The Princess In A ‘Prince’ Disguise (Beasts of Wrath and Madness #1)

5. THE SYREN

Chapter five

THE SYREN

Emeriel returned to his chambers after being thrown out of the southern wing, only to find Amie waiting for him, saying Madam Livia wanted to see him.

He was panicking. His secret was out. Had the head maid reported him? Was she calling him to blackmail him?

With his heart in his throat, he knocked on Madam Livia's door and was allowed in.

"Sit down," the older woman said, walking to the table where she mixed herbs.

Emeriel obeyed. He was so nervous that his legs bounced.

The head maid came back with a wooden cup. "Drink this."

Emeriel fought the urge to ask what was in it. Taking what was offered, he drank it all in one gulp. The bitter taste was so bad it took all his willpower not to spit it out.

The older woman walked away and began cutting another set of dry leaves while Emeriel watched her.

"Chew on this," Madam Livia instructed, giving him some seeds, and Emeriel did as told. "I know you must be sore all over after the night you had. These will help with the pain, bruises, and soreness."

"Thank you, madam." Emeriel's blue eyes showed his gratitude.

His body hurt badly, and the soreness in his private areas made it hard to walk without discomfort. It was hard not to walk with his legs apart.

A hush settled in the air.

But the waiting was too much for him.

"Why are you not asking me questions?" Emeriel asked, at last, looking at her.

She stood by the fireplace, her eyes thoughtful but unreadable.

"I thought about it all night—haven't thought of much else. You are taking a great risk, Prince Emeriel."

"I do not have a choice."

"Mm," Madam Livia hummed. "I have been thinking about what to do. Should I report this to Grand Lord Vladya? Should I—"

"No!" Emeriel dropped to his knees immediately. "Please, you cannot tell anyone!"

Madam Livia pressed her lips together and looked away. "I wish I did not know. If this comes out, I would be punished with you."

"Please, do not! I will do anything!" he begged, his voice filled with desperation.

The madam sighed, rubbing her forehead as if she had developed a headache. "It does not matter what you do. Nothing matters if you are caught. Everyone who knows about this will be punished just as harshly."

"I will swear no one knew!" Emeriel promised. "Not you, not Amie, not my sister. I will keep denying it until I die. I swear on my parents' graves."

On his knees, Emeriel moved closer, taking the older woman’s hand in his. "I would never do anything to put you in danger for helping me, Madam Livia."

The older woman said nothing, her eyes carefully studying him.

At last, her eyes softened. "How have you stayed hidden? How have you managed to hide your secret for this long?"

Emeriel looked away, unsure how to answer. "It has not been easy," he answered truthfully.

He had been male all his life, but all he wanted was to be who he truly was—a female.

Emeriel wanted to wear gowns and petticoats instead of surcoats and tunics. He longed to let his hair down and wear jewelry. It was his greatest wish. All kept buried deep inside.

But it was impossible.

His parents had risked everything to make him male. To protect him. They suffered a lot to make sure he lived like that. Emeriel would not let all they worked for be wasted.

If the heavens answered wishes and prayers, his sister would find a good match one day. A man who would protect her with his life and keep her safe from the dangers of being female.

And Emeriel would live as a male for the rest of his life. No hope for a match, no hope for love, no hope for children.

Alone .

He had known this since he was old enough to understand that his life was not his own. But he had accepted it long ago.

"If it was bad before, it will be worse in the future," Livia said, breaking his thoughts. "You are a Syren."

Emeriel frowned as Madam Livia added, "At least, I think that's what the Urekai call people like you."

A Syren?

Emeriel shifted uneasily, feeling confused. "What does that mean?"

"It is what the Urekai call non-Urekai who can go into heat. It means you are able to bond with a Urekai. Your body is changed enough to mate with them, with new glands and all. Hades, you might even be a Soulbond ."

Now, he felt even more confused. His face must have shown it because Madam Livia took a deep breath and nodded. "Very well, let us start again. What do you know about Urekai bonds and bondmates?"

"I know that what humans call marriage, Urekai call bonding," Emeriel began. "It is rare for a Urekai to find their Soulbond : the one person meant to be their true partner. Their soulmate. Most Urekai pair up through contracted bonding—they choose their own partners. Not because they do not want the mate nature made for them, but because finding a Soulbond is extremely rare."

"Good, good. You are right so far," Madam Livia said with a smile. "This will make it easier. Go on."

"Um," Emeriel thought hard, searching his memory. "I know contracted bonds are very hard to create. There are rituals and steps to follow, and even then, the bond might not form if their souls do not connect. But for Soulbonds , the souls connect naturally, and the bond is said to be ten times stronger.”

"Excellent." Livia nodded. "I will take it from here. Do you remember what happened last night? Have you ever felt anything like it before?"

Emeriel shook his head.

"You went into heat," Madam Livia stated. "It is like menstruation for human females, but more complicated. Also, while menstruation happens monthly, heat does not follow a set cycle. It might happen once every three months or twice in one month—it is different for every Urekai female and syren. What this means is, you are a syren now, so you can marry a Urekai."

Grand Lord Vladya walked with regal grace as he approached the forbidden chambers.

With his hands behind his back, he moved with poise, dressed in a long, flowing white robe decorated with detailed golden patterns. The fabric trailed behind him like a river of silk as he walked.

People quickly stepped aside, bowing deeply until their heads nearly touched the ground. Turning toward the southern wing, he followed the corridor leading to the forbidden chambers.

The soldiers bowed as he approached.

He dismissed them with a wave.

Vladya waited until the hallway was empty before stepping toward the massive metal gates, made of iron rods strong enough to resist the Urekai’s immense power.

These gates fortified all the dungeons in Ravenshadow Fortress and had held Urekai prisoners for over a thousand years. They were the strongest of their kind.

But Daemonikai had broken through these gates four times. Four separate times. Effortlessly .

The people believed the beast was locked behind the gates, unable to escape. But in truth, it stayed there because it wanted to.

Inside, the room was completely dark. Pitch black to humans and young Urekai.

But to someone as ancient as Vladya, with his heightened vision, it was as clear as daylight. The space was vast and mostly empty, with no decorations.

His eyes landed on the girl. She lay curled protectively into herself, unmoving.

As he stepped closer, the beast’s scent reached his nose. His own beast stirred inside him, growling at the presence.

Vladya turned toward the huge, powerful form of the king beast, its yellow eyes locked on him. The beast growled, stepping closer.

Vladya stood still, forcing himself to stay calm and unthreatening, trying to appear as harmless as possible. If the beast sensed danger, it would attack. And as a mindless creature, Daemonikai surely would.

It had happened before, leaving Vladya with scars that reminded him he had lost his best friend forever.

The beast circled him, its movements slow and predatory, showing its annoyance at Vladya’s presence in its territory.

Stopping in front of Vladya, it loomed close, towering over him. Then, leaning in, its snout extended, the king beast waited. It wanted to assert dominance.

Vladya’s own beast growled angrily inside him, furious at the challenge. But holding back his beast and every alpha instinct, Vladya lowered his head and tilted it to the side in submission.

The feral beast pressed its snout against Vladya’s neck, sniffing deeply. Unsatisfied, it released aggressive pheromones, trying to provoke Vladya’s beast.

Vladya shut his eyes tightly, enduring the sharp, needle-like pain in every part of his body. He did not respond.

Finally, the beast seemed satisfied. It pulled back, turned, and walked back to its favorite spot behind another set of iron bars.

The danger was avoided.

Vladya exhaled deeply, his tension fading. Turning, he moved toward the girl, planning to lift her lifeless body. But as he got closer, he stopped.

She was still breathing.

He could see bloodstains and bruises around her private area, but she was alive...in one piece. What in the world?

Looking closer, he noticed grab marks, burns from the beast’s snout, and other bruises all over her body. Yet, aside from those, the girl was unharmed .

Vladya had not expected this. Shock froze him in place.

When a Urekai beast went feral, the instinct to kill was so strong that some believed it was even greater than both bloodlust and sexual need.

A wild beast’s touch always led to death. No matter what it did, the end result was always...death.

Even if she had survived, Vladya thought he would find her torn into pieces. But here she was, whole.

And she had been in this chamber all night. How was this possible?

Vladya glanced at the beast. Its yellow eyes, still empty of recognition, glared at him. Then he looked back at the girl on the floor. How is this happening?

A small flicker of hope stirred inside him. Vladya pushed it away.

It had taken him a hundred years to accept that his best friend’s mind was gone forever. And it had taken additional months of healing from the near-fatal wounds the same beast had given him to make that realization final.

Do not do this to yourself again, Vladya. Daemonikai is gone. He had the scars to prove it.

Bending down, Vladya carefully picked up the unconscious girl. His eyes were drawn to her left arm, which had more bruises than the rest of her body.

It had multiple grab marks and snout burns. The beast had repeatedly pressed its nose to her arm, smelling her scent there more than anywhere else.

But why? None of this makes sense.

Outside the forbidden chambers, Vladya saw two guards approaching. They locked the metal gates behind them, securing the chamber.

"Tell the head maid, Livia, that I summon her to Blackstone," he ordered.