."I felt my heart drop, a rush of hopelessness filling me. Taking a deep breath, I balled my hands into fists, trying to maintain a neutral expression as I sought out my next words."I'm not trying to place pressure on you or anything, because you more than anyone know what's happening right now and the gravity of the situation we're in. I just wanted to know if
"Are you really the witch that cursed Kael?" I asked, turning to the old lady once we were alone in the cave the next day, far away from earshot. She turned slightly to look at me, her brow furrowed in confusion, no words spilling from her mouth. The revelation had been messing with me all night, making it impossible to sleep. Did she really do that? And if she did, what for?"Why would you do that? Do you know how much trouble you've caused for us now!?" I rushed out, barely giving her a chance to answer as my chest heaved with anger."I didn't curse him," she said after a while, looking away from me. "What happened to him was the result of the spell I did for him. That he requested.""He requested it?" I asked, folding my arms. "You expect me to believe that?"She finished arranging the herbs she was keeping away and turned to me, her steely gaze fixed on me."This isn't the first time Kael has been betrayed by those he trusted and should have protected him. He's suffered that fate
"Weak, but fine." He answered truthfully, dropping the topic as well."You need to take your medicines, have something to eat, and have your wounds redressed. Then, I shall leave you alone to recover." She informed him, walking to his side.He nodded, and I stood to my feet, assisting her as she worked. I administered the potions, and when a meal had been prepared, fed it to the king until he could eat more on his own.Finally, after all had been said and done, one by one, they all left until it was just me and the king.He was lying back on the cot, but his gaze was fixed on me as I fretted around, unsure of what to do now."Come here..." He uttered in a low growl, beckoning me with his hand as he patted the tiny space next to him.I immediately obliged, joining him in the tiny bed. Turning to face him, I blushed as his gaze raked over me, his warm breath tickling my cheeks."How have you been?" He growled, his face barely inches away from mine.I swallowed, doing my best to be hones
"Kael... Is that really you? Are you truly awake?" I asked, unable to believe the words spilling out of my lips, desperately hoping this wasn't a hallucination my mind conjured to appease me.The figure before me let out a smile, a faint crinkle appearing around his eyes. "It's me, Aira," he muttered lowly, his voice sending shivers down my spine.I took a step closer, feeling my heart pound, threatening to burst out of its ribcage. "You're really awake!" I cried out, rushing towards him to grab his face, my hands trembling and tears filling my eyes. "Oh, you're truly awake! You're here!""Yes, I am," he growled, a serene expression on his face. Oh, that voice. I didn't realize how much I'd missed it until I had stopped hearing it.I threw my hands around his neck, pulling him into a hug as tears spilled out of my eyes, sobs of relief and happiness racking my body. My heart wouldn't stop racing, my palms sweating, my ears ringing. This is what I'd prayed for, cried for, begged for, an
It's been weeks since we've been hiding in this cave of a home, cut off from the rest of the world. During that period, Helen and I had grown undeniably closer, getting to know more about each other and having a budding friendship develop between us. Along with the lone soldier who had followed us while we were escaping, constantly guarding and gathering information on what's going on in the kingdom. Their presence helped to distract and reassure me as I cared for the king."Lord Mortis has assumed leadership of the kingdom," the soldier, whose name I had come to learn was Eiran, informed us after days of scouting the area. I turned to look at him, my heart skipping a beat."He has also gone to wage war on the humans for being the species that took the life of their king. Most of them have been captured and taken back as slaves." He informed us, and my heart dropped to my stomach, a tense atmosphere settling in the area."That means he's already announced that the king is dead," Helen
"How did you know about her?" I found myself asking, genuinely surprised. My mother let out a warm smile, the sunset reflecting in her eyes as she gazed at me. "Just because we're not there with you physically, that doesn't mean we're not watching you, love. We know who Aira is – your mate," she said, and I looked away, clenching my jaw."Don't you have at least some regret about leaving her behind like this?" she prodded again, her voice soft. A mix of emotions swarmed me and I had trouble pinpointing them. "To be honest..." I began quietly after a while of staring into the distance, gathering my thoughts. "I'm not quite sure. A part of me feels sad about it, but yet again, another part of me feels relieved."Taking a deep breath, I continued. "She won't have to worry about me anymore; she's free to live her life as she pleases. Besides, mate or not, things have already been ruined from the start." I confessed, clenching my jaw. "Why would you say that?" Arzhael asked, staring at
I found myself standing in a bright, endless expanse, surrounded by an eerie silence. The vast, empty space stretched out before me like an endless canvas, with no horizon in sight. I furrowed my brows, trying to recall how I had arrived here. Had I finally died? Was this the afterlife? The thought brought a bitter smile to my lips, a mix of emotions swirling in my chest.Taking a tentative step forward, I began to wander through the desolate landscape, unsure if I was making any progress. The emptiness seemed to stretch on forever, with no landmarks or features to guide me. As I walked, I started to call out for someone, anyone, my voice echoing off the invisible walls. A part of me secretly hoped I would find someone, anyone, to break the crushing solitude.Then, I heard it – laughter, accompanied by the clash of swords and boisterous yells. My heart began to pound in my chest, my eyes going wide with excitement. Could it be?!"I'm the stronger one!" A voice carried on the wind, se