SIX: The King's Castle

            Never before had I seen anything quite like it. When Kael at last placed me just inside the entrance of the massive castle, the sheer magnificence of the place made me totally forget how tired I was.

            With its gleaming polished marble floors under the light of huge crystal chandeliers, the entrance hall stretched further than the eyes could perceive. Tall silver columns stretched up to a vaulted ceiling covered with fine paintings of wolves running under a full moon. It seemed more like an old, magnificent castle than like a fortress.

              Standing in the middle of it, I suddenly got painfully aware of my own appearance. My dress was torn, thick mud stained the hem, and my hair was a tangled mess from sprinting through the forest. I appeared quite odd, a tattered ghost amid a house of kings.

"Come," Kael whispered gently.

             I raced to maintain his extended stride. The Lycan troops flanking the corridor dropped their heads in profound, practiced reverence as we moved.

"Your Majesty," they whispered in turn. "Good evening, Your Majesty."

              But as soon as Kael passed, their eyes turned to me. One or two even offered a warm, hesitant smile; some seemed intrigued, some quite perplexed. Whatever the reaction, one thing was absolutely certain: everyone was wondering who on earth I was.

                My cheek burned under the weight of their gaze, so I leaned a little closer toward Kael.

"They're staring."

"They will get over it," he said softly.

"Somehow, I don't think they will." 

                A small, uncommon smile pulled at the corner of his lips. 

"I haven't brought anybody here in quite some time."

                Looking up at him, I blinked. 

"Anyone?"

                His expression changed to one totally unreasonable. 

"Particularly a lady."

                A sudden surge of heat came toward my face and I looked away quickly, my heart doing a weird little flutter. 

"Why did such a small remark create such extreme anxiety in me?" I wondered.

               We ascended a sweeping, broad stairway, before arriving outside a set of hefty silver doors. Kael opened them and pointed inwards. 

"This'll be your room."

               My mouth dropped as I moved across the threshold. The space was bigger than my whole house back at the Silver Moon Pack. Floor-to-ceiling windows provided a spectacular view of the snow-capped mountains outside, while a large stone fireplace crackled gently and lighted the room. Fresh flowers scented the air, and a grand bed stood in the center, draped in sheer white curtains.

"This is... for me?" I asked, turning to him in disbelief.

                Kael gave a slight nod.

"If you need something, just let the servants know."

"There must be some mistake," I murmured, crossing my arms protectively. "I am merely an ordinary pack member, Kael."

               His golden eyes fastened on mine, his voice lowering to a subdued, steady tone. 

"No, Aria. You have never been ordinary."

                A soft knock on the door came before I could fully understand his remarks. It opened to expose a lady in her fifties carrying a big platter of food. Her dark hair had elegant silver streaks spun across kind, crinkling eyes.

                Her face brightened when she saw me. 

"You have to be utterly exhausted, dear."

"I am," I said bashfully.

                She gently laid the tray on a table close by. 

"My name is Mira."

"I am Aria."

"I know," Mira said, her smile widening. "It's so fantastic to at last get to meet you."

                'At last?' I frowned, a small prick of doubt flashing through my head. 

"What do you mean by that?"

               Mira turned back over to Kael. The king gave a quick, virtually unnoticeable head shake, and Mira's smile vanished right away.

                She quickly apologized, gracefully straying from the subject. 

"You ought to eat while the food is still hot." She bowed low to Kael and dashed out of the room.

                 The moment the door slammed close, I turned toward him. 

"Everyone here seems to be acting as if they already know me. Why?"

                   Kael kept quiet. Staring out at the bright moon for many long, anxious minutes, he strolled over to the window. 

"When the time is right..."

                  I let out a deep sigh, cutting him off. 

"You will tell me, right?"

"Yes."

                I was truly starting to dislike that response. 

"Is there something about me that every person in this castle knows but I don't?"

"No," he answered right away and turned back to face me. "Just a few."

                 That actually worsened my mood rather than improve it. My stomach let out a loud, traitorous growl before I could push more. Flustered, I turned over to the tray. It had roasted meat, fresh, crusty bread, vivid veggies, and fruit in great quantity. It smelled great.

                Kael noticed my lingering gaze. 

"You ought to eat."

"I've just never seen this much food meant for one person before."

                 His expression softened, cloud of uncertainty crossing it. 

"What do you mean?"

                  Looking down, I anxiously tore at the ripped hem of my dress. 

"At the pack house... they didn't really share much with me. I usually got the scraps." I couldn't bring myself to finish the thought, but I didn't need to.

                 He understood what I was trying to say and then his features turned dark with boiling rage .

"They disregarded you."

                  I kept mute. Kael's jaw tightened so tightly a muscle twitched. 

"They starved you."

"It wasn't that bad," I murmured, attempting to downplay it.

                  His golden eyes flashed with a dangerous light. 

"You need not defend them, Aria."

                   My eyes remained fixed to the ground. I had persuaded myself for years that my poor life at the Silver Moon Pack was perfectly normal. Looking at him and this room, I was starting to see how mistaken I had been.

                    Walking up, Kael drew a chair out for me. 

"Come and sit. Eat."

                    I followed his orders. For the first time in what seemed like a lifetime, I ate till I was totally full. Every mouthful reminded me of the hunger I had lived with for years. When I eventually put down my napkin, I understood Kael had just been silently watching me; he had not touched anything.

"You didn't eat anything," I said.

"I'm not hungry."

"You were just battling monsters in the forest," I said and he just shrugged.

"I have gone through far worse."

              I let out a small chuckle. 

"You really are impossible."

               His lips curved into the ghost of a smile. 

"People have told me so."

               The room took on a cozy, quiet atmosphere. It was a strange feeling. I couldn't recall the previous time I had sat with someone without feeling judged, mocked, or completely undesired.

                The peace, however, did not hold. Kael cut the silence, his voice fading low. 

"You ought to rest a little."

"I doubt I'll get any sleep."

"Because of Damian?"

                 Though still stung by hearing my former mate's name, the agony was strangely less acute than it had been a few hours earlier. 

"I don't know," I confessed as I gazed at the fireplace's dancing flames. "I always thought that finding my mate would mean finally having someone who chose me. Instead, he rejected me in front of the whole pack. I just keep asking myself... What is so fundamentally wrong with me?"

                 I was startled by the noise made by the chair cutting across the ground. Kael moved across the room and dropped straight in front of me before I could notice what he was doing, so bringing our eyes to precisely the same level.

"There was never anything wrong with you," he stated, his voice resonating with complete conviction.

                 Looking for any indication of compassion or dishonesty, I examined his face but discovered only extreme honesty. 

"You have no knowledge of me, Kael."

"I know enough," he said softly. He lifted a hand, counting on his fingers. "I know you are very courageous. Following public shame, you clung to your dignity. Tonight you worried more about my injury than your own fear." He gave a little, adoring grin. "And you still pick kindness notwithstanding all you have gone through at the hands of others. I know just who you are."

               My eyes shot hot tears immediately. Not one soul in my lifetime had ever so said about me.

                Red-faced, I quickly cleaned my face. 

"I don't cry."

"Right now you're crying."

                Despite my best attempts, a wet laugh slipped free. 

"You're very observant."

"When it comes to you, I notice everything."

                 Our eyes connected, and for a short moment the rest of the planet vanished entirely. The way he looked at me, which was fiercely warm and protective, made my heart beat much too quickly.

                 Suddenly, a loud, panicked knock broke the spell. Before Kael could even respond, the door sprang open and a young Lycan warrior burst inside, instantly falling breathless.

"Forgive the interruption, Your Majesty," the guard panted.

                Kael got up right away, his attitude changing from gentle to deadly in a split second. 

"What is it?"

"The council has come," the warrior said, his voice shaking a little. "They want to see her."

               My heart skipped a beat. 

"Me?"

              The warrior nodded frowningly. 

"They've heard rumors that you brought a human woman into the royal castle."

              Kael's eyes turned into a dangerous shade of amber. 

"She is not human,"

"I know, Your Majesty. But the council believes your judgment has been severely compromised."

               The room was suffocatingly silent. I stared between the two men, fear squeezing my chest. 

"I am not clear. What's going on here?"

               Kael spun to face me, his expression unreadable. 

"The council is skeptical on strangers. And under the circumstances..."

"They'll trust me even less," I ended for him, swallowing hard. "Maybe then I should just leave. I don't want to cause issues for you."

"No," Kael answered, his command ringing out without so much as a second thought. "I won't let anyone drive you away."

                The strong tolling of the castle bells started to reverberate through the stone walls all at once. The young warrior's face turned completely pale. 

"Your Majesty."

                 Kael walked to the window, his jaw clenched as he gazed at the main courtyard. 

"There's an emergency council declared by them. They're moving significantly faster than I anticipated."

               His golden eyes locked on mine with severe intensity as he whirled around. "Whatever comes next, Aria, do not leave this room."

                Something in his tone told me this was more than simply a request. It was a dire warning. And as the bells kept chiming in the distance, I realized that the greatest danger I faced wasn't the monsters hiding in the wood, but the people waiting right outside my door.