Eliora had not returned to the kitchens the previous day. She couldn't.
Not after what happened.
So when the sun rose the next morning and she stood trembling before the head servant, she didn't even try to defend herself.
The old woman's sharp eyes narrowed.
"You didn't report back yesterday."
Eliora bowed her head. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
"No," the woman said, arms crossed, "it won't. Because you'll be scrubbing the yard stones until midday. And if I find a single patch undone, you'll scrub the servant halls too."
Eliora nodded quietly. She expected this.
Her chest still felt tight from yesterday's encounter with the king and from the mark burning beneath her scarf.
"Go," the woman snapped.
Eliora hurried away with a bucket in hand.
A punishment was better than questions.
Better than admitting she had happened with the Beast King.
At the Council Hall
Zarek sat at the head of the round obsidian table, expression unreadable, while his council droned on about border patrols and beast troop rotations.
He was trying to focus, trying to ignore the strange, tightening sensation in his chest. Then, a sharp pulse tore through him.
He stiffened instantly. A jolt. A sting. A wave of distress that was not his own.
His eyes flashed violently red.
Aldric noticed first.
"Your Majesty?"
Zarek clenched his jaw. The sensation struck again, a faint panic, helplessness, like a whisper brushing against his soul.
His soulmate. Something was wrong.
Before he could fully rein it in, heat rushed across his skin, and the mark on his chest flared beneath his tunic, glowing faintly through the fabric.
A collective gasp echoed through the hall.
Councilwoman Haleen rose from her seat, eyes wide.
"Your Majesty, was that… the seal?"
Zarek did not answer.
Councilman Eirik leaned forward, ever bold.
"So you did meet her already?"
Zarek had never lied. He never needed to.
"Yes."
The room exploded.
"Who is she?"
"What lineage?"
"Is she from the northern tribes?"
"Which noble family?"
"Is she a wolf beast? A fire beast? Or"
Zarek lifted a hand and the room fell silent.
"You will know," he said calmly, "when I decide it is time."
His tone was final.
Unyielding.
But that only made their curiosity turn into wildfire.
Murmurs spread immediately.
Aldric stepped forward, clapping his hands once.
"That is enough. Council dismissed."
One by one, the council members filed out, eager whispers trailing behind them.
The door closed.
Zarek's jaw tightened.
"Aldric," he said, "find out what is wrong with her."
Aldric froze. It took him a moment to speak.
"You can feel her discomfort?" he asked, astonished. "But… beasts normally do not sense their chosen mates unless the bond is deep. And this quickly?"
Zarek shot him a single look. A hard, cold, kingly command.
Aldric swallowed. "Yes, my king." He bowed deeply. "I'll look into it immediately."
He practically ran from the room, leaving Zarek alone, his eyes still faintly glowing, chest still burning with the feeling of her distress and the knowledge that his soulmate, his human soulmate, was hurting.
.
.
Eliora scrubbed the frosted yard floor with trembling hands, the cold bit through her gloves until her fingers stung.
Her breath puffed visibly in the air.
Footsteps approached, distinctly beast-like.
A shadow fell over her.
"Human," a deep voice rumbled. "Why are you doing that?"
Eliora froze. She looked up slowly to see a tall beast soldier staring down at her, his thick arms were crossed and his brows furrowed.
She immediately bowed her head again.
"I...I'm serving punishment, sir."
The beast blinked. "Punishment? For what?"
"I… didn't return to my duty yesterday," she whispered.
The beast stared a moment longer, then nodded stiffly and walked off without a word.
Eliora exhaled shakily. Hopefully that was the end of it.
It wasn't.
In the War Chamber, the soldier stood before Aldric, bowing deeply.
"My commander, the small human girl is being punished. Scrubbing the stones."
Aldric straightened immediately. "Punished? By whom?"
"The head servant, sir."
Aldric cursed under his breath. He didn't waste another second, he turned and headed straight for the throne room.
Zarek was reviewing documents when Aldric entered.
His gaze flicked up, "Well?" he demanded.
Aldric bowed briefly. "Your Majesty, your bonded is being punished. Scrubbing the yard stones."
Zarek's eyes flashed red so quickly the flame torches went off in response.
"Punished?" he growled. "For what?"
Aldric cleared his throat. "She didn't return to duty yesterday."
Zarek's jaw clenched.
He paced once, the floor vibrating faintly with each step. His beast pushed close, restless, protective and very much irritated.
"Change her living arrangements," Zarek said abruptly.
Aldric blinked. "To what, Your Majesty?"
"A private room. Warm. Furnished. And guarded."
Aldric straightened, nodding vigorously. "Yes, my king."
"And another thing." Zarek's voice dropped lower. "Her duties will be limited. She serves me only."
Aldric knew better than to hide his surprise this time. "You want her restricted to royal service alone?"
Zarek gave him a stern look. "Did I stutter?"
Aldric swallowed. "As you command."
Zarek sat again, controlling the flare of his power, though the air in the room still crackled.
"Go," he murmured.
Aldric bowed deeply. He left swiftly, almost eager because there was a rare, unfamiliar light in the king's eyes now.
Possessive. Protective. Undeniably bonded.
"Wait."
Aldric froze mid-step. "Your Majesty?"
Zarek's jaw ticked, a sign Aldric had come to recognize as deep, coiled anger. "Ensure the head maid does not spend another hour in my palace."
Aldric's brows lifted, then he bowed his head in understanding. "As you command, my King. I will see to it immediately."
"Do not make a spectacle of it," Zarek added. "But she leaves. Today."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Commander Aldric didn't bother walking to the servants' wing, he summoned them.
A single flare of his aura was enough.
Within minutes, the human head maid and the palace butler, a dignified beast who had served the royal bloodline for centuries entered Aldric's office.
The maid bowed quickly, stiffly.
The butler bowed deeply.
"You sent for us, Commander?" she asked, trying to mask her nerves.
Aldric didn't sit. He stood behind his desk, posture straight. "Yes. Head Maid Ruvina. You are relieved of your duties, efffective immediately."
The woman's mouth fell open.
The butler stiffened.
"Commander?" she whispered, "I have served this palace, this royal family for decades. How… how is this possible? For what reason?"
Aldric paused. He let the silence settle, let her feel the weight of the words she'd forced out.
"You punished someone you were not permitted to punish."
Ruvina blinked, confused. "Who? I...Commander, I don't..."
"That is all you need to know." His tone was final. "Gather your things. A guard will escort you out in the next quarter hour."
The woman trembled, swallowed, and bowed shakily before retreating.
Once the door shut, Aldric turned to the butler. The ancient beast did not raise his eyes. "Your command, sir?"
"Miss Eliora Harley," Aldric began, folding his arms behind his back, "is to be moved to a proper room. Good space. Good bedding. Warmth."
The butler nodded.
"She is to serve only the King. No other duties. No rotations. No errands outside His Majesty's wing."
The beast nodded again, deeper this time. The order was extraordinary but unquestionable.
Aldric held his gaze for a moment. "See that it is done immediately."
"Yes, Commander."
The butler left without another word. He had served three kings and countless eras, and even he could sense the shift in the air, the unmistakable protection surrounding the young human girl.
A protection only one person in the entire realm could enforce.
The King.