LOGINATHENA The water was scalding, yet the maids handled me as if I were a piece of laundry to be scrubbed clean of my past. Coarse sponges dragged over my shoulders and down my spine, the friction turning my skin a frantic, angry rose. It felt less like a bath and more like a ritual of erasure. I tried to pull the luffa from the hands of the woman to my left, my fingers trembling against the heat."I can do it myself," I snapped, my voice sounding thinner than I intended in the tiled expanse of the washroom. "Please. I am perfectly capable of washing my own skin."The maid didn't even look me in the eye. She simply tightened her grip on the sponge and continued her rhythmic, punishing work. "We are strictly following the King’s instructions, Miss Athena. He was very clear about the state in which you are to be presented."I went still then, the word state ringing in my ears like a funeral bell. I was a project. A vessel. I forced my breath to remain steady, letting them finish their tas
HUNTERI watched as Athena was led away by the maid, her small frame disappearing down the long, dimly lit corridor. The doors clicked shut, leaving me in the silence of my throne room. A slow smirk pulled at my lips. She was delicate, yes, but there was a resilience in her spine that pleased me."Perhaps she’ll be fit to carry my heir," I whispered to the empty room. My voice sounded like gravel.The thought of a son, a successor with my blood and my strength tightened something in my chest. But my patience was not a well that ran deep. It was a finite resource. My expression hardened, the warmth of the smirk vanishing into a cold, predatory mask."If she’s not pregnant by the next moon, I’ll feed her to the rogues," I growled. The threat wasn't empty, in this world, utility was the only currency that bought safety. If she proved barren, she was merely another mouth to feed, another weakness to be purged.I sat stiffly in my high-backed chair, the leather creaking under my weight. My
ATHENAMy heart, which had only just begun to settle after the stranger’s departure, surged into my throat. I didn't move. Then I moved towards the door.I reached for the handle, my mind racing with some desperate hope but as soon as the latch clicked, the door surged inward. The weight of it slammed into my shoulder, throwing me backward. I stumbled, my heels catching on the rug, and looked up into the cold, steel-plated chests of the King’s Guard.Their armor caught the morning light, but a heavy leather boot jammed into the gap. With a grunt of effort, the lead soldier shoved. "Get out!" I screamed, the sound tearing from my lungs. "Leave me alone! You have no right!"They didn't speak. They didn't need to. Two men lunged forward, their gloved hands clamping onto my upper arms like iron shackles. I kicked, twisting my body, trying to sink my teeth into whatever skin I could find, but they hauled me off my feet as if I weighed nothing. My toes dragged across the floor, kicking ove
ATHENA"Are you going to work inside the King’s house today?" I asked, my voice still thick with the remnants of dreams. It was morning now.Claire paused, a damp cloth held mid air. She turned her head slightly, giving me a small nod. A cold knot of unease tightened in my chest. I sat up, clutching the blanket to my collarbone. "What about me, Claire? I don't want to be left alone here." I hated the isolation of this sanctuary, it felt less like a home and more like a gilded cage where the bars were made of my own fear.Claire stepped toward the bed, her expression softening into that weary, protective look she always wore when she had to leave. She reached out, her fingers grazing my shoulder in a silent plea for composure."Nothing will happen, Athena," she assured me, her voice a low, steady anchor. "You must stay inside. Please, do not come out for any reason. The streets are busy today, and it is safer if you remain unseen."I let out a long sigh, the air rushing out of me in
HUNTERI hadn’t seen the female in three days.At first, I told myself Eran had done exactly what I asked. That he had sent her away quietly without dragging it into my awareness. It would have been cleaner that way. Easier.Yet the feeling wouldn’t leave.That was when I knew something was off.I sat on my throne, my fingers curling around the armrest, the carved stone biting into my palm. The guards at the entrance straightened immediately, sensing the shift in me before I spoke.“Summon Eran,” I said.They didn’t hesitate. Two of them moved at once, boots striking the floor as they rushed away.The silence that followed stretched thin. I stared ahead, jaw tight, my thoughts circling back to her despite my effort to cage them. Three days was too long. Even for a mistake. Even for obedience.Eran arrived moments later, stepping into the hall with his head lowered. He dropped his head and bowed deeply, his posture respectful but not relaxed. He felt it too. Whatever unease lived in me
ATHENAI watched Hunter swallow harshly. I saw it, the tight movement of his throat, the brief tension in his jaw before he masked it again. His gaze stayed on me, cold and assessing, as if I had said something out of this world. The air between us felt brittle. I stood there, rooted, my fingers curling into the soft fabric of my nightdress. His eyes flickered for a moment, just a fraction of a second before he looked away, turning his face as if I were no longer worth seeing.“Leave. Now.”His voice was low, roughened by a growl that scraped against my nerves. There was no anger in it. Just finality.I didn’t wait to be told again.My hands flew to my nightdress, clutching the thin fabric to my chest as if it could shield me from the humiliation burning through me. I turned and fled, my bare feet barely touching the stone as I ran down the corridor toward my room. My heart pounded so loudly I was sure the building itself could hear it, each step echoing the truth I didn’t want to f







