Bloodbound to the Beastly King

Thorne stood by the window, his eyes flickering over the land, watching the people move and trade.

The door creaked behind him, and he turned to see Lord Carter stepping in. He was still clad in his robe from the meeting. "Your Majesty," he greeted, bowing slightly.

Thorne nodded, forcing a smile on his face. "Lord Carter," he called.

"You called for me."

Thorne nodded again, gesturing at the chair. "I did. Sit."

He walked over to the chair and sat down, watching as Carter sat down stiffly, wary.

"May I ask what His Majesty called me in for?" he asked, irritation building in his gut.

Thorne hummed, "I've been thinking…" he began. "About the past… all that's happened," he drawled out, watching the lord's reaction, but he got nothing. "About Elara…" he continued.

At this, he got a reaction. Carter's brows twitched slightly. "What about Elara, Your Majesty?"

Thorne didn't reply. He stood up and called towards the alcohol cabinet, taking out a bottle of alcohol and poured it into two glass cups. He passed one to Carter, who took it with a curt bow.

Thorne smiled, taking a sip of the drink. "Elara made a lot of mistakes…" he began. "And because of that, I may have acted too harshly."

Carter's face remained stoic.

"While I was unconscious, I assume it must have been quite a lot of responsibility to carry on with." He paused for a second. "Beta Caelum explained things in detail to me. Elara twisted things in her favor, she made it seem like I asked her back into the pack because I trusted her and thus… she manipulated you…" he trailed.

Carter's eyes narrowed.

Thorne knew the man wouldn't just buy his words that way. Carter was a smart and intelligent man. He needed to play his cards carefully.

"You were loyal to the throne, to the kingdom as you swore during your signing in. Things were too hot at the time, and Elara managed to poison things to go her way. I was made aware that Elara and you didn't see eye to eye. I'm told you challenged a lot of her decisions… I may have misjudged things and blamed the wrong person." Thorne paused again, watching the man's reaction.

Carter stayed silent, not a single emotion crossing his face… "I have only ever wanted the good of the kingdom, my king."

Thorne nodded again, "I'm aware of that." He took another sip. "You were loyal to the kingdom, and I see that now."

Carter bowed, "Thank you, my king."

"You are a good man, Lord Carter. Although our views might clash sometimes, we both have the good of the kingdom in mind. Thus… out of the goodwill of my heart, I thought it best we had this talk. No grudges between us. No lingering tension."

Carter bowed again, "I appreciate that, Your Majesty."

Thorne set his glass down. "Tell me… how have things been in your pack? Since… the unrest?"

Carter's smile thinned, "There has been no unrest in my pack so far, Your Majesty. Everything has been stable."

Thorne smiled back, "Of course it has. Your pack is one of the strongest in the realm. I expect nothing less," he commended.

Before Carter could respond, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door creaked open, and Radek stepped into the office, head bowed. "Your Majesty," he greeted.

"Alpha Radek. It's good you came now," Thorne called, making the man straighten up, his gaze landing on the king first, then his father-in-law.

His smile strained, "L-Lord Carter," he greeted, bowing again.

"Radek," Carter replied, turning to the king. "I didn't know Alpha Radek would be joining us, Your Majesty," he said.

"Is that so… I did ask Mason to send the invitations separately." He gestured for Radek to sit next to Carter as he reached for the bottle of alcohol, pouring a glass for Radek.

He passed it to the alpha, who took it with a bow.

"You've been pretty quiet, Alpha Radek. I must say, that's impressive."

Carter's brows shot up. "Has His Majesty been keeping watch over Radek?" he asked.

Thorne's gaze shifted to Carter. "Wouldn't that be rather strange, Lord Carter? Part of Radek's punishment includes regular check-ups, and from what I've heard, Alpha Radek has been exceptional." His gaze shifted to Radek. "I heard those who alleged those allegations against him have even retracted it. He went to each of their homes and apologized sincerely, right, Alpha Radek?"

Radek nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Thorne smiled and nodded, "I also heard the Alpha has been sick lately."

Carter and Radek shared a look at this… Thorne didn't miss it.

"Ah… that. I've been on a pilgrimage," he answered carefully. "To cleanse myself and seek guidance from the goddess for… my past mistakes."

Thorne raised a brow, slowly nodding. "Of course. A wise move for any man who wishes to be reborn in the eyes of the realm."

Carter chuckled dryly. "He takes after me. We believe in redemption."

"Of course he does. It warms me to see both of you doing well," he said, eyes taking in Radek, his fingers, his skin. Searching for any mark, any stain.

"I hope to see you for the mating ceremony. You and everyone in your estate are personally invited by me."

Carter's smile strained, "By the gods, we will be in attendance. Congratulations once again, Your Majesty." He and Radek bowed deeply.

Thorne pushed back from the table with a stretch. "Thank you for joining me, both of you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Carter said with a bow, and Radek followed. Just as they turned to leave, the door opened, and Caelum stepped into the office. The beta bowed to the man and his son-in-law, and they did the same.

It was awkward as hell…

Soon, Carter and Radek stepped out of the office, leaving Caelum with Thorne.

Thorne exhaled the moment the door shut, grabbing the glass of alcohol and gulping it in one go. Caelum's eyes narrowed slightly where he stood.

"That bad?" he asked, stepping forward and placing some documents.

"It was awkward and stiff. Do you have any idea how much I had to bend my will and have Radek in my office?" Thorne spat out.

Caelum didn't say a word; instead, he took the alcohol back into the cabinet.

"What did you find out?" he asked.

Thorne stood up, walking towards the window, hands slipped into his pocket. "Those two… They're hiding something," he said.

He turned to face Caelum after some seconds, his jaw clenched hard. "I had hoped to see some marks on Radek… anything to support that guard's claim, but there's nothing."

"What do we do now?" he asked.

Thorne stayed silent, his mind working overtime. He couldn't let his people continue to be killed like they were ants. Their bodies torn and ripped apart while their blood is drained.

"We have one opportunity to catch whatever is doing this," he began.

Caelum's face hardened, nodding with full attention.

"Two full moons from now is my official mating day with Adina. That's the day we will strike."

Caelum's eyes narrowed, "Your Majesty…"

"We can't continue to wonder when the next death will occur. We must provide an avenue… we mold it to our own accord. That's the only thing to do."

"What are you saying, Your Majesty?" Caelum asked.

"I'm saying… we lure whatever this is out. The mating ceremony is the perfect opportunity for this. With all eyes on the ceremony, whatever this is will strike again."

Caelum looked at him as though he'd lost his mind. "You want to use the mating ceremony as bait?"

"Caelum…"

"And Adina? Forgive me for saying, Your Majesty, but are you thinking about her here?" he asked.

"Of course I am!" Thorne snapped angrily. Someone questioning his care for his own mate suddenly had him seeing red.

Caelum didn't flinch. "This plan is—"

"The best we will get! There's no perfect time for this. I will not continue to let my people die in such a vicious and violent way. I took an oath to protect my people, and that is what I will do," he snarled, his chest heaving.

Caelum stared at him but didn't dare say another word.

"We will use the mating ceremony as bait. With everyone's eyes on the ceremony, this beast will come out, looking for more prey… This way, it'll be lured out."

Caelum looked wary. "And what if you're wrong?" he said quietly.

"I won't be," he gritted out, memories of Khaos flashing through his mind. "If there is one thing I've learned, beasts like this… they always look for prey."

Caelum nodded and bowed, taking a step back. He had to go prepare… he walked towards the door only to stop at the last minute, turning to Thorne.

"Adina… does she know of your plan?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

Thorne stared at him, jaw tightened. "No. And she will not." The two stared at themselves like they were communicating internally.

"Nothing will happen to her. I'll protect her with my life!" Thorne declared, more to himself.

"I will."