Page 125 of The Slave in A Princess Disguise

More voices joined. But their words were drowned out by the growing agitation, murmurs filled with wariness, fear, and confusion.

Vladya moved fast to stand beside Daemonikai. "What is it, Daemon? Are you alright?"

Ottai, too, hurried closer, his eyes darting between the grand king and Vladya, more than a little worried.What the hell is going on?

King Daemonikaishifted.

The change was so rapid it nearly gave Ottai whiplash. One moment, the grand king stood before them, and the next, his beast had taken his place.

Massive, lethal, and as usual,not happy.

The court froze. Their concerns turned to flat-out terror. Every soul present went stiff, very much afraid.

There was nothing normal about this.

"Your Grace?" Vladya was more worried than Ottai had ever seen him. "What is—"

The beast turned to him, letting out an ear-splitting roar once more.

Vladya bared his throat.

What the—Ottai quickly followed suit.

The other lords did the same. All heads tilted, necks bared, hoping to calm the beast’s rage.

What in Ukra’s sacred butt is happening here?Who had provoked their grand king?

Ottai was too confused, too worried, as he braced himself for the inevitable burst of pheromones.

But it did not come.

Instead, the beast turned and fled the court.

It was not his usual, calculated stride of a predator, but a full-outsprint. Faster than Ottai had ever seen the beast movebefore. Desperate to be somewhere else. As if nothing else mattered but gettingthere.

The court erupted into chaos. Concerned shouts and confused questions rose. Their world was tilting on its axis.

Ottai and Vladya hurried outside. Alarm was already spreading beyond the court, the people shouting as they caught sight of the beast.

"Do you think he’s gone..." Ottai’s voice faltered as he ran with Vladya. "...f-feral again?"

"No," Vladya snapped. "I think he was summoned."

"Summoned?" Ottai parroted, bewildered. "What in cruel fates does that mean!?"

They sprinted down the winding stairs, bursting into the courtyard where a throng of people had already gathered. All eyes were fixed on the towering entrance gates, flung open, from the beast’s hasty departure.

There was no way they could catch him unless they shifted into their own beast forms. And even then, given the sheer speed with which the grand king was running, their chances were slim….

Vladya skidded to a halt, a contemplative frown furrowing his brow. Ottai, too, was trying to make sense of the situation, but nothing about it made sense.

"This is not the time to be vague, Vladya. You said summoned?”

"Yes, summoned. Called upon. Whichever term you prefer," Vladya said reluctantly.

Ottai spluttered. Do you believe this male? "First of all, no one can 'summon' our grand king. Secondly, for him to react this way? No kind of summons can do that. No one has that kind of power. Not the elders, not the Oracle, and even if they could, both are still in deepsleep. Which leaves us no one with a power high enough to evenattemptthat."

"HisSoulbondcan. HisSoulbondcalled out to him." In a near-whisper, Vladya added,"What the hell was she thinking?"before walking away.

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