Enemy of the throne

I looked at some elders who dodged my gaze.Their faces had changed.

They wouldn't look at me.They knew something.

Kieran followed my gaze and looked at the two elders.

“Explain,” he said.

“This is nonsense,” the elder refuted.

“Well, this book says this curse was made by this very Council.”I lifted the book and the whole room gasped.

Kieran looked around his face went cold and his eyes turned completely red.

“Is it true?”his voice was terrifying.A voice of man and beast.

But no one answered him.

Pheromones built up inside the room.I could feel it pressing against my skin.

Kieran stood between me and them.

“Enough.”I walked towards him.

When I touched him, his eyes went back to their normal colour and I stared at him.

I didn't know why I could calm him nor why touching him felt different.

But I knew the bond was reacting.

“She stays with me.”Kieran spoke.

“Anyone who touches her answers to me.”he said it before leaving with me.

“Did you mean it? About the curse?”he pinned me against the wall once we were outside the chamber.

“Yes.” I slowly responded.

“I think the Council did it,” I added.

It was evident they wanted to control mates.

“If what you are saying is true… then the bond between us is a lie.”he stopped in his tracks and there was pain in his eyes.

I stared at him and for some reason, seeing that pain hurt me too.

My chest tightened and I wanted to tell him it wasn't true.

But I didn't know if it was.

Kieran turned abruptly and I crashed into his chest.

He held me close, sniffing my scent even more which made my heart beat faster.

I could feel his body against mine.

The bond pulled again and this time I didn't push him away.

“Then why does it hurt so much when you're near me?”he said and he led me to his chambers.

“Aren’t these your chambers? What am I doing here?” I asked.

“To watch you,” he lazily said as he threw himself on the bed.

I looked around.The room was huge and there was only one bed.

“I’m definitely not sleeping with you,” I resisted.

“There’s a couch over there.”he pointed towards the couch and I looked at it.

It was better than the bed so I walked towards it and sat down.

The night had long been cut short but neither of us slept.

Although my eyes were closed, I trained.I followed my body instincts and small sparks exuded from my body.I clenched my fists.

Again.

Another spark came out.

I tried controlling it but the power moved through my fingers like it had a mind of its own.

I heard the bed move behind me.

I ignored him and continued.

Then my body suddenly lost balance.Before I could hit the floor, a hand grabbed me which forced me toI look up.

Kieran was holding me.

“Control it or it controls you,” he said.

“You think I don’t know?” I snapped.

“You don’t.”I glared at him and he released me.

“You're annoying.”

"And you're reckless.”

We argued all night and neither of us wanted to back down.

But the bond kept pulling us closer.

At some point, I realized he was only a breath away from me and I froze.I could feel his breath against my skin.

His face was close enough that I could see every detail.My heart started beating faster.

Neither of us moved.

Then I noticed his skin was getting warmer and he suddenly pulled back so I stepped away too.

He said nothing and walked towards the bath and I heard the water running.

I looked away.i didn't know what had just happened.

The following morning he arranged for my training with several powerful mages from the kingdom.

The first day was fire training.I stood in the training room and looked at the fire in front of me and raised my hand and the flames grew.

Then they suddenly exploded towards the curtainscwhich immediately caught fire.

I panicked but Kieran put the fire out.

I looked at the burnt curtains.

“I’m sorry.”

“Try again,” he said.

I looked at him and he wasn't angry.

So I tried again and this time the fire stayed in my hand.

I stared at it.

I had actually controlled it.

Kieran nodded once before returning to his office for official pack business.

I looked at my hand and for the first time, I felt like maybe I could actually control this.Days went by and we barely spoke or saw each other.

When the other retired to bed, either Kieran was busy in his study or I had long fallen asleep.On the third day in the pack house, I was trained on ice wielding.

I trained for hours.Then I accidentally froze Kieran’s sword.

The sword was covered in ice.

I looked at him.

He stared at it for a moment.

Then he looked at me.

His expression barely changed.

But I noticed the slight movement of his lips.

He looked impressed but he quickly turned away.

I almost smiled.

During dinner the room was silent until he asked about my childhood.

I looked at him and I was curious why he suddenly wanted to know.

I told him about the well.

About where my parents had placed me when the great purge was happening.

I told him how I barely remembered anything else.

I looked down at my food.

There were things I still couldn't remember these things my mother had never explained.

Kieran didn't interrupt me.He just listened.

Really listened.

He slightly nodded as I spoke.

For once, I didn't feel like I had to explain myself twice.

Then the stewards disturbed us with a gift wrapped in a box.Some girl had been said to send it to him.

It was perfume.

Kieran picked it up and threw it into the fire.

I stared at him.

“You don't have to,” I spoke.

“I know,” he said.

I looked at the fire.

He didn't do it because I asked him to.

He simply did it and something shifted inside me.

I didn't know what it was my thoughts grounded when another steward brought wine.

Kieran reached for the cupbut something smelled wrong.I froze.The scent was faint but I could smell something bitter beneath the wine.

“Don't drink that!”

I knocked the cup from his hand with an ice cube.

The cup fell and shattered on the floor.

Kieran stared at me.

“Someone search for the culprit,” he ordered.

The guards moved immediately.The person who had brought the wine had vanished.

Later his scent was caught.

He was a council member.

When he was dragged in, Kieran looked at him.

The council member barely had time to speak.

Kieran executed him quickly.

Blood covered his hands.

I stared at them.

I had seen him kill before.

But this time I didn't flinch.

Maybe I was getting used to the King everyone feared.

Or maybe I was getting used to him.

“You okay?” I asked.

He looked at me not speaking and his expression changed slightly.

“No one's asked me that in 500 years,” he said.