Princess's Revenge: Slave to the Soulbound King Chapter 7

Liliana

The silk of my midnight blue gown whispered against the stone floors as I made my way through the corridors of Lycandor Keep, my chin held high with the confidence that came from three centuries of privilege. Other slaves pressed themselves against the walls as I passed, their eyes downcast in the deference I had long grown accustomed to.

But tonight felt different. Tonight, an unfamiliar scent had lingered in the lower corridors—something that had made my pulse quicken and my senses sharpen with an alertness I couldn't quite understand. The new human girl, the one with the strange violet eyes who had tried so hard to appear invisible... there had been something about her that set my teeth on edge.

I pushed the thought aside as I approached the heavy iron gates that marked the entrance to the Iron Maw. The guards straightened as they saw me approach, their expressions shifting to the respectful attention my presence commanded. I knew them both—veteran warriors who had served in the keep for decades, men who understood the delicate importance of my role.

"Lady Liliana," the elder guard said, inclining his head in greeting. "I'm afraid the beast king is... resting peacefully tonight. Perhaps it would be better to return in the morning?"

I stopped in my tracks, my carefully composed expression faltering for just a moment. In three centuries, I had never been turned away from my duties. The beast never rested peacefully—he was a creature of eternal torment, driven by hungers that only I could satisfy.

"Resting?" The word came out sharper than I intended. "What do you mean, resting?"

The guards exchanged a glance, and I caught the hesitation in their manner. There was something they weren't telling me, something that made the younger guard shift nervously from foot to foot.

"What has happened here?" I demanded, my voice carrying the authority that came from centuries of being the Wolf King's chosen. "Who has dared to interfere with my duties?"

The elder guard cleared his throat uncomfortably. "The commander took the injured girl, Thalia, to Moonclaw Citadel for questioning. The other one, Adelaide, he deemed a coward and sent her off to the lower servant quarters."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I felt my carefully manicured nails dig into my palms as my hands clenched into fists. "A human slave?" My voice was dangerously quiet. "A human slave managed to do what I have done for three hundred years?"

"And this human," I said, my voice dropping to a whisper that made both guards take an involuntary step back. "Where is she now?"

"Commander Draven took her to Moonclaw Citadel for protection, my lady. The other one was assigned to the lower servants."

Draven actually took her to his own fortress... It seemed he believed this human was worth his personal protection. Quite an interesting discovery.

I suppressed the anger in my heart and focused on my meeting with my king. "I will enter now," I announced, my tone brooking no argument. "The beast king requires my presence, sleeping or not."

The guards exchanged another glance, clearly reluctant to deny me but equally hesitant to disturb their peaceful charge. In the end, centuries of habit won out. They had never refused me before, and they would not start now.

The massive door swung open with its familiar groan of protesting metal, and I stepped into the darkness beyond. The guards secured the entrance behind me, leaving me alone in the beast's domain.

The Iron Maw was exactly as I remembered it—a cavernous space carved from the living rock, lit by a handful of torches that cast dancing shadows across the walls. And there, in the far corner where chains had once bound the most powerful creature in the known world, lay the beast king in peaceful slumber.

My footsteps echoed softly as I approached, my silk gown pooling around my feet as I sank to my knees in the familiar position of submission.

A low sound escaped the beast's throat—not quite a growl, more like a question. His massive head lifted slightly, red eyes opening to fix on my kneeling form.

I tilted my head back, revealing the elegant neckline encircled and releasing pheromones of submission. The position was as familiar as breathing—a declaration of my willingness to serve. My pulse quickened as I felt his gaze upon me, as I prepared for the exquisite pain that would bind us together once again.

The beast king rose slowly, his massive form moving with the fluid grace that had once made him the terror of battlefields. He approached with deliberate steps, his enormous presence dwarfing me as I remained kneeling before him. The familiar scent of him filled my nostrils—wild and dangerous and intoxicatingly powerful.

When he lowered his great head toward my neck, I closed my eyes and let out a soft sigh of anticipation. This was where I belonged, this was my purpose, my identity, my worth. The sharp pain of his fangs piercing my skin sent familiar shivers of pleasure-pain racing through my body.

I felt the familiar tug as he drew my blood into himself, felt the connection that had sustained us both for so long. My breathing quickened, my body responding as it always did to his touch. Heat pooled low in my belly as I waited for him to take the next step, to claim me as he had so many times before.

But instead of the familiar weight of his massive form covering me, instead of the primal joining that usually followed the feeding, I felt him... withdraw.

"My king?" I whispered, my voice trembling with confusion and dawning horror. "Don't you want...?"

He was already turning away, his massive form moving back toward the corner where he had been sleeping. He settled himself down with a contented rumble, closing his eyes as if I were no longer worth his attention.

His turn was like an invisible wall, forcefully pushing me away and shattering my soul. In three hundred years, he had never turned away from me after feeding. Never dismissed me so casually, as if I were nothing more than a convenient source of sustenance. The humiliation burned through my chest, followed immediately by a rage so pure and cold it took my breath away.

That human girl who satisfied the beast, I would find her. And then I would make her pay for daring to interfere with what belonged to me!

The beast king was mine, and mine alone. I would remind them all—the guards, the commanders, even the king himself—that Lady Liliana was not so easily replaced.