The throne room was still silent after the departure of Selene and the royal guards. A quiet, suffocating tension clung to the air like smoke. Kael stood at the foot of the dais, his gaze fixed on the space where she had knelt just moments before—where she had smiled, the kind of smile that carved an unknown path through his thoughts.
His heart thudded beneath his ribs, too hard, too fast. The bond had settled into him like a poison, sweet and poisonous at once. He wanted to destroy it, to sever the connection that had sprouted between them in that single, fleeting moment.
But it was not something he could control.
The words had come from his mouth before he could stop them—"She is mine"—and now they echoed in his mind, unrelenting. He was the Crown Prince of Lunaris. He could not—would not—be claimed by anyone, let alone a Forsaken. Yet here he was, consumed by the knowledge that the girl he had just sentenced to the lower chambers was no mere prisoner. She was something far more dangerous.
Kael's gloved hands clenched into fists at his sides as he turned slowly toward the court. His cold, piercing gaze swept across the assembly of nobles, his silence commanding their attention. No one dared to speak; no one dared to move. They had heard the words, had seen the strange, unmistakable spark between their prince and the Forsaken girl. But no one was brave enough to question it—not yet.
He met the gaze of the head elder, Lord Vortan, whose gray beard trembled with suppressed rage. "You should not have done that, Prince Kael," Vortan said, his voice sharp and clipped. "She is a Forsaken. You do not—"
"Do not," Kael interrupted, his voice low and threatening, "presume to teach me what I already know, Lord Vortan."
The elder bit back any further protest, though his eyes burned with disapproval. The nobles around them whispered amongst themselves, their voices rising like a distant storm.
Kael's mind was a blur of conflicting thoughts. He wanted to be rid of her. He wanted to lock her away, to wipe the memory of her existence from his mind. But no matter how many times he told himself that the bond would not matter, it remained. A chain that bound him to her.
As his thoughts spiraled, a shadow fell over him—heavy, dark. He turned to see his personal guard, Darius, approaching with measured steps. Darius was tall, broad-shouldered, and unwavering in his loyalty, but there was an air of unease in the way he carried himself now.
"Your Highness," Darius began, his voice low, "the prisoner... Selene, is it? She is being secured in the lower chambers as per your command. But... there is something else."
Kael raised an eyebrow, waiting for Darius to continue.
"A report just came in. The Black Pine Forest... it's—" Darius hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the words he was about to speak. "It's stirring again. Movement near the outskirts. It may be a group of Forsaken."
Kael's breath caught in his throat. The Black Pine Forest. No one had dared to enter it in decades, let alone trespass near its borders. It was a cursed place, home to the remnants of the Forsaken clans. The last time they had stirred, it had taken an entire legion to quell their rebellion.
"Send out scouts," Kael ordered, his voice hardening. "And I want a full report by morning."
"Yes, Your Highness," Darius replied, bowing before departing with haste.
Kael's mind was already racing. This was not a coincidence. Something was happening in the Black Pine Forest, and he had a sinking feeling that Selene's arrival was no mere accident. She was no ordinary Forsaken. Her bloodline, her birthmark—it had all been too deliberate, too precise. Someone was orchestrating something, and he was standing at the center of it.
He needed answers.
---
Hours later, Kael stood alone in his chambers, staring at the moonlit sky beyond his window. The cold stone walls of his room felt oppressive, closing in on him as the weight of his thoughts pressed down. He had locked the door, dismissed his attendants, and was now alone with the raging storm inside his chest.
The moonlight illuminated the scar on his palm—the mark that he had inherited from his mother, the last of the royal bloodline. The mark that told him his duty was to protect Lunaris at all costs. It had always been clear—until her. Selene.
The name burned in his mind like a brand.
Kael closed his eyes and ran his fingers over the scar, trying to steady his breath. He had known from the moment he touched her, from the instant their eyes had met, that the bond between them was real. He had felt it, just as she had. It had surged between them like fire and ice, a violent, unrelenting force.
His wolf—the beast that resided deep within him—was growling, clawing at his chest, demanding to be freed. It was calling to her. Kael fought the urge to shift, to surrender to the animal inside him, but the struggle was exhausting.
The sound of a soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Enter," he called, his voice betraying none of the turmoil inside.
The door opened, and in stepped a familiar figure—Lady Elira, the high advisor to the court. Her sharp features and raven-black hair made her a striking figure, her presence commanding. She was one of the few people in the palace who dared to speak openly with Kael, but even now, there was hesitation in her eyes.
"Your Highness," she said carefully, "I need to speak with you about the Forsaken. The one you brought in... Selene."
Kael's jaw tightened, but he nodded for her to continue.
"I understand your position," Elira began, her voice laced with concern. "But you cannot simply let her stay here. She is a danger—"
"I am aware of the danger," Kael cut in, his voice cold. "But she is under my protection. You will not harm her."
Elira's eyes widened, a flicker of surprise passing through her. "Your Highness, you must reconsider. The Forsaken are not to be trusted. They carry bloodlines tainted by the Moon Queen's rebellion."
Kael turned to face her, his eyes dark with a mixture of anger and uncertainty. "I am not the same as the rest of you. I will not simply kill her for the crime of her bloodline. We will see what she is truly capable of, before judgment is passed."
There was a long pause before Elira spoke again, her voice softer this time. "I know you are struggling with this, my prince. But you are not just the crown. You are the future of Lunaris. You must be careful."
Kael said nothing, the weight of her words hanging heavy in the air.
Before Elira could speak again, Kael turned abruptly, walking toward the door.
"I have to go," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Elira watched him leave, her eyes full of worry. She knew that Kael was slipping closer and closer to a precipice. The prince, the future king, was on the brink of something dangerous—and only time would reveal whether he would rise above it—or be consumed.
As Kael made his way down the dimly lit corridors toward the lower chambers, the cold air grew thicker, heavier with the promise of what was to come. He could hear the distant echoes of Selene's laughter in his mind—her smile, her defiance. She was a prisoner, but she had already begun to slip under his skin.
And he hated her for it.
But deep down, he knew. She was his. And no matter how hard he fought it, nothing would ever change that.
To be continued.....