Is that you?

The sound of movement echoed in the room, and in place of a beast, now stood a man, Draco.

He grunted at the sight of the room. Lying still was another of the females. She was unmoving.

Draco moved aside to the window, watching the black sky as his sentinels entered, carrying the lifeless form away. Draco's spirit was restless.

After the sentinels carried the form away, Draco helped himself with a bath. His mind was saturated with thoughts until he felt his beta's presence.

"It wasn't a success," Alfos intoned, not needing to ask what had occurred as he walked into the bathhouse.

"Were you expecting anything different?" Draco's tone was sharp as it cut through the air.

"We all do, Dracolian Abistroghato Throne. Always," Alfos said with conviction, and that troubled Draco. In the bid to get away from his beta, he slipped out of the steamy water, bare.

On his way out of the large bathhouse, he grabbed his robe and tied it around his waist, striding out.

Draco had only walked twenty steps away from the royal bathhouse when Alfos walked out and called.

"You've got a new companion!"

Draco muttered under his breath. A new companion meant another difficult situation. In a state of agitation, he paused and turned to his beta.

"I do not want any more females! No more companions!" He said, his voice vibrating.

"Dracolian, you do not have an option! Do not act as you do!" Alfos said firmly, wanting his words to sink into the king's mind. The mind that had for years been altered.

"Taking her means another attempt," Draco hummed, his shoulders deflated. For all he could remember, he had joined with nine female humans just to father a child, which, according to an advisor, might break the cycle, but nothing was working.

All of those females ended up lost. None lived to tell the tale of what they witnessed.

"If that's what you'll do to help our people, then you must..." Alfos insisted.

Draco shook his head. He wished Alfos understood his distress. Hell, no one in Abbator would understand what it means to suffer such a fate.

"I can't continue. After the nine lost companions, it's obvious I cannot manage this. I do not wish to continue that pattern..." He gritted out and whirled back around to continue his walk to his chambers.

"Then what about our purpose?" Alfos' words halted Draco in his tracks. His body visibly started to shake. As always, the thought of the purpose always sent him on edge.

Alfos moved closer to him, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Would you want the other clan to take what's yours--- ours, forever?"

Draco's throat worked as he dimmed his eyes. So many things flashed through his mind. The deadline. He lost his position. His heritage and the lives of his people.

"Alfos..." He murmured, feeling helpless. Alfos knew he had spoken to Draco's soul, and at that, he added.

"Five feet tall, raven hair, olive skin. Round, sparkling blue eyes. That is the description of your new companion."

Alfos could very much refer to her as his new charge. The word companion made it sound mild.

"Fine." He continued walking, moving past the sentinels and male servants that filled the tower. "What if she's not suited to be my companion?"

"The elder's assessment will confirm that, but until then, you need to see her," Alfos hurriedly said, trying to convince the alpha lord.

"I do not wish to see her. Until the assessment, I don't want the sight of her around the castle,"

It was a command, one that Alfos knew not to disobey. He watched the lord's frame disappear from the corner.

Draco hastened his movement, moving past his men. The urge to get away from it all brimmed in his mind. In record time, he entered his chamber, closing the door shut. He exhaled a long breath, recounting how the night went awry with his last female companion.

"Lord alpha..."

The voice lured him from his deepest thoughts, and Draco looked up. On his bed rested his male Attendants. Like the attendants in other places, the attendants in Bloomington were males trained to provide companionship in Bloomington.

Of course, the alpha lord's Attendants were carefully selected.

The two Attendants had minimal clothing on. One moved closer with the intent to assist the lord, but he stopped him midway.

"You're all dismissed, Micah. Jed." Draco ordered in a firm voice that left no room for argument.

"Yes, my lord," Both Attendants chorused and gingerly exited the room.

With them gone, the lord ran his hand through his hair, a tired sigh escaping his lips. He walked into his balcony, needing some respite that only the fresh air could provide.

He stood on the balcony, overlooking his domain, Abbator, as males moved by. Just when he decided to rest his elbows on the parapet, he heard a loud sound coming from the room above.

The sound was like something breaking.

*

*

Isolde.

Dread was all Isolde felt when Alfos closed her in. It crawled around the depth of her gut as she faced the room. The brick walls were dark. The bed in the corner was larger than the one she had in Kalingrad, but none of that mattered to her.

At the moment, Isolde needed to find a way to escape this place. She moved around the room, searching.

Holding the candle, she went to the chest and pulled it open, darting her eyes around for any key.

Her father was skilled with locks, so she could potentially open the lock and flee, but she found nothing.

Frustrated, she thought of another plan. Escape through the window. It didn't matter if she was in a tower. With the energy pumping through her veins, she could navigate whatever ledge, no matter how narrow it was.

The window had metal bars, and she needed to loosen them. Fortunately, Isolde found a stone resting beside the chest. She took hold of it and began to strike firmly against the metal bars. The need to escape filled her muscles with strength.

Isolde held on, striking while keeping her ears out for any of the sentinels that might come to stop her.

Eventually, the metal bars that clung to the concrete tenaciously gave way.

Isolde pulled back and exhaled, wiping the dots of sweat on her face as she dropped the stone.

Taking one last breath, she climbed onto the bed, holding onto the wall. The moment her head propped out, she studied the height.

She was a hundred and fifty feet off the ground. A small gasp of dread shot through her; however, the ledge and trellis gave Isolde a little hope.

Oh, there was a balcony beneath her. If she carefully followed the trellis, she'd land on the balcony and escape from there.

Happy with that conclusion, Isolde began her escape. She grunted as sweat layered her face, regardless of the cool air, dripping into her eyes while she climbed. Her feet and hands latched successfully on the ledge.

In time, she slipped onto the trellis and climbed through it until her hand latched onto the balcony's parapet.

A song of victory nearly made it out of her mouth, but she held it in. It was too early to rejoice.

After discarding the thoughts, she climbed over the parapet and landed on the balcony. A wince left her on reflex. Rubbing her forehead, she rose to her feet to continue moving.

Two steps into the balcony, Isolde froze.

There was a figure in the dark. A man and only his Iridescent eyes shone. He had shoulder-length hair and scruff and was as tall as a tree.

Oh, no. Had she walked into a formidable being? The thought came, but Isolde dismissed it fast.

With a pounding heart, she turned, shaking as she tried to flee. Maybe jump over the parapet...

And risk great harm? A voice spoke in her mind.

Yes, that risk was better than standing before a formidable being!

Just as she perched her hand over the rail, a deep, firm voice sounded.

"Stop."

Was there command laced in his voice because it had Isolde freezing on the spot?

The dark figure shifted a bit, coming under the burning torch on the balcony, revealing his face.

Isolde's breathing stopped the moment she set her eyes on him. Sharp chiselled jaw and black tousled hair revealed under the light. His eyes still glowed like embers burning on the horizon. But what caught Isolde's focus was the noticeable mark that ran from his brow down to his cheek.

"Is that you?" The male's voice sounded as his eyes took her in with intensity.