Bloodbound to the Beastly King

It was windy, a storm was coming again. Thorne watched from the windows as the wind grew even stronger.

The fourth storm in two months.

If it wasn't a sign of the troubles coming ahead, then Thorne had no idea what it was.

He sighed internally as he twisted his shoulders, his bones cracking under pressure. His mind went to Adina, who was still in his room; he wondered if she was asleep or awake. He hadn't had the time to check on her… And he still wouldn't be able to. With the storm coming tonight, he had to patrol the area.

The door creaked behind him; he didn't need to turn to know that it was the beta. Caelum stepped in, his boots clacking against the floor.

He dropped some papers on the table then looked at Thorne, who was still standing by the window. "I brought it all like you asked," he said.

Thorne hummed, not willing to turn and look at the man. He trusted him well enough to deliver exactly as he'd asked.

"Mason says he only needs two days and he'll be done. With these—" he gestured at the papers he'd dropped. "It's enough to bury Radek. Are you really going to go all the way?" He asked.

At this, Thorne turned. His eyes fell on the paper on the table and scoffed internally. Radek's crimes were so numerous that the papers detailing his atrocities were as bulky as a winter pelt.

Thorne's gaze darkened as he remembered the look in Adina's eyes when he first found her. She'd looked terrified and even more so in the woods when he'd stopped the carriage. He moved toward the desk, one hand resting on the bulky pile. "I want him erased from the earth after what he's done. Not even this is enough for what I plan," Thorne replied.

Caelum stared at him for a moment longer, his face calm yet unreadable as he heard those words. That was the deadliest anger there was. "Of course, your majesty," he replied with a curt nod.

Thorne hummed, "Inform councilman Carter. Send word to him tonight. I want a formal inquiry opened by the end of the week. And tell him he's to come in tomorrow."

"That's going to cause waves," Caelum said. The councilman was almost like the leader of the council. His words were heavily valued by the other councilmen.

"Let it," Thorne replied. "Radek is his son-in-law, and he made him Alpha. He has things to answer to." Thorne turned to face the window yet again. "This kingdom's already rotting from the inside; might as well pluck out those contaminating it."

Caelum nodded, ready to leave when Thorne's voice cut him off.

"Adina…" he began, her name rolling off his tongue so easily. Caelum paused in his steps; he was just about to leave.

"What about her, My king?"

"Find out everything there is to know about her," he said.

Caelum arched a brow, "Didn't Elara do that already? I could've sworn she did."

"She did, but I'm not satisfied with that. I need more. Who she was, what she did, why she mated the alpha of Crystal Moon. Her parents. Too many things are blurred that I don't know about. I can't…" he trailed off.

"You can't?"

Thorne shook his head. "Forget it. Just find out all you can about her. I need more information."

Caelum nodded. "I'll get right on it." He turned to leave but paused.

"The storm is going to be the heaviest of the last four. Are you still going to patrol under such heavy rains?" he asked, glancing out the window where the wind grew even rougher. Everyone in Obsidian must be in their homes, praying to the gods for this to pass.

"It's my duty. What kind of king will I be if I stayed indoors in a storm like this when a member of my kingdom could be stuck out there?" he replied.

Caelum nodded thoughtfully; he'd never been able to convince Thorne from doing something. "Well, I'll get right on the information of Adina. If you'll excuse me," he said, bowed, and stepped out of the office. He paused by the door, shaking his head. There was a time he could tell what Thorne was thinking just from the look he wore, but now… the man seemed stranger with each passing day.

Was he possessed?

Thorne stared at the sky, the thunders rumbling in it, lightning cracking and sparking. It was just a few minutes left, and so he cracked his shoulders once more, eyes shut for a moment, and when he opened them again… he was ready.

Rain slapped violently against the windows.

Adina flinched as the wind howled like a wounded beast outside. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself, curled on the edge of the massive bed. The warmth from the fireplace was dying. She glanced at the wall clock. It was past midnight. She had expected to see Thorne, even if it were just for a moment, but he hadn't come since the night before. She wanted to leave back to her room, but Caelum told her to stay still until Thorne told her otherwise, and thus… she was still here.

She looked out the window, watching as the rain splattered even harder. She remembered when she'd been stuck in the storm too… it was hell that night. The struggle to find someplace safe to stay. She didn't know how it happened, but she found one and not just that. She found the wolf who stayed with her all night, wrapping its fur around her for warmth.

She was indebted to that wolf who had kept her alive… she reached into the satchel she'd kept with her all this while and took out the handkerchief left for her. It was faded now, edges frayed, but she'd kept it with her through everything.

She pressed her fingers to the stitched initials, tracing them.

She shook her head, wanting to be rid of the depressing thoughts that seeped into her mind. And so she stood up, shuddering internally from the cold.

She was bored out of her mind, and in here, there was nothing to do except look around. She walked toward the window, stretching over the desk and peeked out where it was still raining.

She sighed and stepped back, her gaze landing on the desk. It wasn't much, everything had been cleaned up, leaving just three books neatly nestled at the corner. She picked one, her fingers itching to open it, but then, she couldn't… she didn't forget what happened when she went into that room.

Before she could put it down, the door creaked open.

She turned, startled, and her breath caught in her throat.

Thorne.

Soaked from head to toe. His shirt clung to him, dark and heavy with rain. Droplets dripped from his hair, trailing down the sharp line of his jaw, over his throat, disappearing into the soaked fabric.

She stared at him, stunned. "Y–you're wet."

Brilliant observation, Adina.

His gaze was fixed on her, unreadable as ever. His eyes flicked down her form, taking in the blanket draped around her shoulders, her bare feet touching the cold ground, and the handkerchief still clutched in her hand.

"You're not asleep," he said simply, his voice low and rough.

She shook her head, her voice soft. "I couldn't."

He nodded. Adina watched him step into the room more, shutting the door behind him. His boots squelching against the floor.

"Were you… out in it?" she asked, still staring. "The storm?"

"I had to patrol." His tone was casual, but his expression was far from it. "The storm is the heaviest out of the three we've had. Had to make sure no one was hurt," he said.

He had to patrol? Did he do that often?

"You're soaking." Her voice trembled as the thoughts played in her mind. Was he— did he—

"D-do you patrol during storms often?" She asked quietly.

Thorne held her gaze for a moment longer like he was trying to understand where she was going. Then he looked away. "Yeah. I do," he replied.

Thorne reached for the hem of his shirt, and before she could even process what was happening, he tugged it over his head smoothly.

She swore her heart stopped.

His torso was slick with rain, droplets sliding down the lines of his chest and abdomen. The room was dimly lit, but it didn't hide the way his muscles flexed as he tossed the wet clothes aside.

Her throat went dry.

Why did he have to look like that? Why did he have to move like that?

She tried to look away, she knew she should look away, but her eyes wouldn't listen. They traced every dip and scar across his body, completely entranced.

Then, suddenly, his gaze snapped to hers.

Their eyes met.

Shit.

Her cheeks flamed. She quickly turned her face away, heart hammering in her chest like a drum.

"I—I didn't mean to—"

He didn't say anything. She dared a glance back, just for a second, and caught him looking.

Not at her face. Not at her body but instead, At the handkerchief still clutched in her hand.