All Chapters of Caged by a King: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The throne room emptied slowly, like water draining around a stone. Nobles retreated in stiff-backed clusters, whispering behind their jeweled hands, throwing sharp, nervous glances toward the shifter standing bare and unbound at their king’s side.Corvin didn’t spare them a look.His hand remained hooked loosely in the leather collar at Elowen’s throat, a quiet, unyielding claim. When the last courtier finally fled and the hall doors boomed shut, the silence that followed was vast and taut, humming with something Elowen had felt from the moment he saw the king.He felt it as interest, danger, and possibility tangled together.Corvin let go of the collar only to step in front of him, hands clasped behind his back, posture deceptively relaxed.“Walk,” he said.His voice was not loud nor harsh. It was simply a command.Elowen raised an eyebrow. “Does your palace bite if I step wrong?”Corvin’s eyes, pale, clear, and ice-sharp, slid down and then up his bare body again. A slow, precise i

The throne room looked different when you walked into it clean and clothed instead of wrapped in net and rope.The banners still hung heavy. The torches still burned, the nobles clustered in neat little knots of silk and metal. But now their eyes didn’t simply widen. They tracked him like a storm crossing the stone floor.Corvin was already on the throne when Elowen entered, wearing black and gold, cloak draped effortlessly, posture perfect. He hadn’t braided his hair again. It fell loose, dark around his pale, unreadable face.Their gazes met.For a heartbeat, the world narrowed to that single line between fox and king, predator to predator.Then the whispers started.“That’s him!”“In the king’s own colors?”“Unacceptable...”Elowen let the sound wash over him like music. He walked down the center of the hall with lazy, unhurried strides, every inch of him radiating the truth: he did not belong to these people, no matter what collar he wore.He stopped at the base of the dais.Corvi

Corvin’s chambers shut out the noise of the palace the moment the doors closed behind them. The guards remained outside as ordered, their spears grounded and unmoving. Inside, the air felt heavier, as though the room itself understood what had just happened in the hall.Elowen took stock of the space as he stepped farther in. The king’s rooms were larger than he expected, but not excessive. Dark hangings embroidered with silver softened deep stone walls. A wide bed rested against the far wall beneath a carved raven crest. A blackwood desk stood near tall windows, covered with maps, letters, and a few scattered daggers that seemed placed more out of habit than intention. A couch waited near the fireplace, which burned low and warm.Corvin moved through the room with deliberate calm, unbuckling his sword belt and setting it on a stand. He glanced back at Elowen, who still stood near the center of the room.“You will sleep here,” Corvin said. His voice carried no strain from the recent a

The palace corridors were quieter as Corvin led Elowen away from the throne room. Their footsteps echoed against polished stone, and the chandeliers overhead cast long patterns of gold across the floor. Elowen followed with an unhurried stride, although his senses remained sharp. He did not trust any hallway in this place, especially after the puppet assassin.Corvin walked with focused purpose. The energy in his shoulders had the hard tension of a man with too many enemies and not enough time to hunt them all. Elowen studied the broad line of his back as they moved. The king had been carved by war, not privilege. Every step reflected that.“You did not answer my earlier question,” Elowen said. “Where are we going?”“To the inner gardens,” Corvin replied. “There are no crowds there. We can speak without half the court listening.”“Speak about what?”“About last night. And about whoever is trying to kill me.”Elowen’s smile sharpened. “You assume I did not arrive with the same goal.”“

The mage tower loomed above the palace like a stone spine. Even in daylight, it carried an air of old secrets. Elowen followed Corvin through the archway and up the narrow stairs that spiraled toward Theon’s work chambers.“Do I have to attend this?” Elowen asked.“You do,” Corvin replied. “You do not leave my sight until we settle what happened last night.”Elowen gave him a sideways glance. “You sound possessive.”Corvin did not look at him. “I sound practical.”They climbed several more steps in silence. The air grew warmer as they neared the upper floors. Elowen could smell herbs burning somewhere above. The scent mingled with candle wax and something sharper, like metal reacting to heat.When they reached the landing, Theon stood waiting near a tall window that filled the tower with pale afternoon light. Shelves crowded the walls, packed with scrolls, vials, stone fragments, and tools Elowen did not recognize.“The king tells me you found traces of an old spellwork,” Theon said.