Chapter 5: The Forbidden Wing

Lena’s POV

The carriage passed through Bloodmoon’s gates, and I caught my first glimpse of the palace.

Black towers rose behind tall stone walls. Guards stood along the entrance, bowing as our carriage passed. Everything looked grand, but nothing about the place felt welcoming.

When we stopped, a woman in a grey dress was waiting for us.

“I am Mrs. Molly, the head housekeeper,” she said. “Follow me.”

Lucy helped me out of the carriage, and we followed Mrs. Molly inside. Servants moved through the halls, keeping their heads down as we passed.

“His Majesty usually takes supper in the great hall,” Mrs. Molly explained. “You will remain in your room until he summons you.”

“And if he doesn't summon me?” I asked.

She gave me a brief look. “Then you will remain there.”

I said nothing more.

Mrs. Molly led us to a room in the west wing. It was large, with a comfortable bed, a dressing table, and a window overlooking the gardens. The room was better than anything I had expected, but I knew comfort did not mean freedom.

“You are not to enter the northern wing,” she warned. “His Majesty does not tolerate people wandering where they do not belong.”

“I understand.”

She gave Lucy a few instructions about meals and other arrangements before leaving.

Lucy closed the door and turned to me. “They have practically locked us in.”

“A comfortable prison is still a prison,” I replied.

She looked worried. “Please, Lena. Don't give them another reason to punish you.”

“I won't.”

I meant it when I said it. I had no desire to attract Kael's attention again. His rejection was humiliating enough, and watching him allow that guard to die had shown me exactly how little mercy I could expect from him.

Still, I could not sit in the room all day without knowing where I was.

After Lucy began unpacking our belongings, I went to the window. Beyond the gardens stood a small stone pavilion surrounded by trees. A narrow path led towards it, disappearing behind a wall.

I wondered what lay beyond that wall.

The strange feeling beneath my ribs returned. It had started after I woke in this body, and I still had no explanation for it. Sometimes it felt like a faint pull, drawing my attention towards something I could not see.

I stepped away from the window.

I only wanted to explore a little. If I stayed away from the northern wing, there should be no problem.

“Lucy, I'm going to stretch my legs,” I said.

She glanced up from the clothes. “Don't go far.”

“I won't.”

I slipped into the corridor before she could ask more questions.

The palace was quieter than I expected. I passed two servants carrying folded sheets, but neither stopped me. One glanced at me before quickly looking away. Perhaps everyone already knew who I was, the rejected wife their king had been forced to keep.

I continued walking, trying to remember the way back to our room.

At the end of the corridor, I found a staircase leading down to a side passage. I followed it until I reached an iron gate that stood slightly open.

Beyond it was another corridor. The walls were darker, and the air felt colder.

I should have turned back.

Instead, I pushed the gate open and stepped through.

The strange pull beneath my ribs grew stronger as I walked. I followed it past several closed doors until I reached a bathing chamber.

The door was partly open.

I pushed it a little wider, intending to check whether anyone was inside.

Then I froze.

Kael Wolven was bathing in a large stone pool.

For a moment, I forgot why I had come there. Water ran down his bare shoulders, and his dark hair clung to his forehead. He looked nothing like the cruel king who had humiliated me before an entire hall, yet I knew better than to mistake his beauty for kindness.

I quickly looked away.

“I'm sorry,” I said. “I didn't know anyone was here.”

“Clearly.”

His voice made me turn back.

Kael had lifted his head. His pale golden eyes fixed on me, and the calm expression on his face made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“What are you doing here, wife?”

“I was exploring the palace.”

“And you accidentally wandered into a restricted wing?”

I lowered my gaze. “I didn't know this was the northern wing.”

“Mrs. Molly should have told you.”

“She did. I was already here when I remembered.”

It was not a convincing excuse, and we both knew it.

Kael rose from the water. I turned away again, but not before noticing the frost spreading across the edge of the pool.

“Look at me when I'm speaking to you.”

I forced myself to face him.

“Are you always this careless, Lena?”

“No.”

“Then perhaps you should learn to obey instructions.”

I swallowed my reply. Arguing with him would achieve nothing. I had already learned what happened when powerful men decided they did not like you.

“May I leave now?” I asked.

“Afraid of me, wife?”

I hesitated before answering. “I would be foolish not to be.”

Something changed in his expression, but it disappeared too quickly for me to understand.

“Come here.”

My stomach tightened. “Why?”

His eyes narrowed.

I took one reluctant step towards him.

The temperature dropped suddenly. Frost spread across the stone floor, creeping towards my feet. I watched it reach the edge of my shoe, expecting the cold to bite through the leather.

It didn't.

Kael stepped out of the pool and caught my wrist.

Cold rushed through my skin.

I gasped, but not from pain. His touch was freezing, yet my hand remained warm. The frost gathered around his fingers without spreading over my skin.

For the first time since I had met him, Kael looked genuinely shocked.

His grip tightened as he stared at my hand, then lifted his eyes to mine.

“Why aren't you freezing?”