Caged by a King
The kingdom of Valdris has survived a thousand years through blood and fear, ruled by kings who never flinched and never forgave. Corvin, the current ruler, is no different. He is beautiful in a dangerous way, undefeated in battle, and feared by every soul who speaks his name. He has never wanted anything he could not take. Until the spy.
On the eve of his coronation anniversary, a fox is discovered inside the inner palace. It shifts into a young man named Elowen, a shifter from the eastern wildlands who carries ancient magic and a smile sharp enough to cut. By every law, he should be executed. Instead, Corvin makes a shocking decision and claims the spy as his personal “pet,” a living trophy meant to remind the world of his power.
Elowen, however, did not end up in the palace by accident. He was sent to infiltrate Corvin’s court, earn the king’s trust, and destroy him from within. What he did not anticipate was the man beneath the crown. Corvin is the one person who sees through his lies, challenges him in unexpected ways, and becomes difficult to resist.
As influence shifts and their loyalties blur, desire turns into a weapon neither man can fully control. Corvin’s Crown Sight cannot read Elowen’s heart, and Elowen cannot decide whether the king is his target or greatest weakness.
War brews at the borders, treachery spreads within the palace walls, and their growing connection becomes the most dangerous secret in Valdris. If Corvin’s court uncovers the truth, he could lose his throne. If Elowen’s people discover his feelings for the man he was sent to kill, he may never escape alive. Their bond threatens the kingdom, and the decision they face could set Valdris on fire.
Basahin
Chapter: CHAPTER 11Elowen descended the stairs from the mage tower, but the tower did not loosen its hold on him. The mark inside Theon’s glass sphere, the jagged symbol formed from ancient curse work, lingered in his mind like an unwelcome memory.He had seen that mark once before. It had been carved into a stone arch in the eastern wildlands, a place the elders refused to discuss. They whispered that the arch belonged to a forgotten age when magic shaped souls instead of guiding them. No shifter ever lingered there for long.Now, the same symbol had appeared inside the assassin who had tried to kill the king.Elowen walked the palace corridors without purpose. The halls blurred around him. Nobles avoided his gaze, guards bowed stiffly, while the servants looked at him the way small animals looked at fire, with fascination edged in fear.He should have felt satisfaction. Once, he would have. But everything about this place unsettled him in ways he had not expected.A voice interrupted his spiraling tho
Huling Na-update: 2025-11-26
Chapter: CHAPTER 10The mage tower loomed above the palace like a stone spine. Even in daylight, it carried an air of old secrets. Elowen followed Corvin through the archway and up the narrow stairs that spiraled toward Theon’s work chambers.“Do I have to attend this?” Elowen asked.“You do,” Corvin replied. “You do not leave my sight until we settle what happened last night.”Elowen gave him a sideways glance. “You sound possessive.”Corvin did not look at him. “I sound practical.”They climbed several more steps in silence. The air grew warmer as they neared the upper floors. Elowen could smell herbs burning somewhere above. The scent mingled with candle wax and something sharper, like metal reacting to heat.When they reached the landing, Theon stood waiting near a tall window that filled the tower with pale afternoon light. Shelves crowded the walls, packed with scrolls, vials, stone fragments, and tools Elowen did not recognize.“The king tells me you found traces of an old spellwork,” Theon said.
Huling Na-update: 2025-11-26
Chapter: CHAPTER 9The trail carried the same sharp metallic bitterness that had clung to the puppet assassin’s skin. Elowen followed it through the palace corridors with Corvin close behind him. Two guards kept a respectful distance several steps back. Their silence felt heavy, as if they knew better than to disturb whatever the king and the fox were hunting.Elowen paused at a fork in the corridor. The scent seemed to gather in the air like a thin strand of smoke.“Here,” he murmured.Corvin stepped closer. “Which way?”Elowen lifted his nose slightly. “Right.”They continued down a narrower hallway that held little foot traffic. The light dimmed. Tapestries hung heavy and undisturbed. Dust lingered on the edges of the floor, as if this wing had fallen out of use long before Corvin’s reign.“Who comes here?” Elowen asked.“Few,” Corvin said. “It is mostly old storage rooms, and some council chambers from my grandfather’s time. Most corridors here remain locked unless a servant needs them.”“So someone
Huling Na-update: 2025-11-26
Chapter: CHAPTER 8The palace corridors were quieter as Corvin led Elowen away from the throne room. Their footsteps echoed against polished stone, and the chandeliers overhead cast long patterns of gold across the floor. Elowen followed with an unhurried stride, although his senses remained sharp. He did not trust any hallway in this place, especially after the puppet assassin.Corvin walked with focused purpose. The energy in his shoulders had the hard tension of a man with too many enemies and not enough time to hunt them all. Elowen studied the broad line of his back as they moved. The king had been carved by war, not privilege. Every step reflected that.“You did not answer my earlier question,” Elowen said. “Where are we going?”“To the inner gardens,” Corvin replied. “There are no crowds there. We can speak without half the court listening.”“Speak about what?”“About last night. And about whoever is trying to kill me.”Elowen’s smile sharpened. “You assume I did not arrive with the same goal.”“
Huling Na-update: 2025-11-26
Chapter: CHAPTER 7Corvin had not truly slept. Light edged the stone floor in a pale grey line, and he watched it climb toward the couch where Elowen lay. When the shifter woke, it happened in an instant. His breath caught, his eyes opened, and he stared at the ceiling before turning his head toward the bed.“So you do sleep,” Elowen said. His voice carried the roughness of dreams.“Occasionally,” Corvin replied.He rose and moved to the washstand where a servant had left fresh water and a folded shirt. Corvin washed his face, changed, and glanced into the mirror. Elowen sat up slowly on the couch and pushed hair away from his eyes. The faint golden sigils on his shoulder glowed for a moment before his shirt slid to cover them.Elowen watched him without shame or hesitation. “How often does the Sight come to you while you sleep?”“Often enough,” Corvin said.“Did it come last night?”“Yes.”Elowen waited for more information. When none came, he sighed. “You are skilled at saying only what you choose to
Huling Na-update: 2025-11-26
Chapter: CHAPTER 6Corvin’s chambers shut out the noise of the palace the moment the doors closed behind them. The guards remained outside as ordered, their spears grounded and unmoving. Inside, the air felt heavier, as though the room itself understood what had just happened in the hall.Elowen took stock of the space as he stepped farther in. The king’s rooms were larger than he expected, but not excessive. Dark hangings embroidered with silver softened deep stone walls. A wide bed rested against the far wall beneath a carved raven crest. A blackwood desk stood near tall windows, covered with maps, letters, and a few scattered daggers that seemed placed more out of habit than intention. A couch waited near the fireplace, which burned low and warm.Corvin moved through the room with deliberate calm, unbuckling his sword belt and setting it on a stand. He glanced back at Elowen, who still stood near the center of the room.“You will sleep here,” Corvin said. His voice carried no strain from the recent a
Huling Na-update: 2025-11-26
My Grief Counselor’s a Liar
Elijah Black was born to lead. He is the alpha heir, a billionaire empire builder, and a man whose wolf once roared with purpose. But when his fated mate died, the bond shattered, and so did he. His wolf went silent. Elijah stopped shifting, stopped living, and forced himself into a grief support group in the basement of St. Catherine’s Church because disappearing into the sorrow of strangers felt easier than facing his own.
Then Jaxon Reed walks in, late, loud, and chaotic, completely out of place in a room full of mourning hearts. He does not claim to grieve a person, but instead the version of himself he destroyed. He lies with charm, performs with reckless humor, and unsettles everyone, especially Elijah.
Elijah wants to hate him, but his wolf wants to chase him. Jaxon wants to vanish, but his smile refuses to leave.
Their connection is electric. It is grief meeting chaos, discipline clashing with wild instinct. Elijah is pulled back to life against his will, and Jaxon is seen for the first time in years. But Elijah’s world is not human, and Jaxon’s past is far from harmless.
As the tension between them grows, both men must confront a truth neither is ready to name.
What happens when the alpha who refuses to shift meets the man whose very existence wakes the wolf inside him?
The answer will change everything, if they survive long enough to face it.
Basahin
Chapter: CHAPTER 5Elijah arrived at the basement before everyone else.The room sat in silence. The chairs were arranged in their familiar circle. The faint smell of coffee drifted from the corner. The air felt still, as if the room waited for something that had not happened yet.He tried to tell himself he was early only because he needed silence. That lie lasted all of three seconds.The truth was simple.He wanted to know whether Jaxon would come back after what had transpired between them.He sat in his usual chair. His eyes remained on the empty space beside him. The wolf inside him paced again, slow and deliberate, as if preparing for something it could not name yet.People trickled in one by one. Margaret, Sarah, Robert, Curtis. They filled the circle in their slow, familiar rhythm. Their grief created a steady hum in the air, the same as every week.Still, the seat next to Elijah stayed empty.The moment felt suspended. It irritated him. It unsettled him. It crawled under his skin in a way he c
Huling Na-update: 2025-11-22
Chapter: CHAPTER 4Elijah arrived restless.The wolf had not stopped pacing since Thursday. It murmured beneath his ribs with low, impatient tension. He felt it in the shift of his breath, in the strength in his hands, and in the strange alertness that hummed under his skin.He entered the basement exactly on time.The group had already started gathering. Margaret arranged her purse on her lap. Sarah wiped under her eyes. Robert sat with his posture rigid but calmer than before. Curtis, who had stood for two sessions straight, finally chose a chair without any fanfare.No one spoke to Elijah. No one ever did.He sat in his usual place. The seat beside him remained empty.The wolf disliked that.Dr. Chen greeted everyone and prepared to begin, but the door opened before she could speak.Jaxon walked in.His presence arrived before his voice. Damp curls, dark hoodie with a faded design, and a grin that looked like he had already done something he should not admit to.He saw Elijah first.Something sparked
Huling Na-update: 2025-11-22
Chapter: CHAPTER 3Jaxon Reed did not show up on Tuesday.Elijah noticed the difference the moment he stepped into the basement. The air felt flatter, chairs seemed smaller. Almost as if the night was waiting for something to disrupt the peace, the room felt too tidy.His empty seat was once again empty. It had never mattered before. Now it pulled at him like a quiet question.He sat in his usual chair. His posture was straight, breathing was even, but his expression remained unreadable. Yet the wolf inside him lifted its head and scanned the air with restless curiosity.Dr. Chen greeted the group with her soft voice and steady eyes. “Let’s begin.”Sarah went first. She spoke about cleaning her son’s room and finding a shirt that still smelled faintly of his detergent. Her hands trembled as she described pressing the fabric to her chest.Robert talked about his garden, and how empty the small patch felt without his husband beside him. Curtis, the man who preferred to stand behind the circle, remained si
Huling Na-update: 2025-11-22
Chapter: CHAPTER 2In Elijah’s world, grief meant a wolf on its knees, howling into the night until its throat turned raw. It meant shredded earth under claws and breath that burned like fire. It meant bones cracking beneath the weight of a pain that refused to sit quietly.That was how wolves grieved.Elijah did not howl. He sat in a beige basement beneath a church he did not believe in and drank thin coffee from a paper cup. He listened to humans talk about the people they had lost while his own grief lay inside him like a stone.Dr. Chen was speaking again. Her voice carried the gentle rhythm of a teacher who had said the same words many times and still meant them.“Grief can change shape,” she said. “Some days it feels sharp. On some days, it feels distant. On other days it feels like nothing at all, and that nothingness can be frightening.”He watched her mouth move. The words reached his ears and went nowhere.Margaret nodded and clutched a fresh tissue. Sarah rubbed her eyes. Robert stared straig
Huling Na-update: 2025-11-22
Chapter: CHAPTER 1Elijah Black smelled the grief before he saw anyone. It clung to the basement hallway of St. Catherine’s Church like damp fabric and old sorrow. The subtle mix of cold coffee, stale carpet, and quiet misery settled around him as he paused with his hand on the doorknob. His pulse remained steady, his breathing was even. His heart felt silent, as if it had been wrapped in frost.On the other side of the door, he heard soft movements. Someone shifted in a chair. Someone else opened a pack of tissues. The faint scrape of shoes on linoleum echoed through the thin wood. Every sound carried a story he did not want to learn.He opened the door and stepped inside.Yellow fluorescent lights flickered overhead in a low hum. They cast a muted glow over the circle of folding chairs in the center of the room. A cardboard box of tissues sat on a small stool. A battered coffeepot sat in the corner as if no one remembered how long it had been there.Eight people looked up the moment he entered.Dr. Pa
Huling Na-update: 2025-11-22
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