5
1020 Words
|| Author POV ||
The moonlight was brighter than usual. Its soft blue light spilled across the vast bedroom. Kael blindly entered his bedroom with his mate in his arms.
Reaching the bed, he laid her down on the soft mattress. Liana’s fingers which were instinctively clutching his satin shirt loosened slightly.
Kael’s eyes roamed on her face. She had a delicate sweet face. Her skin was smudged with dust and dried mud. Judging by her condition, anyone could say she hadn’t taken a bath for days.
But still she smelled impossibly addictive.
Kael straightened his posture, forcing himself not to look, not to care.
But his teeth clenched. If he wanted, he could have placed her in another room. Then why had he brought her here?
He shouldn’t have.
His blood boiled in anger. The mate bond between them was ruining his mind.
A sudden knock on the heavy door pulled Kael’s attention away from his mate.
“Y-your majesty...” His eyes flicked toward the source of the voice.
A woman stood at the doorway. The moment Kael’s gaze fell on her, she lowered her head in immediate deference.
“You summoned me, your majesty?” she asked in a low voice. He had mind-linked a guard to bring a maid.
“Escort her to the maid’s quarters. Once she wakes up, tell her to join you with work. She is a new maid.” he rasped out in a deep dizzy tone.
He wasn’t satisfied with his own words.
The woman nodded respectfully. She stepped inside carefully, moving toward the girl lying on the bed. Her eyes widened in surprise.
The king had never allowed anyone into his bedroom besides the maids and here this girl was lying on his bed.
Swallowing hard, she reached for Liana’s hand and gently tugged her closer.
Liana was limp but so light that lifting her from the mattress felt almost effortless. The maid exhaled softly, noting how frail the girl was. It was clear she hadn’t eaten in days.
She carefully draped Liana’s arm over her shoulder.
Kael’s wolf howled at the sight of their mate being carried away. He clenched his jaw.
Did he do it right?
What if something happens to her again? What if someone tries to take advantage of her weakness again.
“Stop!” Kael snapped suddenly and the woman froze, turning toward him immediately.
“Y-yes, your majesty.” she stammered.
“Don’t let any man touch her! And if anyone lays a hand on her, you know what happens!” his pupils dilated making the woman shiver in fear.
Everyone knows what happens when someone disobeys him. Even last week, a maid had faced his brutal wrath for being careless with his warm bath water.
The maid immediately nodded with knitted brows. Because he wasn’t egoistic or rude this time, he was sounding very possessive. It was shocking.
She bowed slightly before walking further.
Kael’s storm-grey eyes lifted toward the bed where she lay earlier. Why the f**k does he care?
He should have let that bastard prey on her. But why couldn’t he?
He was behaving differently. He was reacting to something forbidden.
He can’t have a mate.
A beast like him doesn’t deserve a mate, that’s all he knows.
He questioned himself. Why had he gone to protect her in the first place? Was it the possessiveness of his wolves or was it him, himself?
The only reason he had ordered her to join the maid’s work was for her own safety.
After seeing the state she was in and the way he himself reacted, he couldn’t leave her in that dark cell any longer. If she stayed out of trouble, then maybe he would be spared from it too.
‘No, I wasn’t worried. I only made her a maid because I’m short on staff.’
‘Seriously?’ his wolf taunted him in his mind.
‘I just needed another maid, nothing else.’
‘Pathetic excuse.’ his wolf sneered.
‘f*****g SHUT UP!’ Kael yelled abruptly in annoyance.
Suddenly Kael turned his head at the doorway. The maid was just about to cross the threshold. A strange hunger filled his senses.
“Stop!”
-----
Liana stirred when the morning light warmed her face. Her lashes fluttered before her eyes opened fully.
She sucked in a sharp breath as pain shot up from her feet. Her bright green eyes dulled when she noticed the changes of the surrounding. The ceiling wasn’t the filthy stone ceiling of the cell.
Liana gulped hard when her palm sank into the mattress. Soft sheets. Clean fabric. Nothing like the rough, filthy bedding she was used to.
She pushed herself upright instantly. Tears gathered as she stared around the unfamiliar room. Last night crashed back into her mind in painful fragments. Her skull throbbed. She remembered that man trying to force her. But why couldn’t she remember anything after that?
Then she glanced down
A fresh wave of tears spilled when she realized her state. She had no clothes on. Only the sheet wrapped around her naked body.
Her chest tightened. Her mind raced to the worst conclusion. She shivered violently. Her own naked state and the soreness in her legs twisted everything in her head, convincing something terrible had happened to her while she was unconscious.
“Hey, hey, why are you crying?”
Liana flinched at the soft worried voice. She lifted her tear-streaked eyes to see a woman enter the room. She looked to be in her mid-twenties–the same maid from last night.
The woman hurried to Liana’s side and gently placed a hand on her head. The girl flinched at the touch.
“Hey, you’re fine. Don’t be scared. Don’t cry. Calm down.” the maid tried to soothe her.
Liana clutched the sheet over her body tighter and sobbed harder. The maid quickly understood why.
“Calm down. Nothing bad happened to you while you were unconscious.” she said urgently. Liana let out a shaky breath at her words.
“Why am I not wearing any clothes?”
- Writer
