Thorne Vargan Rhukor.
Thorne stormed down the corridor. He pushed the door open and stormed in. His chest burned. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides.
A mate.
Another mate.
The gods mocked him. The goddess herself spat on him.
He stopped, bracing one hand against the wall. His heart pounded in his chest, a sound he hadn't heard in a very, very long time. It wasn't possible. He had buried that part of himself decades ago.
Yet the bond had struck him, deep and undeniable, the second he touched her.
The pull he felt, the connection.
It was impossible.
Thorne let out a guttural snarl, slamming his fist into the wall so hard, the wall cracked.
He had spent the last years, decade alone without a mate. Why now? Why now of all times?
Did they mock him? Enjoy his pain? Did it fill them with joy to see him miserable?
A sharp frantic knock came.
Thorne didn't answer. Didn't move.
The door creaked open. "Your Majesty?" a low voice called. It was Caelum, his Beta. One of the few who still dared to come close when Thorne's temper reached a high.
Caelum stepped inside, pausing when he saw the stone crumpling under Thorne's fist.
"The inspection is incomplete. They're waiting for your command."
Thorne exhaled sharply, dragging his hand down his face. His jaw clenched so tightly it ached. "I won't be inspecting them further."
Caelum hesitated, careful not to bring up what just happened. "Was there… an issue?"
Thorne's golden eyes flashed, and for a moment, Caelum thought he might actually throw him across the room.
But he didn't, instead he heaved heavily, almost like he was carrying all the burdens of the realm…which he was.
Thorne looked pitiful, like a man who'd given up. "The gods have cursed me again."
Caelum's gaze widened, after all he'd been here through it all. He watched as it happened and the only time Thorne has ever mentioned being cursed was…
Caelum stepped forward, "Sire…surely you don't mean."
Thorne's eyes were shut tight, the words left his lips like a curse. "Another mate, Caelum. The goddess… she gave me another mate."
Caelum's face paled as he processed the words. "…Another…"
Thorne turned around, meeting Caelum's gaze, "A slave, Caelum. A mere slave, thrust upon me like some cruel joke."
"My king…" Caelum began, but the words faltered. How could anyone comfort a man who had lost everything, only to be handed more pain?
Thorne's laugh was hollow, bitter. "The gods think they can toy with me. That they can take the one thing I wanted most, my mate, and in return thrust this unwanted leash around my neck!" His voice grew louder, more raw. "Another mate. Another curse. They think this will fill the void. As if I'll accept this… this mockery."
The air in the room was heavy, and for a moment, Caelum could see the anguish in his king's eyes. The hopelessness that had taken root in his soul. Thorne's first mate and his unborn pup, his first love, had been stolen from him by Khaos, and he had never recovered. The kingdom had burned. His life had been shattered beyond repair. And he had been left to pick up the pieces of a destroyed realm and a broken heart.
He had tried to bring her back. Used black magic. The forbidden magic. But the gods had been livid. They had taken her from him again. Punished him. Cursed him to an eternity of pain.
Now, they had given him this second mate, as if it were some form of compensation. As if this cruel jest could replace what he had lost.
Thorne clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles cracked. He could hear the gods laughing at him, mocking him from above. "They want me broken," he whispered, more to himself than Caelum. "They want me more miserable than I already am. They think this will bring me to my knees. But I will never accept it."
This was a cruel twist. All his suffering and grief wasn't enough for them. They truly are cruel.
"Who sent her here?" Thorne asked.
Caelum hesitated. "The Alpha of the Crystal Moon pack sent her. Part of the yearly offerings."
Thorne's laugh was empty. He didn't respond. This wasn't some divine blessing. No, this was just another test, another cruel twist of fate.
He didn't need a mate. He didn't want one either. What he needed was a sage. A sage to bear his heir.
"What will you do now, my king?" Caelum asked and Thorne glanced at him.
"Bring her."