INICIAR SESIÓNKiara Pov “Who would have thought my key to freedom would be me trying to kill myself,” I said, still wiping at my face with the back of my hand. My eyes felt swollen and my voice was rough from all the crying.Nessa gave a small tired smile and squeezed my shoulder. “Right. But you know you only got that chance because you are his mate.”I let out a shaky breath and stared at the floor. “I guess there are still some perks to this mate thing. It still feels unreal though. Wait...the king hasn’t said it himself. What if he changes his mind? He’s like a switch sometimes. Some days he wants one thing, then the next day he flips completely and acts like none of it ever happened.”My mind was already spinning, replaying every time he had been hot then ice cold. Nessa reached over and held both my hands firmly.“Listen. I understand your fear. I do. But it’s not going to happen, okay? It’s a decree. The king can’t just switch it back without looking weak in front of the whole palace. Hmm..
Kiara Pov I was still on the floor with my face pressed into Nessa’s shoulder when the words finally pushed out of me. My throat felt raw from all the crying I had already done. My eyes burned.“Why didn’t you tell me?” My voice came out thick and broken. “Why did you hide that I’m his mate? You knew and you just let me sit here not knowing.”Nessa’s hand rubbed slow circles on my back. She didn’t answer right away. “It wasn’t my place, Kiara. It wasn’t something I could just say out loud. It wasn’t my secret to give.”I pulled back enough to look at her face. My eyes felt swollen and raw. Tears still leaked down even though I tried to stop them. “What else are you hiding from me?”She went quiet. Her mouth opened then closed again. That silence told me more than any words could. My stomach twisted.“Speak, Nessa. Nothing can be worse than being the king’s mate. Just say it. Whatever it is, say it.”She stared at the floor for a long second. Her fingers picked at a loose thread on he
Zayn Pov I left her on the floor of my room and shut the door harder than I needed to. The sound of her crying still followed me down the corridor even after the wood closed between us. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I could still feel the exact weight of her body when I caught her in the air, the way she had gone limp for that one second before she started fighting me like she wanted to finish what she started.I had been in my office with Tristan and Raphael going over the details for the ball when the guard burst in without knocking. His face was white and his voice cracked when he spoke.“Your Majesty... the slave girl, Kiara... she’s on the roof. She’s about to jump.”The air left my lungs so fast I felt dizzy. For a moment I couldn’t move at all. Then I was already running. I don’t remember the stairs or the people who jumped out of my way or the shouts behind me. I only remember the open sky and her body tipping forward over the edge and the pure animal terror that I would be
Kiara Pov Anger slammed into me the second those dark blue eyes locked on mine. I twisted hard in his arms and screamed straight at his face.“How dare you catch me! Why do I need your permission to die? I’m not your personal slave anymore!”I kicked and shoved with everything left in my body. My fists hit his chest over and over. My legs swung and struck his thighs. He only tightened his hold until my ribs ached.“Let me go! Put me down right now!”“Keep quiet. You might not be my personal slave but you are still a slave in this palace and in my kingdom.” His voice roared right next to my ear, loud enough to make my head ring.“I don’t care what you think. You’re not going to stop me. I don’t belong to you!”I shoved with every bit of strength I had left. My body slipped from his arms and I hit the ground hard. Pain shot up my hip and into my side. The stone scraped my palms. I scrambled up anyway, legs shaking, and stood in front of him with my chest heaving and my hands clenched s
Kiara Pov I pushed myself up off the wet floor. The soaked linen shift clung to my skin heavy and ice-cold. Dark streaks of dirt marred my arms, and grey water still dripped from the ends of my matted hair. I didn’t look around for the scrubbing brush or the spilled bucket. I didn’t care about the mess on the stones. I just walked.My feet moved on their own, numb against the freezing floor. Corridors blurred past in a smear of dark stone and flickering torches. I didn’t notice the servants stepping hastily out of my way, or the guards who didn't even bother to look. Someone called out a question from behind me, but the sound stayed far away, muffled like I was underwater.Stairs came under my bare feet, and I climbed them without counting each step. Another dark hallway. Another sharp turn. The air grew steadily colder, biting through the damp fabric of my clothes. Fresh wind touched my wet face. I kept going until stone stopped beneath my soles, and the open sky stretched endlessly
The sting on my cheek still burned when I lifted my head. Aria stood there with her arms crossed and that mean little smile she always wore around the other girls.“What did I do that you had to slap me?” My voice came out smaller than I wanted.She let out a short ugly laugh. “Are you seriously asking me that? Because of you I almost got strangled by the king. I brought him the venison just like always and he nearly took my head off. You always walked around like some slave princess. Everyone was too scared to touch you. Even Sable and Wren kept their hands to themselves. But now the king’s taken you off personal service. No one can save you anymore.”She laughed again, louder this time, and turned on her heel. Her skirts swished as she walked away down the narrow passage without looking back.I stood there with my hand on the wall. The stone felt rough under my palm. He was so disgusted he dismissed me like that. Just threw me out of his sight. It’s good, I told myself. At least las







