The chamber door shut with a soft, final thrum — like the palace itself was exhaling.
Leo didn't set Amaya down immediately.
He stood there in the dim blue glow of the crystal lamps, holding her as though the world might collapse if he loosened his grip even a fraction. She could feel the rigid tension in his shoulders, the tight coil of fury under his skin, the tremor he tried to hide.
A tremor the bond did not hide at all.
His emotions spilled through the link in cracks and flashes — cold rage, shaken fear, burning possessiveness—
And something else.
Something he kept smothered beneath his power like a flame he refused to let grow.
Amaya swallowed, her voice soft. "leo… you can put me down."
He didn't.
His tail flicked once — irritated, restless, still half feral.
Only after several long heartbeats did he force himself to lower her onto the furs.
He did not step back.
His hands lingered at her waist, then her arms, as though reassuring himself she was whole.
"You're trembling," he murmured.
"I… you almost killed him."
"I should have." The words were ice. Absolute. "I will, if he approaches you again."
Amaya's pulse jumped, but she held his gaze.
"He was wrong," she said softly. "But killing him will start a war inside your council."
Leo's eyes turned sharp. "Let them declare war. I would end it."
She sighed. "That's not— leo, listen to me. You can't solve everything with violence."
His expression shifted — not anger, but something colder.
"Violence," he said, "is the only language the council respects. The only reason they remained seated is because I froze the room to its foundation."
Amaya stared. "You… froze the whole room?"
A faint flick of embarrassment crossed his mind — not his face, his mind — before he shut it down.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "What matters is your safety."
He finally stepped back.
But only far enough that he could still reach her in a heartbeat.
Amaya looked around the room — the glowing basin, the enchanted furs, the ice-carved window. Everything shimmered in the cold blue glow.
She sank onto the furs, letting out a shaky exhale. "I didn't think… I didn't think anyone would try to take me."
"You underestimated the greed of beasts."
Leo's voice turned low.
"You carry a core powerful enough to reshape a clan. A council. A kingdom. Do not imagine they will treat you gently."
Amaya wrapped her arms around herself. "I didn't ask for any of this."
"No," leo said quietly. "You simply survived it."
He paced — slow, deliberate steps that echoed like thunder against ice.
"Korvar moved too soon," leo growled. "The council will know better. The next attempt will be quieter. More calculated."
Amaya stiffened. "Next attempt?"
Leo's gaze snapped to her — protective, already furious.
"No one will touch you," he said. "Not while I draw breath."
The intensity of the vow made her chest tighten.
"leo… you can't guard me twenty-four hours a day."
"I can," he said simply.
"And— what? Never sleep?"
"I do not need much."
"And if someone challenges you?" she pressed. "If your council demands to limit your power?"
Leo's jaw flexed.
"They wouldn't dare."
Amaya rubbed her arms, nerves crawling beneath her skin.
Her thoughts spiraled.
Korvar's claws.
Lyris bleeding.
Leo nearly killing him.
Her core burning out of control.
It was too much.
The room felt cold again.
Her breathing tightened.
Leo sensed it instantly.
He crossed the room in a heartbeat and knelt in front of her, hands lightly gripping her arms.
"Amaya," he said, voice low and firm. "Breathe."
"I am," she said — but it came out thin.
"No," he said softly. "You're spiraling."
She flinched. "I'm not—"
"You are." His gaze softened. "The bond is pulsing with your fear."
She exhaled shakily. "I… I don't understand any of this. The core. The bond. Your world. Your enemies. Your council. I feel like I'm walking blindfolded into a storm."
Leo's grip gentled.
"You're not walking alone."
Amaya looked up — and blinked when she realized how close he was.
He didn't move away.
"Tell me what you need," he said quietly.
"I…" She hesitated. "I need… information. Answers. I need to know why everyone is acting like I'm some kind of— treasure."
Leo's expression shifted — unreadable.
"Very well."
He stood, pacing once more, but slower now — deliberate, as if choosing which truths to reveal.
"When the Mystic Cores disappeared from the world," he began, "the clans lost access to the ancient power that once shaped the land. Without Mystic Cores, the balance between Beastlords shattered. Wars broke. Bloodlines weakened."
He turned to face her.
"And then you appeared."
Amaya swallowed. "But I'm human."
"You shouldn't have a core at all," leo said. "A human body cannot withstand it. But you not only carry one — you resonate with it. That is impossible."
His eyes narrowed.
"Or should have been."
She frowned. "So… they want to use me?"
"Some want to study you. Some want to control you. Some want to kill you to prevent another Beastlord from gaining power."
"And you?"
Leo froze.
Then he said, quietly:
"I want you alive."
She blinked.
"That's it?"
"No," he said — and his voice turned almost dangerous. "But that is the only thing you need to know."
Amaya felt the bond pull tight, humming like a struck string.
"leo…" she whispered. "What aren't you saying?"
His tail flicked once — agitation, conflict, restraint.
He stepped closer, kneeling again, but this time more slowly — as if fighting something inside himself.
"The bond," he said carefully, "is not a simple connection. It is… layered. Complex. Dangerous. And it evolves with time."
She swallowed. "Evolves how?"
Leo hesitated.
The hesitation scared her more than any words.
He looked away first — a rare, vulnerable crack in his armor.
"If we grow closer," he said quietly, "the bond will strengthen."
"And that's bad?"
"For you," leo said, "it is catastrophic."
Her blood ran cold.
"Explain."
Leo exhaled, tension running through every line of his body.
"Soul Resonance only forms between two beings whose energy aligns at the deepest level. If strengthened… you will feel not only my emotions. You will feel my power. My instincts. My impulses."
He finally met her eyes.
"And if I lose control… I may pull you with me."
Amaya stared.
A chill crawled down her spine.
"That's why you kept your distance earlier," she whispered.
Leo said nothing.
But the bond answered for him.
Fear
Control
Restraint
Dangerous to her
Too close
Too soon—
She drew a slow breath.
"So you're saying… being near you is dangerous."
Leo's throat worked. "For now."
"And later?"
"…worse."
Silence drifted between them — fragile and heavy.
Finally Amaya looked down at her hands.
"But you're still staying with me tonight."
"Yes," leo said instantly. "I am."
She looked up.
"Even though it's dangerous?"
His gaze darkened — the kind of darkness that wasn't cold, but scorching.
"You were attacked," he said. "You were nearly taken. You almost ruptured your core. My bond flared so violently it nearly tore down half the council wing. Do you truly believe I could walk away now?"
Amaya's breath hitched.
"leo…"
He lifted a hand — slowly, giving her time to pull away.
She didn't.
His fingers grazed her cheek.
Her core pulsed warm.
The bond hummed.
"You are safe with me," he said softly. "Even if I am not safe for you."
Amaya's chest tightened painfully.
She wanted to say the words rising to her lips.
But the door cracked open.
Lyris stepped in — blood cleaned, armor changed, eyes sharp.
"My lord," she said, bowing. "The council demands an explanation for the elder's condition."
Leo didn't look away from Amaya.
"No."
Lyris blinked. "No…?"
"Tell them," leo said, voice like steel, "they can wait."
Lyris bowed again and left.
The door closed.
Leo finally stood.
"You should sleep," he said. "Your core needs calm."
"And you?" Amaya asked. "Where will you sleep?"
Leo gave her a single, flat look.
"Next to you."
Her breath caught. "That's—"
"Necessary," he said, cutting her off again. "If your energy destabilizes, I must respond instantly."
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
Leo stepped past her, loosening his armor straps. The white, ice-lined plating hit the floor with a muted thump. His shoulders rolled, muscles shifting beneath the black fabric he still wore.
Amaya's face heated.
She looked away.
Not fast enough.
The bond caught the flicker of her flustered heartbeat.
Leo paused.
Then smirked — briefly, sharply — before smothering it.
He walked to the bed and sat on the edge, his posture rigid, gaze fixed on the door like he expected another attack.
Amaya lay beside him, pulling the soft furs to her chest.
Silence settled.
Not awkward.
Not quite comfortable.
Just… charged.
Finally, she whispered:
"leo?"
"Yes."
"Thank you… for protecting me."
He went still.
So still the room seemed to freeze around him.
Slowly, he lowered himself to lie beside her — close, but not touching.
The bond pulsed warm.
His voice was quiet.
"You do not need to thank me."
She smiled faintly. "I think I do."
Leo exhaled — a rare sound of something like defeat… or surrender.
"Rest," he said.
Amaya's eyes drifted closed.
Just as sleep began to take her—
A soft whisper slid through the bond.
"I will not let anyone take you."
Her breath stopped.
But before she could respond—
Leo added, so quietly she wasn't sure she heard it:
"Even if the whole palace must burn."
Her heart pounded.
Sleep took her anyway.
And in the cold, moonlit chamber of the Beastlord Palace…
Leo stayed awake all night.
Watching her.
Guarding her.
Bound.
---
TO BE CONTINUED…