CHAPTER 5

Sylvia

The stone floor was harder than anything I had ever slept on. My whole body ached when I woke up, but at least I was alive, which was more than I expected after last night. 

Morning light came through the narrow windows and showed dust floating in the air. I realized Rowan was still asleep against the wall with the chains wrapped around him.

He looked so uncomfortable that my chest hurt just watching him. His head was bent at a weird angle and his arms were pulled tight by the chains. 

His legs were folded in a way that had to be painful. Even in sleep, his face stayed tense like he was fighting something in his dreams and I wondered if he ever got to rest properly or if the curse followed him even when he slept.

I wanted to help him and maybe adjust his position so his neck would not hurt so much when he woke up, but I was too scared to get that close. 

He might wake up suddenly and grab me or his wolf might see me as a threat and attack before he could stop himself. I stayed where I was and just watched him for a few minutes.

The morning light hit his face in a way that made him look different from the terrifying executioner everyone feared. 

His black hair with those silver streaks fell across his forehead, covering one eye and my fingers actually tingled with the need to push it back so I could see his whole face. 

He looked younger when he slept and maybe even peaceful, if you ignored the chains. His lips were slightly parted and I found myself staring at them longer than I should have.

This was crazy. I should be running away from him, not sitting here thinking about how handsome he looked, but the mate bond was doing strange things to my brain. 

Every time I looked at him, I felt this pull in my chest, like an invisible rope trying to drag me closer and it took all my willpower to resist it.

I forced myself to stand up and leave the room before I did something stupid like actually touch him. 

My stomach growled loudly, reminding me that I had not eaten since yesterday morning before the ceremony. 

Rowan would probably be hungry too when he woke up so I decided to find the kitchen and make some food.

The tower was bigger than it looked from outside with long hallways and many rooms that were all empty and covered in dust. 

It felt lonely and sad like nobody had really lived here in years. I wondered how Rowan could stand being so alone all the time. 

The kitchen was on the ground floor and at least it had food, even if everything was basic and plain.

I found bread that was a few days old but still good and some dried meat and cheese that had seen better days, but would work. 

There were eggs in a basket and even some vegetables that only needed the bad parts cut off.

I started cooking, trying not to think about how domestic this felt. Making breakfast for my mate who was chained to a wall upstairs.

The cooking helped calm my nerves, because it was something normal and familiar after all the craziness of finding out I had a mate and learning about the curse that would kill me soon. 

I pushed those thoughts away and focused on not burning the eggs, cutting the bread evenly and making sure everything was cooked properly.

When I carried the tray of food back upstairs my hands shook a little because I did not know how Rowan would react to me bringing him breakfast. 

Maybe he would be angry that I touched his things or maybe he would refuse to eat anything I made because he did not trust me. Maybe he would just ignore me completely like I did not exist.

But when I walked into the room, he was already awake and watching the door like he had been waiting for me. 

His ice blue eyes widened slightly when he saw the tray in my hands, and I definitely saw a look of surprise flash across his face before he made his expression blank again.

"I made breakfast," I said, my voice coming out higher than I meant it to. "You must be hungry after everything that happened last night."

He stared at me for a long moment like he could not understand why I would do something like this. 

"You cooked for me." He said and it was not really a question, but more like he was trying to make sense of the words.

"Yes," I said, taking a wary step closer but stayed out of reach of his chains. "Everyone needs to eat and you cannot exactly cook while chained to the wall."

"Most people would have taken the food and run as far from me as possible." His voice was rough from sleep and I didn’t miss the look of disbelief flashing across his face.

"I am not most people." I said and then felt stupid because that was obvious since most people were not cursed to die from being mated to him.

I set the tray down a few feet from him and then looked at the chains around his hands. 

He could not eat properly with both hands bound and the food would get cold if he had to struggle with it.

I made a decision that my brain said was stupid but my heart said was right.

"I can help you undo one of the chains so you can eat." My voice shook because the idea of getting that close to him was terrifying and exciting at the same time.

"You do not have to do that," He said quickly. "I can manage."

"No, you cannot," I said, surprising myself by stepping closer. "Just let me help you. It will only take a second and then I will move away again."

He watched me approach like I was a deer that might run if he moved too suddenly, and I could see him holding himself completely still. 

My hands trembled as I reached for the chain around his right wrist. The lock was more complicated than I expected with multiple parts that had to be turned in the right order.

"The small lever first, then turn the dial twice and then push the pin in." He said softly. His breath was warm against my hair because I had to lean close to see what I was doing.

I followed his instructions, but my hands shook so badly that I kept messing up the sequence. 

Being this close to him made my whole body feel strange and hot. I could smell something like pine trees and winter air coming from his skin and the mate bond sang in my veins demanding I get even closer.

"Sorry I am being clumsy." I muttered, trying again with the lock, but my fingers would not cooperate.

"Take your time," Rowan said, his voice surprisingly gentler than I had heard it before. "I am not going anywhere."

I almost laughed at that since he was literally chained to the wall, but the sound died in my throat when I looked up and met his eyes. 

They were so blue this close and I could see flecks of silver in them that matched the streaks in his hair. My heart started pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it.

I cleared my throat loudly, my cheeks flushing red as I quickly focused on the task at hand. 

The lock finally clicked open, but as I stepped back my foot caught on the edge of the chain on the floor. 

I started falling forward and expected to hit the stone floor, but suddenly Rowan's free arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me against him to stop my fall.

The world stopped moving and all I could feel was his solid chest against mine, his arm holding me steady and the heat of his body everywhere we touched. 

The mate bond exploded between us with silver light and I gasped at the intensity of it as my hands landed on his shoulders to steady myself.

We stared at each other and neither of us moved or breathed. His face was so close that I could see every detail of his features. 

His lips were only inches from mine and I could feel his breath against my mouth.

My whole body screamed at me to close that tiny distance between us, while my brain screamed at me to run away as fast as I could.