Whoop finally reached 100 pages on the word doc for this story omg. Part is just a deleted thing I decided not to use BUT it still counts. Enjoy loves! This chapter is longer than usual I definitely thought it would be short as heck.

Chapter Twenty Two

Word has spread quickly of the body of the forest, like a disease finding new victims. It had started off as being blamed by an animal but that was twisted and played with until it was now blamed on the King, who should have never left the castle.

More people began leaving, scared because of the killing. They had believed they were fine before as it had been quite some time since the King had left the castle. But now with the body, no one thought they were safe anymore.

The castle had grown so quiet that it echoed throughout each hall. I seldom saw anyone else when I walked up to the King's room, excluding the times Sage and Todd were by my side. Even the cook had left, leaving us all to fend for ourselves. Sage and I took turns cooking while Shaterria would run into town and fetch anything needed.

I had taken the King back to the castle when Sage found and informed us that the councilmen were no longer there. Since then, King Sandalius had not left his room. I supposed I would not either if I was not sure whether I killed a man or not.

I had taken to keeping him company and making sure the curtains were drawn back in an attempt to at least expose him to the sun. Todd joined me each time, although he was reluctant. But as time passed, he'd grown to learn the King was not just a predator. Now, instead of slinking into a corner, he would sniff around the room in curiosity before finding something to mess with.

At the moment, I was with the King who was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands. I could see his thumbs rubbing his temples in a slow, circular motion as if trying to smooth out his irritations. However, it did not seem to be working because he'd been doing so for quite some time.

"Kieran," I murmured, hoping to catch his attention. I came upstairs every day in hopes of continuing the conditioning we'd been working on. I would talk to him and get him to walk around the room, sometimes guiding him downstairs when I assured him that most had already left. He would believe me occasionally, but for most days he did not, just as he hadn't today.

It had succeeded, his hazel eyes flickering up and studying mine. "Perhaps a walk will help? We do not have to stray far," I said, watching as he shook his head immediately.

Sage, who had been keeping Todd company, spoke up. "We can all walk downstairs. We do not have to leave the walls of the castle. Most have packed and left so we will most likely not encounter another." I looked at him briefly, giving him a thankful gaze, before walking closer to the King.

"I am not going downstairs. That is final," he said firmly, looking away from me and out the window. No matter how hard he worked, I could catch a glimpse of longing in his eyes. He'd experienced the outside world for the first time in a long time and had just begun to realize what he had been missing.

"You cannot continue to sit here moping like a child!" I snapped, both pairs of eyes turning towards me. I frowned, crossing my arms. "I will stand by what I said. I allowed you to take it easy for a bit because I knew this was hard but you cannot progress if you do not go anywhere but in this room. There's only so much we can do here," I said a little more softly, my voice losing the edge it had.

The King was improving, that much I could say with unwavering certainty. However, he was already beginning to retreat back into the man I had met before, losing his hope and any bit of change that had happened. Staying in this room would only continue his downward spiral until he crashed at the bottom.

Sage appeared a bit annoyed at my snapped, but that was something I had gotten used to. Kieran was his King and he was not fond of seeing another talk to him in any other manner than respect. So I simply shot him a look back before focusing on the King once again.

"Perhaps Sage can lead the way and scout for anyone. You will have a warning if we approach someone," I suggested, watching as he began rubbing his temples again.

I frowned. He was not paying the slightest attention to my idea. I walked towards him, grabbing his hands with my own and pulling them from his head. His eyes jumped towards mine, startled by the sudden interaction.

"If you do not try then we are going nowhere. I would be helping equally if I just left. Do you not understand this?" He continued watching me for a moment, neither one of us saying anything. It was not until Todd began scratching at the floor, breaking the silence, that he spoke again.

"We will go downstairs but only for a brief moment. I have no desire to spend more time than necessary." He was still looking at me, his stare unyielding. I nodded in reply before letting go of his hands and straightening up.

Sage was already walking towards the door, waiting by it. The King stood up and we walked towards Sage together. The second Sage opened the door, Todd ran out and towards the end of the hall, chattering excitedly to himself. He was not enjoying spending all of his time indoors, no matter how large the castle was.

We all left, going out of the hall and down the stairs. We then began walking, Todd having darted far ahead of us and disappearing. Sage was ahead as well but within view.

"When I was younger, it was impossible to walk within the castle without spotting another. However, now it seems to have completely reserves itself," the King said softly, looking at the empty halls and rooms surrounding him.

I was quiet, wondering whether he missed his past. Did he regret killing the man who had brought him here, the former King who had treated him as his own child? Or perhaps the man never crossed his mind.

As if reading my mind, he spoke again. "I prefer it this way. I used to walk throughout these halls and eyes would follow me no matter the occasion. I wore the same skin as them, yet they seemed to see me in a different light than they saw themselves." I frowned while nodding, understanding this too well.

"It is as if you are silently being shunned out. It is worse in a way than if they had simply voiced their opinions," I replied, gazing in front of us. I could hear him make a low sound, one of agreement.

"Do you miss the King and Queen?" I asked, hearing him scoff in reply.

"Behind closed doors, they did not act the same as they did when we were all in public," he started while we turned a corner heading closer towards the kitchen.

"They would smile and way when their staff and people were nearby, but when it was just us, they were strict. It was not easy for me to adjust to this new lifestyle but they did not care.

They were ruthless and punished me each time I failed to compress my natural instincts. They would tell me I was too animalistic and that they would throw me back out if I did not straighten up. By this time, the wolves were gone and I would have nowhere to return to. Despite what seems to be popular opinion, the witch helped me when she turned me into this."

I did not respond, unsure of how to do so. The former King had not been as kind and generous towards Keiran as he was portrayed, nor had Keiran been happy with them. He had been taken from the forest and brought into a place that walked around him with caution while I had been pushed from such a place into a forest that accepted me. Both were so different yet shared more similarities that I had noticed.

By the time we reached the kitchen, I could hear the castle doors yawning open. I walked away from the King and towards the front in time to see Shaterria coming in with bags while Todd darted outside.

"Todd!" I snapped, running outside. By the time I got there, he was nowhere to be seen. My lips turned down, my heart beating irregularly. He could be anywhere and so could the person who had killed the man.

"He will be fine. He can handle himself."

I turned, seeing Sage beside me, having run after me. I huffed, disagreeing but I knew his words were true in a sense. Although my little one was not capable of fending off a predator, he would know better than to trust a stranger.

"There is a reason Todd lives with me and not in the forest," I replied, glancing around once more before heading inside. I would go out and check for him in a bit.

We both headed for the kitchen, where we found the King helping Shaterria unload the bags of supplies for today's meal. It was my turn to cook and we had decided on steak, baked potatoes, and a fresh salad.

Once Shaterria and the King finished unloading everything, Shaterria turned towards me. "Perhaps we can all help you today. I have finished my errands and it does not seem as if you all were doing anything of importance. It will get done faster, yes?" she suggested, looking at the others.

"Have you ever cooked?" I asked, looking towards the King. He would be as useless as Todd in the kitchen.

He shook his head before finding a stool to sit on. "I will not be assisting as I do not think I will be much help. But I will watch," he said but it was my turn to disagree.

"You can help me with the salad. I will tell you what to do. Sage and Shaterria can do the rest," I said, looking at the others who nodded. The King stood up again and followed me, watching as I gathered the ingredients we would be needing.

"Grab two knives and a large bowl. It will make cutting the vegetables go faster," I instructed, bringing the ingredients with me and setting them on the counter. I could feel his presence nearby as I pulled out the tomatoes, handing them to him.

"You will cut these while I peel and slice the cucumbers," I said, looking at him for confirmation. He nodded, grabbing the tomatoes from me while I grabbed the other knife.

I could hear Shaterria and Sage talking lightly about nothing in particular while she baked the potatoes and he seared the steaks. I was peeling the second cucumber when I glanced over towards the King, pausing in my action.

"Have you ever seen your tomato cut like that in a salad?" I asked him, laughing despite the mess he had made. He had sliced the tomato into thick pieces meant for a hamburger if anything. Even that was messy as if he'd squeezed the tomato too hard and he had not cut off the top or bottom.

"Did I not tell you I have not cooked?" he replied back, but instead of harsh, his voice held a light tone to it. I smiled, taking the other tomato.

"Just cut those in half and we will make do with them. I will cut this one and perhaps you can do the last one correctly." I said, setting the tomato sideways before quickly cutting off both ends then flipping it back over.

I could feel the King's intense stare on me as I cut the tomato in half, cutting each half into another half again and again until they were bite size. I finished, placing them in the bowl and glancing up at the King.

"Are you capable of doing that much or can the precious royalty not handle a tomato?" I asked with an arched eyebrow, crossing my arms. I watched as his eyes sparked, a shine forming in them.

"And if I am, what do I receive in return? I believe when an animal is trained, you reward it, do you not?" he asked, causing me to nod. I fed those who ventured towards me in the forest, rewarding them for trusting me.

"What would you like? Perhaps do not aim too high. I do not have a lot of faith as it seems you squeezed the life out of the last one," I said, glancing at the all the tomato's juices on the counter.

"A night with you."

I blinked, anger rising at my first thought. "I am not-" I started, my voice growing with each word but he was quick to interrupt me, laughing.

"Do not think so crudely, Rowan. I simply meant spending time with you during the night, nothing more. I do not sleep well and would enjoy the company," he explained, causing me to blush. However, I did not look away, refusing to give him the satisfaction.

"Fine. Cut the last two tomatoes and Sage and I-"

He shook his head. "No, Sage will not be joining us. It will only be the two of us as he will not be needed. I will not pull him from his sleep too."

I hesitated, thinking about the first time I had met the King. Had it not been for Sage pulling me back, I would have been a victim of his anger, which had been caused by my own temper. They both did not work well together and the only buffer we had was Sage. Without Sage, there was no telling what would happen.

"If you can cut these two tomatoes perfectly I will agree to spend the night with you," I said after a minute. I then watched in amazement as he cut both tomatoes without hesitation.

I narrowed my eyes while he placed them in the bowl. "Did you lie? Have you cut them before?" I pressed, refusing to believe it was his first time anymore.

He smiled, shaking his head. "I am a quick learner. Did you truly believe I would not be able to cut a tomato? It was not a difficult task," he replied and I ignored him, handing him the head of lettuce.

"Tear this and put it in the bowl," I said, hearing his laughter after. "What?" I asked, annoyed.

"Are you competitive? Are you not able to accept the fact that I did as you asked?" I could tell from his tone that he was enjoying this, the fact that he had succeeded my expectations.

I frowned, throwing the cucumber slices into the bowl before moving on to the onion. Before I could peel off the first layer, I felt a hand brush along my cheek and causing me to drop my knife.

"Are you mad at me?" His tone had changed from light to now sounding confused. He had leaned closer, his face level with my own. I was startled, tempting to flee, but my back was already against the counter. His hazel eyes stared at me, searching for any clue.

"No," I replied shortly, at a loss for words. He watched me a moment longer as if attempting to check if I was telling the truth or not. "I am fine, Keiran. I am not mad," I added once I found my voice again. "Go back to tearing your lettuce. That is something you are decent at."

His expression changed back, clear or the confusion. I could hear him laugh before he went back to tearing the lettuce. I continued cutting the onion, thinking about how different he was. Even his personality had changed. He was no longer harsh and quick to anger. Yet, even just now, he still held the beautiful, mysterious aura of a wolf.