LOGINATHENAThe chamber was submerged in a thick, suffocating gloom, illuminated only by the faint, silver sliver of moonlight piercing through the drapes. I stepped across the threshold, my pulse thrumming a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I had been summoned, and in this place, a summons was a command that brooked no delay.I moved with the caution of a wounded animal, my gaze scanning the area of the room. It seemed empty at first, a void of silence. I exhaled, a shaky sound that seemed too loud in the stillness, and took a hesitant step further.Then, he rose.It was not a movement of sudden violence, but a slow unfolding, like a predator waking from a light slumber. He stood by the window, the darkness clinging to him until he stepped into the sliver of pale light. My breath hitched, a gasp tearing from my throat before I could suppress it. I spun, my skirts swirling as I made to bolt back toward the sanctuary of the corridor."Stop."The word was low rumble that vibrated through the
ATHENA My boots hammered against the corridor, the sound echoing like a heartbeat. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. The phantom pressure of Hunter’s lips still burned against mine, a brand of ownership from a man whose very name was spoken in terrified whispers. I burst into my room and shoved the door shut, leaning my weight against the wood as if I could bar out the reality of what had just transpired.I had run. I had turned my back on the King and fled like a startled doe.The silence of the room was suffocating. I paced the small space, my fingers tracing the outline of my mouth. He was the feared King, a man of iron yet he had touched me with a terrifying softness that unsettled me more than his rage ever could. Now, the adrenaline was fading, replaced by a cold, prickling dread. One does not simply walk away from him. I had defied him, and now I waited for the hammer to fall.I collapsed onto the edge of my bed, my breath coming in shallow hitches. Any moment now, the tread of
ATHENA 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
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
HUNTER She stiffened under my gaze, every muscle in her body locking as if stillness were the only shield she had left. “I… I don’t know—” she started, fragile, uncertain. Something sharp cut through me. “You don’t know?” I echoed, my voice husky, edged with something dangerous. My fingers move
ATHENA Morning came too quickly, pale light barely brushing the stone corridor when the knock landed against my door. It was firm. Nothing like Claire’s gentle taps. I groaned softly, limbs heavy, every muscle reluctant as I pushed myself upright. Sleep clung to my eyes as I dragged my feet acros







