CHAPTER 5

NIKOLAI

The throne room is dead quiet, except the crackle of burning torches against the stone walls. I sit alone in the massive chair, the heavy gold crown resting on the armrest beside me. I don’t want it on my head. It feels less like a symbol of power and more like a target.

I stare blankly out the high arched windows, but I am not seeing the dark, sprawling forests of the Ashen Horde territory. My mind is thousands of miles away, trapped back in that messy, shattered apartment in Atlanta.

No matter how hard I try to shake it, my mind keeps replaying Corin’s voice. It loops in my head over and over, dripping with that cold, mocking venom.

“Look at you, Alpha King... Too broken to mind-link your own pack. You think you’re hiding your curse, but the Primordial’s know exactly how weak you are. What would your pack do when they find out what the curse really is?”

I press my hand against my chest, right over the thick bandages hidden beneath my tunic. The silver blade sliced deep, but it’s the shadow hunter’s parting words that are truly tearing me apart from the inside out.

“Take her back to your castle. Do a background check on her dead mother, King... She is a liability. A ticking time bomb. The moment her magic awakens, we are all doomed.”

I close my eyes, letting out a slow, jagged breath. A ticking time bomb. The prophecy always spoke of a savior or a doom with little to no instructions. Who do I believe? A girl who gave me a glance of hope. What if this curse can be undone? What if bringing Cassie here didn't just invite a war with the Primordial King but really sealed my own doom? Do I believe the words passed down by the tryant, the Primordial King. If her powers awaken and my mind fractures, I won't just lose my throne. Whatever remains of me may disappear with it. There are things that can happen to an Alpha King worse than death, and I refuse to find out what they are.

The heavy, iron-reinforced doors at the end of the hall groan open, instantly shattering the silence.

The heavy, rhythmic footsteps of my commanders’ echo across the stone floor. I don't need a mind-link to know the mood in the room; the thick scent of anxiety and tension hits my nose before they even reach the steps of the dais. Joel walks in first, his shoulders tense, followed by Trish, who is limping slightly but keeping her chin held high.

And then there is Maeve.

She slides into the room, her long ceremonial veil pulled completely over her face, hiding whatever expression lies beneath. But the rigid alignment of her posture tells me everything. She is furious.

I sit up straight, sliding the dark thoughts into a locked corner of my mind. I put on the classic, confident mask my people expect to see. The solitary, haunted man vanishes. In his place sits the Alpha King.

The council stops at the foot of the throne, bowing curtly.

"Your Highness," Joel speaks up first, his voice tight. "The council is assembled. We need to discuss what happened in Atlanta. The scouts report that the Obsidian Apex pack is already moving along our borders. They know we have the girl."

Maeve steps forward, her voice cutting through the room like a shard of ice. "They know because we brought a curse into this castle. I demand to know what you plan to do with her, Nikolai."

“I need a minute before the meeting starts,” I state firmly, my voice echoing off the stone walls.

“I heard Corin said she is a destructive force,” Maeve pushes back, her tone incredibly sharp. “Why didn’t you give her to them? I am the priestess. I can talk to—”

“Not now, Maeve,” I say, trying hard to conceal my rising anger.

“It has to be now, Your Highness! You risk dooming us all. We are already at war with the Primordial’s and the Tethers. Is this how you repay our loyalty? Our people are dying. The well can't hold much longer.” Maeve scolds.

My head spins with so many unanswered questions and what ifs. I open my mouth to shut her down, but a sudden, violent pressure slams into my skull. It feels like molten lead pouring directly into my brain, blinding me instantly. A ringing sound echoes in my ears, and through the roaring static, the Primordial King's loud voice screams directly into my mind, drowning out the entire world.

‘Kill her or give her to me. You are weak without a pack. I can help you.’

White-hot pain flares behind my eyes. I claw at my own temples, gasping for air as my lungs lock up. I try with everything I have to force him out of my head, fighting to sever the phantom connection, but the sheer force of the mental assault makes me stagger forward off my throne.

How did he get in?

I severed that bond years ago.

There should be no way for his voice to reach me. I had built inside my own mind.

Yet he was here.

Inside my head.

‘Kneel.’

My body completely betrays me.

The command crashes through me with such force that my knees buckle. I try to fight it, every muscle straining against the invisible force crushing down on my body, but my limbs refuse to obey.

I hit the stone floor hard.

The impact barely registers.

Something has taken hold of me, and for one terrifying moment, I can't tell where my thoughts end and his begin.

I try to reach for my wolf. Nothing. Not even a growl. Panic claws through my chest.

I have spent years making sure no one could ever control me like this again. I have survived wars, assassins, betrayals, and bloodshed. I have faced the Primordial King before.

But never like this.

My jaws move without my permission.

Through my own mouth, his chilling voice echoes through the throne room.

“You think she is your saving grace. Let it be known that I offered a helping hand.”

Then, the pressure disappears.

Just like that.

I collapse forward, catching myself against the cold stone as air tears violently into my lungs. My hands tremble beneath me, and a metallic taste fills my mouth.

I don't move.

I simply breathe. Once. Twice. Three times . I try to convince myself that I am back inside my own body. But one thought refuses to leave my mind.

He found a way in.

And I have no idea how.

I look up. Joel and Maeve are already surrounding me, their faces pale, staring down at me in absolute horror. Impossible. They saw me fall.

Forcing my shaky legs to stand, I push past them. Ignoring the confused, terrified stares of everyone in the room, I walk directly to the head of the Witches’ Council—Maeve’s father. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the picture of Cassie’s mother and slap it directly into his palm.

“Find everything there is to this woman. Search Cassie’s belongings. I need information,” I say, panting heavily, my voice raspy from the attack.

The head of the council looks down at the photograph. His fingers tighten around the photograph. It lasts less than a second. Then, his expression becomes unreadable. But I have seen enough. He knows her.

“What happened, Your Highness?” Maeve’s shaky voice questions from beside me, her veil trembling.

“Nothing,” I say audibly, fixing my posture. But looking at their tense faces, I know they don’t buy it for a second. An Alpha King doesn't just drop to his knees for nothing.

“Everyone except Joel, leave,” I order.

The council members exchange uneasy glances, but they obey, filing out of the high doors sluggishly. Once the heavy wood clicks shut, leaving just the three of us, the mask falls.

“He spoke to me,” I confess, rubbing my throbbing temples. “The Primordial King. He demanded I give him the girl, or he claimed there is no saving us.”

Joel steps forward, his eyes wide with worry. “Then let us give her up, Nikolai. If he can bypass your defenses like that, we are completely exposed.”

“She mind-linked me, Joel.”

“But it is just you!” Joel warns, stepping closer. “We can’t risk losing you to your wolf form. You can never change into your wolf again without risking permanent casualties. If your brain fractures, the pack is over.”

I look away, a spike of guilt hitting my chest. If Joel or anyone else finds out that I actually turned into a wolf the very day I met Cassie in the woods, I will never hear the end of it. I mustn't go rogue in my wolf form. But it gets me thinking. If Cassie’s mere presence can make the Primordial King this desperate and frightened, then she is significantly stronger than I thought. The enemies will do anything to avoid her being awakened.

Which means I need to do the exact opposite.

“Any ideas on how to get through to her?” I ask, looking at him.

Joel crosses his arms, leaning against a stone pillar as he brainstorms out loud. “She has already formed some sort of attachment to you, Nikolai. We saw how she acted in Atlanta.”

I furrow my eyebrows, genuinely confused. “What does that mean?”

“She trusts you.”

I stare at him, “So?”

Joel's expression hardens. “Then stop thinking about how to get information from her. Think about what would make her give it to you willingly.”

Something cold settles in my stomach. “No.”

“You haven't even heard the rest.”

“I already know what you're going to say.”

Joel doesn't blink.

“Then you know exactly what we have to do. Think of our people, the war. Is it worth the life of your people and the alliance you swore to maintain.”

“Make her love you,” he advises bluntly.

I freeze, staring at him like he has lost his mind. “Are you insane? I'm engaged.”

“Listen to me,” He presses, stepping closer to the throne. “You saw the High Council's faces just now. Maeve’s father saw something in that picture that he recognized, and he hid it from us. The Witches’ loyalty has been shaking for a while, and your marriage to Maeve is the only thing keeping them tied to our military. We need to find some way out of their leverage.”

“And the marriage alliance?” I ask, my voice dropping. “Maeve will execute her the moment I look her way.”

“The alliance will hold because Maeve needs our protection from the Primordial’s just as much as we need her magic,” He adds, his voice dead serious. “You just have to persuade Maeve to see the tactical advantage. Make her understand it's a play for information. We just need the girl's mind, her power, and her secrets. You play the protector, Nikolai. Make her trust you completely.”

Joel’s words echo in the quiet room, leaving me trapped in deep thought. It is a dangerous, toxic game. But looking down at my trembling hands, I realize I might not have a choice.