Auctioned to the Cruel King - Chapter 41: Chapter 41

Kayla’s POV
The balcony was colder tonight. Or maybe it was just me.
I sat cross-legged on the lounge cushion, a fur throw wrapped around my shoulders. The weather tonight promised lots of rain, but not like I was sure. It wasn't the first time the sky had clouded this much without it actually raining.
Below, the courtyard was nearly silent, save for the shifting rustle of trees swaying in the wind. I stared into the dark, the soft glow of the lanterns below barely touching the looming shadows. It should’ve brought peace, this quiet, this moment of stillness. But my thoughts refused to still.
Three nights.
That was what Alaric had said—three nights until the full moon.
I swallowed the knot forming in my throat. My fingers found the pendant around my neck—the one Lance had fastened with such trembling control just hours ago. It still pulsed faintly against my skin, not with warmth, but a cold, whispering sort of weight. Something had shifted then. Something dark.
If something in your gut says run—don’t wait.
I squeezed the fur, eyes lifting to the sky.
Was what Alaric said really true? That Lance won't be himself? That he shifted without warning? Even the physician had stated something close and the more I thought about them all, the more uneasy I grew.
Curse me. And just when I thought I could pretend this was a life I might want... Another issue came up. An ugly twist of reality. I wasn’t safe here either.
A gust of wind dragged my hair across my cheek, and I tucked it behind my ear with a sigh.
Movement below caught my attention.
Unmistakable, Vivian’s hair glinted under the courtyard lights. She was pacing, arms folded tight across her chest as she spoke with—Alaric?
My eyes narrowed, and I leaned in.
They were speaking fast but the damn wind won't let me listen in. All I caught were fragments—gestures, clenched fists, Alaric’s occasional glance around like he didn’t want to be seen.
Then—
“Vivian!”
I was shocked to see that it was him. His voice had sliced through the air like a whip, deep and commanding, laced with thunder that hadn’t yet cracked the sky.
He emerged from the far corridor, draped in a loose, dark robe and low-hanging pants, looking every bit the predator prowling his own kingdom. And angry. So very angry.
Vivian turned sharply, her expression shadowed from this distance. She said something I couldn’t catch, but Lance stepped in, eyes burning. I strained to listen, cursed this wind, cursed the distance, cursed how stupid I felt just watching.
I could only watch as Vivian tried to retreat, to turn away but Lance’s hand shot out, grabbing her wrist. Words flew from him. Then—he released her.
She yanked her hand back, face tight with something I didn’t quite understand. Fear or shame, or maybe a touch of both. Lance turned sharply, barking an order toward Alaric who nodded and left with long, urgent strides.
Thunder rolled overhead, the first deep, rumbling warning.
I stood when Lance withdrew, stepping back from the edge of the balcony as the sky crackled. It was time to go inside. I shut the balcony doors and drew the curtain, my heart still fluttering beneath my ribs. My hands brushed the pendant again, colder now than before. I couldn’t explain why it felt like something had just shifted again.
Or maybe it was me.
A soft knock pulled me from my thoughts.
“Come in,” I called.
Moira stepped inside. “It’s time for dinner.”
“I’ll take it here, please.” I gave her a small smile, one I didn’t entirely feel. “Not in the mood to... venture out tonight.”
She nodded, either understanding too much or choosing not to ask. “Alright. I’ll have it sent up.”
She closed the door softly behind her. I took a breath. Just one. And returned to wondering what might have happened to warrant Lance to be that angry, but it all just reminded me of the kind of man he’d been a few weeks ago.
Another knock came after a couple of minutes passed. The door opened and this time, it wasn’t Moira. Vivian strolled in, holding a silver tray. My spine went rigid, though my face never showed it.
“Oh,” she said with a half-smile. “You said you wanted your dinner up here, didn’t you?”
She didn’t wait for a reply, just walked in like she owned the damn palace, placed the tray down on the low table near the window, and turned, casting a slow, deliberate gaze around the room.
“Now that I think of it, this could hardly pass as the Luna’s chambers,” she said, her voice lilting with fake sweetness. “Honestly... it’s a bit underwhelming. Don’t you think? I’d have gone with something more... regal, being the queen that is. This color palette is just so drab.”
I tilted my head, staring at her. “And did you just refer to yourself as queen?”
She smirked. “Why not? What do you think? Wouldn’t I make a fine one?”
I didn’t reply. Not because I agreed, but because I wasn’t going to feed her delusions.
She wandered toward the cabinet, scanning it like it belonged to her. “Do you have wine? I need a drink.”
Without waiting for an answer, she poured herself a glass, her fingers pale around the rim as she turned toward me again.
“You’re not going to eat?”
I looked at the food she’d brought and wondered where Moira was and why she hadn’t been the one to bring it.
Vivian caught the hesitation in my gaze and grinned. “Oh. You’re wondering if I poisoned it, aren’t you?”
It’s a crime I never did consider that.
She plucked a drumstick from the roasted duck, dipped it in the red sauce, and took a bite, moaning dramatically. “Mmm. Still hot. Robert’s seasoning is perfection. Shame to let it go to waste.”
She chewed slowly, sipping her wine. “Relax. I don’t operate like that. Poisoning you wouldn’t end well for me. Especially with how Lance is lately.” She leaned against the table, swirling the wine in her glass. “You’ve noticed, haven’t you?”
I said nothing.
“Anyway,” she went on, “if I were to kill you, I’d at least make it look like an accident. Slipping on those marble steps, for instance.” She took another sip. “But I wouldn’t. Five people saw me come up here though I didn’t memorize a single one of their faces.”
“How comforting,” I said flatly. “What are you doing here, Vivian? Really?”
She tilted her head, eyes glinting. “I saw you watching us.”
I didn’t flinch. “And?”
“And I thought... maybe I should come up and share what we were talking about. Since you seemed so interested.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were,” she said, walking to the center of the room. “You leaned so far over that balcony, I thought you’d fall trying to listen. Which, honestly, would’ve made my job easier.”
I crossed my arms. “Get to the point.”
She laughed, setting her wine down. “It’s a pity seeing that you know nothing of Lance. You know me and Lance we go way back. Same with Ric.”
Damn it. This again.
“You mention it every chance you get,” I snapped. “And never used honorific.”
Vivian shrugged. “That’s what knowing someone intimately gets you. Privileges.” She smiled. “And non-intimately too, if you catch my meaning.”
I exhaled slowly, trying not to show just how much that irritated me.
“You’re not going to ask?”
“Whatever it is you three have going on, I don’t want to know,” I said. “It sounds like the kind of secret that keeps people up at night.”
She drained her glass. “Smarter than I gave you credit for.” Walking to the door, she added, “Well… good luck, tonight and the nights to come. I hope you can handle him, given it’s that time of the month.”
That again!
“What did you say?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “Hmm?”
“You said it’s that time of the month. What do you mean by that?”
Vivian grinned. “Oh, so he hasn’t told you? How long have you been in this palace and you still don’t know?”
I didn’t answer.
“Interesting… I wonder how he’s managed to control it all these weeks. Only the same can’t be said this time around.”
Her words mirrored Alaric’s far too perfectly.
“Control what?” I needed more intel. “Tell me.”
“Look at you. All ears now. You should see yourself—eyes wide, like a pup in the woods.”
“Tell me or just leave.”
“Oh please,” she snorted. “Don’t do that whole ‘I don’t care’ act again. It’s depressing.” She studied me for a beat too long. “Well, during this period each month, he can be a little extra. Not the shift you may have seen before.”
My skin prickled.
Vivian’s lips curled. “He’s more rabid. Wild. With a thirst. A… need.”
“A need for what?” I asked, heart hammering.
Vivian took her time.
“A need to take. To dominate. To kill. To fuck.” She said it like a whip crack, her eyes locked to mine. “And not gently, dear Kayla. This isn’t candlelit kisses and whispered love that you bragged about. Someone like you may not last an hour.” She smiled. “I’ve said too much.”
Viv turned to leave.
I must’ve gone mad because I grabbed her wrist. “No—just tell me.”
She ripped free. “What is it with you two thinking you can order me around?” Her eyes flashed. “I’m not some handmaid for you to clutch.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, stepping back. “I didn’t mean to—”
Viv didn’t wait for the rest. She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Fuck?