Bloodbound to the Beastly King

Adina stepped into the room and froze.

Her eyes went straight to the large king-sized bed in the middle of the room. It was the only bed. No. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening.

Sharing a carriage. Fine.

Sharing his room. Okay.

But sharing his bed? What in the goddess's name is this? Was everyone out to get her today?

Her heart started racing, and she broke out in a cold sweat. Just one bed?

She could feel her panic rising, her mind spiraling in every direction. She didn't even give Thorne a chance to speak. Didn't even wait for him to assimilate the situation. Before he could say a word, she darted for the couch near the window.

Fine, she thought frantically. He's the king. He'll take the bed. I'll sleep here. No problem.

Without looking at him, she moved on pure adrenaline, rushing to set the bed for him. It was nighttime already. The journey was rather long. He would be tired, sleepy even.

It was good like this. She'll set his bed and sleep on the couch. Perfect. She smoothed out the sheets, fluffed the pillows, tugged the blankets like her life depended on it.

She had to make it all perfect.

"Adina," Thorne's voice rumbled behind her. "Stop."

But she didn't stop. Couldn't. She was too busy pretending she wasn't losing her mind. How was he even standing, knowing there was just one bed in the room?

"Adina," he warned again, but by then she was done.

"Your bed is all set. Please have a good night, Your Majesty." She rushed out without taking a breath, and before he could say another word, she all but leapt onto the couch. In the same clothes she wore through the day. Without a blanket. She instead squeezed her eyes shut, Snow White style. Like that would make it all

For a second, she heard nothing. Okay. This is good. Very good, in fact.

Thorne stared at her from where she stood. If he didn't just see her running around the room and pounding the bed like she was fluffing it. He'd say she was playing dead.

Was she even breathing?

"Fucking hell," he muttered under his breath. Pulling off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

He crossed the room in a few long strides. Before Adina could process what was happening, she felt herself lifted clean off the couch.

Her eyes flew open, wide and startled. "W-what are you—? Put me down!"

But Thorne wasn't listening. His jaw was clenched, his eyes hard but somehow tired too, like he was at the end of his rope.

"Your Majesty!" She shrieked, but he didn't listen.

"You're sleeping on the bed, Adina. Stop being ridiculous," he gritted out, carrying her with infuriating ease as if she weighed nothing at all.

What the….. What the in the world was happening?

Adina froze, every muscle in her body going stiff at how close he was. She could feel the heat rolling off him, his muscles flexing as he carried her, the faint scent of pine clinging to him after the long ride.

Too close.

Too freaking close.

He set her down gently onto the bed, stepping back immediately like he didn't trust himself too close to her either. He looked away for a brief second, and he ran a hand through his hair, looking as if he was trying to hold on to the last shred of his patience.

"I'm not going to touch you," he said quietly, his voice low. "Just… stay in the damn bed."

"B-but you are the king," Adina muttered, her voice lacking conviction.

"And I'm telling you as the king to stay in the bed," he gritted out and without waiting for a reply, he dragged a chair across the room and sank into it with a frustrated sigh, bracing his elbows on his knees.

Adina lay there, staring at the ceiling, her heart still pounding. She glanced at Thorne, whose gaze was on her, and quickly looked away.

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to calm down. But sleep wouldn't come. Every sound—the creak of the chair as Thorne shifted made her hyper-aware of the fact that he was still there, watching her.

Minutes dragged on like hours.

She risked glancing at him again. He hadn't moved, but his expression had softened, like… he was tired. Bone-deep tired.

"Your Majesty," she whispered before she could stop herself.

He raised a brow. "Hm?"

"You should sleep in the bed too. I mean… it's big enough."

Her cheeks flamed as soon as the words left her mouth. Why did I say that?

For a second, Thorne just stared at her, unreadable. Then, with a resigned sigh, he stood. His boots hit the floor softly as he crossed the room.

Adina tensed as he slid under the blankets beside her. She lay rigid as a board, staring at the ceiling again, listening to the steady sound of his breathing. Even though he wasn't touching her, she could feel the presence of him. It was terrifying and oddly comforting at the same time.

"Go to sleep, Adina," Thorne murmured. "I'm not going to bite."

Right… It's no big deal. She was just sleeping next to the king of the southern realm who happened to be her mate. No big deal.

Eventually, her body betrayed her, and even though she had planned to stay awake all night. The pull of exhaustion was too strong to ignore, and eventually her eyelids grew heavy, and before she knew it, she drifted into sleep.

_________

The next day.

Adina stirred, groggy, and for one blissful moment, with the sun streaming into the room through the curtains. She forgot where she was.

Then it hit her. The bed, the room, Thorne.

She jumped up, facepalming herself. The space next to her was empty. And his scent had lessened, which meant he left the room a while ago.

She glanced at the wall clock, and her eyes widened. Goddess above! It was past nine, and she just woke up.

Just woke up? Has she lost her mind because that will be the only reasonable explanation for waking up this late in a foreign pack too.

She scrambled off the bed, and in the next five minutes, she was done bathing and dressing.

She rushed out of the room, praying with everything in her that she wasn't in trouble.

The pack house was already alive and busy. The maids had begun setting tables, the men hauling crates. It was certainly a busy morning. The three-day festival will officially begin at noon.

Without thinking, Adina jumped in to help, stacking plates, tying ribbons, anything to be useful and not dwell on the fact that this was the first time in years she would sleep so soundly and wake up that late.

A gentle voice pulled her from her focus.

"You're a helpful one, aren't you?" The Luna of the pack approached her with a warm, kind smile, her dark hair pinned neatly. "Thank you for helping out even though you don't have to," she said.

Adina dipped her head, cheeks warm. "It's nothing, my lady."

"I saw that you came in not so long ago. I'm assuming you woke up late, right?"

Asian eyes widened, she shook her head quickly. "No, no. My lady. I was just—"

The woman chuckled, "Relax. I just wanted to ask if you've eaten," she said.

Adina blinked, caught off guard by the Luna's question. "Uh… no, my lady. I haven't," she admitted, her stomach choosing that exact moment to betray her and growl.

The Luna's smile widened, "I thought as much. Come, we have plenty of food ready for the festival. Let's get you something before you faint from hunger."

Adina hesitated, eyes flickering around. She couldn't eat, not if she hadn't served the king yet.

"Are you waiting for the king? Don't worry, he went out briefly with my mate," she said kindly.

Waiting for the king….it was simple yet really heavy to Adina.

She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say more. The door opened, and Thorne entered, behind him was Alpha Radek and a couple of guards.

His eyes found Adina's instantly, and she lowered her gaze.

The Luna bowed deeply to Thorne. "Your Majesty. I was just telling Adina to eat. I think she was waiting for you and would g eat," the woman said, and for the second time since coming here, Adina wanted nothing more than the ground to open up and swallow her.

The Luna's words hung in the air, and Adina wished she could disappear. She kept her head down, but she could feel Thorne's gaze on her.

He hummed. "I haven't eaten either. We'll eat together," he said, and once again she stiffened.

The Luna tensed too with shock. The king would have breakfast with his maid? Strange things have happened, but this was the strangest.

"I'm going to change. I'll be back soon," Thorne said, and they all bowed to him.

The Luna smiled gently at Adina. "I need to check on the preparations before the festival begins. I'll come check on you soon." She patted Adina's arm lightly, then walked away.

And then it was just her and Alpha Radek.

Adina smiled awkwardly at the pack alpha and continued stacking the plates like she had before The Luna had interrupted.

But then Alpha Radek stepped closer, close enough that she could feel the heat of him at her side. Adina stiffened as he leaned closer to her, hand stretched like he was going to touch her cheek only for him to grab a plastic cup next to her.

He then stepped back, a faint smirk on his lips. "I wasn't certain yesterday, but now I am. You're even more beautiful up close."

He grinned, "The king sure is lucky to have a maid like you." He winked then walked away.

Leaving Adina shocked to her core. What the hell just happened?