Thorne sat in his office, scrolls and parchment filled the desk.
"They struck again," Caelum said, placing a sealed report on the desk. "A small group this time, just five men. They hit a supply caravan en route to the eastern barracks. They killed two guards."
Thorne didn't look up from the map he'd been studying. "Casualties?"
"Minimal. But the message they left was clear." Caelum's voice tightened. "They called you a traitor. Said your curse makes you unfit to rule."
Thorne finally looked up, his gaze hard. "And what do you think, Caelum?"
"I think they're fools with no idea what it means to bear a kingdom on your shoulders," he said without hesitation. "But it's spreading. The unrest. Especially in the east. They infiltrate the homes of the poor and poison their minds."
Thorne leaned back. "And these are supporters of Khaos?"
"They're men who go around trying to stir unrest in the people. They want their fate shaken in you so they can join in their cult of Khaos."
Thorne hummed, he supposed there were people who would support the devil himself regardless of all he's done. And Khaos? Khaos was the Devil's son.
"Double the patrols. Quietly. No open confrontation unless provoked. Have them all locked up and forgotten and let me know if it escalates."
Caelum nodded. "There will be new shipments of slaves today. Will you inspect them again...or?" Caelum trailed off.
Thorne clenched his jaw. "No."
Caelum nodded and stood up, ready to go back to his work. He stopped in his tracks by Thorne.
"Any word on the sage?"
Caelum hesitated. "Nothing. Every trace we follow leads to dust and bones. It's impossible to find a sage, Your Majesty. All of them were wiped out during the war with Khaos. If any sage was left behind after then, I'm sure they're dead and rotten by now." He paused as Thorne got up, wearing that same stormy expression.
Caelum sighed internally. "Forgive me for saying, my king, I don't think we can ever find a sage."
Thorne stood by the window, watching the people move around, as though he wasn't stuck in the same place.
"The gods were very clear. I will never father another child... not unless I mate with a sage."
Caelum said nothing.
"A divine being. The connection between realms," Thorne continued, his voice quiet and bitter. "Touched by the goddess herself. And they've all vanished, all wiped out by the very same man that killed my mate."
Caelum stepped closer to him, his voice gentle. "It's not your fault, Thorne. You were a king at war whose mate and unborn child died at the hands of a man like Khaos. You did what anyone would do."
"I went against their rules. I used black magic, Caelum. The gods— they don't see justification or reason," he muttered. "They only see sin. And I committed the greatest sin there is."
He heaved heavily. "I need a sage, Caelum," he said. "Or my line ends with me."
Thorne stood still, and suddenly his eyes flashed with something.
There she was. Adina.
She was in the courtyard below, walking carefully as she carried a basket full of linens. The sun kissed her skin, and for a brief second, his heart softened. She didn't know he was watching. The bond stirred inside of him.
Caelum followed his gaze, frowning slightly when he saw her.
He cleared his throat. "My king, forgive me for what I'm about to say," Caelum said carefully, "But what if you breed her?"
Thorne's shoulders tensed instantly.
Caelum continued, much slower like he was walking on thin ice, "She's your mate. We know that much. Maybe the gods..."
"Maybe the gods nothing!" Thorne snarled angrily.
Caelum lowered his gaze immediately.
"Do you think of me as such a weakling? A king without morals! One so desperate for a child that I will mate with a slave? I swore to Roseanne that I would never take up a second mate, and I intend to keep that promise."
"Your Majesty—"
Thorne's eyes flashed red. "That's enough! Find me a sage to bear my pups and that's it. This is the last I will hear of this atrocious thing."
Caelum nodded once, stiffly. "As you command."
Thorne's gaze returned to the window, jaw tight. Below, Adina had vanished, but the bond still throbbed under his skin. More maddening than before.
_______________
Adina~
The library was colder than the rest of the palace. Maybe it was because most people didn't come here. Adina looked around, there were large tall shelves lined about, with different kinds of books placed in them.
Her arms were already sore from carrying the buckets and cloths. The other girls who were supposed to be cleaning suddenly sneaked away, saying they had to rest, leaving her alone with their own tasks.
She walked to the far end of the library and got started there. She got down on her knees and began to scrub the floor. As she worked, she wondered if she would be able to sneak back here and maybe read.
If there was one thing about her, it was the fact that she loved to read. Well, that was before she was made to marry Roman. After that, her only interest became birthing a child. After all, that was the only reason why she was chosen to mate him.
Adina shook her head, not wanting to dwell on such thoughts. She had to clean the entire library by herself thanks to the girls who abandoned their own chores to her.
With a frustrated sigh, she continued cleaning, but of course, the peace and quiet doesn't last.
The library doors opened, and Adina froze.
"Speak, Elara," the King's voice rang out. She recognized his voice instantly. It sent an involuntary chill through her.
Adina's heart pounded hard. She quickly hid behind one of the massive shelves, praying to be hidden enough.
Elara's voice followed, "The eastern patrols are stretched thin. If the rebels push again, they'll break through. We need to set up something quick before they crumble."
Thorne hummed, grabbing some books and scrolls off the shelves. "Then reinforce them. Shift resources. We won't let them gain another inch."
"We have begun moving troops silently, but I'm afraid these rebels are gaining strength too quickly. We need to do something extreme, My King," Caelum's voice joined.
Their words blurred in her ears. Her only thought was, Please don't see me.
She didn't move. Didn't breathe. She stayed pressed against the shelf, clutching the rag tightly in her hands.
"I agree with Caelum. They are gaining strength too quickly. It's time we retaliate heavily and shut down this thing," Elara replied.
Thorne nodded. "Okay! To get rid of these pests. You'll have to round them up at their base. Does anyone have an idea where they've built their nest?" He asked, eyes darting between the general and the gamma.
"Not yet, My King. What we know is their nest is built between the eastern ridges and the riverbanks, but no one has dared scout too deep. Every attempt ends in death or disappearance," Caelum responded grimly.
Thorne exhaled, irritated. "Then find someone who dares. I want a full map of that terrain now!"
Caelum immediately gives him the map he held and then bowed slightly before walking out, leaving Thorne in the library by himself.
Adina exhaled in relief; all of them were finally gone. She'd been so scared they would stay longer.
She stepped out from the corner she was hiding and wiped the sweat beads on her forehead. She walked out, curious to see the king again.
Adina froze the second she stepped out of the shelves. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes landed on him.
Thorne was still there, standing right in front of her.
He hadn't left.
He was staring at her, like he had known she'd come out. Like he'd been waiting.
Adina's heart pounded in her chest, her fingers tightening around the rag still in her hand. She immediately lowered her gaze.
"How long have you been here? Eavesdropping on my conversations."
Adina's already widened eyes seemed to grow even wider with shock. "M-my King," she snapped her head up, locking eyes with him. "I would never... I didn't mean to. I was just cleaning. I—"
Thorne tilted his head, gaze narrowing. "Yet you stayed hidden. Were you sent here as a spy?"
Adina shook her head, "N-no. I was scared," she admitted. Her voice cracked. "I didn't want to get punished."
He studied her for a second longer, this fragile, trembling thing. Dirty knees, smudged skin, wide eyes, and yet his Lycan nagged from within.
"Why are you the only one here? Where are the others?" He asked.
"They were called for...."
Thorne arched his brows. "Are you lying to me, Adina?"
Adina's eyes shut for a second, her name on his tongue suddenly made her insides weaken.
She swallowed hard. "They left," she whispered. "Said they were tired... and left their work to me."
Thorne didn't respond immediately. He was watching her again, closely, intently, as though peeling her apart with his eyes.
"I should send you to the dungeons for spying," he said, gaze still heavy on her. "Or have you punished for lying to a king."
Adina's heart lurched. The dungeon? "M-my King.."
"But I won't," he cut her off sharply.
His gaze shifted to the scroll still laid out beside him on the table.
He tapped a finger against it. "You're from Crystal Moon."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Thorne hummed, "Come here."
Adina didn't move at first. But his eyes didn't let her go. And so, she stepped closer, heart pounding in her ears.
He turned the map toward her. "You know this area?"
She blinked, startled but she nodded again, this time with more confidence. "Yes, I'm familiar with this area."
"Show me."
Her fingers brushed the parchment as she leaned in, pointing to a narrow path between two inked ridges. "This trail here looks safe, but it floods during heavy rains. If they're hiding, they wouldn't risk it."
"Along these roads are caves, high and dry, easy to defend but hidden. You'd never spot them from above." The more she spoke, the more confident she seemed.
Thorne couldn't help but stare at her, watching as she spoke.
"The river here," she said softly, pointing to a faint blue line etched between two hills. "It shifts in the spring. Anyone hiding here would use the caves behind the current. There's a trail, narrow, but it leads behind the rocks and around the ridge."
"The hideout wouldn't be too deep," she continued, fully immersed in what she was saying. Back at Crystal Moon, Roman never let her give an opinion. She didn't dare talk. She pointed to a spot near the bend, "This is the safest, most concealed place."
She looked up at him then, just briefly, and everything in Thorne's chest tightened.
She wasn't trembling anymore. Not here, not while explaining terrain like someone born for war. Like someone who knew what it meant to survive.
His Lycan growled softly in his mind.
Mate.
He clenched his jaw and looked away, trying to breathe through it. Fight it.
"And this place." He pointed to a random part of the map, and she instantly began to explain where that part was.
The two of them, oblivious to Elara who stood outside the door, watching them. Her brows furrowed at the sight she was seeing. Thorne? With the slave?