Chapter 2: Nowhere to Run

SERENE’S POV

The King walked in before I could even react, and I ducked my head so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash.

My eyes were glued to the floor, my heart slamming against my ribs like it wanted out. 

I could feel his presence before I even saw him properly. It was this suffocating kind of power that pressed down on my shoulders and made it hard to breathe.

"Draft the letter to the western lords again," he spoke, his voice deep and clipped. "Word for word, this time. I won't repeat myself."

I could hear the shuffling of his many attendants trailing behind him, each eager to serve their king.  

"Yes, Your Majesty," his eunuch answered smoothly, bowing so low his nose nearly grazed the floor.

Nobody had noticed me yet. That was good. 

I bowed quickly, gathered my cleaning supplies, and started backing toward the door like my life depended on it. 

Which, honestly, it probably did.

"Stop there."

That single word froze me solid. My luck was quickly running out, and if I didn’t find a way to get myself out of here…

"Who is this?" the King asked, and I swear the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.

I couldn't look up. I physically could not make myself do it. 

My whole body trembled like a leaf caught in a storm.

"I… I'm Serena, Your Majesty," I stammered, staring at his boots because that felt like the safest place to look. "A servant. I was just cleaning; I didn't mean to intrude… I mean, nother you."

He didn't respond. He just stood there, and somehow that silence was worse than anything he could have said. 

My heart pounded so loud I was sure everyone in the room could hear it.

"Grind the ink," he finally said, turning away like I wasn't even worth a second thought.

I wanted to cry. I really did. But crying wasn't an option, not here in front of him. 

"Yes, Your Majesty," I whispered instead, dropping my cleaning supplies by the door and hurrying to the desk where the ink stone waited.

Who could I blame for this? Julie? Or myself for not cleaning his study quicker. 

He kept talking to his attendants, dictating something about business-related issues that I had no idea about. 

Yet, listening to his smooth and deep voice was kind of relaxing. 

All the attendants stood with their heads bowed, silent as statues. 

I started grinding the ink, my hands shaking so badly I nearly spilled it twice.

Control yourself, Serena! I internally yelled and held the stone properly, my trembling reduced a notch. 

I was doing a good job already, even halfway done, but that was when I made the mistake of glancing up at him.

Gods.

He was gorgeous. Unfairly so, with dark blonde hair that fell just slightly over his forehead, and skin so smooth it looked like it had never known a single flaw. 

His voice was a rich kind of voice you felt in your chest more than heard with your ears. For one stupid second, I forgot to be terrified of him.

And his jaw was clean-shaven; there was no trace of a beard there, and it made me wonder if…

Someone cleared their throat, and I glanced in the direction. The King’s eunuch was glaring at me. 

Oh, no! He must have caught me staring.

I whipped my head back down so fast my neck cracked, my face burning hot with embarrassment. 

Focus, Serena. Grind the ink. And don’t look at the terrifying, beautiful tyrant. 

Simple instructions. I could do this.

I was almost finished, mentally relieved that I could go back to my quarters when the attendant standing beside me shifted his weight and bumped straight into my arm.

The ink stone tipped and black liquid splashed across the important document he was dictating, staining the front of his pristine white robes.

The entire room fell silent. And I mean completely silent… like the whole world had just stopped breathing at once.

"What have you done!" the attendant said immediately, pointing a shaking finger straight at me before I could even process what had happened. "You clumsy twit. Your Majesty, she deliberately knocked it over!”

"That's not true," I said, panic rising in my throat like bile. "He bumped into me, I didn't… please, I didn't mean to… It’s not-"

The eunuch was barking orders, the other attendants were running helter-skelter while my heart was drumming too loudly. 

Lucas didn't even look at me. His bewildered gaze was fixed on the document. 

No… no! Why did this have to happen to me!?  

“Guards!” Lucas yelled, his smooth voice turning into something harsh. "Execute this wench for destroying royal property."

I cried out, staggering back and nearly falling to my knees to beg. 

The guards grabbed my arms before I could even move, dragging me backward.

“No! It’s not me! Please, don’t kill me!” I fought them with everything I had, kicking and twisting.

I wasn't ready to die over spilled ink; this couldn't be happening. This couldn't be how it ended!

I shoved myself forward, grabbing the King’s wrist and begging him for mercy when the pendant around my neck started burning.

It was like someone had pressed a hot coal straight against my skin, and I gasped, my whole body seizing up as silver light exploded behind my eyes.

Everything froze.

I saw flashes of images… or were they memories?

But one thing was vivid. There was Lucas, lying in a pool of blood, his eyes empty and staring at nothing. And myself, standing over him with a sword dripping crimson. 

The entire palace was swallowed up in silver flames. 

I didn't understand any of it, but I just knew I was about to die and every instinct in my body screamed at me to run.

So I threw myself forward, not even thinking straight anymore. The guards staggered back in shock while I limped for the door. 

Lucas reacted on instinct, his hand shooting out to catch me before I could escape.

The moment his fingers touched my skin, the silver pendant cracked and a pulse of moonlight exploded through the study.

It was so bright and violent that it threw every single person backward, guards and attendants alike, all of them crashing to the floor like ragdolls. 

I felt myself flying too, spinning through the light that swallowed everything.

Then nothing.

There was no sound or pain, just this high, ringing whir that filled my ears. For a moment, I couldn’t move, then a heavy cough left my throat, and my eyes weakly fluttered open

The first thing I noticed was that my legs didn't hurt. For the first time in months, there was no discomfort there. 

Confused, I pushed myself upright with an ease that felt completely wrong, my body moving stronger than it had any right to. 

I turned, and there was a mirror nearby that caught my reflection. I froze, horror making the heart stop beating. 

Because the face staring back at me wasn't mine… it was the Alpha King, Lucas Thorne.