Chapter 7 The Prince's Punishment Ryder's POV

Chapter Seven - The Prince's Punishment

Ryder's POV

The guards arrived at dawn and I hadn't even slept. My mind reeled back through the night in the forest; and Olivia's face, and her fear; the bond tightened in my chest like an unhealed wound. As they knocked I was sitting on the edge of my bed, already knowing why they were there.

There were two guards outside my door. They bowed, but had their eyes sharp and alert.

"The king wants to see you," one of them said.

I nodded and followed them silently. Asking questions was pointless, already my father had decided the verdict.

The palace halls were cold compared to what was normal. My footsteps echoed on stone-floors. Servants kept their heads low as I passed-by; afraid, curious. News traveled fast inside these walls and all of them noticed the king calling his son at dawn.

We went down to the council chamber, My father sat on the throne in black robes with a heavy crown on his head. The elders stood behind him silent and watchful with faces that were carved like stone.

"Leave us," my father to the guards

They bowed and left. The doors were closed, the ringing sound was great in the chamber.

My father’s eyes fixed on me. "You felt it," he said. "The bond."

I kept my face calm. "I felt a disturbance but nothing more."

He stood up slowly giving off a power. "Do not lie to me, Ryder."

"I'm not," I answered. "I was alone."

He went down the steps until we were facing each other. His presence was heavy and demanding against my chest.

"The council felt it," he said. "A bond does not want to flare for no reason. Tell me who she is."

"There is no she," I replied.

He stared at me for a long time, and then turned and paced the room.

"I went into the forest myself searching for it," he said. "I found no wolf. No intruder. No proof."

My heart tightened but I did not say anything.

He stopped and faced me again. "That does not mean that you are innocent."

I clenched my fists. "Then punish me if you wish."

He laughed once and that was sharp and cold. "Careful. I just might."

He returned to the throne and took his seat. "You disobeyed me before. You defied the council. And now this."

"I did nothing wrong," I said.

"You hid something," he replied. "That is enough."

The elders were murmuring behind him. Elder Veyra stepped forward. "The prince's loyalty needs to be tested."

My father raised a hand. The murmuring came to an end at once.

"There will be no exile," he said. "No stripping of title. Not yet."

I let out a breath that I didn't know I had been holding in.

"But," he went on, "you are not to roam freely.

My body went rigid.

"From this day on," he said, "you will be on watch."

I met his gaze. "You want to cage me."

"I want to have that throne protected," he said. "From you, if I must."

A guard stepped into the room. He was tall, silent, heavy, controlled. I had seen him before. Shadow Guard Anderson. Best tracker in the Empire. Quiet. Loyal. Deadly.

"This is Anderson," my father said. "He is going to follow you everywhere."

I turned to Anderson. His face showed nothing. His eyes did not blink.

"He will eat when you eat," my father went on. "Train when you train. Sleep outside your door. You will not take a step with him you know."

"This is madness," I said.

"This is mercy," he replied. "If you wanted punishment, you would be chained already."

Anger burned in my chest. "You do not trust your own son."

"I trust power," he said. "And power has always failed me."

Silence filled the chamber.

"You will be attending council meetings," he added. "You will live within the palace grounds." No forest. No borders. No excuses."

I swallowed hard. "And if I refuse?"

His voice turned cold. "Then I will assume the worst."

I knew what that meant. He would hunt her - whoever she was, wherever she hid.

"I accept," I said.

Anderson shook his head once.

The meeting ended. The elders filed out. My father watched me until the doors were shut behind them.

"This is your last chance Ryder," he said quietly. "Do not make me choose between the empire and you."

He dismissed me with a wave.

Anderson followed me out. He walked two steps behind me, and close enough that I felt him at all times.

Back in my chambers, I tried to close the door. Anderson managed to stop it with one hand.

"I will stay outside," he said. "Always."

I nodded and stepped back.

The room felt smaller. The walls pressed in. I went to the window and looked at the distant forest. Somewhere behind those trees, Olivia was breathing. I felt it down in my chest, faint, but constant.

Leo stirred inside me. "We are trapped," he said.

"For now," I answered.

The hours dragged on. Anderson did not move. When I trained, he watched. When I ate, he stood nearby. When I was bathing he waited outside of the door. Worse than chains was his silence.

I had no privacy. No silence. No escape.

At night, I toss and turn in my bed staring at the ceiling. The bond pulsed faintly, steady and aching and reminding me of all that I had lost in one night.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on it.

"I am still here," I whispered in the dark.

The walls did not answer. The guard did not move.

But deep inside, I felt her presence.

I knew that hoping things would work out between Olivia and I was dangerous and seemed almost unrealistic but I couldn't help it. Every passing minute kept me tied to her.

All I wanted was Olivia and I would stop at nothing to defy ancient laws just for her.