Selena could feel Lyra slowing down behind her. She hax a bad feeling if Lyra wouldn't be able to keep up the pace, they would get caught.
"Lyra, please you have to run faster than this, else we are going to get caught." Selena tried not to yell at her while they bounded through the corridors that seemed to be leading to nowhere.
Selena had crammed these walls like the back of her palm and could easily tell where the exit laid but now, everything felt different.
It seemed as though they were running round in circles and before Lyra stumbled.
Selene caught her, panic lancing through her chest. "Come on," she urged, her voice barely above a whisper. "Just a little further."
Lyra shook her head, her body trembling. "I… I can't, Selene. I'm too tired."
Selene's heart clenched. Lyra had been through too much. She was starved and weakened. She wasn't strong enough for this escape. But they couldn't stop. Not now.
She crouched beside her sister, gripping her shoulders. "I'll carry you if I have to, but we have to keep moving."
A deep voice shattered the silence.
"Not another step."
Selene's blood went cold.
The guards surrounded them, steel glinting under the moon. Selene's pulse pounded as she grabbed Lyra's arm, yanking her behind her. But it was too late. There were too many of them.
One of the guards sneered. "The king will be pleased."
Selene fought, landing a sharp kick to one guard's stomach, but another caught her wrist, twisting her arm behind her back. A sharp cry escaped her lips. Lyra screamed, thrashing, but she was too weak to break free.
The guards dragged them back toward the keep. Selene gritted her teeth, struggling with everything she had, but their grip was like iron.
By the time they reached the courtyard, a small crowd had gathered. The head guard stepped forward, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement.
"Treason," he declared. "The price must be paid."
Selene's stomach twisted as the guards yanked at her clothes, stripping her down to bare skin. Lyra cried out beside her, struggling as they did the same to her.
Selene's breath came fast as her heart hammered in panic. Not for herself but for Lyra.
The first strike of the whip never came.
Because the moment her tunic was ripped away, the world went silent.
A ripple of shock spread through the crowd. Murmurs broke out. The guards, the servants—everyone was staring.
Selene barely had time to process it before a familiar voice sliced through the silence.
"Enough."
King Khael stood at the top of the steps, his golden eyes locked onto her, dark and unreadable. He descended slowly, each step deliberate. The air crackled with tension.
Selene's heart pounded as he came to stand before her.
The weight of his stare burned into her skin, and for the first time since coming here, she felt truly exposed.
"Take her to my chambers," Khael ordered.
The guards hesitated.
Khael's gaze snapped to them, his voice a low growl. "Now."
Selene was yanked forward, but not toward the dungeons. Toward him.
Lyra was left behind, her terrified eyes locking onto Selene's. But she couldn't fight, not now. Not with Khael's wrath radiating off him in waves.
She was thrown into his chambers, the heavy doors slamming shut behind her.
Selene barely caught her balance before Khael was on her, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him.
"You lied to me."
His voice was low, dangerous. His fingers dug into her skin, not hard enough to bruise, but enough to make her breath hitch.
Selene lifted her chin, defiant even now. "Would you have spared me if I had told the truth?"
Khael's jaw tensed. "That is not the point."
His golden eyes burned into hers, filled with something she couldn't name. Fury, yes. But something else, something darker, something more dangerous.
"I should kill you," he said, voice tight with rage.
Selene swallowed. "Then do it."
Khael exhaled sharply, his grip tightening before he suddenly shoved her away. She stumbled, catching herself against the bedpost.
He ran a hand through his dark hair, turning away from her as if trying to rein in whatever storm raged inside him.
"You tricked me," he said, voice quieter now, but no less lethal. "Made a fool of me."
Selene's pulse pounded. She had seen Khael angry before, but this was different. He wasn't just furious. He was betrayed.
She knew what he was thinking. That all the strange feelings he had battled, all the times he had looked at her with something more than curiosity, had all been based on a lie.
Khael turned back to her, and when he spoke next, his words sent ice down her spine.
"You belong to me now."
Selene's stomach dropped.
"I'll keep you," Khael said, stepping closer, his voice smooth and lethal. "Since you were so eager to deceive me, you will stay at my side."
Selene shook her head. "You can't—"
"I can."
His hand caught her wrist, tugging her closer. His breath was warm against her skin.
"Did you think I would let you go?" he murmured. "After all this?"
Selene tried to pull away, but his grip was firm.
"You were mine the moment you set foot in my kingdom," Khael said, his golden eyes gleaming. "Now, you will truly understand what that means."