Bloodbound to the Beastly King

The gates of the obsidian palaces groaned heavily as they were pulled open, allowing the carriage to roll in. Adina exhaled quietly, her body relaxing the moment they arrived.

Thorne clasped his hand over hers, his eyes searching hers. "We're home," he said, and she nodded, smiling.

The door opened, and Thorne stepped out, then helped her out too. Standing before the carriage was the beta. He bowed to Thorne.

"Your Majesty, it's been a while," he said, glancing at Adina. "You too, I hope you're well? I heard of what happened."

"I'm okay now, thank you for asking," Adina replied.

Caelum's gaze shifted to Thorne, and it turned serious. "Your Majesty," he began. Thorne nodded, understanding. He turned to Adina.

"I have to get to work. I'll see you for dinner?"

"Of course," she replied.

Adina waited for him to leave, but instead, Thorne stepped closer to her and held her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'll find you when I'm done," he whispered before leaving.

Adina stared at his retreating figure for a while longer, exhaling deeply. Behind her, she heard wheels and horses. She turned to see them taking the newly acquired set of slaves to the other side of the palace. She shook her head lightly and made her way into the palace.

She wandered for a bit, eventually ending up in her room. She had her bath, changed into more comfortable clothes, and then again stepped out of the room. This time, she had a destination in mind. She walked to the garden. It wasn't quite often she came here, but today, she craved the fresh air and flowers.

She shut her eyes the moment she stepped out, taking in the smell of citrus and lemon. The flower scent was more potent than she remembered them to be. She wondered if anything had been done but shook her head. What could anyone do? She opened her eyes, taking in the place. Unsurprisingly, she was the only one there. The people in the palace tended to stay away from the garden.

Adina turned only to pause, her mouth pulled into a circle. "Oh, hello there," she whispered, seeing the dove that landed next to her. She bent down, fingers stretched to lift it, only to pause again, brows furrowed this time when she heard squawking above her. She looked up, and her eyes widened slightly.

"What the…" she muttered.

Above her was a flock of doves. They circled overhead, soft white against the blue-colored sky. She smiled, feeling impossibly warmer at this. One landed beside her, then another. Slowly, as if pulled by an invisible string, they began to gather around her. If it weren't happening to her, she'd think it could only happen in books.

Some rested on the flowers, others on the grass. Then one surprisingly landed on her shoulder.

Adina froze, turning her neck stiffly to look at it. A second one brushed past her and settled in her hair. A third landed softly in her outstretched palm.

Her lips parted in surprise, a smile breaking out on her face. She stared at them, their feathers impossibly white, their eyes calm even as they squawked.

"I'm not sure why you're here," she whispered softly, stroking the one in her hand. "But… thank you. For that day."

The birds cooed in response, peaceful and still. Adina's heart was full of warmth, and she didn't even know why. She didn't want to think about it either. Instead, she continued stroking the one in her hand and watched the others flock around.

"You found it," came a very familiar voice behind her.

Adina turned around to see Thessara standing a few feet away, eyes wide, lips parted. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides.

Adina blinked. "What?"

Thessara stepped forward, her gaze flicking between Adina and the birds.

"You found it," she repeated, her voice thick with emotion.

Adina's heart clenched slightly. "Found what, Thessara?" she asked instead.

Thessara didn't reply immediately. One of the birds flew toward her and landed near her arm, brushing its wing against her sleeve.

Thessara chuckled wetly. "Your powers. You found your powers."

Adina didn't reply; she stood still, watching as Thessara wiped a tear that fell to her cheek away.

"Come with me," Thessara said softly. "Please."

Adina nodded; she had questions, and only Thessara could answer them.

They got into the woods and continued to walk towards Thessara's cabin. It wasn't such a long distance from the palace. Eventually, they arrived at the cabin.

Thessara pushed the door open, and the two of them stepped in. "Come," the woman said, not stopping at the living room like usual. She went further into the cabin, and Adina followed.

She stopped outside a door Adina didn't even know existed in the cabin and pushed it open, motioning for Adina to come in.

Adina stepped inside, her breath catching. The walls were lined with ancient tomes, hanging herbs, and jars of crystals. In the center was a low round table surrounded by cushions. At the far end of the room stood a mirror, tall, and cracked slightly in the corner.

Adina looked around with narrowed gaze, taking in the place fully. "What is this place?" she asked softly.

Thessara shut the door behind her as she moved towards the herbs. "This is where I practice. Where I remember," she said.

Adina looked at her, brows raised. "Practice? What are you practicing?"

Thessara hummed; she pulled the cover cloth on top of a large bowl open. In it was water, but it was a different type. This one glowed blue like something had been added to it. But it hadn't. Thessara dipped her hand into the water and slowly took it out, the water following her hand. "I practice my energy here."

Adina stared in shock, watching the water move according to the way Thessara pulled her hand.

"What are you—" the words died down in her throat as the water splashed back into the bowl. "What did you just do?" she asked in awe.

Thessara looked at her with a forlorn expression, then pulled the cover cloth over the bowl again. "Before the war… Before I was a palace healer. I was a disciple of the sages."

Adina froze, eyes wide with shock. Sages. She had heard about sages. She had read about them in books too. What they did… how they protected the realm, the king, the powers they held. They were divine beings.

Adina stepped forward, eyes widened. "Y-you were? You are a sage?"

Thessara checked wetly, sniffling like she was battling the urge to cry. "I am not a sage. I was learning to be one, even though it's practically impossible to learn, but I was really determined to be one." She paused for a second. "I was a disciple of the greatest sage alive. She was a sight to behold. A woman of great substance and strength. Her powers were beyond magnificent, and she… She was a real beauty too. She saved the realm many times before Khaos finally got a hold of it."

"You see, Khaos was also a sage. Although he stayed in her shadows. Until he got greedy. He began to take on jobs that didn't go with the doctrine of a sage. He gave spells to kill. Spells to cast sickness. Spells to make oneself younger than they actually are. All of these went against the rules as a sage, and he broke each and every one of them. The sages found out, and they took it to the king who then ordered for his title as a sage to be taken from him. They tied up his energy source and powers, rendering him useless. He became a normal wolf like the rest of us. But he…" She shook her head. "He was livid. He dove straight into black magic, and as a former sage who knew all the right and wrong spells, he turned himself evil. A beast. He held a bitter grudge against the king and the sages."

Adina swallowed hard; she didn't know why Thessara was telling her all of this. She couldn't understand why.

"Thessara—I"

"Khaos managed to wipe out all the sages that lived. Including her. She was attacked brutally the most. But she— She didn't give up. Couldn't— she was pregnant. She wanted to survive, for her unborn pup. And so… she made one last spell. She changed her appearance and fled Obsidian. It is believed that she died alongside the rest of the sages Khaos murdered… But I know she didn't. She escaped for her pup. Only I knew."

Thessara's gaze was heavy even as the words left her lips. The more she spoke, the more Adina's legs trembled. She gulped hard, eyes blurry with tears, she managed to croak, "T-The last sage. W-what was her name?"

Thessara looked at her dead in the eye. "Virelya. Virelya of the south."