***Kingdom of Kalyndra**

Kylian Quinn

“Forgive me… Alethea… I’m sorry,”

Kylian whispered, his voice breaking under the weight of the memory.

But her blood-stained lips twisted in pain as she choked out her final words,

“No… never. I will never forgive you… You will suffer a cruel and painful fate. Everyone you love will eventually turn on you, they will see you for what you truly are…a monster.”

Then silence.

That was the last thing she ever said before her heart gave out.

~~~~~~~~

Kylian jolted awake, sweat coating his bare chest, breath ragged.

Another night. Another ghost.

The fearless Lycan King — haunted. By her voice. By his guilt and by a curse that never let go.

It had been years since Alethea died, and yet the dreams started clawing their way back just months ago — vivid, cruel, constant. As if her soul refused to rest… or refused to forgive him.

He pressed his hand to his temple, groaning.

“Are you okay?” came the voice behind him.

Elara.The woman who warmed his bed some nights but never his heart. She wrapped her arms around his torso, pressing her body against his back.

“I’m good,” he muttered,frowning and standing up and walking over to the table where his cigarettes lay. He lit one and took a long drag.

Elara’s eyes narrowed at the smoke curling from his lips. “Those things’ll kill you.”

He snorted. “Since when did you start caring?”

“I’ve always cared,” she said softly.

“And I can tell you’re hurting...let me help."

Her concern rubbed him the wrong way.

“That doesn't concern you…your services are no longer needed, Elara.”

“Kylian, I—”

“Out.” His tone snapped like a whip. So cold and unapologetic.

He didn’t need her pity. He didn’t need anyone's help. Love was a weakness he buried long ago, and he had no plans to resurrect it. Not now,not ever.

Love was a fool's poem,a distraction from achieving great things. A king should never love.

Kylian sat in silence, the smoke from his cigarette curling like the curse wrapped around his soul.

He ran his hand through his hair.

A knock broke the quiet.

“Enter.”

Aya, his personal maid, stepped in without a word. Efficient as always. She moved like silence itself as she prepared his bath. Her curves were impossible to ignore, but

Kylian never touched his maids — it was a line he didn’t cross.

Discipline kept his kingdom intact, and it started with him.

Once the tub was ready, he stepped in and let the hot water scald his skin. Lycans were creatures of the cold, but he bathed in heat. The pain grounded him,helped him think.

He closed his eyes.

His kingdom was slipping.

His soldiers — powerful lycans once feared across the seven kingdoms were beginning to weaken. The curse wasn’t just tormenting him anymore… it was spreading. Quiet,deadly and unseen.

He ran his hands over his face, then slipped underwater for a moment — holding his breath like he was trying to drown the thoughts. But they followed.

Alethea. The curse,the scent of her blood.

And the promise of betrayal.

He emerged from the water slowly, gasping. He wouldn’t break,He couldn’t.

Aya’s voice interrupted his spiral. “Your Highness, the Queen requests your presence in the dining hall.”

He stiffened. “What does my mother want now?"

“I do not know, Your Highness.”

He frowned.

“You’re dismissed.”

~~~~~~~~~

The dining hall was tense, quiet. The only sound was cutlery clinking against porcelain. The Queen sat at the head of the table, stiff, unreadable.

“So son…how are things?” she asked without looking up.

Kylian didn't bother with politeness. “What do you want, Kaitlyn?”

“I’m your mother. At least address me as such.”

He scoffed. “Respect isn’t a given inheritance. You called me here for a reason,stop the pretense and spit it out.”

She sipped her wine with maddening calm and a smirk. “You’re getting married to the first daughter of House Hawthorne. It’s been arranged.”

Kylian’s eyes darkened. “What?”

“The werewolves were getting too close to the truth. This marriage shuts them up.”

“You didn’t think to ask me?”

“It was a swift decision. There was no time.”

“There’s always time to consult your king.”

Kaitlyn set her glass down. “You don’t really have much of a choice.”

His jaw clenched. “Excuse me?”

She leaned in, her voice low enough that only he could hear.

“How would your people feel if they knew their mighty warrior king was cursed? That the death of his beloved Alethea wasn’t an accident… but something darker?”

It was blackmail. From his own mother.

Kylian’s lips curled into a dangerous smile. “You know better than to threaten me, Kaitlyn.”

“And you know better than to underestimate me,” she countered, eyes sharp.

“If word spreads that you’re weakening, that our kind is somehow losing our strength… the kingdom falls and the werewolves pick us piece by piece.”

“How can you can claim yourself a mother?...I’ll find out what you’re really after.” He muttered,

“You've not been the best son either.”

Stepping closer to her face. “Soon, you'll be left without these petty tricks.”

“But not yet,so prepare yourself. Your bride arrives tonight.”

He turned and walked away, rage burning under his skin. But he had to keep it grounded.

~~~~~~~~~

“Kol!” he barked the moment he stepped out into the stone courtyard.

The head of his army appeared almost instantly, kneeling before him. “My King.”

“Status.”

Kol stood. “We’ve had attacks, my lord. The Spirit Pack hit Dark Angels’ border last night.”

Kylian growled. “Why?”

Kol hesitated. “Rumors are spreading about the… weakening lycans. Some say we’re losing our strength.”

“Find who’s spreading them,” Kylian ordered, “and silence them.”

“Yes, my king.”

“As for the Spirit Pack, take your best soldiers and wipe them out.”

Kol blinked. “But, my king—”

Kylian raised a hand,no more words.

“Yes, my king.” Kol bowed and left.

~~~~~~~

The urge to leave the castle clawed at him, but something kept him rooted. A pull. A whisper in his bones.

He ignored it. He needed air — something to calm the storm.

He went to the stables, where Stannis waited.

A black stallion unlike any other in the kingdom. Wild,Powerful and Loyal only to him.

Kylian pressed his forehead to the beast’s shoulder. Stannis huffed, nudging him gently, as if sensing his pain.

“Let’s ride,” he whispered.

And they did. Into the forest — where the trees whispered and the world forgot him. The stallion’s speed was unmatched, slicing through the trees like wind.

They stopped by the river. The first light of dawn painted the water in gold.

Kylian watched it in silence.

Even a cursed king could appreciate beauty… even if it reminded him of everything he’d lost.

Or maybe he believed standing by the river side every morning would fill the emptiness he felt.

~~~~~

Night returned too quickly. Shadows swallowed the land. The moon rose behind the clouds full, threatening. He felt the shift start and the curse, tightening around his ribs.

He had to get back immediately.

He jumped on Stannis and with urgency in his voice he called.

“Ride Stannis, Ride!”

The closer the moonlight came, the weaker he felt. His limbs, heavy. His breath was shallow.

He stumbled into his chambers and locked the hidden door — the room he had prepared for these cursed nights.

The pain hit faster,His vision blurred. His strength bled out. Like his soul was unraveling thread by thread.

This was the price. The pain. The madness.

Then…

He smelled it.

A scent. Familiar that it felt Impossible.

Alethea.

Not just her memory — her. Her scent.

The moon disappeared behind the clouds and It brought strength rushing back into his veins like fire.

He staggered to his feet, drawn by it. His heart thundered.

He followed it through the corridor, into the open foyer — and there she was.

Eleanor.

Dressed in blue. Standing like fate had summoned her.

Their eyes locked.

Brown on blue.

She looked confused, like she wasn’t sure what she was seeing. But Kylian knew.

He knew those eyes.

That face.That scent,it was too familiar to be wrong.

Could it really be Alethea…?

Or was this just the nightmare getting crueler?

•••••••••••

*Deep in the forest of Elton*

“The blood moon draws near, mother. Shall I rip the king’s spine out myself?”

“Soon, child. Patience. The curse was just the beginning.”