Chapter 3
1180 Words
The Thorn Beneath the Crown
Lucy woke before dawn, though it was hard to tell in Shadowfang. The kingdom was shrouded in perpetual gloom, the sky stained a murky gray even when the sun dared to rise. Sleep had been fleeting—her mind haunted by Seraphina’s whispered threat.
“The girl will break, one way or another.”
Those words clung to her like cobwebs.
Lucy knew what they meant now—this was no simple political union. This was a battlefield. And she was surrounded by enemies with daggers pressed against her throat.
She could no longer afford to be a prisoner waiting for rescue. She had to become something else. Something stronger.
A queen who played the game better than them all.
The guards escorted her to the grand hall later that morning. Whispers trailed behind her as she passed through the stone corridors. She felt their eyes on her—wolves assessing their new queen-to-be, wondering if she would survive the week.
She wondered the same.
The doors creaked open, revealing Leo seated on his black throne. His wound from the assassin’s blade was concealed beneath his dark tunic, but she noticed the stiffness in his posture.
Lady Seraphina stood beside him, draped in a gown as dark as her heart. Her smile was sharp and poisonous when she saw Lucy enter.
Not today, Seraphina. You won’t see me break.
Lucy straightened her spine, lifting her chin as she stepped forward.
“Your Majesty,” she greeted, her voice calm, regal. She would not cower like a caged bird.
Leo’s golden eyes studied her. “Princess Lucy.”
His tone was neutral, but something unreadable stirred beneath it—curiosity, perhaps. Or caution.
Lucy took her place before the throne, hands clasped before her. Her shoulder still ached beneath her gown, but she refused to let it show.
“I want to speak to the assassin’s handler,” she said without preamble.
A ripple of surprise passed through the guards. Even Leo’s brows lifted slightly.
“Bold,” Seraphina murmured, her smirk widening. “And what do you plan to do? Charm the dead?”
Lucy ignored her. She focused on Leo.
“I need answers,” she pressed. “If this marriage is to prevent war, I need to understand who wants me dead—and why.”
Leo leaned forward slightly, his fingers steepled together. He was assessing her, weighing the woman before him.
“And what will you do with those answers?”
Lucy met his gaze, unflinching.
“Survive.”
For a heartbeat, silence stretched between them. Then, Leo’s lips curled into a faint smile—something sharp, almost approving.
“You may have more wolf in you than I thought, Princess.”
Seraphina’s smirk faltered.
Leo rose from his throne. The room seemed to shift with his movement—as though the stone itself bowed beneath his power.
“The handler is dead,” he said. “But his contacts in Avanira are not. My spies are already working. You will be informed when there is news.”
It wasn’t what she wanted, but it was more than she expected.
Lucy inclined her head. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Leo’s eyes lingered on her for a beat longer than necessary—then he turned away, issuing orders to his guards.
As they dispersed, Lucy felt Seraphina’s presence beside her.
“You think you’re clever,” the lady whispered, her tone honeyed but lethal. “But this kingdom will chew you up and spit out your bones.”
Lucy smiled—a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Funny. I was about to say the same to you.”
Seraphina’s eyes narrowed.
The game had begun.
Later That Evening:
Lucy stood on the balcony of her chamber, overlooking the dark forest below. The air was cool, laced with the faint scent of pine and damp earth.
Her thoughts were a storm.
The assassin. Her father’s secrets. Seraphina’s veiled threats. Leo’s unreadable gaze.
Everything was a dangerous puzzle, and she was trapped at its center.
A knock at the door startled her.
“Enter,” she called, masking her nerves.
The door creaked open, and to her surprise, it was Leo.
Dressed in a dark cloak, his hair slightly damp from the night air. He looked… less like a king, and more like a man worn by war.
“Walk with me,” he said simply.
Lucy hesitated. This was dangerous—being alone with him. But refusing might be worse.
She nodded.
They walked in silence through the stone corridors, past torches casting flickering shadows. Guards lingered at a distance, but none dared approach.
Eventually, they emerged into a secluded courtyard. A crescent moon hung above, barely visible through the clouds.
Leo stopped beneath an ancient oak tree. His gaze softened—just slightly.
“You surprised me today,” he admitted.
Lucy crossed her arms. “I’m not the fragile princess you expected.”
“No,” he agreed. “You’re not.”
There was something in his voice—something that made her chest tighten.
They stood in the quiet for a moment.
Then Leo spoke again, his tone lower.
“This alliance… it’s not just for power. My people—they need more than war. They need hope. Strength. A future.”
Lucy frowned. She had expected cruelty from him. But this… this was something else.
“You think marrying me will give them that?” she asked.
Leo turned to her, his golden eyes catching the moonlight.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I need to try.”
For the first time, Lucy saw beyond the beast, beyond the king. She saw the man burdened with a kingdom teetering on the edge of ruin.
And despite everything, she felt the faintest stir of understanding.
But before she could respond—
An arrow whistled through the air.
Leo reacted with inhuman speed, shoving Lucy aside as the arrow embedded into the tree trunk where she had stood.
Guards burst into the courtyard, blades drawn.
“Find them!” Leo roared.
Lucy’s heart raced. Another attack—another attempt on her life.
Leo turned to her, his chest rising and falling with fury.
“You’re not safe here,” he growled. “Not even with me.”
Lucy met his gaze—fear and defiance swirling within her.
“I know.”
The hunt for her enemies had only just begun.
But as Leo gripped her hand—pulling her closer for just a breath—she realized something far more dangerous.
The closer she got to the truth, the closer she got to him.
And that…
That might be the deadliest trap of all.
Cliffhanger Hook:
As the guards vanished into the dark, Lucy stood beside Leo—breathless, blood pounding in her ears.
And for the first time, she wondered:
What if the greatest threat to her heart wasn’t the assassins lurking in the shadows… but the Beast King standing at her side?
- Writer
