Bound to the Outcast Beast King

I was the only female in the Golden Feather Clan born with a complete, pure, and powerful beast core. The priestess prophesied that I would become Queen of All Beastfolk and bear the cub destined to unite the Twelve Clans. From that day on, every eligible male saw me as the perfect mate. But I only ever loved one person: my childhood sweetheart, Ronan. Everyone was certain I would end up with Ronan. I waited three years for him, helped him secure his place in the clan, and claimed victory after victory in battle. Instead, he cast the only bonding ring I'd ever have into the mud and crushed it under his heel. Then he fastened the silver fang necklace, a symbol of lifelong protection, around the neck of Selena, the White Deer healer. Taking her hand, he sneered at me. "You can go ahead and bond with some pus-covered Rotskin Beastmen for all I care. I still wouldn't go back to you." Just like that, I stepped down from the altar. A monster covered in festering sores crouched in the mud, cleaning my bonding ring. He couldn't speak. He didn't even bear a clan mark. Every beastfolk shrank away from him in disgust. That monster was afraid of dirtying what belonged to me. He tore the only clean strip of cloth from the lining of his cloak and carefully wiped the mud away, bit by bit. I cut my finger and let a drop of blood fall at his feet. "My name is Evelyn. "Will you bond with me?" Three years later, we crossed paths again. When Ronan realized I was pregnant, he lost his mind. Chapter 1 I was the only female of this generation in the Golden Feather Clan born with a complete beast core. From the day I was born, the priestess declared that I would become the queen of all beastfolk and bear the cub destined to unite the Twelve Clans. Three years in a row, I offered him my bonding ring at the Moon Festival. And he had refused me for three years. The first year, he claimed the war was still ongoing on the northern border. The second year, his excuse was that he hadn't inherited the Black Wolf Knights yet. The third year, he told me he didn't want me to suffer with him. On the eve of the fourth Moon Festival, he came to find me beneath the Golden Feather Tree. He took my hand and promised, "Evelyn, tomorrow I'll accept the bonding ring. "This time, I promise you the grandest bonding ceremony." That single promise washed away three years of hurt. I could already picture what would happen: blood would awaken the bonding ring, and the blessings of the Twelve Clans would pour down upon us. But the next day, the moment I held out the bonding ring woven from goldvine, he raised his wolf's paw and sent it flying. The ring tumbled off the altar and landed in the mud. The entire crowd fell silent. A great weight seemed to have finally lifted from Ronan's shoulders. He turned and walked over to Selena. Selena was a wandering healer from the White Deer Clan. Dressed in a pristine white gown, she had a slender neck and gentle eyes. Right before my eyes, Ronan placed the silver fang necklace, the symbol of lifelong protection, around Selena's neck. That necklace was something a Black Wolf male would only give to the mate he was willing to die for. The whispers around us erupted, their buzzing filling my ears. My throat tightened. "You promised me last night." He didn't look at me. "I promised because I thought I could go through with it. "But the moment I stood on this altar, I realized I didn't want to spend the rest of my life living under the shadow of that prophecy." He finally turned around. His eyes were pure ice, stripped of all warmth. "Everyone says that if I marry you, I'll become Prince Consort. I can't help feeling that all the military honors I earned by risking my life on the border are worth less than a single divine prophecy declaring you the chosen queen. "Evelyn, I've had enough." A chill ran through me. "So you stomped my bonding ring into the mud in front of everyone?" Selena tugged gently at Ronan's sleeve. "Ronan, don't be so harsh. Evelyn just depends on you too much." She looked at me, her voice soft and sweet. "I'm leaving for the Moonless Wasteland to search for a lost healing art. Ronan only agreed to escort me because it would be too dangerous to travel alone. You have the divine prophecy naming you the chosen queen and your entire clan behind you. Unlike you, I have no one to rely on. I'm lucky I found Ronan." Every word masqueraded as an attempt to smooth things over, yet with each one, she claimed the place that should have been mine as though it were rightfully hers. Ronan frowned. "Three years. You've pushed me for three years. Isn't that enough? "I won't bond with you today." I looked at him. "Ronan, if you walk off this altar, there'll be no future for us." He laughed. "You say that every year, but you would never let go of me." He took Selena's hand. "You can go ahead and bond with some pus-covered Rotskin Beastman for all I care. I still wouldn't go back to you." Then he led Selena down from the altar. No one spoke. No one dared look at me. The noble females who had envied me moments earlier all turned away, as though my misfortune might rub off on them. I stood there for what felt like forever, until someone let out a soft gasp. "That creature... picked up the bonding ring." I followed the crowd's gaze. At the very edge of the altar stood a beastman draped in a tattered cloak. He was tall, but his back was hunched. His bare arms were covered in dark red sores, festering sores, some already split open, with cloudy fluid oozing down his skin. The beastfolk around him backed away in revulsion. He bent down and picked up the bonding ring from the mud. His hands were filthy, yet he never touched the ring with his bare hands. He tore the only clean piece of cloth from the inside of his cloak and carefully wiped away the mud. My chest tightened. I descended from the altar one step at a time. The closer I got, the stronger the stench of corrupted blood became. He retreated the moment he saw me approaching, only a broken sound escaping his throat. He was warning me to stay away. I stopped in front of him. "None of them would even touch it. You were the only one willing to pick it up." He raised his head. Beneath the hood was a face covered with festering sores, but his eyes still shone. I cut my finger and let my blood fall onto the bonding ring. "My name is Evelyn. "Will you bond with me?" He froze. Someone in the crowd finally shouted. "Have you lost your mind? He doesn't even have a clan mark! How can someone from the Golden Feather Clan bond with... that?" I didn't glance back at the crowd. He was silent for a long time. Then slowly, he extended his hand, nicked his fingertip, and let his blood fall. The dim bonding ring blazed to life with a silver-white glow. That was not the bonding glow of a low-ranking beastman. Only the White Lion royal bloodline bore that color. But in that moment, no one recognized it. I did not recognize it, either. All I saw was him holding the bonding ring with his claws retracted, refusing to let their sharp tips touch me. In that moment, I let go of everything I'd held onto for Ronan. From that day on, we were done. Chapter 2 Three years later, I was pregnant. I left the Moonwell Apothecary with a bundle of moonmilk moss and cubberries. Kaelren was away from the capital. Three days earlier, he had left for the northern border to investigate the mysterious disappearances of unmarked beastfolk in recent years. Before he left, he sewed me a cloak. The stitching was crooked and uneven, as though a cub had done the sewing, but he'd added two extra layers of soft hide over the belly. He still struggled to speak, so he wrote on a wooden board. "Capital is windy. Cold." I had just pulled the cloak tight when a familiar voice called from behind me. "Evelyn?" I stopped short. It was Ronan. Three years had passed. Ronan had officially taken command of the Black Wolf Knights, and the wolf markings on his shoulders had grown darker than before. Selena clung to his arm, the silver fang necklace still hanging around her neck. She noticed my cloak first. A flicker of disdain crossed her face. "So it really is you. I almost didn't recognize you. The future chief of the Golden Feather Clan, dressed like some rogue beastfolk crawling out of a rotting swamp." She turned to Ronan, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Darling, she's had such a miserable life since she left you. I still remember how she used to strut around, acting like all your glory was because of her." Disgust flickered across Ronan's face as he glanced past me. "Where's that Rotskin Beastman of yours?" As a Golden Feather, my pregnancy would have caused an uproar, so I wore a special charm. They masked my mate's scent along with the cub's. Ronan could not detect a thing. Something seemed to click for him. His expression eased. "Dead?" Selena let out a soft sigh. "His corrupted blood had already progressed that far. The fact that he survived another three years was remarkable. Evelyn, you don't need to feel ashamed. We all make mistakes when we're young." I looked at her. "He's alive and well." Ronan clearly did not believe me. "If he's alive, why isn't he at the apothecary with you? You're alone, carrying medicine, dressed like this—" Suspicion flickered in his eyes, followed by a trace of pity. "Quit putting on a brave face." I glanced down at the cloak. Kaelren couldn't sew. The first time he picked up a needle, his claws punched straight through three layers of hide. Frustrated, he hurled the needle into a crack in the wall. Later, he fished it back out and sat by the hearth, stitching for two full nights. The stitches were rough and uneven, but they could only have come from sincere devotion. He had carefully sanded every barb smooth before sewing the extra layer of soft hide over my belly. Ronan had no right to judge him. I pulled the cloak tighter. "I'm doing well." Ronan frowned. "Evelyn, enough. I'm back from the Moonless Wasteland, and I'm ready to bond." Selena lowered her gaze, though her smile was impossible to hide. "Why do you keep trying to get Ronan's attention like this? You're destined to be nothing more than a secondary mate." Ronan looked at Selena and declared, "Selena will be my mate. "As for you, considering how sincerely you once loved me, I can keep you as my secondary mate. Stop throwing a fit. I won't hold any of this against you." Beastfolks passing by began to slow down and stare. A secondary mate could live in a noble's castle, but she had no claim to a seat on the council or to any lands, and her cubs could not inherit the family crest. Three years ago, everyone saw me as Ronan's rightful mate and the future Duchess of House Black Wolf. Three years later, Ronan offered me a place as his secondary mate as though it were a gift. Selena's voice remained gentle. "Don't feel wronged. Ronan is only offering this opportunity to you for old times' sake. That's far better than clinging to some monster who's probably lying dead somewhere." Ronan frowned at me. "That's enough. Stop letting your pride get in the way. My fingers found the cracked fang pendant hidden in the cloak. You need to depend on me to get what you want." My fingers found the cracked fang pendant hidden inside the cloak. Kaelren had snapped off a small piece of one of his fangs. The cub in my belly had been restless, but the familiar scent slowly soothed it. I looked up at Ronan. "I belong to him. He's my mate." Ronan's expression darkened. "How long are you going to keep being so stubborn? Do you really think marrying a low-ranking monster proves I chose wrong? "Evelyn, every act of your little rebellion is painfully obvious." I almost laughed. Three years ago, he was certain I would never leave. Three years later, despite all the proof that I had moved on, he still believed my life revolved around him. I decided to leave. Two blades crossed in front of me. Black Wolf knights blocked my path. Ronan raised his hand. "Go to the Moon Bond Hall. Bring me her bonding record from three years ago. Today, I'm going to find out exactly who she bonded with." I turned back. "Ronan, you have no right to do that." He stepped close, lowering his voice. "Whether I have that right isn't your decision to make. You waited for me all those years. There's no way you could have truly fallen in love with a monster." Chapter 3 That Black Wolf knight returned quickly with a blood-bond tablet in both hands. The tablet lit up. The blood patterns Kaelren and I had left three years ago appeared in perfect clarity. Only one name was registered: Kael. No clan mark. Lifelong mate bond. The mate bond has remained stable for three years. No mate death has been recorded. No bond deterioration has been detected. Ronan stared at the tablet for a long time. "It's fake." The knight bowed his head. "My lord, this record came directly from the master stone at the Moon Bond Hall. The same stone preserves the bond records of every mated pair across the Twelve Clans. Forgery is impossible." Ronan's head snapped up. "You actually bonded with him?" "You watched it happen three years ago." "I thought you were just trying to spite me!" His voice rose sharply. Everyone around us turned to stare. I looked at him calmly. "Ronan, not everyone's life orbits around you." His expression twisted. "What right does a thing without even a clan mark—one that can't even maintain its beast form—have to be the mate of the Golden Feather? "Come back to the castle with me. I'll have this ridiculous bond dissolved." I ignored him and was ready to walk away. He grabbed my wrist. His grip tightened until his fingertips nearly dug into my flesh. "I said, come with me." I wrenched free. "A mate bond only requires the consent of both parties. Rank has nothing to do with it. You have no right to dissolve it." "I don't?" Ronan let out a cold laugh. "What can that creature possibly give you? A tattered cloak? A house that reeks of rot? Or the mockery of a pack of low-ranking cubs?" In the struggle, the medicine bundle slipped from my hands. Moonmilk moss, cubberries, and goldvine seeds were scattered across the ground. Selena looked down. Her expression changed. She crouched and picked up a piece of moonmilk moss. "This is medicine for stabilizing a cub's beast core." Ronan whipped around to face me. "You're pregnant?" Instinctively, I shielded my belly. The gesture said everything. The air went still for a heartbeat. Ronan's nostrils flared. The moment my emotions spiked, the concealment charm could no longer suppress the cub's scent. A faint trace drifted from beneath my cloak. Ronan's pupils shrank to pinpoints. "You're carrying his cub?" The words sounded like they had been forced through clenched teeth. I didn't deny it. Selena's gaze settled on my belly. "Evelyn, how could you be so reckless? A Rotskin Beastfolk's beast core is inherently unstable. Having his cub could taint your bloodline. The cub might not even be born with a complete beast form." I stared at her coldly. "Shut up! You're in no position to judge my cub." But Ronan seemed deaf to everything I said. He fixed me with a stare of disbelief and fury. "You'd rather have a monster's cub than wait for me?" I suddenly felt so tired. "Why would I wait for you?" "Because you love me." He answered without a second's hesitation. "You chased me for years. You can't possibly be over me." I looked at him. "Kaelren has never once made me prove I deserve to be loved. "That's why you'll never measure up to him." The last thread of Ronan's self-control snapped. He raised his hand and his beast spirit surged outward. Low-ranking beastfolk lowered their heads and retreated. "Take her." The knights didn't move immediately. Taren, the one-eyed knight at the front, hesitated for a moment. "My Lord, she's already bound by a lifelong mate bond, and she's carrying a cub—" "I said, take her!" Ronan roared. "I have a duty to prevent low-ranking blood from tainting the Golden Feather line." I shot back, "You have no such duty. You just can't accept that I really don't want you anymore." That pushed him over the edge. Ronan grabbed my shoulders and dragged me toward the carriage. A sharp pain shot through my belly as I struggled. Taren saw my face turn pale. His hand tightened into a fist, but he lowered his head and carried out the order. Not a single beastfolk in the crowd dared to stand in Ronan's way. Just before I was shoved into the carriage, Ronan leaned close to my ear. "Once we've purged that monster's blood from you, you'll understand I was saving you." The carriage door slammed shut. I wrapped my arms around my belly as my heart sank. The Black Wolf Clan's purification den was meant to wash away the scent of a former mate. But the Silverthorn Elixir in Selena's hand wasn't for breaking a mate bond. Its purpose was to destroy my cub's beast core. Chapter 4 The purification den was built beneath the Black Wolf castle. The stone doors slammed down in succession, sealing away every scent and sound from outside. Ronan confiscated every communication crystal I had. Only the cracked fang pendant remained, hidden in the lining of my cloak. Deep inside the den, iron racks stood against the walls, stained with dried black blood. Rusted chains lay piled in the corners. This didn't look like a place to wash away a mate's scent. It looked more like a torture chamber. Selena pulled on a pair of gloves and began mixing the Purification Potion in the cauldron. She poured the Silverthorn Elixir into the Rotroot Powder, and the mixture immediately frothed into a sickly gray-white foam. The smell hit me, and my stomach lurched. "Touch my cub, and you'll pay." Selena stepped closer. "Pay? With what? You're nothing but a castoff. Trash, who bonded with a Rotskin Beastman. I'm Ronan's mate." Ronan stood before me. "Do as you're told, and I'll keep you as my secondary mate." I slapped him. The sharp crack echoed through the den. Ronan slowly turned his head back. When our eyes met again, all warmth had vanished from his gaze. "Hold her down." Two she-wolves stepped forward and seized my arms. I desperately tried to shield my belly, but they forced me down into the stone chair. Selena glared at me, her eyes blazing with hatred. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I'll make sure you and the filthy little bastard in your belly die here. You were never worthy of competing with me." I could feel the cub growing more restless inside me. I slipped a hand to the cracked fang pendant. When Kaelren gave it to me, he had written on his board. "Soak the grooves with blood. The Lion Guard will find you." I gripped the pendant. The fang's tip pierced my palm. Blood seeped into the grooves along the fang. Ronan noticed my movement and ripped my cloak open. The cracked fang pendant fell into view. He snatched up the fang and let out a mocking laugh. "So this is what that creature gave you? He couldn't even afford to give you a whole fang." He yanked hard. The cord snapped. But the blood had already seeped into the grooves. A faint silver light flickered along the cracks, then quickly faded. Ronan tossed the pendant on the ground. "Make her drink it." The two she-wolves grabbed my jaw while Selena approached with the rest of the Purification Potion. I clenched my teeth. "Evelyn, don't make me hurt you." Ronan held my shoulders down. "Once the cub is gone, you'll thank me." The bowl touched my lips. At that instant, the entire underground den shuddered violently. Then the deep, mellow blast of a war horn pierced through layer after layer of stone doors. Everyone in the room went pale. "The White Lion Court's war horn?" The next second, the outermost stone door exploded inward. The overwhelming aura of a royal beast spirit swept through the den. Every Black Wolf Beastfolk's knees buckled, forcing them to their knees. Taren's head snapped up. Heavy footsteps drew closer, one after another. White Lion Guards poured into the den, crunching over the shattered stone. A tall figure entered behind them. Silver-white hair fell over his shoulders. His golden beast-like eyes were ice-cold. His strikingly handsome face was almost razor-sharp in its perfection, yet black scars from corrupted blood still marred the side of his neck. His claws remained half-retracted.