Aurelia's hands were still trembling as she stood in front of the throne. The room buzzed with the quiet, whispered voices of the court. The stares felt like needles in her skin, sharp and insistent. She hated it. Hated how they looked at her—like she was some sort of exhibit.
Kaelen leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on her. He didn't say anything at first, just watched her, and for a moment, Aurelia almost thought he might have forgotten she was there.
"Do you know why you're here?" he asked, his voice smooth but edged with something darker.
Aurelia didn't look up. Instead, she stared straight ahead, her jaw tight. "To be your trophy?"
His lips curled into a slight smirk. "Correct. But you're not just a trophy. You're a symbol. A reminder. A message."
Aurelia bit down on the urge to say something cruel, something that might show her weakness. She wasn't about to give him that satisfaction.
He stood, and his movement made the room go still. She felt his presence grow stronger as he closed the distance between them, the weight of his gaze pressing down on her shoulders.
"You're going to sit by my side in the court. At all times. You'll keep your mouth shut, and you'll behave. If you do, there will be food. If you don't…" He trailed off, letting the threat hang in the air.
Aurelia lifted her head, meeting his eyes for the first time since she'd entered the room. "I'm not your pet, Kaelen."
He laughed, low and dark, as if the idea of her thinking she had any say in this situation was laughable. "No, you're not. But you'll act like it. For now."
She opened her mouth to argue, but he raised his hand, silencing her. "I'm not interested in your defiance. It's pathetic."
Aurelia's pulse quickened, her wolf rising inside her. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay still. The collar around her neck burned with every surge of emotion, but she swallowed the pain, focusing on the cold anger swirling in her chest.
Kaelen gestured toward a seat next to him, on the raised platform where the rest of the court's attention was already fixed on her. "Sit."
"I'd rather stand," she muttered, not looking at him.
He didn't respond at first, but when she refused again, he made a slight motion. Two guards stepped forward. One grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the chair. She yanked away from them, but they were too strong.
"Let me go!" Aurelia snapped, struggling as they forced her into the seat next to him.
Kaelen's gaze remained unreadable, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. Something amused.
"You're not in control here," he said, his voice laced with warning. "You never will be."
Aurelia glared at him, but the words stuck in her throat. She couldn't afford to show weakness. Not now. Not when she was already so far from home.
The first course was brought out, but Aurelia didn't move. She didn't touch the food. The last thing she wanted was to play into his hands.
"You're not even going to eat?" Kaelen asked, his voice a bit too casual. It was like he was enjoying watching her resist.
"Not hungry," Aurelia replied flatly, her eyes narrowing.
"You'll eat when I say so," he warned, his voice growing cold. "You're here to obey, not to make decisions."
She didn't respond, her gaze fixed firmly ahead, daring him to challenge her again. She wasn't going to be broken that easily. Not by him. Not by anyone.
But a part of her knew she was on the verge of snapping. She could feel the rage building, her wolf clawing against the collar. Every word he spoke, every action, felt like another nail in her coffin.
As the meal dragged on, Aurelia's mind wandered, and she found herself back in the woods, running through the trees with her pack. The wind had been sharp that night, but nothing compared to the icy dread that had settled in her stomach when they'd first heard the howls.
Kaelen.
She had recognized him in an instant. His pack had attacked hers without mercy. Without warning. Her father's warriors had fought back, but they were outmatched. The pack's destruction had been brutal, swift.
She remembered the fire, the screams, and the sound of the earth trembling beneath her feet. The images were seared into her memory, flashes of pain that she couldn't erase. She had tried to fight back, but she was outnumbered, outclassed.
Kaelen had been there.
The thought sent a wave of cold through her. He had been a part of the slaughter. Her pack—her family—had been torn apart by the very man sitting beside her. How could she be sitting next to him now, forced to obey his every word?
Her hands clenched into fists, but she quickly relaxed them when she saw Kaelen's gaze flick toward her. He was watching her again, waiting for her to react.
"You're thinking about your pack," he said quietly, leaning just a little closer.
Aurelia said nothing. She refused to let him get under her skin.
"I didn't want to do it," he said, almost to himself. "You don't know what it was like."
She glanced at him sharply. "Don't pretend like you have a conscience, Kaelen. You tore my life apart."
He didn't flinch at her words, but she could see the tiniest flicker of something in his eyes. Guilt? Regret?
"Maybe," he said, his voice softer than before. "But you don't understand the whole picture, Aurelia. You never did."
"I understand enough," she snapped, voice rising. "You killed my people. You slaughtered them like animals."
The room fell silent. Even the courtiers, who had been whispering and watching, went still. Kaelen's eyes didn't leave her, his expression unreadable.
For a moment, Aurelia thought she had pushed him too far, but then, as if nothing had happened, he leaned back in his seat, his demeanor cold again.
"That's enough," he said, his voice hard. "Keep it together, or I'll remind you why you're here."
But Aurelia couldn't contain it anymore. Her eyes flashed gold. Her wolf stirred, pushing against the collar, and for the first time, she felt something—a faint crack in the barrier.
Kaelen's eyes narrowed. "What was that?"
She didn't answer. But the golden flash was enough.
He was watching her too closely now, his gaze fixed with a new intensity. Aurelia held her breath.
What had she just done?