The King's Price
779 Words
The adrenaline that had sustained me on the cliffside evaporated the moment we stepped back inside the Citadel’s heavy obsidian doors. My legs turned to water, and if it weren't for Ryker’s arm anchored firmly around my waist, I would have hit the floor.
"Easy, little sun," he murmured. His voice was no longer the roar of a King; it was a low, vibrating hum that seemed to soothe the frantic beating of my heart.
He didn't take me back to my room. Instead, he led me to his private study—a room that smelled deeply of old parchment, cedar, and the dark, intoxicating scent of the man himself. He sat me down in a plush leather chair by the fireplace and, to my shock, knelt before me to unlace my silk slippers.
"You're shaking," he observed, his large hands steady as they massaged the tension out of my arches.
"He looked at me like I was a prize," I whispered, staring into the dancing flames. "Not a person. Not even a wolf. Just... a weapon he lost."
Ryker looked up, his violet eyes dark and unreadable. "That is the curse of the Solaris line, Elara. To those who are weak, you are a threat. To those who are greedy, you are a tool. Very few will ever look at you and see the girl who just wants to be whole."
"And you?" I challenged, my pulse quickening as his thumb traced the sensitive skin of my ankle. "What do you see, Ryker? You offered me an army. You offered me revenge. What is your price?"
Ryker went still. Slowly, he rose to his full, intimidating height, looming over me. The firelight cast long, flickering shadows across his sharp features.
"My pack is dying, Elara," he said, his voice dropping to a gravelly honesty. "The Night-Star line was cursed a century ago by a dying seer. We are tied to the shadows. We are strong in the dark, but we are fading. Our females are becoming barren. Our sun is setting."
He stepped closer, invading my space until I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze.
"The Solaris blood is the only thing that can break the curse. You are the literal light we need to survive. My price is simple: stay. Be my Queen. Give my people a future."
"You want me for my blood," I said, a pang of disappointment sharp in my chest. Just like Killian.
"No," Ryker hissed, his hand flying to the back of my chair, pinning me in. "Killian wanted you for what you could do for him. I want you because the moment I saw you in that forest, my wolf didn't see a battery. He saw his equal. He saw the only woman in this world who wouldn't be incinerated by the darkness I carry."
He leaned down, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear, sending a trail of fire down my spine that was far more dangerous than my solar power.
"I don't just want your blood, Elara. I want your loyalty. I want your trust. And when you are ready... I want the heart that Killian was too stupid to keep."
Before I could respond, a sharp knock echoed through the room. One of Ryker’s sentinels entered, looking pale.
"Alpha King," the guard said, bowing low. "A messenger arrived at the gate. Not from the Blood-Moon... but from the Council of Elders."
Ryker’s jaw tightened. The Council was the only body that stood above the Alphas. They enforced the laws of the Goddess.
"What do they want?" Ryker demanded.
"They have heard rumors of a 'Golden Wolf' appearing in the North," the guard swallowed hard. "They are demanding a Trial of Purity. They say if Elara cannot prove she is not a 'Dark Abomination,' she is to be executed by the silver flame."
My heart stopped. The "Golden Wolf" wasn't just a legend to them; it was a threat to their balance of power.
Ryker turned back to me, his eyes blazing with a protective fury. "They won't touch you. I’ll burn the Council chamber to the ground before I let them lay a finger on you."
"No," I said, standing up, my own light beginning to flicker with a new, cold determination. "If they want a trial, let them have it. I’m tired of hiding and I'm tired of running. If I have to prove I’m a Goddess to stay alive, then I’ll give them a show they’ll never forget."
- Writer
