The King and The Maid

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Cali’s POV

The door slammed open, rattling the walls. Heavy boots pounded against the clinic floor before I even saw his face. My stomach dropped—there was only one man who moved like that.

Ivan.

When he finally appeared, his eyes were slanted with fury, his mouth twisted as if he’d just swallowed fire. The sight of him sent a cold shiver racing through me.

“Ivan,” I whispered, shock slicing through my voice. “What are you doing here?”

He stalked forward, the bright lights of the clinic making the sharp angles of his face look crueler. A hulking guard trailed behind him but made no move to stop him. Ivan’s chest heaved like a caged beast, and I realized I had just lit the fuse on a bomb.

“What am I doing here?” he spat, his words dripping acid. “What in the gods’ hell are you doing here?” His finger jabbed toward me like a dagger. “I guess the wasted time I spent searching for you is inconsequential? Poor Ivan, nothing better to do but babysit a bunch of low-grade, ungrateful imbeciles.”

I stayed silent. There was no reasoning with him when he was like this. Willow growled in the back of my mind, urging me to bare my teeth, to fight—but my body was too weak. Any word from me would only stoke his rage.

“You have nothing to say for yourself, I see? Of course not. You’re pathetic.” He sneered.

The next moment, he was on me. Ivan ripped back the covers and yanked me from the bed by my arm. Pain shot through my shoulder as my knees buckled beneath me.

“Stand, you i***t!” he barked, jerking me so hard fire spread up my tendons.

“I’m trying!” I gasped, my legs trembling. “Let go of me! I need to lay back down!”

“Oh no, you don’t. You’re coming with me, even if I have to drag you.”

The scuffle must have alerted the doctor, because suddenly Sam appeared, bracing my other side.

“She needs to get back to bed,” Sam insisted, steady but firm. “She’s far too weak to be moved.”

Ivan’s grip only tightened. “I don’t care what you think she needs. She’s my responsibility. She’s property. And property doesn’t get pampered with doctors and medicine.”

The word property stabbed through me like a knife. My wolf snarled, but I could barely keep upright, much less fight him off.

“I think you might be mistaken about whose property she is.”

The voice came low, edged with steel. Harland.

He stepped into the room, his eyes flickering from green to pitch black, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles whitened. The raw power rolling off him made the air vibrate.

Ivan froze, though his hand still clamped my arm. “Prince Harland,” he stammered. Fear cracked through his voice.

“She belongs in that hospital bed,” Harland growled, “where I put her. Now, kindly remove your hands from my mate.”

The word hit me like a thunderclap. Mate. It pulsed through me, vibrating in my bones, burning in my veins. Even Ivan flinched, his face blanching at the sacred claim.

Harland’s roar shook the floor beneath my unsteady feet. Ivan released me so fast I nearly collapsed. Sam caught me, but Harland was already there, sweeping in to steady me, his hands gentle, his touch the opposite of Ivan’s cruelty. He tucked me back beneath the blankets, checking every bruise, every line of pain on my body before turning his gaze back to Ivan with lethal intensity.

“You… did you just say mate?” Ivan’s jaw dropped.

Harland’s voice was sharp as a blade. “No, you heard me correctly. Calianna is my mate, and I fully accept her. She is not property. She is not a maid. She is your future Luna—and you will show her respect. My crowning ceremony is in five minutes. If you want to keep your skin intact, I suggest you disappear before Theo rips you apart.”

I had never seen Ivan move so fast. One blink, and he was gone.

Harland leaned down and kissed my forehead, his lips warm, steadying. “Is that what you’ve endured all this time?” he asked softly.

“That,” I whispered, “and worse.”

He pressed his forehead against mine, and to my shock, a tear slid onto my cheek—his, not mine. A king wasn’t supposed to cry, but for me, he did.

“I am so sorry,” he breathed. “Please know I’ll spend every day making it up to you. I knew about the slaves… but the cruelty I just saw—I swear to you, I didn’t know. I’ll never be like him.”

My throat ached as I wrapped weak arms around him, stroking his back. “I don’t blame you, Harland. I only ask that you don’t repeat his mistakes.”

I wanted to stay like that forever, but duty clawed him away. “Harland, you need to go. The king can’t miss his own crowning ceremony.”

He let out a small laugh, brushing my cheek. “What have I done all these years without you?”

I kissed his cheek. “I just wish I could be there. Even if I was only serving.”

His eyes softened with regret. “I wish you could too. But after what just happened—you’re not strong enough. You need to rest. But…” He paused, lips curling in a smile. “I can have Seth bring his phone so you can watch the livestream.”

Hope lifted my chest. “That would be perfect. Thank you.”

Seth arrived within moments, setting up the stream at my bedside. The feed hadn’t started yet, but I clutched the device like it was a lifeline. Harland had barely left, and I already missed him.

⸻

Harland’s POV

I rushed out of the clinic with no time to waste, though leaving her sick and shaken twisted my gut. Seth was with her. I trusted him. He’d been the one to alert me to Ivan in the first place.

Theo raged in the back of my head, snarling for blood. He filled my mind with images of ripping Ivan limb from limb.

“As much as I’d love that,” I muttered under my breath, “we can’t scare Cali off before she’s even gotten to know us.”

Theo grumbled but retreated. My father’s mental voice pinged through a mindlink for the third time, sharp with impatience. If I didn’t get downstairs soon, I’d be the one punished.

The royal robes were heavy across my shoulders, lined with fur and tradition. My stomach churned, nerves gnawing at me—until Theo reminded me of Cali. Her face. Her strength. Her resilience. I straightened my spine. This wasn’t just about ruling. This was about showing her things could be different. That a king didn’t have to be cruel.

The dining hall erupted as I entered. Conversations died, cameras flashed, reporters surged forward for the perfect shot. I forced a smile, but not for them. For her. My little maid, watching from her hospital bed.

⸻

Cali’s POV

The livestream blinked on, and suddenly I was looking into the grand dining hall. Silver and gold drapery cascaded behind the stage, a gilded throne gleaming at its center. King Patton stood off to the side, his robes glinting under the lights. At the center stood the court elder, robed in white, as solemn as a human archbishop.

Then Harland appeared. My heart leapt into my throat.

He moved with grace, the gold carpet glowing beneath him. Cameras swiveled, catching every angle, and when he smiled directly into one of them, heat rushed to my cheeks. I knew that smile was for me.

“Good evening,” King Patton began, his voice booming through the hall. “It has been an honor to serve as your king for thirty years. But the time has come for new blood. My son is prepared, as I was, and as my father before me. I ask for your support as I pass the crown to him.”

I leaned forward as Harland knelt before the elder. His father lowered the crown onto his head, sealing him as Alpha King Harland Ortiz of the Western Territories. The crowd bowed, wave after wave of bodies in reverence.

My chest swelled with pride, even as tears pricked my eyes. I wished I was there beside him, not watching from afar.

Harland’s voice rang clear and steady. “I promise to serve you with respect, kindness, and understanding. I will strive to be worthy of your trust. And I will not rule alone. I am honored to announce I have found my mate, the woman chosen for me by the goddess herself. She will stand by me as your Luna.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd. My pulse thundered.

A maid turned queen.

And there was no going back now.