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AURELIA

Aurelia was under a spell. It was meant to numb her pain, to put her to sleep.

But it only amplified it. It was like being tortured. A thousand cuts. Kicks to the ribs. A pounding headache. She squirmed in pain, though not as much as the silver cells.

Maybe that was something. Maybe that was what made her hang on.

Her father’s voice reached her as she was pulled out of her stupor. Her eyes flew open, the light blinding her.

She sat up quickly, gasping at the sight before her. Cathan and Cirillo facing each other.

“What’s happening?” she asked, sliding off the raised bed and setting her numb feet on the floor. “Father?”

“Ella has made the introductions, I see,” Cathan said, rolling his eyes.

“You knew? You knew who he was?”

“Of course. It would be foolish not to know the man who can cross barriers and worlds, just like you.

“I tried to recruit him for my revenge mission once, but his loyalty is with Ellathoria,” Cathan said, his voice flat.

“He wants to take you back to your mate.”

“Why?” she asked.

“It’s part of the plan, Aurelia. Come with me. I’ll keep you safe. Trust me,” Cirillo said, reaching out his hand to her. She looked at Cathan who just shrugged.

“Maybe I was too desperate. You were there, in the king’s arms, and he was... driving me crazy. You should go back.”

In a quick, impulsive move, he kissed her forehead and hugged her rigid body. She was breathing heavily and he knew it was because of his touch.

She was mated to another. And that wouldn’t change until he was dead.

His lips moved to her ear as he whispered, “Be careful, Aurelia. Remember what I told you.”

Aurelia was confused about what she was supposed to remember and blushing at the memory of his lips on her skin, though her skin crawled due to the mate bond.

She furrowed her brows in confusion but was quickly led away by her father. Cathan gave her one last reassuring look before he vanished from her sight.

“How are you going to hand me over? You can’t cross the barrier yourself,” she said, looking at her father questioningly.

“We humbled ourselves, made a deal with the king to give you back.”

“Humbled yourselves?”

“The king hadn’t decided what to do because any action he took would have made him look weak. If we gave in, it would be in his favor.”

“What’s to stop him from using the break in the barrier as an excuse? An offensive move? He’s been wanting to use one,” she countered.

“Ella is handling it,” he replied, huffing.

She could feel her father’s unease. He was worried about the war, but it was more than that. Their relationship was nonexistent. It was awkward, walking side by side.

He didn’t try to talk to her. Didn’t he wonder about her life without him?

“I didn’t choose this life,” she said, catching his fleeting attention. “You caused it.” He scoffed and shook his head.

“I may be your father, but I’m not the cause of it, Aurelia. Your destiny, it was written at the beginning of time. You were always meant to have this life, whether I was your father or not,” he said condescendingly.

“I know. I know all about the prophecies and the cave wall runes now. But you’re still my father. And you still left me,” she shot back, meeting his eyes as they walked to the border.

“Maybe my fate would still be the same, you’d probably argue it would. But what I feel, the world I know, my childhood, if you were there, it would have been different.”

“Different isn’t always better,” he muttered, looking away.

“I could never have stayed there. And... You were supposed to meet your mate on your birthday, as you did. If he knew you were in the fae world, he would have destroyed you.

“This was how it was supposed to be.”

“You didn’t know that!” she shouted, stopping in her tracks. “You made a choice. That was you. No one made you do it.”

“We don’t have time for this,” he growled.

“Yes, that’s right, I suppose. You didn’t have time for me,” she said sarcastically. He saw it as childish for a supposed queen. Her behavior was ridiculous.

But to her, it was necessary. To not confront the father who abandoned her would make her spineless and foolish.

“Now you’re taking me back to the king who’s only ever caused me pain.”

“Sometimes, to win a war, we have to suffer pain,” he said blankly.

“But I’m the only one suffering.”

“You!” he roared, looming over Aurelia with a furious expression.

He moved toward her, backing her up. Her heel caught on a branch and she fell to the ground, only making him more intimidating. He crouched down to her, his hand cupping her cheek.

“You, my dear Aurelia, are not the only one suffering. I’ve lived in hiding for most of my life. I’ve watched everyone I’ve ever loved die. I couldn’t watch a baby, my child, die.

“I wouldn’t stand by and watch it when I thought there was nothing to be done. I couldn’t. I’m sorry you’ve been alone and maybe it made me a coward, but I thought you were going to die.”

Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him, her father, a man who couldn’t watch her die. A single tear slipped down her cheek as he offered her his hand. She took it and they continued their journey in silence.

Cirillo was old. And smart. And cunning. He had rehearsed that speech since her arrival, waiting for the right moment. She needed to trust him. And now she would.

Her eyes met familiar ones, and she instantly slipped into her role—the role of the tortured wolf in fae territory.

She seemed glad to see him—and truth be told, she was. His presence had a calming effect on her, even with the barrier between them. A faint smile touched her lips as another tear slipped down her cheek.

Ellathoria nudged Aurelia through as the barrier flickered for a split second. Just a blink. It was all for show, to make it seem like their defenses were down, even though they never really were.

Why take the risk when Aurelia could pass through anyway?

She tumbled into the king’s arms and clung to him. Her eyes were tightly shut. She buried her face in his chest, inhaling his familiar scent. It was comforting. It felt like home.

“Take me home,” she whispered, knowing only he would hear. When his body stiffened, she knew he had.

“This isn’t over,” he growled at Ellathoria, cradling his whimpering mate in his arms and carrying her into the carriage.

She felt the motion, even though she couldn’t see. She lay in his lap, her face pressed against his solid chest.

She couldn’t understand how she found the position comfortable. It was like finding a flat, hard rock a good place to rest. It certainly wasn’t something she was used to.

“Where are you hurt?” he asked, pulling her away from him and lifting her chin so their eyes could meet.

“He used a spell. He kept ranting about revenge and how much he hates you. I don’t get it. Who is he?” she blurted out, tears streaming down her face in a moment of vulnerability.

In a way, Cathan’s kidnapping had been a welcome break from the act.

“A spell?” He sidestepped her questions.

She shook her head frantically, to show him she didn’t know anything. He placed a hand behind her head and guided her back onto his chest.

“He’s an old acquaintance. From a long time ago. He’s been holding a grudge for a long time. And so have I.”

“For what?” she murmured into his chest.

“For many things, little wolf,” he answered vaguely. “And now, for torturing you.”

Her heart skipped a beat at his words. He cared. He was still the cold, unfeeling king he’d always been, but he cared about her.

It caused a sharp pain in her heart. Possibly worse than the torture.

She was deceiving him. And it was working. And she hated herself for it.

The king absentmindedly played with her hair as they rode back to the castle. After a while, she sat next to him, resting her head on his broad shoulder. It was far from a soft pillow.

But to her, it was much more comfortable.

“What are you going to do?” she asked absentmindedly. He looked down at her, but she was fiddling with the lace of her gown, as if she wasn’t really interested in his answer. It was just idle curiosity.

“The barrier they have... it’s always been what’s stopped us. And the fact that I’ve grown older. The longer we went without fighting the fae, the less we cared about breaking through their defenses.

“They’re not invincible. I’ll find a way to break them.”

“I have no doubt,” she mumbled in a feigned daze. Her eyes closed as she thought about his words. It was true; defenses could be breached. They were never foolproof.

“I missed you,” he whispered so softly that she wouldn’t have heard it if she’d been fully asleep as he thought. But she was just drifting off.

He missed her. And oddly enough, she missed him. And they were going home.