INVISIBLE CHAINS
1388 Words
ELYSIA’S POV
The room felt colder after he left. Not in a physical sense; the fire still crackled in the hearth, warm and steady. But something had shifted when the door closed behind him.
The air felt heavier, emptier.
I sat on the edge of the bed, gripping the furs, trying to steady my breathing as I stared at the closed door, as if it might open again at any moment.
But it didn’t.
He was here. The Alpha King was here—Alpha King Rhaegar. He had caught me just as I was about to collapse.
My chest tightened at the memory.
His hands were strong, yet they had been so careful, so steady. But his eyes… His eyes were something else entirely.
They weren't cold or angry. But something raw. Something I couldn’t name.
I remembered how his eyes had flickered gold for just a second when I said his name.
Why did he look at me like that?
My wolf stirred, her voice quiet. He knows.
“Knows what?”
Us.
I shook my head, pushing the thought away. That didn’t make sense. He couldn’t know me. We had never met before—except for his scent.
That scent: pine and smoke, with something sharp and clean. I recognised it; I'd smelled it before.
But where?
The memory was just out of reach, like something I had buried and couldn’t quite dig up. I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to slow my racing heart and think, but the throbbing in my head made it impossible.
Why did he save me?
He was the Alpha King, the most powerful wolf alive. He didn’t need to save anyone—least of all someone like me.
So why did he?
The door opened suddenly, and I flinched.
Two servants entered—one older, one younger. The younger one carried a tray of food, and the older one held a basket of clean linens. They didn’t look at me at first, just moved around the room as if I weren’t there.
“Excuse me,” I said quietly, my voice still hoarse. “I…”
“You shouldn’t be sitting up,” the older woman said, her tone clipped. “You’re still recovering.”
“I feel fine…”
“You don’t look fine.” She set the basket down on the table near the window, her movements sharp and efficient. “Lie down. We’ll change your bandages.”
I hesitated, then did as she said, lying back against the pillows.
The younger servant set the tray on the bedside table, her eyes flicking toward me briefly before looking away.
“Is there anything you need?” she asked, her voice flat.
“No. Thank you.”
She didn’t respond, just nodded and stepped back.
The older woman moved to the bed, quickly unwrapping the bandages around my ribs with practiced hands. She didn’t speak or look at my face, she just worked in silence.
I wanted to ask her questions. I wanted to know where I was exactly in the castle, what was expected of me, and how long I would be here. But something in her expression told me not to.
The younger servant leaned closer to the older one, her voice low but not quite a whisper. “Is she the one they’re talking about?”
The older woman’s hands paused for just a second. “Yes.”
“The one who tried to seduce the Alpha’s son?”
My stomach dropped.
“That’s what they say,” the older woman replied in a flat tone. “Banished for it, apparently. Thrown out like trash.”
The younger one glanced at me, her eyes cold. “And now she’s here, in the west wing. The Alpha King’s guest chambers.”
“Mmm.” The older woman resumed wrapping the fresh bandages, her movements rougher now. “Strange, isn’t it?”
“Very strange.”
I wanted to say something. I wanted to defend myself. But what was the point? They’d already decided who I was, just like everyone else.
The older woman finished and stepped back, wiping her hands on her apron. “You should eat,” she said, nodding toward the tray. “You’ll need your strength.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
She didn’t respond.
Both of them turned and left without another word, the door closing softly behind them. I sat there for a long moment, staring at the tray of food—bread, cheese, and some kind of stew. I wasn’t hungry.
My chest felt tight, and my throat burned with unshed tears. They think I’m here to seduce him. They think I’m trying to manipulate the Alpha King, just like they believed I tried to manipulate and seduce Killian.
I pressed a hand to my mouth, trying to hold back the sob that wanted to escape. It doesn’t matter what I say. It doesn’t matter what I do. The lie will follow me everywhere.
My wolf whimpered softly. *We didn’t do anything wrong.*
“I know.”
*Then why do they hate us?*
“Because it’s easier to believe the lie.”
I forced myself to stand, my legs shaking slightly, and moved to the window. The view was breathtaking—endless forest stretching out in every direction, trees thick and dark, mountains rising in the distance. But all I could think about was how far I was from anything familiar and how alone I felt.
If they decide I don’t belong here, they’ll throw me out. And next time, no one will save me. The thought settled in my chest like a stone. I had ninety-nine days…ninety-nine days to prove I wasn’t a threat, that I wasn’t trying to seduce anyone, that I could be useful. Ninety-nine days before I was thrown back into the Wildlands to die.
I have to survive this.
I turned away from the window and moved back to the bed, sinking down onto the edge. My body ached; my mind was exhausted. But I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t feel safe. Not really. Not when everyone here already thought the worst of me.
Hours passed. The fire burned low, and the castle settled into silence. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind too restless to shut down. And then I smelled it—faint, so faint I almost missed it. But there it was…smoke, pine, that sharp, earthy scent that made my wolf stir. His scent.
I sat up slowly, my heart pounding. It was coming from just outside the door. I slipped out of bed, wincing at the pain in my ribs. My bare feet were silent against the cold stone as I moved toward the door. I pressed my ear against the wood, holding my breath. Nothing. No sound, no movement. But the scent was stronger here.
He’s outside.
My hand moved to the handle, my fingers trembling. Is he out there? Why isn’t he coming in? I waited, my pulse racing, my chest tight. But nothing happened.
After a long moment, I pulled the door open slowly, just a crack. The corridor was empty. I stepped out, looking left, then right. No one. No scent now. No presence. Just silence.
I stood there for a moment, confused, my heart still pounding. Was he really here? Or did I imagine it? My wolf stirred, restless. He was here.
“Then why didn’t he come in?”
She didn’t answer.
I stepped back into the room and closed the door, leaning against it. My chest felt tight; my throat burned. The question sat heavy in my mind, unanswered and unsettling. He’d been there. I knew he had. But he had left—without a word, without a sound.
Why does that hurt?
I shouldn’t care. I barely knew him. He was cold, distant, and terrifying. But something about the idea that he’d stood outside my door and chosen not to enter stung more than it should have. Did he hear the rumours?
I moved back to the bed, pulling the furs around me as I stared at the dying fire. Why didn’t he come in? And why does it feel like rejection when he didn’t even owe me anything?
I closed my eyes, trying to push the thoughts away.
- Writer
