14. Dangerous Kindness.

Silas's Pov

A few days had passed since the wedding night, or at least I thought it was a few days. At some point I had stopped counting the days in this captivity, I'd sent most of my time confined to this room, rarely allowed to wander far without guards following my every step like a damn shadow.

To put it briefly, I was in a luxurious, beautiful cage.

Every morning, servants delivered trays of carefully prepared meals following Dr Joana's instructions. The foods mainly contained fresh fruits, herbal teas, and soft proteins meant to rebuild my weakened body. Most times I would force myself to eat even when nothing had taste. The new medication always arrived promptly, theyr were small white pills that I swallowed without complaint, hoping they would do what Dr Joana promised. And when I am finally recovered, I would be useful to him.

Useful.

That word haunted me more than anything else.

Today was another day, as always. I had just finished taking my bath and was currently putting some clothes on. I caught glimpses of myself in the mirror while changing. The mating mark on my neck had settled into a vivid scar, silvery lines tracing where his teeth had claimed me. It still throbbed sometimes, especially at night when the bond grew restless. I knew my body was slowly mending, I could feel it, but I still felt fragile, like glass that had been shattered and poorly glued back together. As if one wrong move and I would break again.

I sighed deeply, pulling the soft robe tighter around myself as I sat by the window. The same thing I've been doing for the past few days, staring at the scenery until sunset, only moving when I have to eat or use the bathroom. I looked outside the large window, the palace gardens bloomed beautifully under the sun, but I felt none of that warmth. My inner Omega remained subdued, wary and hiding deep inside me most of the time. Even he feared our mate now.

Talking about him, I hadn’t seen much of his Majesty since that night. He hadn’t returned here, at least not while I was awake. Because I do suspect that he definitely comes here during the night when I was asleep. Part of me was grateful, but the other part ached with a confusing emptiness, it was a nagging reminder that I belonged to him whether I wanted it or not.

Also, I had a dream this morning. I was standing at the top of a mountain, with an Alpha. I didn't see his face, but it didn't feel like my alpha, this particular alpha felt… warm. Was he real? Or just a pathetic hallucination born from fear and loneliness? Either way, thinking about him only made the reality hurt more. There was no kind mate waiting for me, only the Lycan King who despised everything I was.

A soft knock suddenly interrupted my spiraling thoughts and I straightened slightly on the window seat, expecting one of the usual servants with another tray of food or medicine. But when the door opened, it was Prince Zira that stepped inside.

My heart jumped at the sight of him. I immediately sat up straighter and tried to give him a bow, but he raised a hand quickly, halting me before I could even lower my head.

“No need for that,” he said gently, a small smile playing on his lips. “You’re my brother’s mate now. That makes you higher than me in rank, technically.”

All I could manage was a quiet, awkward, “Oh.”

The word felt small and stupid hanging in the air between us, I didn’t know how to act around him. He looked so much like the King, yet he carried himself with a warmth that felt completely foreign, especially to me, who had never experienced such feeling all my life. It made me nervous in a different way.

He took a seat in front of me and glanced around the lavish room, taking in the untouched tray of food and the way I sat, curled by the window like a prisoner watching the world he couldn’t touch. “You must be bored out of your mind being cooped up in here all day.”

I shook my head immediately, “Not really,” I lied softly.

The last thing I needed was to seem ungrateful. Or worse, to give anyone ammunition that could reach the King’s ears. Who knew maybe he was the one who sent his brother here to test me? I had to be very careful.

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Come on. There’s more to this palace than these four walls. How about we watch a movie together? Something light. I think you could use the distraction.”

The request made my stomach twist with nerves. Just like the first time I met him, I didn’t know what to say. Accepting felt dangerous, and declining might offend him, but more than anything, my mind screamed about what The King would do if he found out I had left the room with his brother. The memory of his furious threat on our wedding night flashed in my head and I had to take a deep breath to calm myself.

My fingers twisted together in my lap, eyes darting toward the door as if the King might burst in at any second.

Prince Zira seemed to finally what was going on with me and let out a soft scoff, more amused than offended. “If this is about my brother, don’t worry about it. I’ll handle Zenith. He may be King, but he doesn’t control every breath you take.”

Oh, you have no idea.

His words should have comforted me, but instead, they only heightened my anxiety. Cause the idea of leaving this room, even for a little while, was tempting. The silence here had been slowly suffocating me.

But since the prince said he could handle his brother, why not give it a try?

Finally, I gave a small nod, and I watched as his face lit up with a wide, genuine smile,it was the kind that reached his eyes and made him look years younger. It was so disarming, so warm that, despite everything, I couldn't help the tiny, hesitant smile that tugged at the corner of my own lips in return. It felt strange, I couldn’t even remember the last time I had smiled at all.

He stood up immediately and I followed suit, walking out of the room after him. The moment we stepped out of the room together, the two guards stationed at the entrance immediately fell into step behind us. The Prince paused in his steps, turning to them with a raised hand.

“Stand down. I’ll escort him myself.”

I noticed the way the guards exchanged uneasy glances. After a few seconds, one of them cleared his throat. “Apologies, Your Highness, but we have strict orders from the King.” He said, looking briefly at me. “We cannot leave his side.”

I looked back at the prince, whose expression didn’t waver. “And I’m telling you to stand down. I’ll take full responsibility. Go on.”

The silence stretched for some seconds after that. But after a tense moment of hesitation, the guards finally relented, stepping back with visible reluctance.

It was just the two of us now.

I let the prince lead the way through the grand palace hallways, my bare feet quiet against the cool marble floors. We walked farther than I expected, though we were still within the royal wing. Eventually, we stopped in front of an ornate door and my body stiffened.

This wasn’t a private cinema room or some reserved area like I'd thought, this was clearly… his room.

I could already feel the anxiety spiking sharp and cold in my chest. “Why… why are we watching the movie in your room?” I asked, my voice quieter than I intended. I had assumed we would go somewhere more neutral, somewhere public enough that it wouldn’t look suspicious.

It was enough that I was hanging out with my mates unmated brother, but wouldn't it look so improper being alone in a room with him.

He shrugged casually in return to my question, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “My room is more comfortable than the main cinema hall. Better screens, better seating, and no one will bother us.”

That only made me more nervous and hesitant. There really was a proper cinema room in the palace, but he was deliberately choosing his room. It felt… weird, in a strange kind of way. I felt like the idea of me and him alone together in a room sounds Intimate in a way that made my skin prickle with unease.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, then turned back, waiting for me with that same easy smile. “Come on in.”

I stayed rooted in place, heart hammering. “I… I think I’d prefer the cinema room, if that’s okay.”

Yeah… I didn't want the king's trouble. I've seen what he can do. Scratch that, I've experienced what he can do.

The prince studied me for a moment, and I watched as his expression shifting as realization dawned. “I’m not going to bite you, Silas.”

Hearing my name from his lips made my skin crawl. I should've expected that we would be on first name basis, but I was still surprised to hear it.

I still didn’t move. My mind was racing with worst-case scenarios, what if The King returned early? What if he found me here, alone in his brother’s room?

“But-” I tried to reason again, but was cut off.

“Oh, come on.”

Before I could protest further, he reached out, grabbed me gently but firmly by the elbow, and pulled me inside. The door clicked shut behind us with a soft, final sound.