DRAVEN'S POV.
"So," I said again, leaning against the edge of the table. "You escaped a locked cage made of steel."
She crossed her arms defensively. "Like I said, maybe you should invest in better cages."
My brow twitched. "You have quite the mouth for someone who almost became wolf food."
She huffed and turned away, muttering something about "psychopath castles" and "kidnappers with attitude."
Before I could respond, a knock sounded at the door. "Enter," I said.
Zayn stepped in, followed by one of the maids carrying a tray. The scent of roasted meat and fresh bread filled the room, and the girl's head immediately snapped toward it like a starving animal catching prey.
The maid set the tray down and bowed. I nodded for her to leave it.
"Eat," I ordered curtly.
Selin didn't need to be told twice. She was on the food in seconds, tearing into it like she hadn't eaten in days. Which, judging by the way she devoured the bread, might have been true.
I watched in disbelief. Do they not have food in that pathetic little village of hers? She made a small sound of satisfaction…half moan, half sigh, as she bit into the meat. Zayn shot me a look that clearly said, is this actually happening? I didn't answer. I was too busy trying to understand how one person could make eating look like a battlefield. And then, predictably, she started choking.
I pinched the bridge of my nose as she coughed and gasped for air. "Of course," I muttered under my breath. "Why chew when you can simply inhale it?"
Zayn tried, and failed to hide his grin. The maid rushed forward, offering water. Selin gulped it down greedily, eyes watering, before slumping back in her chair with a dramatic sigh.
"I was hungry," she croaked, glaring at me as if it were my fault.
I stared back, unimpressed. "Evidently."
Zayn's shoulders shook. I didn't even want to know if he was laughing. I turned away, walking toward the door before the sight drove me insane. "When she's finished, take her back to her quarters," I said to the maid. "And make sure she doesn't escape this time."
"Yes, my king."
I didn't look back as I left the room. The moment the door shut behind me, I let out a long and slow exhale. My patience, it seemed, was already wearing thin, and I didn't even know why.
Zayn followed me into my study, his tone annoyingly casual. "You have to admit, she's entertaining."
"She's a disaster," I said flatly, dropping into the chair behind my desk. "And a liability."
He shrugged. "Maybe. But she's also a mystery."
I leaned back, rubbing my temple. "A mystery I'd prefer to send far away before my mother finds out she's here. You know what she'd do if she discovered a human within the palace walls."
Zayn's expression sobered instantly. "She'd kill her."
"Exactly."
Silence formed between us. The fire crackled softly in the corner, throwing gold light across the maps scattered on my desk.
"She touched you," Zayn said after a moment. "And lived. You don't find that at least…worth understanding?"
I did. But admitting that would mean acknowledging that a frail, dirt-covered girl had somehow defied a curse that had killed everyone who came too close to me. I didn't like the sound of that truth.
"I want to know why," I said finally. "But keeping her here makes it complicated. The court's already restless, the lords are suspicious, and the council is coming next week. A single rumor about a human girl in my chambers, and—"
"Chaos," Zayn finished for me. "Yes, I can imagine."
He hesitated, then added, "What do you plan to do with her?"
"Send her home. Soon."
His brow furrowed. "You're certain?"
"No." I folded my hands on the desk. "But keeping her here is worse. I'll have someone escort her back to her village near the Tareth woods. Quietly. No one needs to know she was ever here."
Zayn studied me for a long moment. "You're afraid she'll die if you touch her again."
I met his gaze sharply. "I'm not afraid."
He smirked faintly. "Right."
I ignored him. "What of the pack matters I asked you to review?"
He straightened, sensing the shift in tone. "Two border patrols reported movement near the eastern ridge. Rogues. They scattered when challenged, but one carried a crest, a mark we haven't seen before."
I frowned. "A new faction?"
"Possibly. Or a forgotten one revived. The scent was strange…old blood, mixed with something…darker."
My jaw tightened. "Send more patrols. Double the guard along the forest line. If anyone crosses the borders again, I want them captured alive."
"Understood."
He paused, glancing toward the door. "And what about her?"
I didn't need to ask who 'her' was.
"Keep her under watch," I said after a moment. "No harm is to come to her. But no one touches her either."
Zayn gave a small, amused smile. "Even you?"
I shot him a look that could have frozen fire.
He raised his hands. "Just asking, my king."
I leaned back again, letting out a slow breath. My thoughts returned…unwanted, to her face. The defiant spark in her eyes even when she was terrified. The way she looked around the room as if trying to memorize every escape route. And the touch. That fleeting, impossible touch that should have killed her.
My curse wasn't something that spared anyone. Not woman, not beast. Not even those I—
I cut off that thought before it could go further.
Zayn cleared his throat. "You're thinking about her."
"I'm thinking about strategy."
"Right," he said again, smirking. "Strategy with big eyes and messy hair."
I threw him a sharp glare, but he only chuckled and turned toward the door.
"Get out."
He bowed slightly. "Gladly, your majesty."
When he was gone, I was left alone with the silence and the faint crackle of the fire. My hand drifted absently to my wrist, where her fingers had brushed me. I could almost feel the echo of warmth still there. It shouldn't be possible. But yet…it was.
I stared out the window, the moonlight spilling pale colors across the floor. Whatever she was, that girl wasn't ordinary. And I had a feeling…an unwelcome one, that her arrival wasn't chance.
The curse had slept for a decade. Now, somehow, it was stirring again, and it all began with her.