Your Majesty... Is anything the matter?" I asked softly, hesitant to approach him. My voice trembled slightly, betraying my fear.His eyes narrowed, his gaze blazing with intensity. "This is why you're doing this, isn't it?" His voice was low and rough, like gravel, filled with an immense amount of loathing. I flinched, my heart racing with anticipation."To go back to her. Isn't it?" he spat, his words dripping with venom.I rushed to defend myself, feeling a surge of panic. "What? No! I only said I missed her. I wasn't planning on going back...!" My words tumbled out in a frantic rush but the king cut me off, his voice slicing through the air like a knife. "Liar..." He growled, the sound almost animalistic, sending shivers down my spine.I tried again, desperate to reason with him. "If you would just listen to me, Your Majesty...!""Get out." The command was curt, absolute. I froze, my heart sinking. I must not have heard it correctly. "I'm sorry?" I ventured, hoping against hope
I cried all the way to the maids quarters where I met Helen, looking lost and confused. Not knowing what else to do, I rushed towards her, pulling her into an unexpected hug as I cried on her shoulders. Deep, pitiful sobs that racked my entire body.Helen's arms slowly wrapped around me, holding me in place as I cried. She stood there, a steady presence, as I poured out my emotions. Finally, when my wailing had subsided a little, she gently pulled away to stare at me. Her hands cupped my face, and she carefully wiped away the tears from my cheeks."What happened?" she asked, her voice soft and concerned. Her gaze assessed me, taking in my tear-stained face and trembling lips. "Why are you crying so hard?"I sniffed, taking a deep breath as I tried to get the words out. "I-it's the king!" I rushed out, my voice cracking with emotion. I was close to breaking down again, but Helen's calm demeanor helped me hold it together."He just switched up on me all of a sudden!" I exclaimed, my han
The sound of something hitting the ground grew louder and sharper as he approached, the smell of fear and urine flooding the air like a noxious cloud. Soldiers poised to attack, their eyes wide with terror, as they realized the king was beyond reason. Within seconds, the king was within view... or what was left of him. He had morphed into a half-shift, his arms and face covered in a thick, dark fur, his body several times larger than its original size. His hands had transformed into razor-sharp claws, and he stood on his hind legs, throwing his head back and letting out a powerful roar that shook the very foundations of the castle.The soldiers, stricken with fear, immediately let out a command, lunging forward in an attempt to restrain him with chains and arrows. But he broke them apart like they were mere twigs, his fury mounting with each passing moment. With a sharp strike of his arms, he slashed through several soldiers, decapitating one, and screams of pain filled the hall as bl
After a while, Lord Mortis arrived with a couple of soldiers, carefully lifting the king from my grasp. I watched, tears streaming down my cheeks, as they carried him back to the castle. I trailed behind them, my gaze fixed on the unconscious king, his limp form a stark contrast to his usual powerful demeanor.When we arrived at the castle, Lord Mortis immediately summoned the healer, and I was tasked, along with other maids, to set up a new chamber for the king. The healer arrived soon after, his face etched with concern as he began his examination. He checked the king's vitals, his fingers moving with a gentle yet practiced touch. Next, he carefully removed the arrows from the king's body, cleaning and dressing his wounds with a meticulous attention to detail. The king remained unconscious throughout, his chest rising and falling with a steady, if shallow, breath.The healer administered some herbs and potions, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Finally, he stepped back, his expres
I stared at Lady Nymeria, feeling a spark of defiance ignite in my chest. Glancing down at the king, whose hand was still wrapped around mine, the last thing I wanted was to part from him. Clenching my jaw, I muttered lowly, doing my best to keep my voice respectful."I'm sorry, but I cannot do that, My Lady," I replied, meeting her glare.She let out a shocked gasp, moving closer towards me, her body vibrating with rage. "You dare to defy me?" She seethed through clenched teeth. "I said you should get away from him this instant!" She snapped, her voice hushed yet furious. "I didn't mean to defy you, but I cannot pull away from the king. He won't let me go," I explained.Lady Nymeria's face twisted in anger. "Don't make me come there and drag you by your hair. Get away from him right this instant!"I let out a disgruntled sigh, resisting the urge to roll my eyes and incur more of her wrath. Lady Nymeria looked ready to cause a scene, and I wasn't ready to have Kael wake up to this. V
My head drooped low, tears falling and splattering before my feet. Unable to utter another word, I turned around and left the room, my heart shattering into pieces.When I stepped outside, I found Lord Mortis making his way towards the chambers. I hastily cleaned my tears, delivering a low bow when he stopped directly in front of me."What happened, why are you crying?" Lord Mortis asked, his brow furrowed as he gazed at my tear-stained face.I shook my head, attempting to brush off my emotions. "It's nothing, Your Grace. The king is awake now, and he asked to be alone. I'll be taking my leave now."Lord Mortis's eyes narrowed, his expression skeptical. "Don't bother trying to hide from me. What truly happened? Did the king lose control?"I sniffled, my heart still heavy with sorrow. "No, it's not that," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.My heart was still bleeding, the king's words stuck in my throat, begging to be let out. "It's the king... He keeps pushing everyone away."Lo
I stumbled towards her, blinking rapidly, wishing the image in front of me would disappear and this would be just a scary nightmare I would wake up from. "Mom... " I called out, my voice shaking. She didn't move, didn't blink. She just lay there, the crimson pool around her spreading, her skin turning pale.My knees buckled, and I landed on the ground with a thud, tremors racking my body. "Mom?" I called again, reaching for her. Something warm spilled onto my cheeks, and I realized I was crying. This can't be happening!!Violent sobs racked my throat as I crawled towards her, shakily cradling her head to my chest, my dress getting stained with blood. "Mom... " I sobbed, the tears flowing freely now, unrestrained, raw anguish twisting my insides. "Mom!!" I cried out, my tears spilling onto her pallid face.Why this? Why now?! "Mom, please... Come back to me. Please, I'm here now. Don't leave me!" I cried, my heart feeling like it had been thrown into the abyss, forever lost. She was my
"Aira? What are you doing here?" he called out, his low voice sending tremors down my spine. I clutched the hem of his robe, my forehead touching the ground."How could you do this to me?" I sobbed, my voice barely audible. "How could you hurt me this way? How could you take away the only thing that mattered to me?"I glared at King Kael, but his face remained a mask of indifference, devoid of any emotion. Absolutely nothing. He just stood at the threshold, staring at me with the emptiest eyes I had ever come across. Anger and betrayal began to simmer in the pit of my stomach, and before long, my fury erupted."Why are you staring at me like that!? Don't you know what you did!" I screamed, if my hoarse, high pitched note could be called a scream. His brows furrowed ever so slightly but he didn't say a word. The damn of emotions had broke in me and the words wouldn't be stopped. "Can't you even admit it? State your reason, you monster!? You killed my mother!"King Kael stiffened, a mu
Holy Hades, he did it again, another assertive lick across my core that had my spine arching and my body hyperventilating, broken moans escaping my lips. "Please... " I rushed out, struggling to get away from his tightened grip. "Please, stop. It doesn't, it doesn't feel right." I added as I felt his warm breath on my sensitive skin, his eyes peeking at me between my spread thighs. He ignored me, diving in again and probing my opening with his warm, sinew tongue. My entire body shuddered, pleasure like no other colliding into me, leaving me breathless. I mewled, sweat pouring out of my skin as his grip on my thighs tightened, his tongue carving a path in my warm, pulsing core. Then, he would pull away, teasing my opening and driving me to the edge of madness. I gripped the sheets on the cot, thrashing my head from side to side, trying to get away from him. "Kael... I don't think this is necessary!" I tried again, pulling away again, my breath coming out in ragged gasps. Kael paused
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