The Beast Within Us

Chapter 19: ↭ Yara

↭ Lady Wheiler's rambling thoughts were interrupted as Chala began explaining the pact in more detail. As the tigress continued speaking, Yara felt her heart sink lower into her stomach. Chala was explaining that if she could not fulfill her end of the bargain that she would most likely die from the shattering of the magical spell. The thought made Yara's skin prickle with anxiety and her knees shook harder, which the others would likely interpret as her human body chilling.

The male said his goodbyes and Yara kept her tongue silent. She only formally bid him farewell when he addressed her. "I will see that is in my best ability to uphold the pact and keep Chala safe." The words weren't technically a lie, but as Yara stared after his fading shadow in the dark night she truly began to process the situation.

King Serell was a selfish and cruel man, it was known. Yara had told Chala she would try to free her in exchange for an abrupt marriage to him after their quest, but Yara had not told Chala how difficult that would be. She had not explained that her proposal would most likely be rejected and she would still be betrothed to the king despite her efforts to maneuver her way out of the courtship. Serell could be patient when he chose to-he had already waited this long to marry Yara. Chala didn't know that, however, she also didn't know that the persuasion she had promised would be moving the marriage up a few weeks rather than the assumed months. The actual date had been kept hushed; Yara had attempted to hide the nearness of the ceremony from Darryn. It was evident to her now that she would regret that even more than she had hoped.

The fact that Yara had downplayed the exchange, made the situation more dire. Serell would find any reason he could to keep Chala in Yara's service and he would wait out the fortnight of the ceremony rather than take her offer and free a rare and valuable slave out of the goodness of his heart. It was the same as she had feared all along, Serell would get his way and Darryn's heart would break. While the circumstances remained the same, the differing results now looked even uglier: Chala would remain a slave, most likely in service to the awful king and Lady Yara Wheiler would die an early, miserable death as well as bringing shame and dishonor on her family name after.

Yara had barely noticed when Chala shifted and knelt before her. She had instructed Yara to mount her, and titles long forgotten, the warden did as the ward instructed. Her frigidly cold body wrapped around the warm, soft fur of the tigress as she mounted her, and Yara automatically leaned against her striped pelt and wrapped her slender arms around Chala's thick neck. Yara said nothing as Chala carried her light body on her back to camp, and she did not attempt to hide the silent tears that leaked from her tired eyes. She knew Chala would not understand if she were to explain and she knew that it would only make her angrier at Yara.

Upon reaching the camp in the cold night, Yara settled down on her mattress heavily. Her coal gaze flickered to Chala and briefly she appeared to consider something. The woman flipped open the fur blankets to reveal the empty spot beside her.

"I wish to not be alone while I sleep." She has intended to issue the words as a command, but her tired voice croaked the statement as a soft and fearful cry. ↭