Page 4

Annalise

O f all the things I planned for in my future, chains were not one of them. I never thought I would be in chains again. The first time I was ever placed in chains was when I was dragged to that hell known as the king’s palace. Dimitri and I were captured, chained, and dragged into the kingdom against our will. We were stripped of our identities and dignity, never to return as we once were. Unfortunately, our roles have changed drastically this time around. I am the one chained, and Dimitri is on the other end of those chains, ensuring I don’t do anything foolish. He’s accepted his beast side, living as one of them.

The sound of approaching horses fills the air, and I look up just in time to see Cyrus and some of his soldiers returning from their most recent scouting trip. Cyrus dismounts his horse and doesn’t bother looking in my direction as he speaks about something to his men. He continues to ignore my presence even as he passes me, approaching his tent.

He looks more frightening now than he did during our last moments together. At least at that time, part of him had softened towards me. Now, however, he sees me as a traitor who ran away with his child.

I release a shuddering breath, lowering my head.

What have I done? What could I have done to make things better? To be ahead of him? I’ve ruined everything, including my son’s life. I never should have given birth to him. I never should have given Cyrus the opportunity to insert himself into his life. The idea of Cyrus’s death seems so outlandish now. I should have known fate would never be so kind to me.

I lift my head, focusing on Cyrus’s retreating form as I summon all the courage I can to call to him.

“Your Majesty!” I shout loud enough for him to hear me. He doesn’t falter in his footsteps, moving further away from where I am chained. My frustration mounts, and I loudly jangle them, hoping to at least get him to look at me, but he won’t.

“Let me see my son!” I shout.

Cyrus still doesn’t acknowledge me, entering his tent without so much as a backward glance. I collapse against the tree, tears of frustration burning my eyes.

All of my preparation was for nothing. I spent months working myself to the bone to ensure that if Cyrus ever showed up, I would fight for our escape. But everything I planned for went out the window the instant Cyrus stepped out of that room. I was no match for him. Even when using a trinket created with his father’s power, I was pathetically outmatched.

Cyrus took my only means of escape while isolating me from the only thing that would ever allow me to escape. My son. All I have left is his seal, something that Cyrus would never allow me to use.

I am helpless.

I tense at the sound of approaching footsteps, lifting my gaze to see Dimitri approaching. Anger rips through me as I take him in. His body language is relaxed among these beasts. He’s probably responsible for Cyrus finding me. I can’t help but wonder how long he watched me from afar, waiting until Cyrus arrived to strike.

“What do you want, traitor?” I hiss.

Dimitri glares at me for a moment before a small laugh escapes him.

“I’m the traitor?” he murmurs, stepping closer to me. “I’m not the one that abandoned the kingdom, Anna. You did that,” he growls.

I narrow my gaze, but Dimitri continues speaking as he unfastens my chains from the tree. “You left with the king’s heir, knowing full well the consequences of doing something so stupid.”

Dimitri looks at me, his gaze narrowing.

“You left me with them. You left me to endure his wrath. You left me with no choice. You don’t get to call me a traitor,” he growls.

Dimitri doesn’t give me a chance to respond as he pulls on my chains.

“The king has summoned you,” he adds with his back to me.

I dig my heels into the dirt, pulling with all my might against Dimitri.

“You can tell the king he can go straight to—”

“If you ever want to see your son again, I suggest you don’t push him any further. You haven’t seen how he has changed. He resents you, and the last thing on his mind is mercy. He will kill you, regardless of his desire for your child to have a mother.” Dimitri’s eyes are filled with anger as he glares at me, roughly pulling on the chains, causing me to stumble forward. “We’ve all suffered because of your decision. It’s your turn now.”

Pure resentment laces Dimitri’s tone. We both glare at each other until he turns away from me to lead me to the king’s tent. My rage boils to new heights the longer I mull over Dimitri’s blame. As we silently cross the encampment, my rage shifts to fear the closer we come to Cyrus’s tent.

The last time I was in his war tent, I decided to leave and never come back.

“Your Majesty, I’ve brought her,” Dimitri calls as we stand outside the entrance.

After a moment, Cyrus appears, pulling back the cover. His shirt is loose, revealing his scarred chest as he looks at me with a narrowed gaze. He takes the chains from Dimitri, his eyes remaining on me as he tilts his head slightly, motioning for me to enter. I force my feet to move, swallowing my fear and clinging to what little pride I have left.

I step into Dimitri’s space, pressing myself flush against him as I speak my words through clenched teeth. “My father would be disgusted at the beast you have become.”

Dimitri doesn’t respond, holding my gaze until Cyrus pulls on my chains, not allowing the situation to escalate any further as he leads me inside.

Once the tent is closed off, my eyes desperately scan the room for my son. But Cyrus’s tent is empty other than the bed and table that sits in the corner. The maps and weapons I stole from him sit neatly piled across the table as well, a physical reminder of the planning that went into my betrayal.

I cry out in shock as Cyrus pulls the chains so hard that I am ripped off of my feet, crashing to the ground. The jangle of the chains echoes as Cyrus uses his inhuman speed to wrap them around my throat.

“Did you forget your training in my absence?” he says sharply.

My instinct to apologize and scramble to my knees kicks in, but I fight it, looking at Cyrus through false bravery. He may not be the same, but neither am I. I narrow my gaze, my eyes remaining focused on his.

“Where is my son?” I whisper.

In an instant, Cyrus pulls on the chains. They tighten around my throat, cutting off my air supply as he lifts me so that I am at eye level with him, my feet dangling uselessly beneath me. My eyes are wide as I stare at the ceiling, but with my hands wrapped in the very chains being used to choke me, I can do nothing but suffocate.

“I guess you have. When have you ever been able to speak to me without my express permission?” he asks.

He tugs lightly on the chains, emphasizing his strength as I continue to sputter and choke. The edges of my vision begin to cloud when he finally releases me, and I once again collapse in a heap at his feet.

I cough violently, gulping in as much air as I can at the moment, but his looming shadow prevents me from calming myself in the way I want to. Cyrus places his hand under my chin, lifting my gaze to meet his. I tremble from the shape of his pupil, the silent threat emanating around him in a dangerous aura.

It’s suffocating.

“Do not act brave in my presence. I will always be stronger than you. Always .” Cyrus’s eyes remain on mine, challenging me. I finally lower my eyes, no longer able to hold his gaze. Cyrus stands to move away from me, making his way to his desk. I watch him warily as he takes a seat, looking at the maps he recovered from me.

The soft jangle of my chains sounds over the silent room as I rub my throat. Already, I can feel a bruise forming.

“How should you greet your king, Annalise?” he asks.

His gaze shifts to my trembling fingers, a cruel smile forming on his lips. “Well?”

I slowly shift to my knees, pressing my forehead into the floor of the tent, tears burning my eyes.

“Should you forget your place again, I will enjoy reminding you,” he says.

I hear him rustling through the maps before one of them lands next to me.

“You stole my maps, money, weapons, and ran. At what point did you think giving birth and raising the heir to the beast empire was a good idea?” he asks.

I shiver from his tone, not sure if I should respond.

“Answer me!” he shouts.

“I thought you were dead,” I say quickly.

Silence washes over the room, and finally, Cyrus chuckles.

“Oh yes… the weapon,” he says.

“You spent your entire life shielded from the reality of this war. Did you really think being on the front lines for a few weeks would shed light on a society you know nothing about?” Cyrus chuckles bitterly, shaking his head. “Maybe you aren’t as intelligent as I thought.”

I suck in a shuddering breath ignoring his taunt.

“Where is Ciel? What did you do with him?” I ask.

Cyrus’s expression shifts, his features becoming lax of emotion as he rises from his seat. He slowly approaches, kneeling so that we are eye level. His eyes search my face, battling with himself on which emotion to express.

“Is that his name? Ciel?” he asks.

It suddenly occurs to me how little Cyrus knows about our child, including his name.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” I whisper.

Cyrus chuckles softly, his gaze lifting toward the sky as he thinks.

“Gentle,” he murmurs.

He frowns, looking toward the entrance of the tent before looking back at me.

“And what will you do if I allow you to see him? Take him and escape into the night somewhere far away so that I have to hunt you down again?” he asks bitterly.

I shake my head.

“You don’t understand. He needs me. He’s never known a day without me by his side. He doesn’t know you,” I say.

“And whose fault is that?” Cyrus snarls. “You should forget about him, Annalise. He needs to learn to be among his own now.”

Cyrus chuckles again, shaking his head as he places his hands over his eyes for a brief second before looking at me. Each time he looks at me, he is fighting for composure, trying to prevent himself from killing me, no doubt. It’s as Dimitri said; he is different now. And he holds very little mercy for me.

“The audacity of you to birth and raise my son in such squalor shows just how asinine your decision-making is. Do you really think I would trust you to be near him after everything you have done? After your decision to give birth to the heir in this land filled with your kind who live like rats? Your love for him is admirable, but you are so far out of your depth it’s infuriating.” Cyrus looks away from me, closing his eyes in frustration. “You should be thanking me for allowing you to breathe at this very moment instead of cutting your throat for treason.”

Cyrus’s words fuel my rage, and I stand. My legs are shaking as I am incredibly weak, but I stumble across the room, pulling his attention, and he watches me. He watches me struggle with tears in my eyes until I fall against him, pulling on his shirt with all my strength.

“Why are you doing this? I am his mother . I raised him this entire time. Why are you punishing me by taking him?“ I say desperately.

Cyrus’s gaze narrows, and he grips my arm roughly, squeezing my wrist. He pulls me away from him, holding me steady as he tries to control his anger. He’s failing, however, as his eyes slowly form an illuminated glow, and his skin radiates black smoke.

“Punish you? What about me? I knew you were pregnant when you left my camp. I spent over a year thinking you had killed my child out of spite! My child! You knew about that weapon, and you betrayed me as your king!” He laughs humorlessly. “You thought you were just going start a new life across the ocean while I was considered dead? After you betrayed my empire?”

My body trembles in his grip as he takes on a form I’ve never seen before. The aura emitting from him is chilling, making me shiver. The smoke of black permeating the air is suffocating. Audible gasps leave my lips as I try and scream, but I can’t. Sound itself doesn’t seem possible.

“Your Majesty!” The sound of Dimitri’s voice cuts through the haze.

Cyrus continues to fight for control as he glares at me. I’ve never seen anything like this before. The shift of Cyrus’s features reminds me of the strange form his father was shifting into when he was being tortured, but it doesn’t quite seem the same. It’s much more horrifying.

I cry out when Cyrus throws me to the ground, gaining control over his emotions. He steps back, his eyes still more animal than human, as he glares at me. He finally looks at Dimitri, turning his back to me.

“Take her. If she’s near me for another second, I fear I might kill her.”