Chapter one

Zarek POV

The first thing they packed was my brother’s signet ring, the one meant for the future king. Me.

A title I had always known wouldn’t be mine… until two months ago.

“Please, you have to talk to him.”

“This is inevitable, son. I’m sorry,” my mother whispered, her voice cracking.

There was no way my father would listen to me now. Running away hadn’t worked either. He’d track me down in seconds.

My eyes caught Zakar’s favourite watch on the dresser, a cruel reminder that rules mattered more than blood.

I watched as the maids packed my clothes into suitcases while others emptied the closets and drawers.

“You have twenty minutes, young prince,” the butler’s voice came from the doorway.

Twenty minutes. That’s how long I had before the council stripped me of my freedom and dressed it up as duty, before I stopped being a prince and became a prisoner.

My gaze dropped to the clothes laid out for me. I could feel my mother’s stare lingering, heavy even as she continued giving instructions.

“Why can’t I go to the Royal Academy like him? I don’t want Zakar’s choice as mine, Mother!” I snapped, pacing toward the bed, fists curling at my sides.

“This alliance is needed, especially when you are king soon,” she said, voice tight but firm.

“That’s the same thing you said to Zakar, but…” I hissed, teeth gritted, jaw aching, nails digging into my palms.

She leaned down and kissed my cheek. “I’ll leave you to get ready,” she whispered, stepping out as the maids rolled the bags behind her. The door clicked shut, her heels and the low rumble of wheels echoing down the stairs until the sound faded into silence.

I walked to the window, taking in a deep breath. Yet I hadn’t been calm in forty-eight hours. I knew there was no peace left for me, not on this narrow path.

I didn’t know how long I stood there, unmoving like a statue, foolishly hoping for a miracle. Only a light knock came.

“Come in,” I ordered.

“Young prince,” the guard bowed. “The King has summoned your presence in the parking lot,” he informed me. He lingered, reluctant to leave without me, obviously under my father’s orders.

My lips parted in protest, but I gave a slight nod.

I walked into the bathroom, staring at my reflection.

The thought of sunrise at that place made my stomach twist. They called it training, but everyone knew what happened to boys who failed. I clenched my fists.

“I’m sorry, Zakar, but I’ll avenge you no matter what,” I muttered through clenched teeth, buttoning my shirt and fixing my collar before walking out.

With one last look at my royal chamber, I followed him.

Each step down the stairs dragged me closer to him, until the air shifted and I saw my father by the limo, my mother standing rigid beside him. My knees threatened to buckle, my jaw ached from clenching. Every nerve in my body screamed to run.

“Is this what you really want, Father?” I asked, not daring to meet his eyes after the last stunt I’d pulled.

Who could blame me? I enjoyed pissing him off whenever I got the chance.

He said nothing, his piercing gaze burned through me.

“Can’t we sit down and discuss this over some whiskey?” I joked, though even my humour tasted bitter.

“You are going to that training, and that’s final,” he growled, his voice heavy with authority.

I curled my hands into fists, my nails digging into my flesh until the sting flared.

“I’d rather choke myself to death than be a slave to a murderer,” I hissed, a flash of memory ripping through my mind.

His gaze never left mine, his face twisting into something ugly.

“No one wants a weak man on the throne,” he thundered.

There it was, same old story.

Crown.

A wave of anger washed over me, my jaw locking tight. He’d always thought of me as weak, but hearing it out loud hit harder than I expected.

“If the council gets you here by sunrise, that will be considered an open defiance. Disrespect to the crown is treason,” he growled.

I couldn’t care less if they stripped me of the throne. It was never mine to begin with. And my loyalty was long gone.

“He fucking killed him! Don’t you get it?” I yelled, hands dragging through my hair, gasping as the air seemed to close in.

“Your brother was reckless,” he said flatly, a flicker of emotion flashing before it vanished behind cold indifference. Tension thickened with every second.

“How dare you—”

“Son, calm down,” my mother urged, but I couldn’t calm. "He’s shipping me off to nowhere."

Her forced smile trembled, betraying a doubt she’d never voice aloud.

My father stepped forward, closing the distance between us. He leaned in close, his lips brushing my ear.

“I know what you did, Zarek. Consider this a lighter punishment, a favour, because you know the gravity of your mistake,” he whispered.

My body went rigid, hair standing on end. No. How could I have been so stupid?

“Get in the car,” my father ordered before I could process anything else.

I grounded myself, gripping the pillar beside me. There was no way I was leaving without a fight.

“Zarek, please—”

“No, Mother. I’m not leaving.”

My father’s hand shot up, and two guards lunged at me.

“Put him in the car. Use force if you must,” he commanded.

I twisted and shoved, nails digging into their arms, but they were stronger. One grabbed my shoulders, the other yanked my arms behind me. I staggered, kicking, but they held me fast.

They dragged me toward the waiting car, my boots scraping against the stone floor. The door swung open and slammed into my side as they shoved me inside.

“Open this fucking door!” I shouted, pounding the windows, heart hammering, chest tight. I twisted to see my father walking away, hands folded, expression unreadable, my mother waving with that forced smile.

The engine roared to life, jolting me back, throwing me against the seat. Every bump in the road felt like the first step into something I might never escape.

“Welcome to this side of hell, Prince,” the man in the driver’s seat mocked.

I turned to him. He was definitely not one of my drivers.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Your karma.”

I stared at him, teeth gritted, knowing this ride would be the first step into the abyss.

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