The Feral King's Assassin Bride

Episode3

AELIRA

My mouth hung opened. The beast that occupied the entire bed was enormous.

Black fur. Dense and dark like starless sky.

"The gods of Eirakh!"

The blade still in my hands, I stepped back from the bed— my own beast knocking against my ribs like it couldn't decide whether to submit or fight, restless and uncertain.

The amber eyes stared at me for a while.

Then it moved faster and swatted the knife away from my hand. The sound of it on the stone floor was swallowed by a growl that shook the walls. The people or even the guards positioned outside must have knew what happened as it became eerily silent.

I didn't move a bit. I was not scared. It hovered around me and then pinned me into wall beside a chair. Its paw large enough that it almost swallowed my whole body.

The feral beast of the king. The weight of its presence was different from Emrys's aura in human form.

It ought to have torn me into pieces after seeing me as a threat. But it didn't.

My breathing became heavy and i struggled to get out of it. To escape it and grab the blade before plunging deep into anywhere my hand land me into. But it kept pullin me back into the wall and stood over me—bent down and sniffed my neck like it was trying to identify something. Then it licked my neck. Once. Twice. Then up to my jaw, with the sound i might have mistaken as a purr.

"We are close to achieveing our goals." Lord Braylen's words eechoed in my ear.

And here i was, caught and about to die.

Then the beast stepped back, shift reversing—and Emrys stood where it had been.

He stared at me with an anger—confusion? And he released me and stepped back.

>

>

"Sit down." He said flatly.

I didn't sit. My eyes went to the blade on the floor. Four steps from me. Three from him. My mind was already running calculations.

"Do not." His voice was quiet, dangerous. "Do not try to make that move or I will be the one shoving that blade into your heart before you even got the chance to take a second step. And unlike you, I will not miss." He glared at me, his eyes roaming briefly at my body.

I looked at him. "You seem very confident for a man who almost had a silver ashveil blade to heart."

"You seem very bold for a woman currently unarmed in my chambers."

I held his gaze and he held mine.

"You killed my sister," I said. My voice came out quieter than I intended.

His eyes narrowed. "Your sister."

"Morwyn. Of the Draveth. You ordered her death."

He looked at me for a long moment. Something moved in his expression that was not guilt.

"I will need you to be more specific," he said. "I have killed many Eirakh. In war. In feral episodes. The name means nothing to me without more."

The casualness of it moved through me like a blade.

"So she means nothing to you," I said softly. "That is your answer."

"I did not say that."

"You said you have killed so many you cannot keep count. My sister is somewhere in that number and you cannot even place her name." I took one step toward him and watched his eyes track the movement with sharp attention. "How many people have you erased, High King? How many families? How many names that meant everything to someone and nothing to you?"

Somethig in his jaw tighteend.

"You do not know what you're talking about." He said quietly.

"Then tell me I am wrong," I said. "Tell me you did not order the Draveth household erased. Tell me Morwyn of Draveth did not die on your word."

He said nothing.

The silence was the answer. Tears pooled aroud my eyes and intended to not let it slip.

"I will return to my chambers," I said. "Kill me when morning comes if you intend to. But know this." I held his gaze one last time. "You will go down by my hand. Whether it is tonight or centuries from tonight. I am not afraid of you and I do not intend to stop."

I turned toward the connecting door.

"Aelira." He called gently.

My name in his mouth stopped me. He knew me. Knew who i am.

I didn't turn around.

"Sleep," he said. "You will need it."

I went back to my chamber.

I did not sleep. It was to arrange my other plan.

To poison him at the evening meal.

>

He didn't kill me in the morning either. No guards came in the night. No summons. No formal accusation before the council. I just woke up to the particular silent of a palace that had not been informed anything was wrong.

A servant brought food. Told me with carefulness that i was welcomed to move freely around the east and west wings of the palace. And that the king's general, Kael would be available should i require anything.

"Where is the King?" I asked her.

She went still for a second. "He is occupied with court matters, my lady. He will not return until the evening meal." She answered and bowed, before taking herself out of my chambers like talking about him was sacred.

"Why hasn't he killed me yet?" I murmured to myself.

Emrys knew i had come to kill him. He had my confession, did nothing and now, he's allowing me through his palace freely.

Why?

I set both question and food aside and began building a new plan. He better not let his guard down cause I had plan to poison his evening meal.

Lord Braylen must not know about what had happened. But I need to make sure the mission isn't prolonged than it needed to.

>

Vorkasteel was dark stone, high ceilings, corridors, rooms that felt designed for function rather than comfort. The staff moved through it with the quiet efficiency.

I was still looking around, dressed in my regal dress—maids and sentinels bowing with respect before me—when someone walked directly into my back.

"Oh! Sorry, I was — oh."

I turned.

Beta-ranked. I could tell from the particular weight of her beast, present but not dominant, comfortable in its own skin. She was shorter than me, dark-eyed.

She looked at me like I was the most fascinating thing she had encountered all week.

"You're her," she said. "The king's new—you're her, right?"

"Yes," I said. "What?"

She stared for another moment and then extended her hand with the cherrful confidence. "My name is Sira," she said. "I work in the east records hall. Also I am going to be your friend."

Excuse me? I looked at her hand.

"I did not agree to that."

"You will," Entirely unbothered. "Everyone does eventually. I'm very...persistent."

From somewhere behind her, a small, anxious looking omega materialized as if from the wall itself. Slight, wide eyed.

"That's pip," Sira said without looking back. "He follows me. Do not worry about him."

I nearly rolled my eyes. "I prefer not to be followed." I said.

"Pip," Said Sira, "She prefers not to be followed."

"Noted," Pip replied, and still stayed exactly where he was.

I looked at them. I don't want any companions that would result into not making this mission a sucessful one for me. But then, if I should succeed in any new plan, i might as well need people around.

I turned away.

"The east records hall," I said. "Where is that."

Sira's face lit up. "I'll show you."

....................................................................................................................................................................

We had barely made it to the next corridor when I saw him at the corridor outside. He was moving in the opposite direction with ease like he owned every corridor. He slowed down when he saw me.

His eyes moved over me, to Sira—who stood still, then back to me.

"What have you been doing?" He asked, his voice low. Like nothing happened btween us last night. What was he plannig.

"I went to the records hall. Exploring."

His eyes narrowed to me. "On your second day?" He looked at me with those gold eyes and i looked back and did not flinch.

"Yes, High King. Do you have a problem with that?"

His gold eyes held mine steadily. "What were you looking for?"

"Nothing specific."

"And did you find nothing specific?"

The question landed differently than it should have.

"I found it very well organised," I said. "Mostly."

Something shifted at the corner of his mouth.

"I will not explain myself further, High King," I said. "I am your woman by law. I am allowed to walk through your palace."

"You are," he said. "I did not say otherwise." He looked at me for one more moment "You will be present at the evening meal."

"Of course, I will be present," I said. "Will you? Or will you spend it reading documents and pretending the rest of us do not exist?"

The corridor went very quiet.

Beside me Sira had stopped breathing.

Emrys looked at me.

"I do not pretend," he said quietly. "I just prioritise."

"And your new wife does not make the list."

"My new wife," he said, equally quiet, and bent to whisper in my ear, "tried to kill me last night. You will forgive me if the seating arrangement is the least of my concerns."

Then he walked past me.

I turned to watch him go. I couldn't help it and found that his pace had not changed. Unhurried.

Then Sira appeared from around the corner.

"Was that—" She pointed in the direction Emrys had gone, eyes wide.

"Yes," I said. "What?"

"And he just let you talk and glare to him like that? Gods of Eirenmoor! Who are you?"

Sira frowned at me but i could see the exictement on her face.

"His woman?"

She stared. "Most people can't even hold eye contact with him for more than three seconds."

I am not most people.

"By the way, I don't know your name yet, My lady?"

"Aelira."

"Aelira," she nodded with a soft smile. "Beautiful."

I didn't bother to listen to her.

I was thinking about the date in the document i had encounterd in the records hall that didn't align with Lord Braylen's story.

And the way he had looked at me.

And the fact that my hands had stopped trembling, and it was not when I left the records hall, but when he had spoken to me in the corridor like he was the medicine i needed to feel well.