~5~ SILK CAGE

  BELLA

    The sheets beneath me are impossibly soft, like cool silk sliding over my skin. Too soft for a prisoner.

I freeze for a moment, my heart kicking against my ribs. This is not the cell. Not even close.

Fragments return in pieces: the king’s lips on mine, his arms lifting me, the low purr of a car engine… then nothing. A heavy, dreamless sleep.

A warm, sweet scent wraps around me. Caramel and vanilla. His scent.

My cheeks burn. Did he carry me all the way here?

I push myself up slowly. My body feels strangely light. The deep aches from Steven’s kicks, from the rejection, from the bond breaking… they’re almost gone.

What did he do to me?

The fact that I'm absolutely clueless should scare me more than it does.

A faint rustle makes me tense.

“Y-Your Highness?” a gentle female voice asks.

I turn my head towards the sound instinctively.

"I... I'm Bella," I correct softly.

"Oh!" she gasps lightly. "Forgive me. My name is Tiana. I'm assigned to attend to you."

Her voice is warm. She sounds young and friendly. Maybe my age.

"Hi, Tiana."

"Did you sleep well?" she asks, sounding genuinely concerned.

"I think so," I mutter. "I... barely remember getting here."

Her voice lowers. "His majesty carried you all the way from the car."

My breathing quickens. "Oh."

I don't know why that makes my stomach flutter.

"Would you like to shower?" she asks gently. "I've already prepared everything."

"Yes... thank you."

She helps me shower. The water is perfect, the towels cloud-soft. Then she sits me down and begins applying creams to my face with careful fingers.

"You're very beautiful, you know," she utters softly.

I feel embarrassed at being called that. I'm only used to the opposite word. She's just flattering me, isn't she?

"You're just being kind."

"No, I'm serious," she says firmly.

I force out a smile, fiddling with my nails.

"Um... Tiana?"

"Yes?"

I hesitate. "The other brides..."

Her hands pause. "What about them?"

"I heard... they all died."

She exhales softly. "They did."

My stomach tightens.

"Were they... nice?"

"Very," she says immediately. "Most of them were gentle. Some were frightened... like you."

A chill creeps down my spine.

"How long did they last?"

She hesitates. "Usually... a few days."

My fingers curl into my lap.

"I'm worried about you," she blurts suddenly. "You seem sweet. And... this palace..." she trails off.

"What about the palace?" I ask weakly.

She lowers her voice. "It's not a kind place."

Before I can respond, there's a knock. Another maid enters, the scent of food filling the air instantly.

I didn’t realize how hungry I was before now.

Tiana helps me eat, guiding my hand carefully.

For a few minutes… I almost forget to be afraid.

Then the door opens suddenly and Tiana gasps. Her hand tightens around mine. A cold, elegant feminine voice fills the room.

"So. This is the girl."

My spine stiffens. I lower my head instinctively.

"Your grace," Tiana says nervously.

It must be the Queen Mother. Why is she here? To scold me? Gosh, I don't want to be here either.

My heart starts racing.

"I hear you've captured my son's attention," she says.

Captured? More like I was abducted against my will!

"I—"

"Pour me some tea."

My fingers tremble. Tiana quickly guides my hand towards a cup. I try. I really try. But I can't see.

The tea sloshes, the hot liquid spilling onto the table and on my fingers. Tears well up in my eyes. I suddenly can't breathe properly.

"I'm... I'm sorry—"

"Pathetic," the queen says coldly.

My chest tightens painfully. She's right after all.

"Blind. Clumsy. Weak. My son has truly outdone himself this time."

Each word hits me like a slap to the face. And it hurts.

"You won't last a day here. I guess you'll be dead by midnight. Don't delude yourself. You don't belong with my son. He is only doing what he has to."

After throwing those ugly words at me, she retreats, leaving a heavy silence behind. My hands won't stop shaking. Tiana squeezes them gently.

"Don't listen to her. But… please be careful, my lady. This palace eats sweet girls alive.”

Later, after a meal I barely taste, Tiana leaves me to rest.

I lie back on the silk sheets, hugging a pillow that carries his scent.

A soft knock breaks the silence.

The door opens before I answer. I hear light footsteps that definitely don’t belong to Tiana or the queen.

A low, raspy voice whispers near my ear, close enough that I feel breath on my skin.

“Enjoy the luxury while it lasts, little wolf. The moment you start trusting him… that’s when your real doom begins.”

My blood turns to ice. I jerk upright, my heart hammering.

“Who are you?!”

I don’t get an answer. Only the soft click of the door closing.

I’m alone again. But the warning echoes in my head like a death sentence.

Trusting him will be your doom.

I hug my knees, breathing hard.

Who was that? Another bride’s ghost? A servant? Or something worse?

Yesterday, I was locked in a cold room, wondering if I'd even survive the night.

Now I'm in a palace. Because of him.

What does he really want from me? Does he know that we're mates? And if he does... Why does everyone say his brides die?

A chill creeps down my spine. My fingers drift to my chest unconsciously.

When... will it happen? Will I die tonight? Tomorrow?

In a few days? We’re not even married yet.

My throat tightens.

I swallow hard, blinking against the sudden sting behind my eyes.

I don't want to die. I haven't even... lived.

The thought makes my heart feel unbearably heavy.

The scent of him strangely comforts me. My eyelids grow heavy, exhaustion slowly pulling me under.

I'm awoken by the feeling of soft lips brushing against my neck. My brows knit faintly.

That rich, intoxicating scent—caramel, vanilla, and something darker—floods my senses.

“Your Majesty…” I breathe, my voice husky with sleep.

A low hum vibrates against my throat. His lips trail lower.

“You sleep like the dead, butterfly,” he murmurs, amused. “I could do anything to you right now… and you wouldn’t even stir.”

His hand slides slowly up my thigh, pushing the silk higher. My body betrays me, my hips lifting before my mind can catch up.

He chuckles darkly. “So sensitive already.”

His fingers trace the edge of my panties, teasing. I gasp when he strokes along my folds through the thin fabric, finding the spot that makes my back arch.

“W-wait—” The plea dissolves into a moan as he circles my clit with devastating patience.

“I’ve waited centuries for you,” he whispers, his teeth grazing my neck before biting down just hard enough to draw a cry from me.

Pleasure and pain twist together.

His lips brush my ear, his voice velvety.

“Aren’t you curious, little mate?” he purrs, still stroking me. “Aren’t you going to ask what I really need from you… and why every bride before you ended up dead?”

He presses harder, making me whimper.

“Or are you going to keep pretending that this is just a fairytale?”