In the Shadow of the Crown

Chapter 4: The Wolf’s Bargain

The moment the heavy doors of the grand hall closed behind them, silence fell like a blade between them.

Eliza kept walking, her footsteps measured, purposeful. She did not dare stop, did not dare let the weight of Raen’s presence swallow her whole.

He followed without question, but his presence burned against her skin, hot and unyielding. Even without touching her, he was a force that commanded her senses.

She led him through the candlelit corridors, past prying eyes and lingering shadows. The castle walls, thick with history and whispered secrets, seemed to close around them, pressing in as if they, too, could feel the storm brewing between them.

Finally, they reached a secluded chamber, a place she knew was safe, at least for now.

Eliza turned, and before she could take another breath, Raen was there.

[Too close.]

The door shut behind him, the sound echoing like a final judgment.

"You shouldn’t have done that," she said, voice sharp, controlled.

Raen tilted his head, his silver eyes glinting like steel beneath the dim candlelight. "Done what?" he murmured. "Claimed what was mine? Defied a king who plays with people’s lives like they are pieces on a board?"

She inhaled sharply. "You challenged him in front of the entire court, Raen. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

He laughed - a dark, low sound that sent a shiver down her spine. "Oh, I know exactly what I’ve done, Eliza." He stepped closer, slow and deliberate, forcing her to either hold her ground or retreat. She refused to retreat. "And I would do it again."

Her jaw clenched. "You're going to get yourself killed."

"Perhaps," he admitted. "But if I am to die, I would rather it be fighting for you than standing idly by while another man takes what is mine."

She sucked in a breath, but he wasn’t finished.

"You think I do not know what this is?" His voice dropped, edged with something dark. "They sent me away so that they could sell you to another, knowing full well that I would never allow it. They underestimated me, as did you."

She hated that he was right.

Eliza turned away, her hands trembling as she pressed them against the cool stone wall. "It doesn’t matter what I want," she whispered. "It never has."

Raen stilled. For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then, quietly, he asked, "And what is it that you want, Eliza?"

The way he said her name, it was not a question but a demand. A challenge.

She swallowed. "It doesn’t matter," she repeated, softer this time.

"It matters to me."

She squeezed her eyes shut.

[No. No, don’t do this.]

Don’t let him crack through the walls she had spent years building.

But then his hand brushed her wrist, barely a touch, but enough to set fire to her pulse.

She turned back to him, and gods help her, she met his gaze.

The fire in his eyes was not anger. Not entirely. It was something deeper. Something raw.

Something she could never outrun.

"Say the words," he murmured. "Tell me you don’t want me to fight for you. Tell me you want me to walk away, and I will."

She opened her mouth.

The words did not come.

[Because it was a lie.]

And they both knew it.

Raen exhaled, his breath warm against her skin. "That’s what I thought."

Eliza’s nails bit into her palms. "Even if I wanted this, even if I wanted you..."

"You do."

"…it wouldn’t change anything," she snapped. "The king will never allow it. He will see this as treason. And you, Raen, for all your strength, cannot fight a war against the crown alone."

Raen studied her for a long moment.

Then, to her surprise, he smiled.

"Who said I would be alone?"

She frowned. "What are you..."

A knock at the door cut her off.

Eliza stiffened. Raen did not move.

Then, from the other side, a voice - low, steady, familiar.

"You are not the only one who despises the king’s rule, Castian."

Eliza’s breath caught.

[No. It couldn’t be.]

Raen, however, merely smirked. "Come in, Elric."

The door opened, and there, standing in the dim candlelight, was Lord Elric D’Arcy.

Eliza’s stomach twisted.

"What is this?" she demanded.

Elric stepped inside, his emerald gaze flickering between them. "A necessary alliance," he said smoothly.

Raen crossed his arms. "You see, my lady, you are not the only pawn the king seeks to control." His silver eyes darkened. "And I am not the only one willing to break the board."

Eliza’s heart pounded.

[Raen and Elric. Two men who should have been rivals. Enemies.]

And yet here they stood, side by side, bound by something far more dangerous than hatred.

[A common cause.]

Eliza looked between them, her mind racing.

[This was no longer just about a betrothal.]

[This was war.]

And whether she liked it or not… she was at its center.