Chapter 5 #2
But as they walked through the opulent corridors, Tess began to understand. Her practical Earth wardrobe—designed for laboratory work and efficiency—felt woefully inadequate in a place where even the servants wore elegant attire that looked hand-tailored.
“Size eight for clothes, seven for shoes,” she said finally, her cheeks still warm. “It’s very kind of the prince to think of my comfort.”
Though why he’s concerned about my comfort is another question entirely.
They soon descended the grand staircase, Gabrielle moving with the fluid confidence of someone who’d navigated this estate for years, while Tess found herself constantly distracted by architectural details and artwork.
“Will you be joining us for lunch?” Tess asked as they approached a set of ornate double doors that presumably led to the dining room.
Gabrielle’s smile turned apologetic. “Staff doesn’t dine with the royal family. But I’ll be around if you need me later. Enjoy your meal, Dr. Holt.”
“Thank you for everything, Gabrielle.”
The attendant’s eyes warmed. “It’s my pleasure, Dr. Holt.”
Then Tess was alone before the imposing doors, taking a steadying breath before pushing them open.
The formal dining room beyond was every bit as opulent as the rest of the estate—vaulted ceilings adorned with crystal chandeliers, walls lined with portraits of stern-looking bear shifter ancestors, and a mahogany table that could easily seat twenty people.
Afternoon light streamed through tall windows, casting everything in golden warmth despite the snow visible beyond the glass.
Korran rose the moment she entered, his massive frame unfolding with predatory grace.
The movement seemed automatic, ingrained courtesy, but the way his dark eyes tracked her approach suggested nothing merely polite about his attention.
He stepped closer to guide her to the chair beside his, one large hand hovering near her elbow without quite touching.
The heat radiating from his body made her skin tingle with awareness, and she caught that same pine and spice scent that had scrambled her thoughts earlier.
He’s just being polite. Professional courtesy.
But the intensity in his gaze—the way his pupils dilated slightly when she looked up at him—suggested something far from professional. Something that made her heart skip and her rational mind reach for logical explanations.
Focus. Be professional. He’s just intense.
She settled into the chair he’d indicated, hyperaware of his proximity as he took his own seat beside her. The dining table suddenly felt too intimate, despite its size, with only four place settings clustered at one end.
Her attention shifted to the head of the table, where King Voran sat with his wife beside him, and her heart clenched with familiar grief.
The king looked exactly like her mother had during those final months—still commanding in posture and expression, but with that telltale frailty that spoke of a body fighting a losing battle.
His eyes remained sharp and intelligent, but his skin had the pale, drawn quality she remembered too well.
The way he held himself spoke of someone conserving energy, measuring each movement against limited reserves.
Don’t stare. Don’t let your own grief interfere with your objectivity.
But it was impossible not to see her mother in his careful movements, the way Queen Lysia hovered with barely concealed worry, the forced normalcy of a family meal when death lurked at the edges.
Korran’s presence beside her became an anchor point—solid, warm, intensely alive in contrast to his father’s obvious decline. She found herself wanting to lean into that strength.
Get it together. You’re here to save the king, not fall apart from your own grief.
Queen Lysia smiled as servants appeared with their dishes, the aroma of roasted meat and seasoned vegetables filling the air. “I thought we could discuss Voran’s condition while we eat, to give you a better understanding of what we’re dealing with.”
Tess nodded, grateful for the distraction from her emotional response. “I’d appreciate that very much.”
“It began about ten years ago,” the queen continued, her composed expression not quite hiding the pain in her blue eyes. “We noticed Voran wasn’t recovering as quickly from injuries or illnesses. His strength wasn’t what it had always been.”
The king’s weathered features tightened almost imperceptibly. “At first, we assumed it was simply aging. Even bear shifters aren’t immune to time’s effects,” Voran said, his voice measured but slightly breathless.
Queen Lysia’s face darkened with something that looked like disgust. “Others thought it was the human-shifter mate bond affecting his body somehow—attacking his shifter cells differently than my human ones. That’s supposedly why I’m not sick while he is.”
Human-shifter mate bond?
Tess set down her fork, scientific curiosity overriding social convention. “What exactly is a mate bond? Could it affect cellular structure?”
Korran spoke for the first time since her arrival, his voice carrying an edge of tension.
“I’ve studied shifter biology extensively.
The mate bond forms between fated pairs—it’s both emotional and physiological.
When mates complete the bond, it does create changes in both partners, physically and emotionally.
It absolutely can alter cellular function over time. ”
Fated pairs. Like soulmates?
“But has this been studied extensively enough to prove causation?” Tess pressed, her analytical mind engaging despite the strange flutter in her chest at the word ‘fated.’ “Correlation doesn’t necessarily indicate—“
“We’ve been conducting research investigations,” Korran interrupted, though he looked distinctly uncomfortable. “Varix, our head healer, believes this theory based on his preliminary data. So five years ago, he developed a yearly immunity booster to counteract the cellular changes.”
Something about his tone set off alarm bells in Tess’s mind. The way he avoided his father’s eyes, the tension radiating from his powerful frame, the careful neutrality in his voice when discussing something that should be deeply personal.
There’s more to this story.
“I’d need to examine the data and methodology,” she said carefully. “I’m not familiar with mate bond physiology, so I can’t make assumptions about how it might affect cellular structure.”
The family dynamic around the table grew increasingly strained as the meal progressed.
Korran maintained rigid posture, never quite meeting his father’s gaze.
Queen Lysia’s composure cracked occasionally, revealing flashes of hurt when she looked at her son.
King Voran seemed to shrink further into himself, as if the weight of unspoken accusations pressed down on his already weakened frame.
This isn’t just about medical stress. There’s something deeper fracturing this family.
Finally, Queen Lysia set down her napkin with decisive finality. “Korran, why don’t you drive Tess to the medical facilities now? She should get acquainted with the space and the team.”
Korran’s jaw tightened, his knuckles going white where they gripped his water glass. “Very well, Mother.”
The prince’s behavior made no logical sense. Wouldn’t he want to be actively involved in his father’s recovery if he knew so much about shifter biology? And why does it seem like one moment he’s overly attentive to her and the next moment he’s actively trying to avoid her?
Unless there’s something he doesn’t want me to discover.
Tess had never been one to tolerate secrets or half-truths, especially when lives hung in the balance.
She had two weeks to solve a decade-long medical mystery, prove her capabilities, and save a dying king.
She couldn’t afford to dance around whatever political or personal dynamics were complicating this situation.
Time to get some real answers, whether Prince Korran likes it or not.