Chapter 4 Daily Torture

Lila's first week at the palace passed in a blur of small humiliations.

"Your hair is a mess," Celeste commented at breakfast. "Can't you at least try to look presentable?"

"Use the servant's entrance when coming to my chambers," Celeste instructed another day. "I don't want nobles thinking you're important."

"Sit at the far end during dinners. Your chewing is distracting."

Each criticism landed like a small cut. Individually, they were nothing. Together, they bled Lila dry.

The mate bond made everything worse. She felt Adrian constantly, a presence at the edge of her awareness. His frustration. His guilt. His longing that matched her own.

He kept his distance. Followed his own rules.

But every time they passed in hallways, every time she caught his scent, the bond flared with desperate hunger.

"Lady Lila?"

Lila turned to find a young servant girl holding fresh linens. "Yes?"

"I'm Maya. I've been assigned to your chambers." The girl smiled shyly. "If you need anything, just ask."

Finally. Someone kind.

"Thank you, Maya."

Over the following days, Maya became Lila's only friend. She brought gossip from the servant quarters, small treats from the kitchen, and genuine warmth.

"The staff talks about the King," Maya whispered one afternoon while tidying. "They say he's changed since the wedding. Colder. More distant."

"He's probably just adjusting," Lila managed.

"Maybe." Maya folded a blanket. "But the Queen isn't happy. She's been crying in her chambers. And the King never comes to comfort her."

The guilt twisted deeper.

That evening, Lila attended another formal dinner. Twenty nobles, discussing trade agreements and border disputes. She sat at the far end of the table, silent and invisible.

Until Lord Garrett spoke.

"Lady Lila, how are you finding palace life?"

All eyes turned to her. Including Adrian's.

"It's an honor," Lila said carefully.

"An honor to watch your sister become Queen while you remain... what exactly?" Lord Garrett smiled. "The forgotten sister?"

Someone laughed. Quickly stifled.

Celeste's face flushed. "Lila is family. She's welcome here."

"Of course, Your Majesty." Lord Garrett raised his glass. "I simply wondered what role Lady Lila serves. Besides decoration."

The insult hung in the air.

Adrian's fork clattered against his plate. "Lady Lila is a valued member of this household. Anyone who suggests otherwise can leave my table."

Silence fell.

Lord Garrett paled. "My apologies, Your Majesty. I meant no offense."

"Then watch your tongue."

Adrian's eyes were cold, dangerous. His wolf barely contained.

After dinner, Celeste cornered Lila in the hallway.

"Don't." Her voice was sharp. "Don't make Adrian defend you. It makes me look weak."

"I didn't ask him to…"

"I don't care." Celeste stepped closer. "You're here as a courtesy. Start acting like it. Stay quiet, stay invisible, and for Moon's sake, stop making my husband notice you."

She walked away, leaving Lila shaking.

---

Adrian found Lila in the library two hours later.

She was curled in a window seat, trying to read by moonlight.

"You shouldn't be here," he said quietly.

"There's nowhere I should be." Lila didn't look up. "According to everyone, I don't serve a purpose."

Adrian crossed the room. Stood close enough that his scent surrounded her.

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?" Lila finally met his eyes. "I'm the spare daughter. The one who wasn't pretty enough, smart enough, special enough. My own mother told me this palace stay was my chance to finally be useful." Her voice cracked. "But I'm not useful. I'm just... here. Taking up space."

"Lila…"

"Lord Garrett was right. I'm decoration. Worse than decoration. I'm a reminder that Celeste's family comes from minor nobility. That she wasn't born royal."

Adrian's hand lifted toward her face. Stopped inches away.

"You're not decoration," he said roughly. "You're…"

"What?" Lila stood, forcing him to step back. "What am I, Adrian? Besides a problem you can't solve?"

The bond pulsed between them. Hot. Desperate. Undeniable.

"You're my mate," Adrian said. "The other half of my soul. And every day you're in this palace, it gets harder to remember why I can't claim you."

"Then let me leave."

"No."

"Why?" Lila demanded. "Why keep me here if it's torture for both of us?"

Adrian's control cracked. He grabbed her face with both hands, forcing her to look at him.

"Because the alternative is worse. Because if you leave, I'll spend every moment wondering where you are, if you're safe, if you're suffering alone." His thumbs traced her cheekbones. "Because you're the only real thing in my life. Everything else is duty and politics and pretending. But you…"

His forehead dropped to hers.

"You're real."

They stood there, breathing each other's air, teetering on the edge.

Then footsteps echoed in the hallway.

Adrian released her and stepped back just as a servant appeared.

"Your Majesty, the Queen requests your presence."

Adrian's expression went blank. The mask sliding back into place.

"Tell her I'll be there shortly."

The servant bowed and left.

Adrian looked at Lila one more time. "Follow the rules. Please."

"I am following them," Lila whispered. "That's the problem."

He left without another word.

Lila sank back onto the window seat, shaking.

Two weeks at the palace, and she was already breaking apart.

How would she survive months? Years?

Outside the window, storm clouds gathered. Rain began to fall.

And in her chest, the mate bond ached with a pain that had no cure.