"Don't," he said softly, cutting through her panic.
Carefully, he lifted the scarf and draped it around her hair, covering her without ever touching her skin.
The act itself was strange and too delicate from the ruthless beast king.
He exhaled through his nose, trying but failing, to soften the hunger in his gaze.
"What is your name?"
He inhaled again, the scent nearly drove him mad.
"El-Eliora." She answered.
Zarek closed his eyes. The name hit him like a blow. He repeated it back to her, barely above a breath, "Eliora."
The name sounded different from his lips. Better than anything she had ever heard.
For a long moment, he simply stared at her, at the beauty she was and how her lashes fluttered every time she blinked. It was bewitching.
Finally, he spoke, "Leave."
Eliora swallowed hard as she backed away, but the echo of his claim "Mine" kept repeating in her mind.
.
.
Maelina entered the throne room without a sound, her robes softly sweeping the floor.
She bowed before Zarek. "You called for me, Your Majesty."
Aldric was already standing beside the king, his posture rigid.
The moment Maelina looked up, her lips curved into a knowing smile. "So," she dragged, "you've met her."
Zarek's brows furrowed at her. "You know."
She chucked, then said, "It appears the bond was what triggered your beast, even before the full moon." Her voice held no surprise, only certainty. "Hmm. It makes sense now."
Aldric blinked at her in disbelief. "Wait, so you knew?"
She glanced at him, amused by his shock. "Of course, I knew. I'm the high seer for a reason, Aldric."
Zarek stepped down from his throne, saying, "Then you also know she is human."
Aldric inhaled sharply, still reeling with disbelief from the reality of who the kings soulmate was.
Maelina did not flinch or gasp, she didn't even look the least bit surprised. "Yes, I knew that too."
Aldric gaped at her. "You knew all this time?"
She nodded.
Zarek's expression darkened. "And you didn't think to mention it?"
"Because she wasn't born yet, Your Majesty. Your soul mate had not entered this world until recently. The two centuries delay wasn't fate being cruel…" Sh lifted her gaze to Zarek. "It was simply waiting for her to exist."
Zarek's control snapped. His voice thundered through the room, edged with a fury neither Maelina nor Aldric had heard from him in years. "She is HUMAN!!!"
Aldric stiffened.
Zarek began pacing, barely restraining his power. Just then, glasses from the windows shattered.
"Fragile. Weak. How is she supposed to withstand my beast?" His hands clenched. "How is she to survive the mating? She would break."
His chest heaved, the memories of her flashing behind his eyes. "Even the beast women, trained and strong, struggle to endure me."
He turned to Maelina, his eyes blazing. "But a human? A human girl who trembles when I walk by, how is she to survive ME?"
Maelina didn't flinch. She waited until he stopped pacing, then spoke with conviction. "Because she was made for you. Fate does not make mistakes with a fated bond. It chose her because she can handle you."
Aldric swallowed, but he didn't dare say anything now.
"She was shaped to withstand your beast and your strength." Mealina continued. Her gaze rose to meet the king's conflicted eyes. "She was made to survive you, King Zarek."
Only Maelina was brave enough to call the King by his name.
"She is the perfect match. The only one who ever could be." She added.
Zarek's jaw flexed, the storm in his eyes refusing to calm. Maelina's reassurance only seemed to ignite a defiant anger in him and a refusal to bend to fate.
He turned away from them, his voice rough as he spoke, "What if I reject it?"
Aldric's head snapped up while Maelina's breath seized for a heartbeat.
Zarek continued, fists clenched at his sides. "What happens if I refuse the bond?"
Maelina stared at him as if she hadn't heard correctly. "Your Majesty, you cannot mean..."
"Answer me." Zarek insisted harshly.
She stepped closer, her urgency clear in every step. "You must not reject it."
Her voice shook, making Aldric's eyes widen. It was a rare thing seeing fear on the high seer's face.
She continued, "If you reject the bond… your beast will die."
Aldric inhaled sharply, but Maelina's next words were worse. "And you will follow."
Zarek's breath paused for a heartbeat as she went on, "And her, your soulmate, she will not survive the separation. She is human and that makes her more sensitive to the bond's rupture."
Aldric turned to him, "Your Majesty, you can't possibly be thinking of rejecting her."
Maelina whispered, almost pleading, "You cannot resist what fate has woven. To reject her is to destroy yourself."
Zarek released a slow breath and finally lowered himself to a chair, the wood creaking under his weight.
His thumb ignited, just a small blue flame floating over the finger. It had become an unconscious habit, a sign of his agitation.
He stared at the small flame, as if it could answer the war inside him.
Maelina decided to try again, "Your Majesty, please listen well."
He looked up.
"If you reject the bond, both of you will die. If you delay the bond, your beast's unrest will tear you apart and her with you."
Zarek looked away, rubbing his eyes. Aldric watched him, silently urging him to accept what fate had written.
Maelina bowed her head, saying, "Acceptance is the only path that keeps you both alive."
She turned, her robes sweeping the floor as she headed for the door. "Do not delay, Your Majesty," she said without looking back. "Fate has already moved. You must move with it."
With that, she left the chamber, leaving Zarek alone with Aldric.
The door had barely closed behind Maelina when Zarek spoke again, "Your wound," he muttered, now staring at the flame twirling over his thumb. "How is it?"
Aldric blinked, caught off guard by the sudden concern. His lips twitched into a smile, because only the King could move from life altering issues to casual inquiry in the same breath, but he controlled his expression.
"Still healing, Your Majesty."
Zarek's eyes narrowed. "Still?"
He nodded.
Beasts heal quickly, almost immediately, but wounds from the king take longer. When the King strikes, even unintentionally, even the strongest of his warriors heal slowly.
Zarek heaved out a breath, extinguishing the flame on his finger. "Visit the healers," he ordered. "Today."
Aldric inclined his head. "Yes, my king."
Zarek leaned back in the chair and said, "Leave me. I want to be alone."
Aldric hesitated only a heartbeat, long enough to show his concern, then he bowed and left, shutting the door behind him.
Zarek was soon alone with a bond he wasn't ready to accept and a human girl fate had already carved into his soul.