30 Days with The Ruthless Alpha King

Olive Branch

I lay perfectly still with my eyes closed, heart hammering in my chest as Thorne’s footsteps faded down the hall. Lucian moved quietly around the room, pulling on clothes, the soft rustle of fabric the only sound.

Part of me wanted to sit up and ask him about what I had overheard. The curse and the seer.

The truth Thorne thought Elara should know.

Questions crowded my mind, but I pushed them away. The last two nights had been wonderful and I had no intentions of spoiling it.

The moment he was gone, I opened my eyes and sat up. There was something I needed to do first.

I dressed quickly and pulled on a dark cloak. Then I slipped out of the chambers before anyone could stop me.

The lower levels of the fortress were colder than the upper floors.

The stone walls trapped the damp morning air, and the further down I went, the quieter everything became.

Eventually I found a guard standing near a stairwell.

I recognized him vaguely from the village.

He looked surprised when he saw me approaching.

“My lady.”

“I need a favor.”

His expression immediately became nervous. That should have warned me this wouldn’t be easy.

“I need to visit the prison.” The poor man nearly dropped his spear.

“The prison?”

“Yes.”

“My lady, absolutely not.”

I sighed.

“Please.”

His face became even paler.

“His Majesty would skin me alive.”

I reached into the small pouch attached to my belt and pulled out several coins.

I saved some coins Elara had given me during the wrestling match.

I held them out. The guard stared at them then shook his head.

“I can’t.”

I added more. His eyes followed the growing pile. Swallowing hard then looking left and right, he

muttered a curse beneath his breath.

“Nobody can know.”

I smiled.

“Nobody will I’ll just be a few minutes.”

We moved quickly through secret passages, the smell of damp stone and iron growing stronger. My stomach twisted as we reached the prison corridor. Torches flickered on the walls, casting long shadows. The guard stopped at a heavy cell door and unlocked it for me before stepping back. “Hurry.”

I nodded. Inside the cell, Jace sat against the wall. His face was still bruised, one eye swollen, his lip split badly. When he noticed me, his expression hardened. “What are you doing here?”

I stepped closer to the bars. “I came to talk.”

He laughed without humor. “Why?”

hostility in his voice didn’t surprise me.

Because despite everything, I couldn’t stop thinking about him sitting down here while I slept in a warm bed upstairs.

And I was tired of everyone assuming they knew my choices.

“I never chose this life Jace.”

I took a breath then told him everything.

The thirty-day contract. The bargain. And the terms. I was basically in a life or death situation.

I was slave no matter how comfortable my situation looked from the outside.

When I finished, he remained silent. His jaw tightened.

Finally he said, “You looked pretty comfortable at the carnival.”

Anger bubbled up inside me. “Stop acting like I betrayed everyone. Kael abused and cheated on me for years, and the pack ignored it. You mocked me too, remember? You knew exactly how I lived, and you did nothing.”

Silence stretched between us. Jace’s shoulders slumped. Finally he spoke, voice rough. “I know.”

I waited, gripping the cold bars.

“I spent years pretending not to notice,” he admitted. “Anger was easier than guilt. I’m ashamed of that. Part of me is jealous too. You’re up there eating good food and sleeping in warm beds while the rest of us rot down here.”

His honesty hit me hard. I appreciated it more than I expected. “I’m not comfortable with any of this. But I’m trying to figure out a way forward. I’ll talk to Lucian about getting you released.”

Jace shook his head immediately. “I don’t want to owe you anything.”

I let out a small laugh. “Then don’t. Take this as me extending a hand of friendship hmm?”

He looked surprised, then a real laugh escaped him. Quiet and rusty, but genuine. It was the first time we had shared something like that. As I turned to leave, he said softly, almost too quiet to hear, “Thanks for coming.”

I nodded and followed the guard back out, my chest feeling a little lighter. Some of the weight between us had shifted. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.

Back in the main part of the fortress, my mood lifted even more. An idea came to me suddenly. I wanted to cook something for Lucian. After everything, maybe a small gesture would make him happy. I headed straight for the kitchens.

Chaos followed the second I walked in. Servants froze mid-stir, pots nearly slipping from their hands. The head cook rushed over, wiping his hands on his apron. “My lady, you cannot be here. This is no place for you.”

“I want to make lunch for His Majesty,” I said firmly. The guard who had followed me growled at the servants to move aside, which only made everyone look more terrified. I turned to him. “Stop frightening them.”

That earned me a few grateful smiles. The tension eased a bit. A young kitchen servant named Alma stepped forward nervously, twisting her apron in her hands. “I can help you, my lady.”

She was sweet and a little shy, but eager. While we worked, memories of Crescent Moon came back to me. Long, lonely afternoons where cooking had been my only escape. I toasted oats lightly in a pan until they smelled nutty and warm. Butter melted in the pot with a soft sizzle, then I added cream slowly, stirring until it thickened. Honey went in next, golden and sweet, followed by crushed fresh berries that stained the mixture a pretty pink. I sprinkled cinnamon and roasted some nuts separately until they crackled.

The kitchen gradually filled with comforting smells of warm oats, sweet honey, toasted nuts. Other servants stopped to watch, curious. Even the head cook peeked over a few times. Alma worked beside me quietly, handing me ingredients without being asked.

“His Majesty has never had anyone cook for him before,” she said innocently at one point.

I paused, surprised. “Really?”

She nodded. “The other women never stayed long enough. Most hated him. Some… disappeared. Others left the first chance they got.”

I grew thoughtful as I stirred. Lucian had built walls so high that no one had ever tried to reach past them. Not like this.

We finished just as the noon bells rang outside. I packed the warm oatmeal into baskets with fresh bread and sliced fruit, careful not to spill anything. My hands felt steady, but my stomach fluttered with nerves.

Alma smiled at me as I picked up the basket. “He’s going to love it.”

I tried not to smile back, but I failed. A small, hopeful feeling bloomed in my chest anyway. I adjusted the basket in my arms and headed toward the packhouse.