Thorne hadn't slept. He couldn't.

It had been three days, and he was slowly spiraling into madness. His mind was a jumbled mess. The bond was tugging at his soul, eating his very core.

And his wolf—his Lycan. It was raving mad. A beast that used to burn through his chest was now cold and silent, ignoring him completely.

What was Thorne without his beast? What was a king without his throne?

He dragged his hand over his face, groaning. This was hell. Ever since Thessara's unfortunate visit, he had been in hell.

The second his Lycan heard it. That Adina had sought out to nullify the bond. It went silent—dead silent, and nothing Thorne did made it react. It only went like this when Roseanne died.

Thorne shook his head; he wasn't going to think about that now. No— he'd rather bury himself in the mountain of work waiting for him.

He shook his head, grabbing the cup of whiskey and downed it all in one go. Shaking his head and went back to work.

Thorne spent the entire night there, back hunched, brain working overtime, eyes burning, working until his fingers went numb.

The doors creaked open.

Thorne didn't move. He didn't have to. He already knew who it was.

"Your Majesty?" Caelum's voice rang through the office, confusion lacing every word.

The Beta stepped in, coming to a halt at the sight before him. His eyes swept over the room, papers scattered like leaves, maps half-rolled, books stacked roughly. Thorne sat, still working, a bottle of half-empty alcohol next to him.

Caelum nearly stumbled. "What the hell…"

Thorne didn't respond. He didn't need to.

Caelum stepped in cautiously. He had to intervene now. He couldn't watch this continue like this. "It's the third night you've been in here." His voice lowered, more urgent now. "How long are you planning to keep doing this?"

No response.

"The outside patrols are waiting for you. The commanders have sent word. There's been unrest near the borders again. You missed the morning training sessions again."

Still nothing.

He sighed, "And the concubines—"

Thorne's head snapped up, eyes sharp. "Don't speak of them."

Caelum hesitated, then nodded slowly. "You haven't seen them since the first night. They're getting restless. The council—"

"Can wait." Thorne's voice was gravel, final. "They gave me a month. It's only been three days."

"Three days of you ignoring them." Caelum sighed, walking over to the king. "Thessara told me what happened."

Thorne didn't respond. He grunted instead. He hated this…feeling like some emotionally constipated teenager, but this bond…his Lycan…they were making him lose all his brain cells. His mind was running in circles with no stop button.

Caelum exhaled sharply, moving to the edge of the desk. He looked at the pile of documents Thorne had worked through—an entire week's worth done in a night. His brows pulled low. "What are you doing to yourself?"

Thorne just leaned back in his chair, eyes cold. "Distracting myself."

"From what?" Caelum asked quietly, though he already knew.

Thorne's lips twitched bitterly. "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to."

Caelum stared at him for a long moment. "You're unraveling. You have a kingdom to run. You cannot continue to be like this."

Thorne snapped his head up, eyes red. "And you think I don't know this?" He growled.

"Forgive me for saying, but as a matter of fact, I don't think you know this." He paused, shaking his head. "You're unraveling, and you can't afford to. You need to fix it. Soon."

Thorne glared at him but said nothing because it was true. He needed to fix it.

________

Adina was in the garden, tending to plants like she'd been ordered to do. This time she was happy to do it. For once, she didn't feel like she was suffocating.

Ever since she returned from seeing Thessara, it had been difficult. She'd been looking over her shoulders, waking up at 3 am in a bid to avoid the king. She made sure she did everything he needed her to do once she was sure she was out of his room. And even then, it was surprising to see that he barely used the things he left out for him, but it didn't matter, as long as she wasn't seeing him. And his food? He didn't even have to do that. He didn't come for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Ever since the last night with the concubines, nobody had really seen him, including her.

She shook her head, not wanting to think about him. She'd made up her mind that very night she went to meet Thessara. She wouldn't act like she had so far. No— she'd learned her place and would only walk within the boundary.

Never again was that humiliating experience going to happen.

Thessara had told her she would do everything in her power to find a potion to nullify the bond so she wouldn't feel the pain any longer, and for that, she couldn't have been more grateful. This way, she wouldn't be a nuisance to the king, nor would she be in pain.

She clipped a dying leaf from a rosebush, letting the shriveled petal fall to the soil.

"Adina."

She stiffened slightly at the familiar voice. She turned to see Lord Levi standing a few feet away from her, a big smile on his face, head tilted slightly.

"There you are. I've been searching for you for minutes now." He grinned, stepping closer. "No one seemed to know where you are."

Adina smiled, "Welcome back, Lord Levi."

The man's smile froze. "You knew that I left Obsidian." He asked.

She nodded. "Yes. You weren't around since, and no one saw you, so I thought you must've left without saying goodbye."

Levi chuckled, stepping closer to her. "Like I would ever leave without saying goodbye. You're somehow my favorite person here in Obsidian." He leaned closer to her suddenly, and her breath hitched at the sudden proximity.

From how close he was, she could see how light his brown eyes were, she could see the freckles on his nose. The slightly crooked part of the bridge of his nose. Levi's lisp curled into a smirk.

"If I could, I'd take you along with me, Adina." A beat passed, his eyes somehow intense on hers. "But I can't… It's good though, that you thought of me when I was gone because I certainly thought of you." He admitted easily.

Adina's eyes widened at this. He was a Lord. The son of one of the high provinces. Why would he think of a slave like her?

"I brought you something." He said, taking out a small bag he'd been hiding behind him since. Adina's eyes widened even more.

"You got me something?"

Levi hummed, "Take it before I rethink it." He ordered, but when she didn't—when she hesitated. He shoved the bag into her hands.

"Here. It's rude to refuse a gift."

Adina looked at the bag in her hands, lips caught between her teeth. Was it okay for her to take this? When was the last time she got a gift? Not even when she was with Roman. He never got her a gift. He never got her anything.

She looked up, lips parted to speak, but instead, a shocked squeal escaped her lips as Levi leaned in much closer than before, and before she could blink, he tucked a flower into her hair.

Adina froze.

Her fingers twitched against the small bag in her hand, the soft rustle of the petals brushing her ear. What was this feeling? What was happening to her?

"There," Levi said with a soft smile, stepping back just slightly to admire his work. "Makes you look like a forest nymph."

Adina's cheeks flushed a deep red. "Oh… thank you…" she mumbled shyly. Somehow being like this with Levi made her forget what's been pestering her soul for the past few days.

For a second, she wondered what life would be if she was with Lord Levi as his maid instead of with Thorne. She didn't dare think of something beyond being his maid. She knew she wouldn't have been dragged out of a room like she stole money, nor would she have been lied to or spat on with disgusting words.

For a second, she wondered how life would've been… how different it would've been.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked away, unsure of what to say.

Neither of them noticed the figure watching them, seething in rage.

Thorne had only meant to pass through. Only meant to take a brief run and clear his head. And he'd been on his way, ignoring every greeting thrown to him. But then, he saw them. He saw Levi standing so close, touching her hair, speaking so damn softly to her—he stopped breathing.

His blood turned to fire.

His hands clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms so hard he could smell the sharp, metallic scent of blood.

And his Lycan that had been silent for days—growled.