The King's Shadow Escapes Her Bond

Chapter 3

Word Count: 726 | Released on: Today at 09:17

a P

ing it so severely from my scalp that the skin felt stretched. A st

looking back was a stranger's. A mask of disciplined empti

ut of the room witho

s the rest of the Citadel. Torches flickered in iron sconces, casting dancing shadows

cold stone was an echo

and unwanted,

laver's caravan. I was feral and suspicious of everyone, a cornered cat ready to scratch. He was the seco

t. I held out my hand, offering him a piece of stale black bread I had stolen from the kitc

l, gripping mine. "Aria, he seems strong, but his heart is

world had shrunk to a sing

movement. My hands became stained with the blood of his enemies, the obstacles

perate to eliminate his rival, had laid a trap. His men had

d been

ht wrist had ground against the bone until it was a m

... it changed him. The boy who cried in the garden was gone forever, replaced by a man with eyes

e the blade

were two halves of a whole. I was the darkness that allowed

onversation as I approached. Their eyes raked over m

rs followed

King's wo

ing not to hear. But my hands, hidden at my sides,

mies. The scorn of his allies. I thought it was a s

new the

ul, until it's not.

ded doors of the throne hall were closed, but I could

woman. A celebrati

cold metal of the door handle, I forced my fists to relax. I smoo

ould not ha

the words

Chapter End

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The King's Shadow Escapes Her Bond

Xi Yue Werewolf

“For twelve years, I was King Damien's secret blade and his most loyal shadow. I took silver daggers to my chest and shed my blood to clear his path to the throne, all for the promise that I would one day be his Luna. But at his victory feast, the man I loved held the hand of a highborn noblewoman and announced her as his fated mate. In front of the entire laughing court, Damien looked at me with absolute coldness. He publicly stripped me of my rank as his personal protector. "You are demoted to the Northern Wall." He threw a cheap iron guard's badge at my feet like I was a stray dog. Later that night, he kicked down my door, pinned me against the wall, and threatened to make me regret ever defying him with my silent obedience. He wanted me to cry, to beg, to show him I was still his pathetic, devoted pawn. It turned out that while I was suffering in the dark for him, he had been secretly spending his winters courting her. My twelve years of life-and-death sacrifices were nothing but a joke, a convenient stepping stone he was now desperate to throw away. I didn't shed a single tear. Instead, I crushed his family crest in my bleeding hand, packed my dagger, and climbed out the window into the night. I was done being his weapon. But just as I slipped into the shadows of the royal garden to escape the Citadel forever, a cold, commanding voice cut through the darkness. "Who's there?"”