WHOOSH
The arrow soared through the air swiftly—and struck its target dead center.
CROOOWW!!!!
The hawk shrieked as it plummeted straight down. With a smooth, practiced motion, Zavren rose to his feet and raised his hand. The hawk landed squarely in his palm. He glanced at it once before tossing it aside like an afterthought.
Raven stood nearby. His Majesty's mood was clearly sour, though he managed to keep his composure.
Then Zavren spoke. "Report."
Raven nodded quickly, his voice low as he began. "There isn't much to report. The Grand Council of Elders will be arriving for the meeting you accepted. They promised it would be brief." He paused as Zavren took the arrow, observing it slowly.
Raven scratched the back of his neck before continuing.
"The other report… King Marcus and Princess Sophia had breakfast in the dining hall."
Zavren moved nonchalantly. In one swift motion, he flicked his wrist. The arrow shot forward, striking a fruit hanging from a tree. It dropped with a loud thud, splitting cleanly into two smooth halves as it hit the ground.
Raven swallowed hard, knowing that alone was little message to him, he continued quickly "Lady Ariana didn't join for breakfast."
Zavren halted mid-motion just as he prepared to strike another target. Slowly, he turned to Raven. "And why is that?"
"H-Her food was sent to her quarters as she ordered," Raven replied, quieter now.
Zavren narrowed his eyes. "Her quarters?"
Raven quickly shook his head. "Ah—no, your shared quarters, Your Majesty."
Zavren's eyes lingered on him.
"Reason?" His stony expression remained calm.
Raven cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head nervously. "…There's no stated reason. It just seemed she preferred to stay in—or maybe it was because she heard we had visitors."
"Interesting," Zavren muttered.
Raven let out a small sigh of relief. But just as he was starting to relax, Zavren turned sharply, lifting his bow. The arrow was suddenly aimed right at Raven's side.
Raven's eyes widened. What is he doing? His body tensed as he stammered, "K-King Z-Zavren, I—I think there's been a misunderstanding. I mean… maybe she just needed space?"
He tried to correct himself. Had he said anything wrong? And why was the king now aiming at him?
Zavren's tone was slow and steady, almost casual. "You don't have to worry. I'll only give you three strikes. It's up to you—dodge them… or accept your fate."
"A-Accept fate?"
Why couldn't His Majesty understand this wasn't his fault? He was only giving a report—oh heavens, what was he going to do?
Raven's eyes darted to the arrow—then back to Zavren. What unsettled him most wasn't the weapon aimed at him… it was how unbothered Zavren looked while doing it. Like even if something happened, he wouldn't even flinch. As if it were just another practice target.
Was the king so bored of hunting birds that he'd now turned to him for entertainment?
Oh, if only he had known… He never would've mentioned the report. But Zavren had asked—demanded—and refusing him was never an option. Not when it came to Zavren. Not when the man's calm could shift to chaos in the blink of an eye…
WHOOSH
The arrow shot forward in a sharp, whistling motion—straight toward Raven's chest.
His pupils dilated. In a split second, he twisted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding it. The arrow sped past him and struck the middle of a thick tree branch with a solid, slicing thud. It hit so deep, it split the branch clean into a hole—right down to the base, where a hidden mechanism clicked, revealing a small, round button tucked within the back.
Raven's face paled.
"As expected of you," Zavren spoke with a slow smirk as he pulled another arrow. Raven tilted his head to the side. Oh, what was wrong with his king and his mood…?
WHOOSH
The arrow moved swiftly as Raven's body shifted, dodging it.
SLISHHHH
His fabric tore as the arrow landed in the tree branch—right in the middle of the other arrow. His fabric now hung loosely on the tree, fluttering in the wind as the arrow held it captive. Raven's eyes widened with terror as Zavren pulled another arrow…
He needed to call for help.
But How..
*****
Ariana lay on the bed, the soft sound of turning pages echoing quietly through the room. She was reading a book—not one of her usual stories, but rather one on politics. Something about past events and how they were handled, including newspapers that had left hidden mysteries to this day. She had only planned to read two pages before going to sleep, expecting it to be dull.
Surprisingly, she was already halfway through.
The door opened, and Ariana remained unmoving—until she heard Leah's voice.
"Lady Ariana, His Majesty would like you to come to his main chambers."
Ariana sat up slowly, her hands moving with deliberate grace.
"Please tell him I'm busy."
Leah's eyes widened in shock, her body trembling slightly.
"L-Lady Ariana… I should… tell H-His Highness you're busy?"
Ariana nodded, her face expressionless.
Leah bowed respectfully, then quickly left the room. As the door clicked shut, Ariana resumed flipping through the pages as if nothing had happened a moment ago, her expression still blank.
Moments later, the door creaked open again. Leah stepped inside, her body trembling even more visibly as she bowed so low, her hands clasped together as she pleaded.
"L-Lady Ariana, please—I beg you, you need to m-meet him at his chambers."
Ariana finally moved, her gaze shifting toward the trembling lady. Her shoulders stiffened slightly as she stood and gently closed the book.
The woman before her was sweating profusely, and Ariana's brows knit in confusion.
What could have possibly happened to make her look this way?
Even though she didn't want to go, she couldn't bring herself to let someone else suffer on her behalf.
The lady bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Lady Ariana."
Ariana gave a small nod.
Without another word, the woman turned and walked out of the room. Her steps were silent, almost too careful, as they made their way through the hallway. They climbed the staircase in silence, Ariana following, her mind buzzing with thoughts.
His chambers are… upstairs? she wondered.
Eventually, they arrived at a hallway with only one door. Ariana's eyes scanned slightly at the sight—it was massive.
This is his main chamber? I thought the one downstairs was his…
Even though she'd heard whispers before, she hadn't expected this.
Her heart fluttered unexpectedly—an unfamiliar warmth beginning to stir at the thought of meeting him.
They came to a halt in front of the door. The lady knocked twice, then once. No response.
She turned to Ariana and whispered, "Lady Ariana, you may go in."
Then, without another word, she bowed and hurried away—almost too quickly, like she couldn't bear to linger even a moment longer.
Ariana watched her retreat, confused by her haste. Then, gathering herself, she reached out and pushed the door open.
Her eyes widened instantly.
There he was—Zavren. Towel wrapped lazily around his waist, his skin glistening with droplets of water. His hair was damp, ink-dark strands falling over his forehead as beads of water traced a path down his toned chest… and further down to the curve of his defined abs—oh, those mouth-watering abs—disappearing beneath the towel.
Ariana's breath caught.
His gaze lifted to hers, lazy but sharp, the corners of his lips tugging into a smirk.
"Make yourself comfortable, Snow," he said smoothly.
And before she could blink, he began removing the towel.
Ariana gasped, eyes snapping shut as she quickly turned around.
"What the—!?"
She couldn't believe him. The audacity! The very first thing he did upon her entrance was—this?
Her mouth opened, then closed, shock written on her face as her cheeks flushed hard.
'Pervert man.'
Behind her, she heard his chuckle. It was low… dark.
"A little message came to my attention," he said, voice quiet but pointed.
She could hear the rustle of fabric as he slipped into a pair of black fray pants and a matching top.
Why had he called her? Was it because she had…?
After a few minutes, Ariana finally turned, convinced he was done dressing.
She heard Zavren speak once more.
"You defied the Alpha's orders."
Her heart thudded in her chest at the dryness of his tone. She gulped as her legs almost gave out, his steel-grey eyes on her, boredly, as he began to walk toward her. Her body refused to move.
Before Ariana knew it, Zavren moved to the door, walking past her.
"You are coming with me. I have visitors."