Midnight Blue

22 / Palace

Malakai arrived back at the palace. Everyone there could feel it. His presence.

He shifted out of his wolf form and grabbed a dark blue robe from the outstretched hand of a servant. Pulling it on, he threw open the doors, storming past a housemaid who flattened herself against the wall in an effort to avoid him.

Glimpses of skirts flying around corners could be seen. No doubt the staff had been woken up as soon as it was heard that the King would be returning.

He stormed up to his office, throwing himself into the large leather chair that sat behind an imposing desk. Behind him, full windows looked out into darkness. It was there that he sat and waited for his Beta to arrive.

He did not know what the curse was, nor how long they had to figure that fact out. All he knew was that they had work to do.

After far too long of a time, Zachariah arrived.

"Where have you been," Malakai growled lowly from within the dark room.

Zachariah flicked a switch, letting more of the lamps turn on, instead of just the one at the desk. "Attempting to pass the girl on to a housekeeper. You know, next time you decide to bring home a stray, you might look after it yourself."

The King shot him a glare.

"Right," said Zachariah. "This is palace Malakai."

Malakai tried to soften his gaze.

"We need to discuss the curse."

Zachariah sat carefully in a seat opposite the King. "I know."

"We don't have much information." The King spoke in a rough voice.

"I know." His beta repeated.

Silence fell between the pair, the weight of the situation slowly sinking in. With nothing to go off other than the vision of an omega, their hands were tied. But a curse on the King was not exactly a situation where they could simply sit back and wait to see what would happen...

After too long a time, Zachariah finally spoke up. "We should put her under See Serum."

The King's head shot up. He had been tracing patterns in his wooden desk with his eyes - patterns he knew all too well. This conversation was not one he cared much for at this hour. His life had been in danger many a time before and since his mate died it was not a fact that bothered him much. Had he not a kingdom to consider and take care of, he might have even finished the job himself.

But the girl...

"No." He shook his head, an anger rising inside him. Or was it anger? Was it a feeling of protectiveness? The girl had saved his life. She had helped him and been kind to him when there was no title involved. He simply felt the need to repay a debt. This reasoning forced its way to the forefront of his mind.

Yes, he simply wanted to repay a debt.

Zachariah glared at him, eyebrows furrowed. "Why not?"

"You know why."

Malakai didn't flinch when his beta stood up, pushing a stack of papers off the desk in frustration. "No, I don't." His voice was laced with bitter anger.

"She is weak. It could kill her." The King's voice was steady, despite Zachariah's outward display of disrespect. He would allow it this once. He would allow his friend's frustration in a situation he could not understand.

A situation Malakai himself could not understand.

"And this curse could kill you." Zachariah stared into his leader's eyes, believing that this statement - voiced with all the power he could muster - would be enough to make him see sense. But as he watched a familiar look pass over the King's face, he knew that he was wrong. "But you know that, don't you?"

The King gave no response.

His beta threw his hands to his head in frustration, pulling at his hair so hard that one would have expected it to come out in his grip.

"You have more than yourself to think of. Much more."

He moved to storm out but stopped short of the door, taking deep breaths to steady himself. This was the King, he reminded himself. This was palace Malakai.

"What is our plan?" The words were short in an attempt to keep them steady.

Malakai sighed moving his hand across an indentation in the years old wood.

"I will contact the Witch tomorrow. Should she fail to shine light on things, we will consider the See Serum."

Zachariah nodded once, shortly and sternly before grabbing the doorhandle in his forceful grip.

"Zachariah?" The King called.

His beta turned his head, looking back in answer to the now softened voice of his friend.

"Thank you." He didn't have to say more. They both knew what he was speaking of. Zachariah was surprised - he had thought all traces of Malakai's kind personality would be gone as soon as he stepped foot on palace grounds.

He wanted to say more. He wanted to say that it was a shame that things would be so different in the morning, that he would miss this side of his friend once his full wolf returned.

He wanted to say that they would figure out this curse and that things would be ok.

But instead he just nodded once more before exiting the room, leaving all of these things unsaid.

Just as he always did.