The Arrow
1152 Words
Chapter 2
The string of the bow tightened.
The hooded figure smiled beneath the shadows of his cloak.
No one was watching him or even noticed him as every eye in the execution square was fixed on the impossible scene unfolding on the platform.
The kingdom's most feared executioner had refused to carry out the King's sentence.
There would never be a better opportunity.
The arrow flew.
"Look out!"
Rhyven moved before the warning had even finished leaving his lips. His instincts took over and he lunged forward, wrapping one arm around Vespera's waist and dragging her off the execution block just as the poisoned arrow sliced through the air.
Thunk!
It buried itself deep into the wooden platform where her neck had rested only a heartbeat earlier.
The crowd screamed.
"What was that?"
"An assassin!"
"Protect His Majesty!"
Royal guards immediately surrounded the King while panic spread through the square.
Rhyven's storm–gray eyes darkened. He stared at the arrow.
Its tip shimmered with an eerie green poison.
Whoever fired it hadn't been trying to kill the King.
They had been aiming for...
Vespera.
Someone wanted her dead.
Not executed.
Silenced.
"Find the archer!" Commander Garrick roared.
Hundreds of soldiers charged into the crowd.
People shoved each other aside in terror. Children cried. Merchants abandoned their carts.
Within seconds, the orderly execution square became complete chaos.
Hidden beneath the hood, the assassin slipped into the panicked crowd without anyone noticing.
By the time soldiers reached the rooftop where he had stood he was already gone.
Vespera remained frozen.
She had barely processed the mate bond before death had come for her again.
Rhyven was still holding her.
His grip was firm.
Protective.
He frowned.
Why had his body reacted before his mind?
Why had every instinct screamed to shield her?
He released her almost immediately, taking a deliberate step back.
His face returned to its usual cold expression.
But inside his wolf refused to calm down.
Protect her.
She's ours.
He hated how loudly the beast repeated those words.
From the royal balcony, King Oberon Dreadmoor slowly stood.
Silence spread through the square once more.
His presence alone was enough to command attention.
Tall despite his age, his silver hair reflected decades of authority.
His crimson cloak flowed behind him as he descended the marble stairs toward the platform.
Every guard knelt.
Every noble bowed.
Even Rhyven lowered his head.
Only Vespera remained standing.
She had forgotten what respect for the throne felt like after ages.
The King stopped only a few feet away. His icy gaze moved from the poisoned arrow to Vespera then finally to Rhyven.
"Explain."
One word.
Nothing more.
Rhyven answered without hesitation.
"The execution cannot continue."
"Why?"
"My wolf has recognized her."
The King's expression hardened.
"As?"
Rhyven's jaw tightened.
"My mate."
The square erupted again.
"What?"
"The executioner's mate?"
"Impossible!"
"She's a condemned criminal!"
The nobles whispered frantically among themselves.
Never in the kingdom's history had an Alpha found his mate on an execution platform. It sounded like a cruel joke played by the Moon Goddess herself.
The King's eyes shifted toward Vespera.
"Is this true?"
She swallowed.
Every pair of eyes was on her.
She nodded once.
"I... felt it too."
Disgust spread across the faces of the nobles.
Some looked horrified.
Others looked furious.
One elderly lord stepped forward.
"Your Majesty! The mate bond changes nothing! She's still guilty of murdering the Crown Prince!"
Several others immediately agreed.
"Execute her!"
"Justice must be served!"
"The Moon Goddess wouldn't choose a murderer!"
Rhyven's wolf snarled inside him. His fingers twitched toward the sword planted in the platform.
The King raised one hand and silence returned instantly.
He walked toward the poisoned arrow embedded in the wood. With surprising strength, he pulled it free.
His sharp eyes studied the venom coating its tip.
"This poison..."
He looked toward Commander Garrick.
"It wasn't meant for me."
"No, Your Majesty."
"It was aimed at the prisoner."
"Yes, sire."
The King's face grew unreadable.
"If she were already about to die..."
He turned the arrow between his fingers.
"...why would anyone risk exposing themselves to murder her before the execution?"
No one answered.
Because no one had an answer.
Vespera stared at the King.
For the first time in three years, someone had asked the right question.
If she was guilty...
Why was someone so desperate to make sure she never spoke again?
The King's voice echoed through the square.
"Rhyven Blackthorn."
"My King."
"I am granting you thirty days."
A ripple of confusion spread through the crowd.
"Within those thirty days, you will investigate this matter yourself."
Gasps erupted from every direction.
"If the woman is innocent..."
The King paused.
"...you will bring me proof."
"And if I fail?" Rhyven asked.
The King's gaze became colder than ice.
"Then on the thirtieth day..."
"...you will personally remove her head."
The words struck Vespera like a blade.
Thirty days.
Only thirty days stood between her and death.
The chains around her wrists were unlocked. Everyone watched in stunned silence.
The guards stepped back.
She was free...
Yet not truly free.
King Oberon looked at Rhyven.
"Until the investigation is complete the prisoner belongs to you."
Rhyven nodded once.
"I understand."
"Do not mistake this for mercy."
"I won't."
"If she attempts to escape..."
"I will stop her."
"If she is proven guilty..."
"I will carry out the execution myself."
The King studied him for several long seconds before turning away.
"Court dismissed."
The execution square slowly emptied. The disappointed crowd cursed as they left.
While esome shouted insults at Vespera, others glared at Rhyven for betraying his duty.
Within minutes, only a handful of guards remained.
Vespera looked down at her wrists. For the first time in three years, the execution chains were gone.
She should have felt relieved but instead what she felt was something far worse.
Fear.
Because the man standing beside her wasn't just the kingdom's executioner anymore.
He was her mate.
A mate who still believed she might be a murderer.
Rhyven pulled a new pair of black iron restraints from his belt. Unlike the execution chains, these were lighter—but no less secure.
He fastened one around her wrist and the other around his own. A chain only two feet long connected them.
Vespera looked up at him in disbelief.
"What is this?"
His expression remained unreadable.
"You are no longer the kingdom's prisoner."
She almost smiled.
Until he finished.
"You are mine."
Before she could respond, a royal messenger came running across the courtyard, his face pale with panic.
He dropped to one knee before Rhyven.
"My Lord..."
Rhyven frowned.
"What is it?"
The messenger struggled to catch his breath.
"The prison records that they have been burned."
"And..."
His voice shook.
"...every guard who watched Lady Vespera on the night the Crown Prince supposedly died has been found dead."
- Writer
