Thorne stormed into the room. His chest burned. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides.
A mate.
Another mate.
The gods were mocking him. The goddess herself spat on him.
He stopped, bracing one hand against the wall. His heart pounded in his chest, a sound he hadn't heard in a very, very long time. It wasn't possible. He had buried that part of himself decades ago.
Yet the bond had struck him like lightning the second he touched her. The pull he felt.
It was impossible.
Thorne growled angrily, slamming his fist into the wall so hard, the wall cracked.
He had spent the last years, decade alone without a mate. Why now? Why now of all times?
Did they enjoy his pain? Did it fill them with joy to see him miserable?
A sharp frantic knock came but he didn't answer.
The door creaked open. "Your Majesty?" a low voice called. It was Caelum, his Beta. One of the few who still dared to come close when Thorne's temper reached a high.
Caelum stepped inside, pausing when he saw the cracked wall. "The inspection is incomplete. They're waiting for your command."
Thorne exhaled, dragging his hand down his face. His jaw clenched so tightly it ached. "I won't be inspecting them further."
Caelum hesitated, careful not to bring up what just happened. "Was there... an issue?"
Thorne's golden eyes flashed, and for a moment Caelum thought he might actually throw him across the room.
But he didn't, instead he heaved heavily, almost like he was carrying all the burdens of the realm...which he was.
Thorne looked pitiful, like a man who'd given up. "The gods have cursed me again."
Caelum's gaze widened, after all he'd been here through it all. He watched as it happened and the only time Thorne has ever mentioned being cursed was...
Caelum stepped forward, "Thorne...surely you don't mean."
Thorne shut his eyes, the words left his lips like a curse. "Another mate, Caelum. The goddess... she gave me another mate."
Caelum's face paled as he processed the words. "...Another..."
Thorne turned around, "A slave, Caelum. A mere slave, given to me like some cruel joke."
"My king..." Caelum began, but the words faltered. How could anyone comfort a man who had lost everything, only to be handed more pain?
Thorne's laugh was hollow, bitter. "The gods think they can toy with me. That they can take the one thing I wanted most, my mate, and in return thrust this unwanted leash around my neck!" His voice grew louder. "They think this will fill the void. As if I'll accept this... this mockery."
The air in the room was thick, and for a moment, Caelum could see the pain in his eyes. The hopelessness in his soul. Thorne's first mate and his unborn pup had been stolen from him by Khaos, and he never recovered. The kingdom had burned. His life had shattered beyond repair.
He had tried to bring her back. Used black magic. The forbidden magic. But the gods had been livid. They had taken her from him again. Punished him. Cursed him to an eternity of pain.
Now, they had given him this second mate, as if it were some form of compensation. As if this cruel jest could replace what he had lost.
Thorne clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles cracked. "They want me broken," he whispered, more to himself than Caelum. "They want me more miserable than I already am. They think this will bring me to my knees. But I will never accept it."
This wasn't some divine blessing. No, this was just another test, another cruel twist of fate.
He didn't need a mate. He didn't want one either. What he needed was a sage. A sage to bear his heir.
"Who sent her here?" Thorne asked.
Caelum hesitated. "The Alpha of the Crystal Moon pack sent her. Part of the yearly offerings."
"What will you do now, my king?" Caelum asked and Thorne glanced at him.
"Bring her."
———————-
Adina stood still, confused at the king's reaction. Before she could even blink, a rough hand grabbed her. It was the woman who ordered them in.
Her face red with anger, "What have you done!" She snarled.
Adina's eyes widened, her lips trembling.
"Answer me, you mutt!" She growled.
"N-Nothing. I did nothing—" she doesn't get to finish her words as the woman raised her calloused strong hands and slapped her.
Pain bloomed across Adina's face. She didn't even hear the slap, she only felt the sting, the way her head snapped to the side. She fell to the ground, the world tilted and she gave into the darkness.
———-
She didn't know how long she was unconscious. But when her eyes fluttered open, the light above her was calming. The scent of herbs filled the air.
She was lying on a cot, covered in thin linen. Her wrists were no longer chained.
"Easy now," a soft voice said. A woman leaned over her. A healer, judging by the robes she wore. "You fainted. You're safe now."
Adina blinked. Her throat felt like sand. "Where... am I?"
"You're in the healing house. You've been resting for a few hours. You were dehydrated, malnourished, and clearly exhausted."
Adina struggled to sit up, and the woman gently helped her.
Then, a desperate thought broke through the fog in her mind.
Her pup.
Adina's eyes widened, her hands flew to her stomach. "My pup," she rasped. "Is the baby... is my baby okay?"
The healer paused.
That pause told her everything.
Her voice turned gentle, too gentle. "There's no child in your womb, dear."
Adina froze.
"What? No." she whispered. "No, that's not— I was— I'm pregnant. I was. I felt— I knew—"
"I checked twice," the healer said quietly. "You aren't carrying. I'm sorry."
Adina's breath hitched. She shook her head slowly. The woman was clearly wrong. She probably wasn't even qualified to be a healer. There was no pup? How? It was simply impossible. "You're wrong. You're wrong!" she cried. "I felt it—I talked to my pup. I held—" Her voice cracked. "Where is my baby?"
She began to sob. Oh, this was a fate no one should have. Why? Why did this happen to her?
She couldn't remember. There was no blood. No pain. No moment where she knew she'd lost it. Just... emptiness.
Did Roman take it? Did she lose it from stress? From hunger?
Nothing seemed to make sense. How could her pup have disappeared? Did she hallucinate it? Was she running mad?
"I want my baby," she choked, wrapping her arms around her stomach like she could somehow protect what was no longer there.
The healer reached out, but Adina flinched away. "Bring my pup back."
The woman hesitated, then stood and stepped away.
Seconds later, the door opened again.
A new figure entered. The same woman who had slapped her.
"The girl's okay?" She asked.
"She is," the healer murmured.
"Good. Time to earn your keep, slave." The woman turned to Adina. "Up. Now. You've had your rest."
Adina didn't move. She still hadn't processed the loss... hadn't understood how something she desperately wanted, prayed and slaved over could be gone... just like that.
The woman stepped closer, voice colder. "Did I stutter?"
"I—" Adina stammered. "I just lost—"
"No one cares what you lost! A slave like you can't have anything anyways," the woman snapped. "You were brought here as part of the yearly offering. No one cares for your past, or your illusions. You will serve, or you will starve. Now get up."
The healer glanced at Adina sympathetically but said nothing.
With shaky legs, Adina forced herself to her feet. "I apologize." She murmured. This was her life now and she better get used to it.
The woman nodded curtly. She began to lead her away as she spoke. "You'll start in the laundry halls. Report to the west wing..." she paused, glancing at her with disgust. "And bathe. You reek of rot."
"Yes, Madame."
The woman pushed a door opened, inside were five girls. All slaves too. "This will be your room. Your timetable is plastered on your walls. Inspection is by 5 am every day. Lateness warrants whipping."
Adina didn't respond. She just nodded, clutching the clothes handed to her. The other girls in the room barely looked up as she walked in. All of them cowered.
She made her way to an empty corner, dropping her bundle beside it. Every part of her body ached like she'd been dragged through train tracks.
She didn't know how long she sat there before the door creaked open again.
A man stepped in, tall and imposing. He wore the dark uniform of a high-ranking official, his silver insignia catching the light. He was the beta.
Adina's heart leaped. Everyone froze, seeing the beta in a slave room.
The woman who had put them in the room came running, panicked. "Beta Caelum. How may I help you? Do you need-"
The beta raised his hand, silencing her. His gaze swept across the room. "Which one of you is Adina?" he asked.
Adina's heart lurched. Slowly, she stood up.
"I'm Adina."
Caelum's eyes locked onto her. He looked her up and down, taking in the bruises, the matted hair. The rough and mosquito-filled skin. The king was right. The gods did curse him.
"Come with me," he said. "His Majesty wants a word."
Adina's eyes widened, the room suddenly felt colder than it was. The memory of when she met the king suddenly flashed in her mind.
She hesitated only a second before nodding, stepping forward. The other girls watched her go silently, as though she were being led to her death.
And maybe... in a way, she was.