The meeting dragged on. Thorne had long clocked out by now.

Thorne sat at the head of the obsidian table, shoulders squared, fingers drumming a slow beat on the armrest. The voices of his advisors blurred together. It was the usual. The rebels had quieted down after the Adina attack at the outer borders, and that was to be expected. The rogues were as silent as dust. They could only discuss the food supply, outer patrols, and the looming arrival of the council members. But his mind? His mind kept drifting.

To her.

To the way her eyes had gone wide that morning. The pure, raw panic in them as he'd caught her wrist. The softness in her gaze before that. He hadn't meant to sleep that long. It had been… unnatural. Dangerous. Yet, somehow, he had.

He wasn't one to sleep. The nightmares that haunted him. The ghosts that lurked around his head every night. It was impossible for him to sleep longer than four hours, but he had slept through the entire night with her… by his side.

He didn't like that it comforted him.

He hated that he was starting to notice things. The way she flinched around him. How her eyes sometimes lingered just a second too long. And worst of all—how it didn't annoy him anymore. If anything, it soothed something jagged inside.

He had now accepted he'd lost his mind.

"Your majesty…" A voice called his name. Thorne blinked back to reality to see Caelum staring at him. He gave a curt nod and dismissed the meeting.

Everyone started to walk out of the room one by one. But she didn't leave.

Elara stayed behind until the room was cleared, leaving just the two of them. Thorne glanced up from what he was doing, eyebrows arched.

"My King," she began softly. "I wanted to—"

"You've been given your task, Elara. There's no need to stay behind. You may leave."

Elara's smile faltered slightly. "What?"

Thorne looked at her. "Leave, Elara."

Elara shook her head. She instead stepped forward. "No. Not yet. I have to talk to you." She rushed out.

"Elara…"

"Please, hear me out. I made a mistake. I was wrong… please don't shut me out. I shouldn't have spoken the way I did. I was out of line and— I'm sorry."

Thorne looked at her. "Elara," he said, his voice low. "The only reason you haven't been punished is that you're dear to me."

Elara's breath hitched. She had worked so hard to be perfect for him and almost ruined it. All because of her? She couldn't control her emotions.

Thorne continued. "If anyone else had spoken out the way you did—challenged me in front of the court—I wouldn't have hesitated to make an example of them."

Elara swallowed. "Forgive me, my king."

Thorne nodded, looking back to what he'd been doing without another word. Elara lingered behind for some seconds more.

She hated this. Couldn't stand to see him so detached from her… distanced too. She had to be more strategic. She can't let her hard work over the years go down the drain for some slave girl. No— She had to be smarter.

"I'll leave you be now. Please excuse me." She said with an exaggerated bow then left.

______

Later that night…

Adina walked towards the palace. She'd been at the farm for most of the day, helping whenever she could. Now, she wasn't mandated to do it anymore.

That was one thing she was grateful for.

In her dress pocket was yet another stone. This one slightly different from the one she found. This one glowed white, almost translucent. It was beautiful, and yet she didn't understand what it was. Stones that glowed and magically stopped too…

She'd searched the library for books, something that spoke about the stones but found nothing. There was not a single book on what the stones were like. Adina sighed, clutching her pockets as though to feel the stone again.

She made up her mind to ask Kora about it. Kora was the only person she knew who was knowledgeable about almost everything. For a brief second, she wondered if she would be making a mistake showing Kora the stones but then shook her head. It is Kora, what could possibly go wrong with telling Kora?

She'd barely made it into the house when she saw two maids walking towards her in a rush. "Where have you been? The king has been searching for you. I think you might be in trouble now."

Adina's heart dropped, and she rushed off towards the king's wing.

The second she got there, her eyes widened. Thorne wasn't in the room but instead in the bathroom. Four maids stood outside the bathroom.

"Where have you been? He's livid." The girl hissed, tossing a towel to her.

"Get to work." She snapped.

Adina swallowed hard. In all she'd thought about, it never occurred to her that as his personal maid, she was also responsible for his baths.

With her heart pounding harder than ever, she stepped into the bathroom. The heat from the bath wrapped around Adina.

Steam curled through the air, thick and scented with mint and rosemary.

Thorne sat bare-chested by the large sunken bath, the water glowing faintly from the stones at the bottom. His hair was loose, damp around the ends. His eyes met hers as she entered.

Adina's heart seized at the sight. There were two maids in there, waiting.

Thorne stared at her for some seconds, his jaw clenched. "You may leave." He ordered.

Adina sighed in relief, turning to leave.

"The two of you can leave. Adina will stay."

Adina blinked. Now, she was horribly confused by this man. What exactly was it that he wanted? For her to stay away from him or for her to be close to him? She had no idea.

His words contradicted his actions.

Adina swallowed hard and stepped closer. She rolled up her sleeves, dipped her hands into the basin, and began mixing the scented oils into the water. Her fingers trembled, but she kept her head low, focusing on the task. She could feel his gaze. It burned into her skin.

She picked up a soft cloth, walked around behind him, and gently laid it against his back.

She moved carefully, running the cloth across his skin with small, practiced motions. He stayed still, but his eyes never left her, almost like he was memorizing her face… that would be ridiculous though. Why would he ever…

Adina pushed the thought away. She didn't need to think of that… especially now. She focused on what she was doing, trying her best to ignore his very pointed gaze at her. There was a foggy mirror right in front of the bath, allowing him to see everything happening behind him.

She looked up for a brief second, and her breath caught at the sight. Their eyes locked, and she could see the slow rise and fall of his chest.

She quickly averted her gaze, her face flaring up in bright red.

Don't look. Don't look. You'll combust.

Thorne didn't say a word. No— But his jaw was tight. His body coiled like a string pulled taut. Every brush of her fingers felt like a sin. He watched her through the reflection in the mirror. Her furrowed brows, the pink in her cheeks, the way her lips parted slightly when she concentrated.

He watched her like a man starved.

At one point, she moved to the front, kneeling to rinse his arm. Her breath brushed his collarbone. Her hand, for a brief second, rested over his heart.

She looked up only to find him already staring at her. Her breath hitched, and time seemed to stop…

Thorne's gaze flickered from her eyes to her nose to her lips, and his eyes darkened.

Adina's heart stopped. Literally stopped. Or at least it felt like it did because in that moment, the air vanished from her lungs, and her fingertips went numb.

Thorne didn't move. He didn't blink. His chest rose and fell slowly. His hand twitched on the edge of the bath like he was debating whether to reach for her or stop himself again.

He raised his hand, his fingers touched her jaw slightly, and she watched his Adam's apple bob up like he was fighting so hard to restrain himself.

Thorne's fingers were rough, calloused, but the way they brushed along her jaw was gentle. Careful.

And she knew… she should've pulled away.

Yet, she didn't.

Neither of them moved. His thumb swept across her skin once. But it left behind a trail of fire that made her knees weak.

Then suddenly— He pulled back.

Like her skin burned. Like he suddenly remembered who she was.

Thorne's face twisted for a brief second. Frustration. Guilt. Desire. All of it tangled together before he shut it down. Buried it deep behind the same cold mask he always wore.

"Leave," he said.

Adina blinked. "W-What?"

His voice was flat. Detached. "You're dismissed."

Adina slowly stood up, hurt flashing in her eyes. For a second… she had dared to hope.

But she should've known better. Good things didn't usually happen to her. Even her wolf no longer reacted to things like this anymore. It was almost like she too was used to the hurt.