She stepped into the room as quietly as she could.
Thorne stood by the window, not moving at first. He kept his gaze fixed on the window glass, surveying the lands.
But he felt her.
The moment she stepped in, the bond stirred. Not subtle, not shy. No, it was violent, like a punch to the gut, a surge of heat under the skin. His wolf snarled awake, restless, growling, wanting.
Thorne turned…slowly.
And there she was.
Miserable. Thin. Heavily bruised. Hands trembling at her sides in fear, her head bowed so low her neck could break. She looked like she'd been dragged from the depths of hell. Yet the sight of her hit him so hard. That face, that scent, that pull.
Mate.
His wolf whispered it like a sacred truth, but she didn't react.
Instead, she stood still, shaking. Not a flicker of emotion. Not a single recognition. Nothing. Almost like she didn't feel it. Didn't feel him.
Thorne's jaw clenched. "Come closer."
At this, she looked up, her hazel eyes wide with shock. Like a deer caught in headlights. She looked scared to her bones. For a second, Thorne wondered which of the rumors she'd heard about him. The girl gulped hard and stepped forward slowly and stiffly, every step filled with dread. Not confusion, not longing. Dread.
What the hell is going on?
Wolves knew their mates. Always. That was law. That was nature. Unless… unless she wasn't—
"Are you a wolf?" he asked, his voice low and rough.
She blinked, startled. "Y-yes, Your Majesty."
Thorne stared at her impassively. If she was truly a wolf, then why couldn't she feel him? He looked at her from head to toe, her scent… there was no wolf. Nothing.
Thorne's eyebrows furrowed. Was she lying to him? "Are you lying to me?"
Her breath hitched. "N-no, Your Majesty."
Her voice was barely audible, but Thorne heard the truth—or the fear. It was hard to tell the difference when someone was like this…
He stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
She flinched. Visibly. Like his presence alone burned.
Thorne stopped himself. His Lycan didn't like the fear in her eyes. It raged against it. That wasn't how this was supposed to go. He called her to reject her, reject the bond the gods cursed on him, but standing in front of him, she looked like she was standing for her execution.
He studied her. The dark shadows under her eyes, the broken skin around her wrists, the bruises that hadn't yet faded. And still… nothing stirred in her.
No scent of a wolf.
No bond.
But his bond… gods, it pulsed like a fresh wound, raw and demanding. It clawed at him from within, maddening.
Was this another kind of curse? To be the only one who really felt the bond. To be the only one suffering from the bond. How could he reject her when she felt nothing. No wolf. Was this a one-sided mate bond?
Oh, they were truly cruel. They made sure he couldn't rip off the leash they had around his neck.
Thorne gritted his teeth.
His chest tightened. He wanted to shake her. To demand answers. But she was too fragile, her body barely holding together.
He couldn't look at her anymore.
Before he could speak again, the door creaked open.
His head snapped up. "I said no interruptions," he growled thunderously.
The person at the door halted, their eyes on him. "Forgive me, my king. I didn't think you were still in a…" Her gaze shifted to Adina, whose head was already bowed. "Meeting."
Thorne stepped back, glancing back at Adina. "You may leave," he ordered, watching as she bowed then walked out as quickly as she could.
Elara stepped in, her brows slightly raised. "I heard of what happened earlier. Since I wasn't around, I thought I'd come check on you. I'm sorry."
Thorne waved her off as he walked towards the alcohol cabinet and pulled a bottle of whiskey, pouring it into the cup.
Elara's eyes widened slightly. "Thorne…"
He glanced at her, brows arched. "What?"
Elara's gaze flickered from the bottle to his face. "You haven't had a drink in years."
Thorne didn't reply, he gulped the drink in a go and walked over to the table, drawing out the chair. "Your reports, Elara."
She sighed, pulling out the file and passed it to him. "It contains everything we were able to find. Leonard has also been removed from his position as pack alpha, and his brother has replaced him. We shouldn't have any news from them for now," she relayed.
Thorne nodded. "Good."
Elara sighed. "Thorne… you—If anything happened… especially with that girl. I can take care of it. You don't have to—"
"Elara," Thorne called, and she stopped, her face heavy with worry.
"Nothing happened, so you don't have to do a thing."
Elara nodded, knowing that was all she was going to get from him. It didn't matter that she was the only one who shared a pain like his. Thorne would only do Thorne.
"Of course, My king. I'll take my leave now."
As Elara stepped out, Thorne leaned back against the chair, his thoughts running freely now. What did the gods want, pairing him with a wolf-less woman? One he couldn't reject no matter how much he wanted to.