The princess’s scream tore through the stone corridor, the sound of someone staring death in the eyes. Kova, a maid carrying a tray for the guards, felt her heart lurch. There was a person in there, facing the king’s beast—the monster that left nobody alive. “Please, somebody.
Please, help me. ”
The princess’s voice shredded through the thick oak door. Kova couldn’t stand there and listen, knowing all the other women who had lost their lives in that chamber before her. She rounded the corner and nearly collided with two men playing dice.
“Can’t you hear her screaming? Let her out. ”
Darren, the older guard, barked out a laugh. “Let her out?
That’s her royal highness, Princess Quintina. She decided to risk her life to stand a chance to marry the king. Neither you nor us get to marry the Alpha King, even if we survived whatever’s in there. ”
Another scream split the air.
Kova flinched. “Everyone knows the first trial,” the younger guard said. “Spend a night with the king’s beast and survive. Nobody ever survives—except those who call it quits.
And everyone knows a contender can call it quits at any time. ”
A growl erupted from inside the chamber, deep and animalistic, making them all jump. “She’s calling it quits,” Kova said. “Let her out.
”
“Can’t,” Darren said shortly. “I’m not opening that door until that thing falls asleep or something. ”
Kova stared at him in shock. “It might be too late for Princess Quintina by then.
”
She may have been just a maid with no business intervening in princesses’ lives, but she had helped enough noble ladies with their hair to know they were groomed from birth to want to marry a king. It wasn’t their fault that the richest, most handsome king in five kingdoms would only pick a Luna who could survive the Red Trials—a series of ancient, nearly impossible trials. The first one: survive a night with a beast very few had ever seen and lived to tell of it. “I’ll open the door and get her out,” Kova said.
“You two stand back. ”
The guards stared at her, stunned. “Kid, come on,” Torren started. “I’ll help her out,” Kova repeated.
The guards exchanged glances. Then Darren jerked his head toward the key. “Make it quick. ”
Kova’s hands shook as she grabbed the key.
She shoved it into the lock and turned. The princess’s screams cut off abruptly. The door exploded outward. Kova had a fractured impression of wild eyes and a tear-stained face as Quintina slammed into her with the force of pure panic.
Kova stumbled sideways, her heel catching on the threshold as she fell into the chamber. The key dropped from her hand, clattering on the corridor stone, and the door swung shut with a boom that echoed in her bones. The lock engaged with a final, absolute click. Kova scrambled to her feet.
“Princess! The key! Get the guards! ”
A growl came from behind her.
She spun around. The chamber stretched before her, vast and dark. There was a small knife on the floor—Quintina’s weapon of choice. And in the far corner, something moved.
“Hello? ” Kova’s voice came out small. “This was an accident. I’m not a competitor.
I’m just a maid. ”
Her eyes adjusted slowly. She could make out a shape: massive and low to the ground. Bigger than any wolf.
Bigger than a horse. The shape rose, unfolded, stood. Something with dark fur covering a frame that rippled with muscle, with a head that was mostly teeth, turned toward her. It took a step forward.
Kova grabbed the knife. “Please,” she whispered. The beast roared, shaking the walls. Its claws, curved and black and longer than her fingers, flexed against the stone.
“Stay back. ”
The beast charged. It slammed into her, driving her back against the wall. Hot breath washed over her face.
Terrible jaws opened inches from her throat. Kova thrust the knife upward with all her strength. The blade sank deep into the beast’s shoulder. It roared as she pulled the knife back, dark blood spreading around the wound.
And then the wound began to close. The torn flesh knitted itself back together, fur regrowing over unmarked skin. “What? ” Kova breathed.
The beast had healing powers. It could not be killed. It shook its great head, then turned those crimson eyes back on her and started walking toward her again. “No.
Please, no. ”
But the beast kept coming, deliberately. Kova brandished her knife. “I said, stay back.
”
The beast stopped directly in front of her. Something moved in those crimson eyes—something that wasn’t rage. Then it lowered its massive head and pressed its chest against the blade. Kova gasped.
The knife pierced fur and flesh, sinking in. Blood welled around the steel. The beast pushed forward, driving the blade deeper into its own flesh. Kova yanked the knife away, horrified.
“What are you? Stop it. ”
The beast stumbled, the terrible wound already healing. Then it moved toward her again.
Not wild, not mindless. Deliberate. It pressed against the blade once more. “No.
Stop. ”
Kova stared at the creature before her—at the scars beneath its fur, at the constant trembling of its muscles. This creature was suffering. “Stop,” Kova whispered.
She dropped the knife. It clattered uselessly on the stone. The beast went still. Kova reached out with trembling hands and placed them on either side of its massive head, touching the space between those burning crimson eyes.
The world exploded. Oceans of anguish flooded through her—white hot and endless. Pain layered upon pain, confusion, fear, and something deeper: a connection clicking into place like a key in a lock she hadn’t known existed, wrapping around her heart and lungs and soul. Kova’s eyes rolled back.
The last thing she saw was those crimson eyes still burning. Then darkness took her. Chapter Two
Kova woke to whispers and polished marble smooth beneath her cheek. Torchlight blazed overhead, making her head pound.
“She’s waking up,” someone said. Kova pushed herself upright. She was in the throne room, vast and magnificent. Nobles lined both sides, all staring at her.
“Bring her to me,” a voice said. At the far end, elevated on a dais, sat the Alpha King on a throne of dark wood and iron. King Varick. Kova had never seen him this close before.
His eyes seemed to pierce straight through her. A woman with midnight hair stood beside the throne—Rahilda, the king’s closest advisor. Rough hands scooped Kova up and sat her on a stiff wooden stool. “She ruined everything!
” Princess Quintina stood behind her, pointing an accusing finger. “I was this close to passing the trial. And then she pulled me out and ruined everything. ”
Kova looked around in astonishment.
This woman had been begging for help. But the princess looked nothing like the terrified creature who fled the beast’s chamber. Her eyes burned with vindictive fury. “I aimed to lure the beast closer by appearing vulnerable, so I could strike.
Your Majesty, she should be punished for obstruction! ”
The crowd erupted. “A common servant trying to steal the honor meant for true nobility? ”
“Probably thought she could trick her way into becoming Luna.
”
“Death! ” someone shouted. Kova shook her head. “But if you let me explain—”
She stopped.
Realization crashed over her. The princess wouldn’t back her up. The guards wouldn’t speak up either. She had no allies here.
A growl echoed through her mind. Low. Utterly inhuman. Kova stilled.
Her head whipped around, but the beast wasn’t in the throne room. Of course it wasn’t. Another growl. Close.
So close. With it came a feeling—something primal, protective. “Silence! ” King Varick’s voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
The throne room fell quiet instantly. He rose from his throne and descended the dais steps. The crowd parted, heads bowing as he passed. He stopped directly in front of Kova.
Up close, he was even more imposing. He reached out, his fingers catching her chin with surprising gentleness, tilting her face up to meet his gaze. His eyes were dark, searching, confusion flickering across his features before he schooled them back to neutrality. “How long were you in the chamber?
” he asked, turning to his advisor. Rahilda stepped forward. “From sunset to sunrise, Your Majesty. ” She paused, giving the king a pointed look.
“A full night. ”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. “And the beast? ” he asked.
“Calm when the guards entered,” Rahilda said carefully. “No sign of aggression. ”
King Varick turned back to Kova, his eyes guarded. “How did you calm that beast?
A creature that has killed warriors, mages, princesses from a dozen kingdoms. How did you succeed when everyone else failed? ”
Another growl rumbled through Kova’s mind, and with it came a new feeling. Sadness.
Pain. Something almost wounded. “I’m not sure, Your Majesty,” she murmured. “It… spared me, I suppose.
”
King Varick’s expression transformed, bitterness twisting his features. “Spared you? When it’s never spared a single soul? Not even the best of us?
”
He straighted, addressing the crowd. “No one has ever passed the first trial in three years. None have survived a full night with the beast—until you. You are officially invited to take the Red Trials.
You have already succeeded in the first. Three more remain. ”
Kova stared at him, stunned. “I remind you,” the king said, “that should you win, you will become my queen and my wife.
”
The throne room exploded. “She’s not even nobleborn! ”
King Varick raised a hand. “She survived where all others failed.
That is the only qualification that matters. However, you may refuse and return to your former life, should you choose. ”
Kova’s heart leaped. She could refuse.
But then a growl rumbled through her mind. Not words, but meaning as clear as if he’d spoken. Stay. Accept.
Whatever had happened when she touched him, it hadn’t ended when she lost consciousness. He was still there, deep inside her mind. “I… I accept. ”
King Varick nodded.
“Then it is decided. Kova of… What is your family name? ”
Kova flushed. “I don’t have one, Your Majesty.
I’m an orphan. ”
“Kova the orphan, then. You will compete in the second trial three days hence. Rahilda will see to it.
”
The beast’s presence in her mind went quiet but still there—a warm, steady pulse beneath her thoughts. How could she feel what the beast felt? And why would a king who clearly believed the beast was a ruthless killer send his potential fiancées to face it knowing it was unkillable? What had she just agreed to?
Chapter Three
The three days until the next trial passed in a blur. Kova was given new quarters with proper walls and servants, but none of that mattered. What mattered was the silence in her head. The beast’s presence had gone quiet.
“Are you there? ” she whispered to the empty room. Nothing. She tried again the next morning.
“Can you hear me? ”
Silence. By the second day, she was asking questions into the void. “Did I imagine you?
”
Maybe the trauma of being trapped with a monster had broken something in her mind. On the third night, unable to sleep, she whispered one more time, “Am I going mad? ”
The silence stretched so long she was certain she had her answer. Then a presence brushed against her mind, unmistakable now.
Kova sat bolt upright. “Is it you? ”
No response. But the presence didn’t fade—a steady warmth at the edges of her consciousness.
He was still there, waiting. On the morning of the second trial, Kova was dressed in leather and boots—combat clothes that felt foreign on her body. Guards flanked a waiting carriage. “Where are we going?
” Kova asked as she climbed inside. “The Gauntlet,” one guard said. “In the Thornwood. ”
“No.
Surely not. ”
She had heard it whispered in the servants’ quarters. The Gauntlet was ancient, older than the kingdom itself. A place where the bravest knights had ventured and never returned.
Kings had sent expeditions inside for decades, trying to retrieve the treasures rumored to lie within. No one ever came back. When the carriage stopped, Kova’s hands shook so badly she could barely grip the door handle. She stepped out and her worst fears were confirmed.
Elaborate tents ringed a clearing. On a raised dais sat King Varick and Rahilda, watching with unreadable expressions. And in the center of the clearing stood an ancient stone archway covered in moss and strange symbols. Beyond the arch: darkness, thick and absolute, as if it led somewhere that shouldn’t exist.
Rahilda descended from the dais. “The second trial, Kova the orphan. Retrieve and return with the sacred weapon from the chamber at the gauntlet’s end. ”
Kova looked up at King Varick.
He sat perfectly still, his expression cold. Their eyes met. If he felt any guilt, his face showed none. He wants me dead, she thought.
He wants all his candidates dead. “Let us begin,” King Varick announced. Kova took a shaking breath. The stone archway loomed larger with every step.
She crossed the threshold. The world changed. The whispers cut off abruptly. The clearing vanished, swallowed by darkness.
Kova pressed her back against cold stone, gasping. Then torches flickered to life along narrow stone walls, one after another, stretching into the distance. A passage carved from rough rock, twisting out of sight. A labyrinth.
She glanced back desperately. The archway behind her showed only darkness. She was trapped. “Stupid beast,” she whispered.
“I could have said no. Why did you push me to…”
She paused. Something pressed against her mind—like someone reaching out and touching her shoulder in the dark. “You’re here,” she gasped, pressing her hand to her mouth.
“You’re really here. ”
The presence pressed closer—confirmation, protectiveness, determination radiating through the connection. “Can you help me? ”
A wordless promise.
Yes. Taking a shuddering breath, Kova placed her trembling hand on the cold wall and started forward. The passage twisted and turned. Then—Danger!
Kova jerked backward, her back slamming against the wall. The floor ahead ended. A pit yawned open, too wide to jump. “You saved me,” she gasped.
“How do I get across? ”
She felt the beast’s attention shift. Urgency pressed against her thoughts, pulling her gaze upward. Grooves carved into the ceiling.
Handholds. “I can’t,” Kova said. “I’ve never climbed anything. I’ll fall.
”
The beast’s presence wrapped tighter around her thoughts, steadying. Kova reached up with shaking hands. Her fingers found the carved stone. A pulse of encouragement flooded through her.
She pulled with all her strength. Her arms screamed. Her feet scrabbled against the wall, slipping on damp stone. For one terrifying moment, she dangled over the pit.
Then a directional pull guided her hand left, to a handhold hidden in shadow. Inch by agonizing inch, she moved across the ceiling, the beast’s instincts guiding her—a feeling pulling her attention to a hold, a sense of wrong when she reached for crumbling stone. Finally, a surge of hope. Kova dropped, her legs giving out.
She collapsed, gasping. “Thank you. I couldn’t have done that without you. ”
A rumble echoed through her mind.
Then, clear as day, “You did good. ”
Kova’s head snapped up. “You can talk? Three days of silence, and now you can use words?
”
A pause. Then, careful and deliberate: “Trying. ”
“You’re trying to speak? How do you know how to guide me?
”
A surge of feeling answered. Images. Sensations. Seeing through her eyes, feeling what she felt.
“You can see what I see? Hear my thoughts? ”
A pulse of affirmation. Then a real voice, deep and gravelly, intimate in a way that made her breath catch.
“Yes. ”
“All right,” Kova said, forcing herself to stand. “Let’s keep moving. ”
The maze seemed endless—more corridors, more traps.
The beast’s presence guided her past every danger. Finally, the passage opened into a circular chamber with a domed ceiling. In the center, on a stone pedestal, rested a sword glowing with soft white light. Magic.
Kova approached carefully. The chamber remained still. She reached out and closed her fingers around the leather-wrapped hilt. White light exploded around her.
Kova stumbled, gasping, and found herself in blazing sunlight. She was back outside. The crowd erupted in shocked gasps. King Varick and Rahilda rose from their seats.
“You succeeded,” Rahilda breathed. King Varick descended, approaching Kova. He stared at the sword as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Rahilda?
”
The advisor stepped closer, her fingers hovering above the blade. “An angel’s blade, Your Majesty. Infused with pure white magic. ”
King Varick’s breath left him in a rush.
He looked at Kova and smiled—and for a moment, he almost seemed hopeful. “Kova the orphan has retrieved the angel’s blade. She advances to the third trial. ”
Chapter Four
The summons came the evening after the second trial.
Servants dressed Kova in a gown of deep emerald green, pinned her hair, applied rouge to her lips. “Where am I going? ” Kova asked. “His Majesty has requested your presence.
For dinner. ”
The Alpha King wanted to see her? In her mind, the beast’s presence stirred—quiet but constant, like a hand on her shoulder. The guards opened a door, and Kova stepped inside.
The king’s private dining chamber was smaller than she’d expected—intimate. He stood when she entered, dressed simply, no crown, no ceremonial robes. It somehow made him look even more imposing. “Kova.
Thank you for coming. ”
“You’re nervous,” King Varick observed as servants brought the first course. “Wouldn’t you be, Your Majesty? ”
His lips twitched.
Across the candlelight, their eyes met. “Is there something you’d like to ask? ” he asked, noticing her staring. Kova hesitated.
“Why the trials? Why don’t you pick a bride out of love rather than competence? ”
King Varick stared at her. “These trials are meant to help me find somebody worthy… worthy of being Queen.
”
“And you think I might be worthy? ” Kova asked. His smile faded. “I suppose we’ll find out, won’t we?
”
The weight of the statement settled between them. Then the king said, “You’ve accomplished something unprecedented. For that, I’m prepared to grant you a favor. Gold.
Land. What would you like? ”
Kova’s mind raced. There was only one thing she truly wanted.
“I’d like to see the beast,” she said quietly. King Varick’s entire body went rigid. “What did you just say? ”
“The beast you had me spend a night with.
I’d like to see it. ”
“Why? ”
“Because I don’t know why it spared me. And it haunts me.
”
The king stared at her for a long moment. “Ten minutes,” he said finally. “After we finish here, I’ll have guards escort you to the dungeons. ”
The guards led her down familiar corridors, down stone steps, until she stood before iron bars.
Through the dimness, she could see him—massive, hulking, covered in matted dark fur. Those crimson eyes glowed in the darkness, fixed on her. “You came? ” His voice whispered through her mind.
“It’s really you,” Kova breathed. “The voice in my head. It’s you. ”
“Yes.
”
The beast moved closer, and Kova instinctively took a half step back. He was enormous up close—all muscle and claws and teeth. He stopped immediately, lowering his head. “You can talk now,” she said.
“In the chamber that first night, you couldn’t. What changed? ”
“Don’t know. Could barely think.
Only rage. ”
“Why did you spare me that first night? ”
The beast’s crimson eyes met hers. “Why wouldn’t I?
”
The question was so simple, so genuinely curious, it took her aback. “Because…” Kova gestured at him. “You hurt all those other people. Killed some of them.
”
The beast went rigid. Then he recoiled, backing away from the bars as if she’d struck him. A low growl rumbled from his chest—not threatening, but distressed. “I don’t remember,” the beast said.
“You don’t remember hurting them? ”
“No. Only darkness. Pain.
”
Kova could feel his fear, his confusion, his anguish. He was frightened. “Why did you want me to continue the trials? ” she asked.
“In the throne room, you told me to accept. ”
“Safe. You safe if continue. You queen.
”
“You want me to become queen? Why? ”
The beast moved closer again. “You queen can help me.
”
Kova blinked. “Help you how? ”
The beast just shook his head. Whatever he was, whatever had happened to him, he was suffering.
“I’ll help you,” she said quietly. “I don’t know how yet, but… I’ll do my best. ”
The beast’s crimson eyes softened. Deep inside her mind, Kova heard, “Thank you.
”
Chapter Five
The morning of the third trial arrived with crisp autumn air. Kova was led to the courtyard where nobles had already gathered. “Steady,” came the beast’s voice in her mind. “I know.
”
King Varick rose to address the crowd. “The third trial…” He stopped. Looked at Rahilda. Cleared his throat.
“The third trial is not ready. ”
Murmurs erupted. “What? ” Kova muttered.
Rahilda turned to him sharply. “Everything is ready, my lord. ”
“No,” the king said. “I think we need to check a couple of things first.
”
The crowd’s whispers grew louder. Rahilda inclined her head. “Of course, Your Majesty. ”
King Varick turned to the crowd.
“The third trial is postponed. You will be notified when it resumes. Escort Kova back to her quarters. ”
Back in her chambers, Kova sent the thought to the beast.
“Did you see how his advisor looked? She didn’t know about the delay. ”
“You think king lie? ”
“I’m not sure.
I think there’s a reason he’s running these trials, but he’s not being honest about what it is. ”
A week passed. Then another. Kova was confined to her quarters and the library, guarded.
The library became her refuge. “You should read about sacred trial logs,” the beast suggested one afternoon. “Archives. ”
“Those exist?
And is it me, or is your speech improving? ”
“Yes. My thoughts feel clearer and clearer. ”
They found a section on historical trials—records of past attempts, descriptions of challenges long forgotten.
Kova’s reading was slow, but the beast helped, sometimes recognizing words she struggled with. One day, the beast’s voice perked up. “Oh. The Wayward Prince.
”
Kova pulled the book from the shelf. “You know this book? ”
“Yes. I quite enjoyed it.
”
“When did you ever read a book? ”
Silence stretched. “I don’t remember. ”
Kova felt his discomfort at the gaps in his memory.
“Would you like me to read it to you? ” she offered gently. A pulse of gratitude. “Yes.
Please. ”
So Kova settled into a chair by the window and read aloud, stumbling over difficult words. The beast listened patiently, sometimes correcting her pronunciation, sometimes simply enjoying the story. Two weeks after the delay, Kova was preparing for bed when pain lanced through her mind.
Not her pain. His. She gasped, sitting upright. The beast’s agony crashed over her in waves—white hot, searing.
Then a scream echoed through their connection, inhuman, tortured. “What’s wrong? ” Kova jumped to her feet. “What’s happening?
”
More pain. Another scream. “Please, answer me. ”
A beat of silence.
Then finally, “Fine. I’m fine. ”
“You’re not fine. I’m coming.
”
“No. ”
But Kova was already out the door, racing through the corridors toward the dungeons. Another wave of pain crashed through her mind. The beast went silent.
She reached the dungeon level. The two guards at the beast’s chamber looked up in surprise. “Let me through,” Kova demanded. “Miss, you don’t have permission—”
A scream echoed from behind the iron door.
Not in her mind this time—an actual, physical scream of agony. “What are they doing to him? ” Kova tried to push past them. “You need to leave, now.
”
Another scream. Kova flinched, tears springing to her eyes. “Please. ”
The first guard’s expression softened slightly.
“Your trial starts tomorrow. You should rest. ”
“Tomorrow? But they said…”
“We were told to be ready at dawn.
Now go back to your quarters. ”
In a daze, Kova turned and walked away. She made it halfway up the corridor before her legs gave out. “I’m here,” she whispered into the silence.
No response. Kova sat in the cold corridor for a long time. She didn’t sleep that night. Chapter Six
Kova barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she heard those screams, felt the beast’s pain radiating through the bond before it cut off into terrifying silence. All night, she tried reaching out to him. Nothing. Just that faint pulse—proof he was alive, but distant.
When servants came to dress her at dawn, Kova moved like a ghost. The courtyard was packed. King Varick sat on the raised dais, Rahilda beside him. But Kova barely saw any of it, her mind reaching desperately for that connection.
“Please be there. ”
Still nothing. Her attention was pulled back when she noticed a circular platform of white stone in the center of the courtyard. Symbols carved into its surface seemed to shift and writhe when she looked at them directly.
Rahilda descended from the dais, holding the angel’s blade. “The third trial tests cunning and bravery. You retrieved a weapon. Now prove yourself capable of wielding it.
Step onto the platform and face the guardian. Only by passing its test will you prove worthy of a Luna. ”
Kova stepped onto the platform. The world exploded into light.
When her vision cleared, she was in a chamber of white marble. Before her stood five mirrors, their frames ornate and ancient. In each one, Kova saw a different version of herself. “I don’t understand,” she said aloud.
“What do you think they represent? ” a voice answered from behind her. Kova spun. Not his voice—smooth, feminine.
In the center of the chamber stood a tall, thin figure. Its face was smooth except for two eyes that burned with silver light. “I am the guardian. The trial’s weight is measured by the mirrors.
Choose a reflection you know well, and the path is clear. Choose a stranger wearing your face, and you may not survive what you learn. ”
“It’s saying the difficulty depends on which version of yourself you face,” came a deep voice inside her mind. Kova gasped.
Relief flooded through her so powerfully that her knees almost buckled. “You’re here. Where were you? What happened?
”
“Later. Your trial. Focus. ”
There was something in his voice—pain, maybe exhaustion.
But also determination. “You can only know the versions of yourself that are truest to you,” the beast said quietly. “The mirrors show parts of who you are. Pick the ones you know.
”
Kova studied each mirror. One showed her in maid’s clothing. One showed her battered and bloody but still standing, defiant. “I know the first one.
I’ll start with this. ”
The reflection in the first mirror moved, turning to face her fully. When it spoke, it used Kova’s own voice. “I am never seen but always present.
I am given freely but rarely valued. I make others shine while I fade into shadow. What am I? ”
Kova understood immediately.
“Devotion. The work no one notices. ”
“And does that make you lesser? ”
Kova thought about it.
“It made me invisible. But it also taught me to see others. To notice what they needed before they asked. ”
“Then strike the mirror.
”
Kova raised the sword and swung. The blade connected with a clear ringing note. The mirror shattered, dissolving into motes of light that sank into the sword steel. Kova turned to the second mirror.
The bloodied, defiant version of herself. “I cling to life when I should let go. I endure when I should surrender. Am I strength?
Or am I fear? ”
Kova paused. “You are survival. ”
“And what am I surviving for?
”
Kova thought of every trial. “For someone who can’t survive on his own anymore. ”
A deep, affectionate sound rumbled through her mind. The mirror Kova smiled.
“Then strike the mirror. ”
Kova swung. Silver light cascaded into the sword. “Now the third,” the guardian said.
Kova found herself approaching the fifth mirror before she’d consciously decided. “What are you doing? ” The beast’s voice was worried. The fifth reflection spoke, its voice gentle and vulnerable.
“I am not chosen. I am not logical. I grow without permission and change everything I touch. What am I?
”
Kova’s mind went blank. Panic bubbled up. “I don’t know the answer. ”
“You’ll be all right.
You know this. ” The beast’s voice wrapped around her, soothing. “Name what I am,” the reflection demanded. The beast’s voice was very quiet, gentle in a way she’d never heard before.
“Reach into your heart. The answer lies there. ”
Kova closed her eyes. She thought about the warmth in her chest when the beast spoke to her.
The way she’d chosen to continue the trials not for the crown, but for him. The way hearing his screams last night had broken something in her. The way his silence this morning had terrified her. “Love,” she whispered, opening her eyes.
“You’re love. ”
“Is that your final answer? ”
Kova nodded, her hands shaking. “Yes.
”
“Then strike the mirror. Prove you accept this truth. ”
Kova raised the sword, met her reflection’s eyes—her own eyes, soft with an emotion she’d been refusing to name. She struck.
The mirror shattered. White and gold light exploded around her. “You have faced the servant, the survivor, and the lover,” the guardian said. “You have named what you are.
The third trial is complete. ”
The white chamber dissolved. Kova blinked—she was back on the platform in the courtyard. The crowd erupted in whispers.
King Varick rose. “The third trial is complete. Kova advances to the final trial. ”
Chapter Seven
Kova couldn’t sleep.
Three trials completed, one remaining. She paced her quarters, the enchanted sword propped against the wall, its three patterns still glowing faintly in the darkness. “Reach into your heart. ” The beast had known what the fifth mirror represented before she did.
He wasn’t just a beast. It couldn’t be. There was something he wasn’t telling her about himself. Or something he couldn’t remember.
She needed air. Kova slipped out of her quarters, bare feet silent on cold stone. The castle corridors were empty, torches burning low. She turned a corner and heard voices from a partially open door.
“You can’t keep doing this. ” Rahilda’s voice—but not composed, not polished. This voice was strained, breaking at the edges. “You already postponed the third trial, and for what?
You need to move forward. ”
Kova moved closer, staying in the shadows. She knew she shouldn’t listen, but something in Rahilda’s desperation held her captive. “I can do what I want,” King Varick snapped.
“I’ve waited six years. I can wait longer. ”
Through the crack, Kova saw him stand by the window, moonlight casting his silhouette. “She’s going to win tomorrow,” Rahilda said, her voice cracking.
“You know she will. I could offer her something else—gold, land. She doesn’t have to become queen. ”
“She doesn’t have to.
”
“The nobles would riot. You sent princesses through these trials, daughters of kings and queens across the realm, all for the promise of your hand. If it looks like you were never going to do it…”
“Kova’s a commoner, not a princess. ”
“So am I.
”
The words hung in the air. King Varick finally turned. In the lamplight, Kova could see his face—exhausted, haunted. “You’re so much more than that,” he said, his voice rough.
“You’re the woman I love. And without your magic, we’d never…”
“My magic doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change what happens next. ”
“Enough.
” Rahilda held up her hand. “Soon the girl will win, and you shall have your queen, just as we planned. ”
“It’s not what I wanted,” the king murmured. “Isn’t it?
You’ve been suffering for too long, Varick. This ends it. You’ll be free of this guilt. ”
“I want to be free.
Gods, I want to honor Nero’s memory. I want to make this right. But at the cost of losing you? ”
“Stop.
” Rahilda flinched. “I can’t lose you, Rahilda. ”
“Enough. You have a duty to your kingdom, to your brother’s memory.
”
Rahilda swept toward the door. Kova barely had time to press herself into an alcove as the advisor rushed past, her whole body shaking with suppressed sobs. The king and his advisor were in love but unable to be together. And it had something to do with the king’s brother.
A name echoed in Kova’s mind: Nero. She found a servant in a side passage, an older woman carrying fresh linens. “Please,” Kova said. “What happened to the king’s brother, Nero?
”
The servant’s expression immediately shuttered. “You know that’s not a name we speak of lightly, miss. ”
“Please. ”
The servant’s voice dropped to barely above a whisper.
“King Nero ruled for only two years. He was young, kind. The people loved him. And then… he was murdered.
Six years ago this winter. Right here in the castle, in his own chambers. Brutal, they said. The king—King Varick, I mean—found him.
”
“Did they ever catch who did it? ”
The servant leaned closer. “Of course they did. King Varick took care of it himself.
It was the beast. The one they keep locked in the dungeons. ”
Kova took a step back. “The beast?
”
“Aye. The one they keep locked below. It was that thing that killed the king’s brother. King Varick captured it himself, tracked it down and trapped it.
Some say he should have killed it right then, but he wanted it to suffer. For what it did. For taking his brother. So he’s kept it locked away all these years.
”
Kova gasped. The screams. The pain radiating through the bond that night. The way the beast had gone silent, unreachable.
“Are you certain it was the beast? ”
“As certain as I’m standing here. I saw the king drag that creature into the dungeons myself. He loved his brother dearly.
King Nero was everything to him. And that monster took him away. ”
Kova couldn’t breathe. She managed to whisper her thanks and moved before the servant could respond, her feet carrying her back toward her quarters on legs she couldn’t feel.
She closed her door with shaking hands and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. The beast had killed King Varick’s brother six years ago. And King Varick had been torturing him ever since. “What’s wrong?
” The beast’s voice was in her mind. “You killed his brother,” Kova whispered aloud. Silence. Then, “What?
”
“King Nero. The king’s older brother. You murdered him. ”
The beast’s presence recoiled.
“I don’t… I don’t remember. ”
“I know you don’t. But that’s what happened. That’s why King Varick keeps you locked up.
Why he…”
She couldn’t say it. The beast’s presence churned, chaotic. She could feel him pacing, agitated, distressed. “I killed the king’s brother?
”
“The servant said everyone knows. King Varick captured you himself right after it happened. ”
Sadness flooded through the connection. The beast’s anguish mixed with her own.
“He’ll never let you go,” Kova whispered. “It doesn’t matter if I become queen. He’ll never free you. Not after what you did.
”
“It’s all right,” the beast said quietly. “What are you talking about? We said we’d work together. I’d become queen and you’d be free.
”
“I will be. You’ll find a way. ”
“What if I don’t? ” Kova’s voice cracked completely.
“I trust you,” the beast said simply. But Kova heard the uncertainty beneath his words. She was only taking the final trial for him. But if she won, how could she ask King Varick to release the creature that had murdered his brother?
“I don’t know how to save you,” Kova whispered. “I believe in you,” the beast said. His words, instead of comforting her, only made her cry harder. This wasn’t a trial she could win with luck or determination.
This was a murdered king and a brother’s vengeance. How could she fight that? Chapter Eight
Kova woke to sunlight streaming through her window and a knot of dread in her stomach. The final trial.
But unlike previous mornings, there was no anticipation—only hollow despair. Even if she won, even if she became queen, she couldn’t free him. King Varick would never let the beast go. She dressed mechanically as servants fussed around her, putting her in a gown of deep crimson silk.
The enchanted sword hung at her side, its three patterns still glowing faintly: service, survival, love. “Are you ready? ” The beast’s voice was quiet, tentative. “Does it matter?
Even if I win, I can’t save you. ”
“Don’t think about me. Think about yourself. Your future.
”
“What about me? It’s not like I want to marry him. And he doesn’t want to marry me, either. He loves Rahilda.
I heard them last night. ”
“Then why continue? ”
“Because I promised you I would. Because you asked me to.
”
The beast was silent for a long moment. Then, so quietly: “I’m sorry. ”
The courtyard was packed—more spectators than ever before. Every balcony, every window, every available space.
Kova walked through the crowd feeling every eye on her. King Varick sat on his throne, Rahilda beside him. Both looked exhausted, dark circles under their eyes. Rahilda rose and descended to the courtyard floor.
In the center stood a raised platform. On that platform sat an iron cage. Kova’s steps faltered. Why was there a cage?
Then she saw what was inside it. The beast. Her blood turned to ice. He stood motionless in the iron cage, massive and terrible in the morning light.
Those crimson eyes found her immediately. He held himself so carefully still. “Why is he here? ” Kova’s voice came out as a whisper.
No one answered. The beast lowered its great head, and something in that gesture made Kova’s stomach drop. He knew. He knew what was coming.
“Kova the orphan,” Rahilda’s voice rang out. “You have completed three trials. You survived the beast. Retrieved a weapon from the gauntlet.
Faced yourself in the mirror trial and emerged worthy. Now comes the final test. ”
“The trials were designed with one purpose,” Rahilda continued. “To create a weapon capable of ending a threat to this kingdom.
A beast that murdered the king’s beloved brother six years ago. ”
Kova’s heart stopped. “Wait. Wait a minute.
”
She met King Varick’s gaze and saw the answer there. This had never been about finding a queen. The trials had one purpose: to create someone capable of killing an unkillable beast. “The final trial is simple,” Rahilda said.
“Strike the beast down. Avenge the fallen king. ”
The crowd erupted in cheers. “No,” Kova whispered.
“Listen to me. ” The beast’s voice pressed urgently into her mind. “This is what the trials were always for. This is how you win.
”
Kova’s head snapped toward the cage. “You knew? You knew this whole time? ”
“I’d hoped,” the beast replied quietly.
He had been helping her so she could kill him. Every word of guidance through the gauntlet. Every moment of comfort. All so she would be strong enough to end his life.
King Varick rose and descended the steps. “Do you understand what is being asked of you? ”
“You want me to kill the beast. ”
“I want you to avenge my brother.
The creature in that cage murdered him. ”
“But it doesn’t remember killing your brother,” Kova’s voice cracked. “It’s different now. Look at it.
It’s calm. It’s not aggressive. ”
“What are you saying? That you have some sort of insight into what this beast thinks?
”
Kova’s hands clenched into fists. “He’s my friend. ”
“Friend? ” Fury transformed the king’s face.
He strode toward her. “Those who make friends with enemies of the crown should…”
“Varick! ” Rahilda’s voice cut through like a whip. The king froze.
Rahilda descended, moving to stand between them. “The girl is worthy,” she said quietly. “She can end this. Don’t ruin it now.
Not when we’re so close. ”
King Varick closed his eyes. When he turned back to Kova, his voice broke. “Please.
Please help us. It’s unkillable. We’ve tried everything. ”
“So you knew,” Kova whispered.
“You knew it couldn’t be killed. ”
“The person who can kill this beast must survive it first. There was no other way. ” His voice broke completely.
“Six years of knowing my brother’s murderer is locked beneath my feet, unkillable, untouchable. If you kill it, you will be my queen. ”
“I don’t care about that. I wanted to set him free.
”
“You will,” the beast’s voice pressed into her mind, urgent and pleading. “Please,” Varick echoed. “Please, I’m begging you. ”
Kova closed her eyes.
The courtyard held its breath. Slowly, she approached the cage. The beast stood on the other side, still and waiting. When she reached through the bars with one shaking hand, it moved forward and pressed its great head into her palm.
“It’s all right,” he said softly in her mind. “I’m not afraid. ”
Tears streamed down Kova’s face. Her hand trembled on the sword’s hilt as she unlocked the cage.
“Do it,” the beast said. “Set me free. ”
Kova raised the enchanted sword with shaking hands. Then—
“No.
”
The word fell into silence like a stone into still water. King Varick leaned forward. “What? ”
“I said no.
” Kova’s voice was stronger now. She turned to face the king, Rahilda, the assembled court. “I won’t kill him. ”
Absolute silence.
Then chaos. Nobles shouting, guards moving forward. King Varick descended in three long strides. “You refuse?
”
“Yes. ”
“Do you understand what you’re throwing away? ”
“I never wanted the crown. I never wanted any of this.
I only wanted to help him. ”
“Help it? It’s a beast. A monster.
”
“Then why is he standing there calmly instead of ripping me apart? ” Kova gestured to the beast. King Varick faltered. “He murdered my brother.
”
“I will not kill him,” Kova announced to the entire courtyard. “He is my friend. ” She met the beast’s eyes. “I love him.
”
For a moment, no one moved. Then King Varick lunged forward, grabbing the enchanted sword from Kova’s hands. He raised the glowing blade, pointing it at the beast’s chest. Kova opened her mouth to scream—but someone screamed first.
“Varick! No, don’t! ” Rahilda’s voice. King Varick froze.
In that moment of hesitation, the beast made a sound—low and broken, full of unbearable anguish. Kova turned to him, fear flooding through her. “What’s wrong? ”
His massive form was shaking violently.
Then, impossibly, he began to change. The beast threw back his head and roared—a sound of pure agony that shook the courtyard walls. His body convulsed, limbs twisting at impossible angles. His form began to shrink, the monstrous shape collapsing inward, reshaping into something smaller, something human.
Chapter Nine
Where the beast had stood, a man now knelt on the stone platform. Slowly, painfully, he lifted his head. King Varick made a sound like his heart had been torn from his chest. “No,” he whispered.
The sword clattered from his nerveless fingers. Kova saw the man’s eyes—no longer crimson, now a warm brown, human and achingly lost. Sharp jawline, strong nose, dark hair falling across his forehead. He was stunningly, impossibly beautiful.
“Your Majesty, you’re alive,” someone breathed. Nobles began to bow, one by one dropping to their knees. “King Nero has returned. ”
Kova stood frozen.
King Nero, the murdered king, the beast. They were the same person. Her beast was King Varick’s brother. “Nero,” the king whispered.
The man turned toward the voice. Recognition flickered in those brown eyes. “Varick? ”
King Varick approached, his hands outstretched but not quite touching.
“It’s really you. You’re alive. ”
“I don’t understand what’s happening. ”
“You were dead.
I thought you were… I found a beast in your chambers, covered in blood. The place was destroyed. I thought it had attacked you. It didn’t even smell like you.
But it attacked me when I tried to find you. ”
Horror dawned on Varick’s face as the pieces fell into place. “I thought it had killed you. But it turns out… it was you.
And for six years, I’ve been…”
“Brother, what happened to me? ”
But Varick couldn’t speak. His shoulders shook with silent sobs. Nero looked around the courtyard, searching for answers.
And then his eyes found Kova. He froze. “Who is that? ” Nero asked, not taking his eyes off her.
“Who are you? ” Nero asked again, taking a step toward her. “I know you, don’t I? ”
Then Kova felt something pressing against her mind—gentle, familiar, like when the beast had first touched her thoughts, but clearer now, more human.
“I know you,” she heard him say, not aloud, but in her mind. Nero stood before her now. Slowly, carefully, he raised his hand toward her face. “You brought me back.
I was lost in darkness, drowning in it. And then there you were—a light in the endless night. ”
His fingers touched her cheek, warm and gentle. Kova felt the same warmth she’d felt with the beast, but stronger now, clearer.
“You saved me,” Nero breathed, cupping her face. “Kova. That’s your name, isn’t it? ”
She nodded, quickly lowering her eyes.
“Yes, Your Highness. I mean, Your Majesty. I’m sorry. I…”
Varick’s voice interrupted.
“It is Your Majesty. ” He lifted the crown from his head. “My brother is king—the rightful king. And he is back now.
”
He held the crown out to Nero, who stared at it as if it were a foreign object. “I don’t remember,” Nero said slowly. “I don’t even know if I want to be king. ”
“What do you remember?
”
Nero’s brow furrowed. “Pain. Darkness. ” He looked at Kova again.
“And then her. Her voice. ”
“But how? ” Varick turned to Rahilda, who stood frozen on the platform.
“What magic could transform a man into…”
“It was me,” she said. The entire crowd seemed to still. “What? ” Varick asked.
“It was me,” Rahilda repeated. “I did this. The curse. All of it.
”
Varick’s face went white. “Six years ago, I cast a curse,” Rahilda said. “I thought you’d betrayed me. Thought you’d chosen duty over our love.
I saw you embracing someone and I thought… I thought you’d cast me aside. ”
“I was foolish,” she continued, wrapping her arms around herself. “I wanted you to feel what I felt. So I cast a curse to transform you into something monstrous.
I didn’t plan for it to be permanent—just long enough for you to regret hurting me. But it wasn’t you when I entered those chambers. It was Nero. By the time I realized my mistake, the curse had already taken hold.
”
“You cursed me by accident? ” Nero asked. There was no anger in his voice, only confusion. “Yes.
And I’ve regretted it every moment since. I tried to reverse it immediately, but you were already becoming the beast. ” She looked at Varick. “How could I tell you it was me?
That I’d done this to an innocent man because of my own jealous rage? ”
“So you just let me believe my brother was dead? ” Varick’s voice was hollow. “For six years?
”
“I didn’t know how else to fix it. You would have had me arrested. But I needed to research how to help him. And I found the only way to break a curse that strong was…” She looked at Kova.
“Someone pure of heart who could see past the monster. Who could love him enough to refuse to kill him even when offered everything. ”
“The trials,” Kova breathed. “I designed them to find that person,” Rahilda said.
“Either someone would love him enough to break the curse, or someone would be strong enough to end his pain. Either way, he’d be free. ”
“I’ve been hurting him for years,” Varick said, his face a mask of anguish. “You didn’t know.
”
“Because you didn’t tell me! ” Varick roared. “I tortured my brother for six years because you were too much of a coward to tell me the truth. ”
“I was trying to save him,” Rahilda sobbed.
“Please, Varick. I’m sorry. ”
On the other side of the courtyard, Nero had stopped listening. His focus was entirely on Kova.
He stepped closer, blocking out the chaos until it was just the two of them. “Why didn’t you kill me? ” he asked quietly. “I begged you to end it.
”
“You remember,” Kova whispered. “I remember you,” Nero said simply. “Your refusal to give up on me, even when I’d given up on myself. ”
Kova’s vision blurred with tears.
“I couldn’t lose you. ”
“Why not? ”
Kova opened her mouth. The words were right there, stuck in her throat.
Because I love you, she thought. Nero’s eyes widened slightly. Then a smile broke across his face. “I love you, too,” he whispered, pulling her close and kissing her.
The bond between them blazed to life—golden and warm and right. Behind them, Varick’s sobs echoed across the courtyard, and Rahilda knelt beside him, her own tears falling. But Nero and Kova stood wrapped in each other. The trials were over.
The beast was free. And somehow, impossibly, love had won. Epilogue
Three months later, Kova found Nero in the library again. He sat curled in the window seat, a book open in his lap, staring out at the gardens with that distant look she’d come to recognize—still searching for memories that wouldn’t come.
“You’re supposed to be reading,” she said gently. “I was. Then I started wondering if I’d read this before. If I liked it.
”
Kova took the book from his hands. “Then stop trying to remember. Let it come to you. ”
“What if it doesn’t?
” Nero asked, already leaning into her shoulder. “I don’t know how to be a king. I don’t even know if I want to be. ”
“You don’t have to decide today.
”
Nero was quiet for a moment. “Do you know what I do remember? ”
“What? ”
“This.
” He pressed his hand over hers. “You. I may not remember being a king, but I know I’m yours. ”
“Varick asked about you this morning,” Kova said.
“He called me sister twice last week. You saved his brother. ”
Nero smiled. “I told him what he does about Rahilda is his choice, not mine,” Kova said carefully.
“She still cursed you. ”
“For six whole years. But she also designed the trials that brought you to me. ” Nero cupped her face gently.
“If Varick still loves her—and I think he does—then he needs to find a way forward. ”
Kova leaned into his touch. “You’re very wise for someone who doesn’t remember being a king. ”
Nero smiled.
“Read to me. ”
So Kova read, and Nero listened, his head resting against her shoulder. The bond between them hummed with contentment. Outside, the kingdom waited patiently for its lost king to find himself again.
There was no rush. They had all the time in the world.
