Julian's POV

I knew I was doomed. The guards would come, and they would take me away.

"It was my mistake, a horrible accident! I didn't mean to!" I begged as I stumbled over my words to get her to believe I didn't kill her father.

I glanced around the room for a way to get out, but saw no escape routes. I was screwed, and I knew it.

I pleaded again, "I didn't mean to kill him, I swear!"

"It was a mistake! Please have mercy!" I wailed, tears running down my cheeks.

But her face showed no mercy. She slapped me hard on the face, pulling my hair backward. I hollered in pain as she stared me down with disgust.

"You killed my father, you will pay for this." She said hatefully.

The guards were pulling my arms, trying to drag me away. I was fighting against them, but I was quite outnumbered.

As they dragged me away I watched Theodora shouting while holding her father's dead body on the floor. The very sound of her voice echoed in my ears. I thought it would never go away.

I was thrown into a cell, dark and desolate. The moment they slammed the door behind me, I felt like the weight of the world had disappeared. I could feel the rage awakening inside me, and I slammed my fists into the stone floor. This is what it feels like to struggle against an alpha and lose.

******

I rested my back against the wall in my cell, which was too cold and dank with too much moisture. All my body parts hurt from head to toe. I was starving. I haven't had food for two straight days, and I wonder how I'm still alive till now.

I felt too exhausted to move any further. The palms of my hands felt warm while the blisters on my lips burnt like dry ice. My eyes felt empty, and my skin too clammy to touch.

The emotional pain I had endured was nothing close to the physical torment I'd endured for 48 hours. I'd been subjected to never-ending torture.

Theodora had given the order to use every trick in the book to break me. From beating, whipping, starvation and worse. I'd actually lost count of how many times I had fainted from the agony.

I couldn't believe that just a few weeks ago, I was a princess, living in comfort.

I had everything I could ever want, even though my family hated me. But all of that was ripped away from me in an instant.

I was nothing but a prisoner imprisoned in a cell, waiting for certain death. That was almost too much to digest. The loss of everything was extremely bitter, to be "everything" and then cast out into the nothingness around me by cruel hands of fate.

The fabrics coated with my tears recall the thoughts of every memory I have lost, which reveals my tattered family, captivating home and freedom transformed nothing. Life was an adventure, and now it's staring deep into the abyss.

I closed my eyes, feeling tears fall and releasing all my sadness. My body shook, but my muscles felt too weak to move. I felt exhausted, hungry, and trapped. The darkness felt overwhelming. Will it last forever? Only time will tell.

I heard footsteps coming towards me, and my heart filled with dread. I backed away, pressing myself against the wall for support. My body trembled with fear. "Are they here to hurt me again?"

"I will not be able to last," my self wished to whisper, knowing every drop of concocted tears made the willies more vibrant.

My thoughts were interrupted as a figure clothed in fragrant perfume erupted to my cell, which then revealed Theodora.

She had her hair styled in the exact way it needed to be for her face, she looked like she was going to an important meeting.

The guards opened the gate for her and she stepped carefully into the cell, peering around the small space with contempt.

"I guess this isn't the ideal abode for a princess," she said, her tone dripping with hate.

"You smell like vomit." She hawked up phlegm and spit it on the floor while expressing disgust with her face.

She told the guard to bring a chair, and the guard obeyed swiftly, he placed a fancy chair directly in the centre of the cell. From the moment she sat down, it was clear she had some mastery of grace and sophistication. Theodora waved her hand as if she were brushing something away, and the guards stepped back and let us to be a little more alone.

Tears began to well in her eyes, and for an instant I thought I saw a flicker of sadness. Then her anguish turned into cold, hard anger.

"You murdered my father," she spat.

"You murdered the only man that treated me like his own. I'll never forgive you."

But then, something unexpected happened. Theodora's expression transformed, an evil smile curling up her lips.

"Well, well, well," she whispered. "You just made it easier for me. How clever could you be? I just couldn't bring myself to do it, but you just did. Bravo."

She leaned forward, her eyes bright with malice.

"Tell me, how did it happen," she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "I am curious. How did you manage to kill the one person who stood between me and the throne?"

My eyes went wide in disbelief. "Wait, what?" I said, trembling.

Theodora's smile widened. "Well, let's just say, he's an old man. I wanted to make his death uncomplicated, but you had to do what you do best. Oh, so sad."

I couldn't believe it. Theodora didn't even look capable of harming anyone, let alone killing her own father.

"Oh well, my time here is up." She stood up and smoothed her dress. "I couldn't stay here anymore; I don't want to smell like this cell."

I dropped to my knees, surrendering to desperation. "Please, just let me go. I am begging you, I will never come back. You'll never hear from me again."

Theodora's face turned steely and calculating. "Oh no, darling, this is only the start of your terrible nightmare!

You will pay for killing my father and for what your father did to us."

With that, she turned and left. "Please, just let me go!" I cried.

"Shut up, Julian!" her voice echoed as she walked away.

Just then, one of the guards came in with a tray of food. I grabbed it quickly and started eating because I was starving. The food was my only concern. After I finished eating, I noticed there was a note on the tray.

It read, "Thanks for making things easier for me. Your Highness, Theodora."

I knew exactly what she was referring to, but I didn't care. All that mattered was that I had eaten.

But as I leaned back against the wall, my stomach began to churn. A searing pain shot through my abdomen, and I felt a wave of nausea wash over me. I stumbled forward, vomiting up the food I had just eaten.

That's when it hit me-I had been poisoned.

I doubled over, clutching my stomach in agony. The pain was unbearable, a searing burn that threatened to consume me whole. I tried to cry out, but my voice was hoarse and barely audible.

My vision began to blur, and I felt myself swaying, my body weakened by the poison coursing through my veins. I tried to hold on, but it was no use.

With a faint whisper, I collapsed to the ground, my world going dark as I lost consciousness.

*********

Pain. That was the first thing I felt as I drifted between consciousness and oblivion. A deep, searing pain in my stomach, burning like fire from within. Theodora's poison had done its job well-I was too weak to move, too weak to fight. But I wasn't dead. Not yet.

The heavy doors to my cell groaned open. I kept my eyes shut, forcing my body to remain limp as the guards entered.

"She's dead," one of them scoffed. "The princess lasted longer than I thought."

Princess. The word meant nothing now. I was no longer Julian a princess-I was nothing but a discarded body, a burden to be disposed of.

"Take her to the execution grounds," another ordered. "Let the crows feast."

Rough hands grabbed me, hauling me up as if I were no more than a sack of grain. My limbs dangled uselessly, my breath shallow. I fought the urge to gasp as they dragged me through the dim corridors, the scent of damp stone and blood thick in the air.

Then, chaos erupted.

Shouts rang through the castle. Metal clashed against metal. The guards dragging me cursed, their grips loosening. A sudden explosion rocked the halls, sending them stumbling.

I didn't wait for answers. With the last of my strength, I rolled from their grasp, hitting the cold ground hard. Pain flared through my body, but I forced myself to move, crawling into the shadows as the guards ran toward the commotion.

The castle was under attack.

I didn't care who had come-I only knew this was my only chance.

Through sheer will, I pushed myself forward, navigating the darkened corridors until I found a storage room. Inside, tattered cloaks and old uniforms hung from wooden racks. With trembling hands, I grabbed a tunic and pants, stripping off my ruined gown.

My reflection in a dusty mirror stopped me. Pale skin, hollowed eyes, dirty hair. A girl who had lost everything.

No. Not a girl. Not anymore.

I bound my chest tightly, flattening what little curves I had, and pulled the hood of a cloak over my head. Luckily, my body was too thin from weeks of starvation but that would help my disguise. No one would look twice at a scrawny boy in ragged clothes.

As fires raged outside, I slipped into the shadows, my heart pounding. The castle walls stretched high, but even though I didn't know the paths well. I tried my best to find my way out through the chaos.

Under the cover of night, I fled.

I was no longer Princess Julian. That name had died in a cold, dark cell.

Now, I was Prince Jules-a nameless boy, a ghost in the wind.

Jules POV

The new identity was a cloak that shielded me, but even the deepest shadows couldn't obscure the past. My once-proud lineage, my blood, still hung over me like a storm cloud. I didn't know if I could outrun it forever, but I had to try.

In my new home, hidden deep in a community of outcasts, I could breathe. For the first time in years, I was free from the life I was forced into. I wasn't a pawn for the kingdom, a sacrifice for a lie. I was just a boy, nothing more.

I cut my hair short and wore boy's clothing. It helped to bury the memories, to bury the princess I had been. No one knew who I truly was here. I had become just another face in a hidden world, one I had crafted for myself.

But it didn't last.

News spread that the girl they thought was dead-Princess Julian-wasn't dead at all, her body was missing.The bounty hunters had started searching, scouring villages and towns for any trace of her. Her body wasn't found.

And now, they wanted me back.

With the bounty over my head, I could not stop moving and had to stay on the move. It was only a matter of time before someone figured out the puzzle of who I was.

*******

I ran.

Though the shouts behind me had faded, i did not stop. I couldn't. The bounty on my head had turned the world upside down. Every shadow felt like a trap, revealing another hunter eager to claim my life.

My body protested. Exhaustion dragged at my limbs, but fear moved me forward. I had escaped-escaped the city, the rogues, the guards taking aim to kill me like a rabid dog. And yet here, deep in the wild, I began to hope that I was finally out.

The trees soared endlessly in all directions, their intertwining branches creating a canopy so thick that only the faintest hints of moonlight graced the hard-packed ground of the forest. It was a dark place, the kind of land best described in hushed voices. Nobody came here. Nobody wanted to.

But I had no choice.

I pushed on, my breaths labored.

Then I heard it.

The deep, far-off call of a horn.

Slow and eerie, sending a chill through my spine.

I stood still, my chest heaving. The wind changed, bringing with it a different scent, that of smoke and of steel.

I was not alone.

There was something moving beyond the trees. The air was thick with tension and the forest was eerily quiet.

My heart pounded.

Was it a war party? Bandits?

Before I could decide, a shadow moved between the trees.

A man.

No-men.

Figures emerged from the darkness, their armor blackened like wolves in the night. They moved in calculated silence, their eyes scanning the trees with the sharpness of hunters.

My blood ran cold.

I had unknowingly stumbled into their path.

I turned-

Too late.

A hand clamped onto my arm.

I gasped, instinct taking over as I drove my elbow into my attacker's ribs. He grunted, but his grip didn't loosen. Another figure appeared behind me.

I twisted, fighting like hell.

I managed to rip free, lunging for the dagger strapped to my thigh-

Only to feel a cold blade press against my throat.

"Enough."

The word was spoken with such quiet authority that the forest itself seemed to still.

My breath hitched.

The man standing before me was unlike the others. Taller. Broader. His presence alone sent fear crawling up my spine. His tunic was dark, fitted to his powerful frame, the fabric embroidered with gold that flickered like flames in the dim light.

But it was his face that stole the air from my lungs.

He was beautiful in a way that was utterly inhuman.

Strong, sculpted features-sharp cheekbones, a chiseled jaw lined with the shadow of stubble, and a mouth that curved with cruel amusement. His skin was lightly bronzed, a stark contrast to the ruthless gleam in his golden eyes.

Those eyes-piercing, luminous, predatory.

I felt something cold slither down my spine.

He didn't just look dangerous. He was danger itself.

He studied me in silence, as if deciding what to do with an unexpected kill.

I swallowed hard.

Then, from the trees behind them, another warrior approached, holding up something small-my dagger.

"My lord," the man said. "He was armed."

The golden-eyed man didn't react. He simply reached out and took the blade. Turned it between his fingers. Testing the weight, the balance.

Then, he flicked his gaze back to me.

"Why are you here?" His voice was deep, calm-dangerous.

My pulse roared in my ears. "I-I was..... I didn't know anyone was here."

A slow, sharp smile curved his lips. "You expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth," i hissed.

Silence.

Then-

A sharp snarl from one of the men. "He carries an enemy crest."

My stomach dropped.

My eyes flicked to what the soldier held-a torn emblem from a rival kingdom.

No.

I didn't even remember grabbing it-I must have taken it while looting for supplies, not thinking, not realizing it would be a death sentence.

The golden-eyed man studied it, then looked back at me, expression unreadable.

"An assassin," one of the warriors spat.

My heart slammed against her ribs. "No-"

A blade was unsheathed. A warrior stepped forward.

"Shall we kill him now, Your Majesty?"

My breath caught.

"Your Majesty?"

My mind reeled. The title alone sent a chill down my spine, but it wasn't until I saw the emblem on his chest-stitched in black and gold, the mark of a wolf with a blood-red crown-the truth crashed over me like a tidal wave.

I knew that sigil.

Every pack did.

It belonged to the most feared ruler in the land. King Lucian the Alpha of the Ironhowl Pack.

This wasn't just a noble.

This wasn't just a warlord.

This was him.

The warlord-king whose enemies vanished without a trace.

The monster whose hands were forever stained with blood.

The predator who never let a trespasser live.

And me-a stranger with a dagger and an enemy's crest-had just walked straight into his grasp.

He tilted his head slightly, golden eyes assessing me.

For a moment, he said nothing. Then-

A low, dark chuckle.

"No," he murmured. "I think I'll hunt him first."

I barely had time to breathe before his grip released.

"Run."

My body went rigid.

The warriors around them shifted, smirking. Amused.

I wasn't sure I had heard him correctly.

"What?" I breathed.

The king stepped closer.

"If you make it out of my forest," he said, voice silk and steel, "you're free."

His gaze flickered, sharp with amusement.

"But if I catch you..."

My throat went dry.

A slow smile. "I will make you beg for death."

Terror surged through me.

He was serious.

Everything he had said was real.

Something churned in my chest-fear and anger.

My heart almost beat out of my chest and my breath came out in gasps as I ran down the earth beneath my feet. I couldn't look back. With each painful step forward, I thought about how my heart was all that was left to keep me going and every single breath was a battle of survival.

The forest around me seemed to surround me like suffocating, monstrous trees with trunk-like limbs. It seemed like the sound of my pursuit was gaining ground.

I had no idea how long I had run for. Long enough where I lost track of time. Long enough where my legs felt as if they were going to collapse around me. But there was no stopping. No thinking. Only survive.

"Run."

The command from the King had burned into my mind as if someone had branded it in my brain. I was running because he had commanded me to.

The air got colder and the trees got thicker. I could feel him coming. I could almost taste him.

And then I stumbled. That step seemed like it lasted forever. I caught myself just before I made it to the ground and screamed out in pain as I rolled her ankle. But I didn't slow down.

"Don't stop."

I pushed onward, the sound of the leaves crunching behind me. The sound of heavy boots-his boots-pressing everywhere I went. That sound, and the sudden and dark laughter of the man, the man who had turned life into some twisted hunting game.

I could not afford to give him any satisfaction.

My thoughts were jumbled-fear, anger, determination, disbelief. One minute I felt free, and the next I slipped into the snare of the worst kind of man, the man who feasted on the blood of his victims.

When I saw the moonlight filtering through the trees ahead of me, the clearing just beyond where I had just run to, I let out the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. Freedom.

I pushed harder, faster, pain penetrating the aching middle of my body, even down to my legs.

It was so close.

But, once again, the ground is shifting below me.

A tripwire.

And before I could react at all, the rope caught me off my legs and yanked my body upward at a sickening pace.

My body swung clumsily, trapped, hanging in place.

No.

I wiggled and kicked my legs against the ropes as the panic shot through my veins. If I was caught now-I couldn't be!

I froze, as the footsteps grew closer. I looked up. My breath caught my throat.

The king.

He stepped out of the shadows like a ghost, looming behind me, his cape billowing as he moved, his messy shining hair falling across his forehead, his hazel eyes fixed on me with that familiar tremulous power, the hint of yellow light giving them a predatory shine. He didn't try to help me, he just stood there, staring like a predator admiring its prey.

"You didn't think you could get away from me, did you?" His low voice managed to sound almost disappointed.

Jules POV

I hung helplessly, my body shaking in fear as he loomed over me, his cruel expression and amused gaze making me beg in a barely audible whisper.

He narrowed his eyes a bit, watching me hang there, defeated and exposed. Then without saying anything, he took a step forward. It was his moment. Like a storm, a calamity waiting to happen. I was pathetic, too easy for him, now the monster in front of me loomed directly above me, his face obscured by the darkness of his cape.

I felt my heart race, but couldn't bear to move. My body shook as he lifted his forearm. Without a thought, he took my wrist and sliced open the rope with his dagger with one gesture.

I slammed back to the ground as my knees gave out below me. Before I could get my bearings, his hand clamped down on my arm and he pulled me up to standing with a strength I couldn't comprehend.

I gasped and panicked with my fast breath, knowing i could not get away. I was trapped.

The king looked at me as unattached as chimps might look at a dog that was just hurt. He smirked with a twisted mouth all of a sudden.

I opened my mouth to say something, to plead, but the words didn't come. I had no more strength to lie, to fight him. The coldness of his face relieved me of my purpose and made me feel small and weakened, and all I could do was shake my head and tremble my lips.

"Please...." I finally managed to hiss out. "Please, don't hurt me. I'm not who you think I am."

The king's golden eyes glimmered with dark amusement. "Oh, I think you are precisely who I think you are. The question is, though-how much will you beg before I set you free?"

"Please... I am not an assassin. I-I am only trying to find a place to hide. I... I am not your enemy." My voice broke as I spoke, clearly demonstrating the weight of my desperation.

The king's smile deepened, the cruel glimmer in his eyes fully awakening. "If you were not my enemy, you wouldn't be here. But now...," he leaned closer, his voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "I will decide what you will do."

I simply stared at the ground, my heart racing and my body shaking with fear. In that moment, my pride and defiance evaporated.

"Tell me," he said softly, "do you want to die in a quick way? Or shall I make it more fun?"

My mind raced, it was not working properly. I wanted to scream, beg, do anything to make this stop. But the words wouldn't come. They were stuck in my throat - frozen by fear.

Finally, i forced her voice out, dry and shaking. "Please... don't..." It tasted like ash in my mouth. My pride had disappeared. My rebellion had disappeared. They had been replaced by fear and an instinct to survive. I didn't want to die. Not here, not now.

The king's lips twisted into a dark smile. The look in his face was one of cruel amusement. His dark gaze flickered down to me as he studied me with calculating eyes. Then, without warning, his sword moved closer to me. The cold blade pressed against her neck and I could feel my heart quicken with panic. I felt the slight pressure against me, and knew in an instant it would be over. The air was heavy, oppressive with uncertainty.

Then, the atmosphere shifted.

For a heartbeat, he flinched. He lowered the sword ever so slightly, though it hardly changed position. He looked at me, and his gaze held depth, intent, and somehow... something else.

I couldn't comprehend it, but for the briefest of seconds, i could feel it, an indication of sorts. As if - and i couldn't explain why - there was an electric charge passing from one to the other, though it was extremely faint. It wasn't a zap, not even an itch, just a hint. I felt, almost tellingly, as though something passed through my veins.

He was immobilized, and for a heart-stopping heartbeat, I felt like I saw something flicker behind those cold eyes filled with mal intent.

Could it be - hesitation?

My heart jumped, and panic gripped me. Had he found something? Had he changed his mind? My skin began to tingle and... I have never felt someone watching melike this.

But then... it hit me.

As if struck by sudden lightning, the feeling in the air shifted again, but with a sudden, violent intensity. There was a tug, a deep pull in my chest that i could not explain. Not physical-not really-but there was no mistaking it. I knew.

My breath went dry in my throat with my revelation.

He knows.

His eyes widened so fast, a flash of something played out on his perfect face. And it was gone; replaced by something darker, more predatory. But i felt it. That unrelenting force, like a magnet pulling us together.

It made my stomach churn.

I wasn't ready for this. Not like this. Not when my life was hanging by a thread.

"Mate."

The word flashed in my mind. It was nonsensical. I could barely get a breath as the feeling rushed through me, like a dam breaking from deep inside me.

But then, the king's reaction changed. His face went sour, his mouth twisted in a hard, almost disgustful sneer. His eyes narrowed, and an immediate tension went through him, almost a shiver.

"No," he growled, almost spitting it, like a terrible growl from some great dinosaur. "No. This can't be..."

I felt my chest tighten painfully, and breath was getting much harder as the draw between us stretched tighter.

But just like that, it left. His eyes darkened with chill rejection, and he backed away, an expression of disbelief on his face. He re-gripped his sword in his hand, almost squeezing the hilt in his hand, face contorted as he seemed to fight off something deep inside.

I lay there confused and gasped for air, the gravity of the moment weighing down on me like crushing underwater pressure. I wasn't sure at all what had just happened to me. I knew only one thing for certain:

"This man - this king - was my mate"

He stood with his hands balling into fists at his side rigid as stone, taking a rude step away. Lucian's eyes, still cold and now even more contemptuous, with hatred told me everything i needed to know about his feelings. But i knew the fight he was having with himself. I could see him struggle, fight, even. His body had reacted to me still.

"I will not accept this," he muttered, his voice cold and rough, practically spitting the last syllable as if having to scoop the very words from his mouth. "I'm not"

My heart raced still, but not just from fear. Something deeper had shifted in me, something instinctual and primal. I had no idea how to contain it, but i could feel it.

He was my mate.

And he just rejected me.

King Lucian turned his back on me and walked away, the ground shaking momentarily with the weight of his feet thumping against the ground. The tension was heavy, rapidly filling the air around me like a tornado sucking up everything that mattered to me.

His footsteps faded, departing from the scene, leaving the air in palpable tension. The thoughts ran wild inside him, a strange chaos of emotion that i could feel myself, almost like an echo of my own thoughts. I couldn't fathom what was happening; never have i experienced anything like this before. It felt as if he was speaking to me, but he was not using his voice. No. This... this was something other.

His voice intruded in my thoughts, brusque and wrapped in disgust, and underlying it all, tension. "This cannot be real. He cannot be my mate..."

My heart seemed to pause as panic flooded in with colours of disbelief, uncertainty, and terror.

"What the hell is happening?"

I could hear him. I could hear his voice in my mind

"No, this is impossible, he continued, his thoughts twisting with denial. I cannot be Mated to a boy, the Moon Goddess couldn't have cursed me with this. No, I won't accept it."

My throat constricted as i felt the weight of his rejection. His mind was clear and sharp, a fortress of power and control. And yet, the pain, the repulsion i could sense in him, made my heart clench painfully in my chest.

But before he could finish, the connection snapped, as if the invisible thread that had briefly linked our minds had been severed with brutal force. The silence was deafening. I was left gasping for air, my chest tight, my whole body trembling with the overwhelming sensations.

His rejection felt like a physical blow to me, and yet i still couldn't bring myself to stand. The emotions swirling inside me were alien, confusing. I didn't understand why this bond-this thing between us felt so vital, so real. But he didn't want me.

Not because i wasn't enough, but because i was something he could never accept.

His voice was cold, indifferent, as he addressed his men. "Enough. Let's head back to the palace."

The men, still alert, nodded in recognition, but there was hesitation from one of them, as he looked down at me, still on the ground, in a pile of dirt and blood. The question lay dangerously, "What shall we do with him, Your Majesty?"

The king's back stiffened. He didn't turn to look at me, but his voice rang finality, cutting through the air like a sword slicing things in two. "Bring him."

The word strangled for only a moment, confusing me, "What did he say?"

The King rarely had command questions. The guards exchanged glances, none daring to speak against him. One of them moved forward, grabbing me by the arms tightly, lifting me at will. The iron shackles of bonds held me captive to his joints.

I felt myself pulled to my feet, taking each step painfully.

I was dragged along, my legs barely carrying me and my head spinning. "What did he want from me now?"

And the king was ahead, still with his back to me his voice carrying in the cold air.

"He's a potential threat but I'll keep him where I can see him. If he's an assassin... then I want to see what he can really do."

"But we both knew that was a lie."