Cursed By Darkness, Saved To love

Chapter 5 – Bound by a Voice

ELERA POV

Mate

That was the word I heard. The other voice. It was darker, heavier, and somehow stronger. But in my dream, it called me mate.

I woke up suddenly, my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might break out of my chest. Sweat covered my forehead, my breathing uneven. The word echoed in my head again and again.

Did he just call me mate?

I sat up on the bed, confused and scared. My mind couldn’t settle. Why would Kealen, or whatever spirit was inside him, call me mate? I didn’t even know him. I had only just met him. Who was he really, and why was this happening to me?

I kept turning the thought over until a sound broke my chain of worry. A rooster was crowing somewhere outside the palace walls.

I turned to the window. Morning had arrived. I whispered a quick prayer to the Moon Goddess, asking for strength, protection, and maybe a little clarity, then stood up from the bed.

The same dress I wore the day before was folded on a chair. I put it on again, smoothing the wrinkles with my hands. The fabric still smelled faintly of forest dirt and smoke, but it was all I had.

I stepped out of the room and started walking through the passage Adrian had brought me down the night before. I didn’t even know where I was going, but my legs carried me forward.

After what felt like forever, I reached a wide chamber, more like a hall. Voices murmured beyond the door.

When I approached, two palace guards stepped forward, their spears crossed in front of me.

“Do you have an invitation?” one of them asked firmly.

The question caught me off guard. I wasn’t planning to go inside, not at first. But something inside me, a strange push, made me answer. “No, I don’t have an invitation. But I need to go in. Just… look inside, please.”

The guards exchanged glances. One of them started to push me away.

Before I could protest further, Adrian appeared. His face tightened when he saw me.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said sharply. “We’re in the middle of a meeting. You’ll have to leave.”

I didn’t move. I didn’t even answer him. Something inside me told me I needed to be there.

Then it happened.

Kealen appeared.

He didn’t speak. He just looked at me, his expression unreadable, then gave a small nod.

Immediately, the guards stepped aside.

I swallowed hard and walked past them, entering the hall.

The room was large, filled with elders, advisers, and men of power. Their voices fell quiet when I entered. I felt their eyes on me—some shocked, some disapproving, some simply curious.

What is she doing here? I could almost hear their thoughts.

But I didn’t care. I hadn’t come for them. I had come for Kealen. I needed answers.

I slipped into a chair at the side of the hall. My fingers twisted together nervously, but I forced myself to stay. Patient. Calm. I would wait until the meeting was over.

The discussion dragged on, words I couldn’t fully follow about borders, rogues, and alliances. Through it all, Kealen remained silent. Not one word left his lips. He only used hand signs with Adrian, who spoke for him.

So the stories were true. The Lycan king hadn’t spoken in years.

The meeting ended after what felt like hours. The elders rose, gathering their robes, still giving me suspicious looks as they left.

When most had gone, I stood and walked straight toward Kealen.

Adrian quickly stepped in front of me. “You can’t just approach him like this,” he said, his tone firm. “He is the Lycan king. If you want to say something, you tell me, and I’ll—”

“I don’t want to talk to you,” I cut him off, my voice trembling but strong. My eyes locked on Kealen.

Adrian stiffened, but I moved past him anyway.

“Why,” I asked, my voice low but steady, “is the other voice in your head calling me mate?”

Kealen’s silver eyes widened in shock. And then… he laughed. Not a cruel laugh, but one that carried disbelief.

“Calling you, mate? How? When did that happen?” His voice was deep and powerful, shook me.

I told him everything about the dream, about the word I heard, and about the fear and confusion that followed.

When I finished, he was quiet for a long moment. Then he said two words that made my heart race.

“Follow me.”

I blinked. “Follow you? To where?”

“The library,” he said simply. His voice was calm, but his eyes were serious.

I wanted to ask more, but he cut me off. “No questions. If you want to know what the voice is, then follow me.”

So I did.

We walked down corridors until we reached the library doors. At the entrance, he gave Adrian a sharp gesture. Adrian didn’t argue. He only stepped aside, guarding the door to make sure no one entered.

Inside, the library was quiet. Rows of shelves stretched around us, filled with old books and scrolls. Dust floated in the shafts of morning light coming through the high windows.

Kealen turned to me. His face was harder now, more serious.

“You need to understand something,” he said. “I have two spirits inside me. The first is mine. The other…” His voice trailed for a second before he continued. “The other doesn’t belong. I don’t even know where it came from. But it has lived inside me for years. It shows its presence most during eclipses. It tries to take control.”

I swallowed, my body tense as I listened.

“That voice you heard,” Kealen said slowly, “that wasn’t mine. It was the other spirit. And it should not be calling you, mate. That dream—it was just that. A dream. Do not take it seriously.”

His words stung, but I forced myself to nod.

“Don’t ask me about this again,” he added firmly. “Because this is not reality.”

He turned, ready to leave. But just as he reached the door, he spoke again.

“For your own safety,” Kealen said, his tone lower now, almost warning, “when the next eclipse comes, stay far away from me. If you’re near me during that time, you will be hurt.”

I froze. My hands tightened at my sides.

Then he continued, his voice shifting, almost practical. “I’ve been trying to find a place for you here in the palace. Maybe as a maid, an attendant, something that will give you shelter and some income. That way, you’ll be protected and not wandering alone.”

My heart skipped at his words. He was offering me a place and a life.

But then his eyes darkened, his expression changed. He pointed at me; his stare was sharp, almost piercing. “But avoid me,” he said coldly. “Stay away from me.”

The intensity of his gaze froze me in place. It wasn’t like before. This look was different, heavier, dangerous.

And then, without another word, he opened the door and walked out.

I stood there, motionless, the echo of his warning still ringing in my head.