KAEL POV
"We need to talk about what just happened."
Aria sat across from me in the carriage, still shaking from the power she'd released. Her silver hair was knotted, her dress torn and dirty, but her violet eyes burned with questions.
Garrett was asleep on the seat beside her, wrapped in a blanket. The doctors had given him medicine for the pain. He'd be fine, but he needed rest.
"What do you want to know?" I asked carefully.
"Everything." She glared at me, and my lion purred at her disobedience. "Why did you buy me? Why did the earth listen to me? What's this bond between us? And why does touching you feel like—" She stopped, her face turning red.
"Like fire?" I finished gently. "Like coming home and falling off a cliff at the same time?"
She nodded, not meeting my eyes.
"That's the mate link. It links us—mind, body, and soul. Beastmen have one true mate in their lives. You're mine." I leaned forward. "And I'm yours, if you'll have me."
"I don't understand. You're the king. You could have anyone. Why would you want a human slave?"
"You're not a slave anymore," I said strongly. "And I don't want anyone else. The bond doesn't care about rank or species. It cares about souls that match."
She was quiet for a moment, processing. "But you bought me because you needed my blood. To cure your curse."
"Originally, yes," I admitted. "I came to the sale looking for a Forgotten One. But I didn't plan to force you. I was going to ask, offer you freedom in exchange for help." I held her eyes. "Then I saw you, and everything changed. The bond snapped into place before you even looked at me."
"So the curse being broken... that was because of the bond?"
"Partially. The bond healed the surface curse. But Draevon's blade sparked something deeper—a secondary curse I didn't know existed." I touched my chest where the cut had been. "You healed that too. Saved my life."
"I didn't know what I was doing." Her voice was small. "The power just... came."
"That's because you're not just a Forgotten One, Aria. You're something more." I looked at Elder Thorne, who sat quietly in the corner. "Tell her."
Thorne sighed. "The prophecy speaks of a Luna of Two Bloodlines. Half human, half beastman. She will wield magic the world hasn't seen in ages. And she will either save our country or destroy it."
Aria's face went pale. "Destroy it? I don't want to destroy anything!"
"The prophecy doesn't dictate your choices," I said quickly. "It just means you're powerful enough to change everything. For good or bad. That's your choice."
"No pressure," she muttered sarcastically.
I smiled despite the situation. "You just controlled the ground itself, made ancient roots trap an Alpha and his entire pack, and healed a curse that's killed dozens of healers who tried to break it. And you still have the guts to be sarcastic. You're amazing, Aria."
"I'm not special. I'm just a farmer who's had a really weird week." But her lips twitched, almost smiling.
The carriage suddenly lurched to a stop.
"Why are we stopping?" I demanded, instantly awake.
The driver's voice came through, shaking with fear. "Your Majesty... there's someone blocking the road."
My lion roared. I stood and pushed open the carriage door.
A woman stood in the middle of the road, lit by moonlight. She had red fur—a fox beastman—and wore a servant's coat. But something about her felt wrong. Dangerous.
"Get back in the carriage!" Aria suddenly grabbed my arm. "That's Yuki. She helped me before. But something's different about her now."
The fox woman smiled, and her eyes glowed with magic. "Hello, little Forgotten. I see you've found your king."
"Yuki?" Aria leaned out of the carriage. "What are you doing here?"
"Stopping you from making a terrible mistake." Yuki's voice was cold. "You don't belong with him, child. You belong with your own kind."
"Her own kind?" I growled. "She's my mate!"
"She's real! And you beastmen have enslaved, tortured, and killed humans for three hundred years!" Yuki's magic flared, bright and hot. "Did you really think we'd let you claim the most powerful person alive? Turn her into your pet queen?"
"We?" I stepped in front of the carriage, protecting Aria. "Who are you working for?"
"The Resistance." Yuki's smile turned sharp. "We've been hiding for generations, waiting for a sign. For a leader. And now she's here." She looked past me to Aria. "Come with me. I'll take you somewhere safe. Where you can learn to use your power easily. Where you'll never wear chains again."
"I'm not wearing chains," Aria said strongly.
"You're sitting in a carriage with the king who bought you! How is that not chains?" Yuki's voice rose. "He'll use you, just like Draevon wanted to. Just like all beastmen use people!"
"That's not true," Aria protested. "Kael saved my brother. He healed—"
"He saved your brother to control you! Everything he does is manipulation!" Yuki held out her hand. "Please, Aria. Come with me. Before it's too late."
I felt Aria pause behind me. Felt her confusion through the bond.
"Don't listen to her," I said quietly, not taking my eyes off Yuki. "She's trying to control you too. Using your fear and anger."
"At least I'm honest about it!" Yuki snapped. "You're making her think she has a choice when really—"
"I do have a choice." Aria stepped out of the carriage and stood beside me. "And I choose to stay."
Yuki's face twisted with sadness. "You're making a mistake."
"Maybe," Aria said. "But it's my mistake to make."
For a moment, I thought Yuki would attack. Magic crackled around her hands, ready to strike.
Then she dropped her hands and shook her head sadly. "I hope you're right about him. Because if you're wrong, you won't get a second chance." She looked at me. "Protect her, Lion King. Because if you don't, if you hurt her or use her like all the others... the Resistance will come for you. And we won't be merciful."
She disappeared in a burst of flame, leaving only smoke behind.
Silence.
"The Resistance," Thorne whispered. "I thought that was just a myth."
"It's not." I helped Aria back into the carriage, my mind racing. "They're real. Organized. And they want Aria."
"To lead them in a war against beastmen," Aria said softly. She looked at me. "That's what the prophecy means, isn't it? I could destroy the country by starting a revolution."
"Or you could save it," I replied. "By showing that humans and beastmen can live together. As equals. As partners." I took her hand. "That's what I want. Real change. Not more war."
"Can you really change three hundred years of slavery?" she asked.
"Not alone." I squeezed her hand. "But together? Maybe."
The carriage started moving again. But I couldn't shake the feeling that everything had just gotten infinitely more complex.
Aria wasn't just my mate. She wasn't just a Forgotten One.
She was the spark that could ignite a revolt.
And every side wanted to control her.
Garrett stirred and opened his eyes. He looked at us, then groaned. "Did something else terrible happen while I was asleep?"
"The human Resistance wants to recruit Aria to start a war," I said bluntly.
Garrett blinked. "Of course they do." He looked at his sister. "Your life gets weirder every hour."
Despite everything, Aria laughed. It was a small, exhausted sound, but sincere.
Then her face went serious. "Kael? When we get to your home... what happens to me and Garrett?"
"You'll be safe," I promised. "Protected. Respected."
"But will we be free?"
The question hung in the air.
Because that was the real question, wasn't it? Could a person truly be free in a beastman's world?
"Yes," I said finally. "You'll be free. Even if that means free to leave me."
Her eyes widened. "You'd let me go?"
"I'd let you choose." My lion howled in anger, but I ignored him. "Always."
She stared at me for a long moment. Then she leaned her head against my shoulder, exhausted.
"Ask me again when I'm not about to pass out," she whispered. "Right now, I just want to sleep."
Within minutes, she was unconscious, her breathing deep and even.
I held her carefully, feeling the mate bond pulse between us.
And I wondered if I'd just promised something I couldn't keep.
Because the castle was filled with nobles who'd never accept a human queen.
And Aria was walking into a group of vipers who'd want her dead.