Chapter 13

Shadows of Suspicion and the Devil's Games

The Golden Palace was as alive as ever. Sunlight streamed through the towering arched windows, bathing the marble floors in a warm golden hue. The scent of incense and polished cedar filled the air, mingling with the faint murmur of voices as servants bustled about, carrying out their morning duties.

But beneath the grandeur, beneath the carefully maintained order, whispers of unease lingered.

The court's latest revelation had sent ripples of uncertainty through the kingdom.

Somewhere, someone had crossed the barrier between worlds.

And Prince Derek was going to find out who.

Prince Derek sat in the royal archives, a towering chamber filled with thousands of scrolls and ancient tomes. Sunlight filtered through the high windows, dust dancing in the beams of light as he flipped through the brittle pages of an old text on forbidden magic.

He had barely slept since the court session.

His instincts—sharpened from years of battle, honed by his training as the next king—told him that something wasn't right.

How had the wendigo spirits infiltrated the human kingdom?

Who had crossed the border?

The Moon Goddess's barrier had held for a thousand years. No human should have been able to pass through it—unless they were the one destined to break the Devil's curse.

Derek exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple.

The one destined to break the curse.

It was an old prophecy, barely spoken of in modern times, but its weight carried through the centuries. Whoever had crossed the border had done something no human should be able to do.

And that meant one thing.

They had already awakened the Devil.

His hand curled into a fist against the wooden desk.

For the first time in centuries, the kingdom was in danger.

And the most frustrating part? He had no idea who was responsible.

Or rather… he wasn't sure yet.

Because there was one thing—one tiny detail—that refused to leave his mind.

A mark.

Derek's mind drifted back to that morning in the training grounds.

The moment he had caught sight of a girl—a servant, thin and trembling, her dress slightly damp with dew as she tried to sneak past the guards.

A girl named Elowen.

At the time, he had barely thought of her. She was a maid—one of the many who worked within the palace. A mere orphan from the East.

But now, his mind wouldn't let go of the detail he had overlooked.

The bite mark.

It had been faint, half-hidden beneath her collar, but he had seen it. Four tiny punctures.

At the time, he had ignored it.

But now, after everything that had been revealed in court… he wasn't so sure anymore.

His gut twisted.

If Elowen had been marked, it could mean many things.

But one possibility sent ice through his veins.

What if she had been claimed by something inhuman?

Derek's fingers tapped against the table, a slow rhythm as he considered his next move.

He needed to watch her.

Closely.

While Derek plotted his investigation, Elowen was fighting a battle of her own.

Unfortunately, it was a losing one.

She sat on the stone ledge outside the palace gardens, head in her hands, utterly ruined.

Because no matter how hard she tried to push him out of her thoughts, no matter how much she told herself she hated him—

Her mark kept betraying her.

It pulsed, a soft, insistent warmth against her skin, as if reminding her that she belonged to him.

Him.

Morris.

Elowen groaned, rubbing her hands down her face.

It had been two days.

Two days since he had appeared in the river, seen her naked, teased her mercilessly, touched her—

Her entire body flushed, and she shook her head violently.

No. No, no, no.

She would not let him crawl under her skin.

She would not—

"Thinking about me again, little lamb?"

Her breath hitched.

Elowen froze.

That voice.

That damned voice.

Rich and smooth, drenched in amusement, curling around her like a silk ribbon she couldn't escape.

Slowly, dread curling in her stomach, she turned her head.

And there he was.

Morris.

The Devil himself.

Lounging lazily against the garden wall as if he had been there all along, his arms crossed over his broad chest, his golden eyes watching her with an unbearable amount of satisfaction.

Elowen's stomach dropped.

Her body locked up in sheer panic.

"No," she choked out, yanking her gaze away from him.

Morris chuckled, low and deep.

"No?" he repeated, stepping forward.

Elowen stood abruptly.

"I—I was not thinking about you!" she blurted.

Morris smirked.

"Oh?"

He stepped closer.

Elowen took a step back.

He was too close.

Too overwhelming.

Too perfect.

And worst of all—he knew it.

Morris tilted his head, his dark hair falling effortlessly into place, as if he were a prince rather than a creature of pure sin.

"I must say, little lamb," he mused, his voice dripping with amusement, "I quite like the way you lie."

Elowen fisted her hands.

"Go away, Morris."

"Why should I?" he teased, taking another step forward. "You keep calling for me, you know."

"I do not—"

"The mark says otherwise."

Elowen stiffened.

Morris smirked, his golden eyes gleaming as he lifted a hand—

And lightly traced his fingers along the mark on her neck.

A sharp shudder ran down Elowen's spine.

Her lungs forgot how to breathe.

The moment his skin touched hers, the mark pulsed—a deep, consuming warmth spreading through her.

No.

No, no, no.

She jerked away violently, slapping his hand aside.

"Stop that!"

Morris only chuckled.

"Elowen," he purred, his voice like honeyed sin. "Your body betrays you."

She hated that she could still feel his touch.

She hated that he made her stomach twist in ways she didn't understand.

And she hated that she couldn't deny it.

Morris sighed dramatically, watching her with predatory amusement.

"You'll give in eventually," he murmured, his gaze locked onto hers. "It's only a matter of time."

Elowen's pulse raced.

And then, just as suddenly as he appeared—

He vanished.

Leaving her flustered, furious, and hopelessly shaken.

As Elowen struggled with the Devil himself, Prince Derek watched from the shadows of the palace corridors.

His sharp blue eyes had seen everything.

His mind reeled.

The way Elowen froze as if hearing someone no one else could.

The way her fingers brushed over her neck, as if feeling something unseen.

And most of all—the look in her eyes.

The look of someone hiding a secret.

Derek's jaw clenched.

He needed answers.

And he would start with her.

Am so sorry guys for not updating regularly 🤧 have been busy as hell😩😩.

School works and stress is something else 🥴🥴. I will try my best to continue updating pls bear with me.🤗🤗