All Chapters of BOUGHT BY THE BEAST: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Morning came in quiet.It was not peaceful, it was never peaceful. Just... still. The kind of still that sits heavy on your chest and makes every breath feel deliberate.I was already awake when the light started crawling through the tall windows. Just lying there, staring at the ceiling, listening to Thorncross breathe below me. Footsteps somewhere distant, voices carrying up from the courtyard and the low clang of something metal.A Kingdom was waking up.My Kingdom. Supposedly.I pushed myself upright slowly, ribs protesting immediately, and made my way to the mirror.God.Bruises had bloomed overnight across my jaw and cheekbone, deep purple shading into green at the edges. My nose was swollen, bandaged, slightly off-center. My eyes had that hollow look that came from too little sleep and too much adrenaline.I looked like someone who'd been in a fight.Well, because I had been.I squared my shoulders anyway, lifted my chin, and stared myself down until I stopped flinching at the r

The afternoon light turned golden, shifting through the high windows and throwing its shadows far off across the chamber floors. I stood before the mirror again, but this time I was no longer looking at bruises or bandages.I was looking back at a Queen.The gown they had brought me was unlike anything I had ever worn. Deep midnight blue, almost black, with silver embroidery that caught the light like stars. The material of the gown clung to my body in ways that felt both empowering and exposing. The neckline dipped low. The back was entirely open, revealing the claiming mark Caspian had left on my shoulder. Still raised, still pink, still unmistakably his.They wanted everyone to see it.They wanted everyone to see the proof of the bond.Proof I belonged to him.My hands were shaking slightly as I touched the gown.Tonight.Tonight the court would watch as Caspian claimed me again. Publicly. Explicitly. In front of hundreds of witnesses who would judge every sound I made, every flush

We walked back to our chambers in silence.Caspian's hand gripped mine hard enough to hurt, but I didn't pull away. Through the bond, I felt his rage building. Cold and controlled on the surface, volcanic underneath.The door to our chambers closed behind us with a heavy thud."Tell me," I said. "What is the Rite of Blood?"Caspian's jaw clenched. He crossed to the window, staring out at Thorncross Keep spread below us. The city was quiet. Peaceful. Everyone probably celebrating the claiming ceremony.They had no idea what was coming."It's a test of lineage," he said finally. "They take your blood and trace it back through generations to verify your ancestry is acceptable.""That doesn't sound so bad.""It's not just verification." He turned to face me, and his silver eyes were dark with something I couldn't name. "The ritual is invasive. Painful. And if your bloodline is deemed unworthy, the magic rejects you.""Rejects how?""Violently." He ran his hand through his hair. "The last

The streets were chaos.Flames leapt from building to building in the merchant district, spreading faster than natural fire should. People ran screaming, carrying children, dragging elderly family members through smoke-choked air.Caspian shifted mid-stride, his lycan form tearing through his clothes. He disappeared into the burning district without hesitation.I ran after him.My hands throbbed. The symbols on my skin burned hot again from exertion. But I didn't stop.A woman stumbled past me, clutching a crying child."The baker's shop," she gasped. "There are people trapped inside."I changed direction, heading toward the flames.The baker's shop was an inferno. The door was blocked by fallen debris. Through the windows, I could see shapes moving inside. Trapped.I grabbed a fallen beam and tried to lever the debris away from the door.My bandaged hands screamed in protest. Blood soaked through the wrappings.Fuck it.I kept pulling."Move!" A voice shouted behind me.Ezra appeared

Morgessa smiled. Slow and dangerous."Congratulations, Your Majesty," she said, her voice dripping with mockery. "You won. You got your crown. I hope it was worth it.""What do you want?" I asked.Caspian was already moving, positioning himself between us. Through the bond, I felt his rage. His certainty that Morgessa was here to cause damage."To deliver a message." Her green eyes glowed faintly. "From people who don't accept your rule. Who will never accept it.""Then they can come tell me themselves," I said."Oh, they will." Morgessa's smile widened. "Sooner than you think."She pulled something from her robes.A vial.Dark liquid swirled inside, glowing with sickly green light."Don't," Caspian warned, his voice deadly quiet.Morgessa threw it at my feet.It shattered.Dark liquid spread across the stone floor. And where it touched, the stone began to smoke. To melt. To burn.Not poison.Magic.The liquid carved symbols into the floor as it spread. Ancient markings I recognized f