EMBER POV
He didn't wait for me to answer. He turned and walked out, the heavy oak door thudding shut behind him.
There I stood looking devastated.
"His just liked the others"
Ember
The next morning, the sun didn't bring warmth. It only highlighted the dust dancing in the cold air of the Citadel.
Evander had sent two maids to help me wash. They were older women with pinched faces and eyes that moved over my bruised skin like they were looking for a reason to hate me.
" Good day miss, am Mara"
"Lora, miss" the other one said , bowing down her head.
"Am princess ember, it's nice to meet you".
They showed me the bathing room and I followed.
When they were done, they both walked into the main room. Evander chamber few steps away from the bathroom.
"Hold the towel, Mara," the taller one whispered, though I was sitting right there. "Careful not to touch the mark. They say it's special"
Seems everyone in the palace already knew about my gift . I felt embarrassed. I mummbled
"Special or not, she's in his private chambers," Lora said .
Mara, replied with a sharp sniff. "And she's not even a bride. Just a gift from a failing Alpha. A concubine in a servant's rags."
"He didn't even put her in the guest wing," said Lora as she giggled, a mean, sharp sound. "Took her straight to his own bed. I suppose if you're dying of the madness, you don't care much for propriety. She's just a warm body to keep the chills away until he loses his mind for good."
"Poor thing," Mara whispered, loud enough for me to hear. "She thinks she's special because she's in his bed. She doesn't realize she's just a plug for a leaking dam. Once the Alpha's madness breaks, he'll tear her throat out just as fast as he'd kiss her.
I gripped the edge of the copper tub, my knuckles white. The water was turning cold, but the heat in my face was burning.
"I can hear you," I said, my voice cutting through their giggles like a blade. "And if I'm as 'special' as you say, imagine what I could tell the Alpha about how his servants treat his 'cure' when he's not looking.
The maids froze. Mara turned, her eyes raking over my wet hair and the dark bruises Silas had left on my shoulders.
"We are sorry miss, please forgive us." Lora quickly went on her knees apologizing.
"We mean no disrespect, Miss," Mara said, though the word 'Miss' tasted like poison in her mouth. "But we've seen girls come and go through these gates. Usually, they leave in a shroud. If the Alpha doesn't marry you, the brothers will dispose of you the moment he stops breathing. In this house, if you aren't a Queen, you're just a ghost waiting to happen."
"Some times learn to mind your business, and try focusing more on your job" I fired at them.
"We are sorry my lady" they rushed out dragging for the door.
They left me, leaving a pile of heavy, dark silk clothes on the chair.
I stood up, the water still dripping off my skin from my wet hair . I looked at myself in the mirror on the wall. The God Mark was glowing faintly, a stubborn, golden pulse against my pale skin.
A concubine. . A leash. …I murmured.
They all saw me as a tool or a toy. My father, the maids, his brothers—even Evander. I looked at the dark silk dress, the color of a bruise. I wasn't going to be their toy.
I dressed slowly, my fingers fumbling with the unfamiliar laces. Every ache in my body reminded me of the mud and the cage. stepping out into the hallway, I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I couldn't stay in that room.
The hallways were a labyrinth of shadow. I passed a group of guards who stopped talking the moment they saw me. Their eyes followed the mark on my forehead, their whispers trailing behind me like smoke.
"That's her."
"The King's little cure."
"I wonder how much he paid for her."
"She was sold, she's a free gift" another replied.
I kept my head high, even though I felt like I was walking to my own execution. I reached a balcony that overlooked the training yard. Below, the warriors were sparring with heavy iron swords.
In the center of it all stood Evander. He wasn't wearing his armor. He was in a thin shirt, drenched in sweat, his movements a blur of lethal, desperate grace. He was fighting three men at once, and he was winning.
But as I watched, he suddenly stopped. His sword dropped, the tip digging into the dirt.
He didn't look at his opponents. He turned his head and looked straight up at the balcony. Straight at me.
"Shouldn't you be getting some rest? He asked.
" I didn't feel like it " I replied crossing my hand under my breast.
"You look very cute," he said giving me a faint smile.
I smiled back .
"His so cute when he smiles" I heard my little wolf beem with admiration.
Shut up" I whispered to my wolf
I stopped smiling and starred at him like his compliment meant nothing.
Then he looked up at me again . I stayed pinned to the stone railing, my fingers gripping the cold masonry until the grit dug into my skin. Below, the training yard had gone silent. The men Evander had been sparring with stood back, wiping sweat from their brows, their eyes darting between their King and the "stray" on the balcony.
Evander climbed the stone stairs two at a time. He didn't look tired. He looked fueled by a restless, dark energy. When he reached the balcony, he was breathing hard, the scent of salt and exertion rolling off him in waves.
"Why did you leave the room?," he said, his voice a low vibration that seemed to hum in my own chest.
"I'm not a dog, Evander," I snapped, the heat of the maids' gossip still stinging my cheeks. "And I won't be hidden away like a shameful secret."
He stepped closer, his shadow falling over me, tall and eclipsing. "This isn't about shame. This is about your safety. These halls aren't filled with friends."
"Is that what you tell your concubines before you lock them up?"
The word hung in the air, ugly and sharp. Evander's eyes narrowed, a flash of silver lightning dancing in his pupils. "What did you say?"
"The maids. The guards. They all say the same thing," I said, stepping into his space, my heart thudding against my ribs. "They say I'm a gift. A warm body to keep the madness away. So, tell me—what am I to you? Am I your prisoner? Your concubine? Or do you actually plan on making me a wife?"
A slow, mocking tilt appeared at the corner of his mouth. He leaned down, his face inches from mine, and I could see the tiny flecks of black still swimming in his silver eyes.
"A wife?" he teased, his voice dropping to a silken whisper that made my skin crawl and burn at the same time. "You can barely stand the sight of me, little light. Do you really want to share a name, a throne, and a bed with a monster?"
I felt my face twist into a deep frown. "I want to know if I'm an object or a person in this house."
He straightened up, his face suddenly turning into a mask of cold glass. He looked over my shoulder at the guards who were lingering at the end of the gallery, trying to catch their conversation.
"Leave us," he commanded.
It wasn't a shout, but the authority in it was absolute. The guards didn't hesitate; they turned and vanished into the shadows of the archway as if they had never been there.
Evander looked back at me, his expression unreadable. "This isn't the place for such conversations. Go back to the room, Ember. I have a kingdom to keep from falling apart, and I can't do that if I'm worried about you wandering into a knife in the dark."
"I am not going back to that cage," I hissed.
"You are going," he said, his voice hard as iron, "because I said so."
He didn't wait for a reply. He turned on his heel and walked away, his heavy boots echoing against the stone.
Ember
The moment the heavy oak door of the bedchamber clicked shut, I felt the fury boil over.
Stay in the room. Don't wander. Be a good little anchor.
I looked at the dark silk dress I was wearing his mother's dress. I felt like a doll he was dressing up just to keep on a shelf. My father had traded me, Silas had beaten me, and now Evander was trying to use me.
I have to leave this place!! I looked around watching the guards take turns. I need to know the right time to leave.
I waited ten minutes, listening to the silence of the hallway. Then, I grabbed a heavy iron candle holder, just in case i slipped out the door. I didn't head for the main stairs. I looked for the servant's passage I'd seen the maids use. I needed to find a way out of this fortress before the "Blood Link" became a permanent chain.
I was halfway down a narrow, torch-lit corridor when a shadow detached itself from the wall.
"Lost, little bird?"
I froze. Cassian, the eldest step-brother, was leaning against a stone pillar, a goblet of wine in his hand. He looked at me with a lazy, predatory smile that made the hair on my arms stand up.
"This isn't good"….i heard my wolf whispered in fear.