Page 70 of The Thren's Fated

The Sovereign was expecting them.

The room was eerily silent, all eyes on Lena as she stood before the Sovereign, who was seated on his magnificent throne.

His offspring sat on either side of him, Princess Vottol giving her a serious look as she made her proclamation before the Thren royalty.

“Oh, you are so certain that you are fated to my offspring,” the Sovereign said, a hint of laughter bubbling on the tip of his tongue. “You, a human.”

“I am. And I ask you to release him from his imprisonment and let him return to Henios with me.”

The Sovereign laughed, a deep tinkling noise that buzzed in her ear like an insect. Four eyes focused on her once more, darkening to almost black as they roved over her body.

“You are willing to prove it?”

Prove it? How could she prove what she felt inside?

“Yes,” she answered without thinking, without considering the consequences.

Vottol looked horrified as she sat on her throne, eyes glued to Lena.

“We shall see, then.”

The Sovereign nodded at one of the guards, who hurried from the room without a word. Tension strained the air, like a heavy raincloud ready to burst. Were they going to get Screl? And what did the Sovereign mean by proving their bond?

There was still so little she knew about Threns, but in her heart, she was certain she was doing the right thing. Already the hollowness in her chest was dissipating, filling with hope once more.

A few minutes later, there was a shuffling at the entryway, two guards escorting Screl until he stood in front of the dais.

A wave of melancholy washed over Lena, and she almost cried out, but kept her lips sealed, waiting for the Sovereign’s order. Screl eyed her with a look of pure fear, his hands restrained behind his back with cuffs similar to what he’d used on her.

“What are you doing here?”

His voice entered her head, though he hadn’t moved his mouth, the sensation comforting and strange at the same time.

“I don’t want you to be harmed.”

Lena knew her message was delivered, because Screl’s mouth curled ever so slightly, a smile that showed he was alright despite the dark bruises covering his bare chest and shoulders.

A sense of peace settled over her, even with the danger she knew they were in, the mere proximity of her fated telling her she’d done the right thing.

“My offspring, this human endorses your claims that she is your fated.”

Screl stood tall, glaring at his father in a way that he hadn’t been able to the last time everyone was in this room.

“Free us, then. Allow us to go to Henios,” he said, but the Sovereign just laughed.

“I will accept your renouncement and allow you to leave if you can prove to me that you two have bonded. You will enact the joining for all of us to see.”

A jolt lanced through Lena’s chest, Screl’s anger and her fear melding together until they became indistinguishable from each other. She raged too, horrified that this awful male would force his own son to do something like this.

But enough was enough. No matter what her feelings were, she wouldn’t let this tyrant dictate what happened to Screl. Clearly, he had harmed his son in ways she would probably never understand, but it stopped here.

“We’ll do it,” Lena said firmly, and Screl’s eyes met hers, wide with shock.

“You do not have to, amoreth. It will be difficult, but you will survive without me.”

“I want to. I won’t let him win. I won’t let him hurt you anymore.”

The Sovereign laughed, a deep and throaty sound that echoed to the ceiling as he glanced at his guards.