The palace gardens were quieter than the rest of the castle.
Too quiet.
Moonlight spilled over the stone paths, silver and cold, illuminating roses that bloomed far too dark to be natural. Their petals were almost black, glistening as though they drank the night itself.
I shouldn't have been there.
But after what happened in my chamber—the voice, the warning, the way the ring burned against my skin—I couldn't stay inside.
So I ran.
And somehow… I ended up here.
"You never listen."
His voice cut through the silence like a blade.
I froze.
Slowly, I turned—and there he was. Standing just beyond the roses, shadows curling around him like they belonged to him. The king. Watching me.
"I needed air," I said, though it sounded weak even to me.
"You needed to stay where I put you," he replied, stepping closer.
Something in his tone made my chest tighten. Not anger… something deeper. Something sharper.
"Why?" I challenged. "Because you don't trust me? Or because you don't trust this place?"
His gaze darkened. "Because there are things here that would tear you apart without hesitation."
"And you wouldn't?"
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
For a moment, silence stretched between us. Heavy. Dangerous.
Then he was in front of me. Too fast. Too close.
His hand caught my wrist—not harsh, but firm enough to make my breath hitch.
"If I wanted to break you," he said quietly, "you wouldn't still be standing."
My pulse raced beneath his fingers. The same way it had before. The same way it always did when he touched me.
"Then why keep me?" I whispered.
His jaw tightened.
"You already know the answer," he murmured.
I shook my head. "No… I don't."
A lie.
We both knew it.
The air between us shifted, thick and charged. His gaze dropped to my lips, lingering just long enough to make my breath falter.
"You feel it," he said softly. "Don't pretend you don't."
"I shouldn't," I replied, but my voice had lost its strength.
"Shouldn't," he echoed, stepping closer. "But you do."
My back brushed against the cold stone wall behind me. I hadn't even realized I'd been moving. Or that he'd been guiding me there.
His hand lifted slowly, almost hesitantly this time, as if giving me a chance to stop him.
I didn't.
His fingers grazed my cheek, trailing down to my jaw. My eyes fluttered shut for a second—just a second—but it was enough.
"Ayla…"
The way he said my name—it wasn't a command. It wasn't control.
It was something far more dangerous.
Something that sounded like need.
When I opened my eyes again, his face was inches from mine. His breath warm. His gaze darker than I had ever seen it.
"Tell me to stop," he whispered.
I should have.
Gods, I should have.
But instead…
I didn't speak at all.
And that was answer enough.
His hand tightened slightly against my jaw as he leaned in—slowly, deliberately—giving me every chance to pull away.
I didn't.
My heart thundered. My body betrayed me, leaning toward him, closing the distance I knew I shouldn't cross.
And just as his lips were about to touch mine—
A scream shattered the night.
I jerked back, breathless.
The king stilled instantly. Every trace of warmth vanished from his expression, replaced by something cold. Lethal.
"Stay behind me," he ordered.
But I barely heard him.
Because beyond the garden gates… something moved in the shadows.
Something that wasn't human.
And it was coming straight for us.
The creature stepped into the moonlight—its eyes locking onto me.
And the king's voice dropped to something deadly:
"…It found you."
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