The door shut behind Kael with a low, echoing thud, sealing Amaya inside the chamber as though the palace had swallowed her whole.
Silence stretched. Heavy. Cold.
Only her breathing filled the room.
And the faint, pulse of her core — beating too loudly, too sharply, as if refusing to calm despite Kael's stabilizing touch.
She pressed a hand to her chest.
It still tingled where his claws had hovered.
Where his forehead had touched hers.
Where their breath had mixed.
She shook her head hard.
"No. Don't think about that. Not now."
She needed to escape this room before she drowned in her own thoughts — and Kael's.
Because the bond wasn't gone.
Not even close.
His presence still brushed the back of her mind — faint, distant, but unmistakable. Like a cold wind pressing against her thoughts.
Dominant. Contained. Watching even when he wasn't there.
She took a shaky breath and pushed herself up from the bench.
I need answers, she thought. I need to understand what's happening to me.
And she couldn't do that by sitting in this cold, crystal cell pretending she wasn't terrified.
She headed toward the door.
It didn't open.
It didn't even budge.
Amaya blinked.
"Seriously?"
She tried again. Pushed harder. Then slammed her shoulder into it.
Nothing.
A deep voice echoed from the other side:
"Lady Amaya, the Beastlord instructed that you remain inside."
She froze.
Lady?
Who decided that?
"Open the door," she demanded.
"I cannot."
"It wasn't a request!"
"No one disobeys the Beastlord."
She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, resisting the urge to scream.
She hadn't asked Kael to bring her here.
She hadn't asked for a core.
She hadn't asked for Beastworld politics.
She just wanted her life back—wanted clarity—wanted to breathe without feeling someone else's heartbeat inside her head.
She stepped back, looking around the chamber for something—anything—that could help.
It wasn't a prison, exactly… but it wasn't comfortable either.
A bed of white furs.
A crystal basin with glowing water.
Shelves lined with unfamiliar herbs.
A window carved from enchanted ice, showing the snowy expanse outside.
And a strange circular marking etched into the floor beneath her feet.
It pulsed softly. Responding to her core.
"Oh, great," she muttered. "The room's alive too."
The core flared warm under her skin — reacting to danger, frustration, confinement. She tried to slow her breathing, but it kept rising.
She didn't want another destabilization. Not alone.
Not again.
But the panic crawled up her spine anyway.
"I need out," she whispered. "I need air."
Her energy flared.
The marking under her feet glowed—
—and the door exploded open.
Not with fire.
Not with wind.
But with a force made entirely of light that roared like a storm and cracked the crystal frame.
The guard on the other side stumbled back, eyes wide.
"My lady—! Your core—"
Amaya gasped as the power recoiled inside her, spiraling violently.
"I didn't mean— I just—"
Her knees buckled.
And then—
A hand caught her.
A strong one. Cold, familiar, full of restrained fury.
Kael.
She hadn't heard him approach. She hadn't sensed him. But suddenly he was there, right at her side, holding her upright with a grip that brooked no struggle.
His thoughts crashed into her like thunder:
Already destabilizing—
I left her for minutes—
She'll rupture if I don't contain this—!
Amaya's vision blurred.
"K-Kael… I didn't mean to…"
"I know," he said, voice low and dangerously calm. "That's why this is worse."
He lifted her effortlessly — one arm under her legs, one supporting her back — and carried her into the room.
The guard bowed deeply. "My lord—should I summon the healers—?"
"No," Kael snapped.
The door slammed shut behind him with a wave of his hand.
Amaya blinked hazily up at him. "Put me down. I can walk."
"Can you?" he asked, voice cool.
His gaze swept over her — not gentle, not cruel — assessing her like a weapon overheating.
"Your core nearly shattered the palace barrier."
"I didn't do it on purpose—"
"I know," he said again, sharper now. "That's the problem. You can't control any of it."
Her heart dropped.
Kael set her down on the furs, but didn't step away. His hands stayed on either side of her — a cage of cold strength.
"Why did you try to leave?"
His tone wasn't angry.
It was dangerous.
"Because I needed air," Amaya said, heat rising in her throat. "Because you locked me in here without explaining anything! Because I'm scared!"
Kael's jaw tightened.
She felt the flicker of emotion inside him — tightly caged, quickly crushed.
Fear makes her reckless.
I should have anticipated this.
I can't let her wander.
She'll attract every predator in the palace.
"And the bond?" she whispered. "It… it doesn't shut off, Kael. I can feel you even when you're not here."
Kael's eyes darkened.
He lowered his gaze, leaning in until his forehead was only inches from hers.
"That is the nature of Soul Resonance."
"It feels like you're inside my head."
"You are inside mine as well."
She froze.
Blinked.
"…what?"
Kael's voice was low. Quiet. Almost lethal in its honesty.
"I feel every surge of your panic.
Every spike of your fear.
Every flare of your core."
His tail flicked sharply behind him—agitated.
"I left to ensure the palace was secured for your presence," he continued, "but the moment your core reacted, the bond dragged your panic straight into my mind."
Amaya's breath stuttered.
"You felt… everything?"
He didn't look away.
"I feel enough."
Silence coiled between them, tense and charged.
Finally, Kael pulled back a fraction, exhaling slowly.
"I will not lock you in again," he said. "But you cannot roam the palace alone."
"That sounds like being locked in with extra steps."
For the first time, a faint flicker of amusement ghosted across Kael's thoughts — not his face, but his mind.
Defiant little human.
Her cheeks warmed. "I heard that."
He ignored that.
Instead, he straightened. His expression returned to its cold unreadability.
"I will assign you a guide," he said. "A palace beastwoman loyal to me. She will escort you when I cannot."
Amaya frowned. "Can I at least know her name before you decide?"
"You may," Kael said. "Her name is Lyris. She is—"
A sharp knock cut him off.
Kael turned.
"Enter."
The door opened — and a tall, silver-furred tigress stepped inside. Her movements were elegant but predatory. Eyes sharp. Armor sleek.
She bowed deeply.
"My lord. You summoned me."
Kael's thoughts flickered:
Good. She's early. Reliable.
Amaya swallowed.
Lyris's gaze shifted to her — and softened just barely.
"So this is the human," she murmured. "She's… smaller than I expected."
Amaya felt her face heat. "Excuse me?"
Lyris smiled faintly. "It's not an insult. Just observation."
Kael cut in.
"Lyris. Amaya is under my protection. She carries a Mystic Core and a resonance bond with me."
Lyris's eyes widened.
Then she dropped instantly to one knee.
"My lady," she said, head bowed. "I am honored to serve you."
Amaya jolted. "I— you don't need to kneel—"
"Yes," Kael said flatly. "She does."
"That's not— Kael—!"
"You are connected to me now," he said. "Whether you like it or not, that makes you someone the palace will respect."
His gaze sharpened.
"Or fear."
Lyris rose gracefully. "I will protect her with my life."
Kael nodded once. "Good. You will escort her when she leaves this chamber. Never lose sight of her."
Lyris placed a hand over her heart. "I understand."
Then she turned to Amaya.
"Would you like to see the palace, my lady?"
Amaya opened her mouth — but Kael spoke first.
"Not today."
Lyris bowed and stepped back.
Kael turned to Amaya, his presence filling the room again.
"You need rest," he said. "Your core is barely stable."
Amaya tightened her jaw. "You can't just decide everything for me."
"Yes," Kael said simply. "I can."
His tone wasn't cruel.
It was fact.
"You're not ready to face the palace," he continued. "Not when your core reacts to every emotion you feel. Not when every beastman here would sense your energy and see you as a threat… or an opportunity."
His gaze burned into hers.
"And not when every time you panic, your energy drags through our bond and nearly tears my mind apart."
Amaya's eyes widened.
"I…"
Kael moved before she could speak — not touching her, but close enough that the air trembled.
"You will stay here tonight," he said quietly. "Lyris will guard the door. And I…"
His thoughts slipped, unguarded for a heartbeat:
And I will stay near. In case she resonates again.
He stepped back.
"Rest, Amaya."
And then he left.
The room felt colder without him.
She curled into the furs, exhaustion pulling at her bones, her core pulsing with a slow, tired rhythm.
Outside the chamber, she heard Lyris take position with military precision.
And deeper in the palace—quiet but unmistakable—
Kael's presence hovered like a restless storm.
Not in her mind.
In the halls themselves.
Close.
Watching.
Guarding.
Bound.
She closed her eyes.
The Beastworld was still foreign. Still terrifying.
But she wasn't alone anymore.
Bound to the White Tiger King…
she might never be alone again.
TO BE CONTINUED…