Chapter: Chapter sixteenMariana pov The library had turned into a battlefield.Books were scattered across the floor, shelves had been knocked sideways, and the large wooden table that once sat in the center of the room had been pushed against the wall. I could barely keep track of everything happening around me. My father and Zayan were moving so quickly that all I could see sometimes was the flash of their swords and the blur of their bodies as they clashed. Master Graham was far more skilled with a sword than I had expected, and although Zayan clearly had the upper hand, he wasn’t fighting with his full strength. It was almost as though he was deliberately holding back, perhaps because this was still my father, perhaps because he wanted answers before he ended everything.I turned my head for a moment and saw Wren still being held by two of Zayan’s guards. She struggled against them, but there was nowhere for her to go. Her face was twisted with anger as she watched the fight unfold. I turned back jus
Last Updated: 2026-10-14
Chapter: The one who was never thereZayan’s POVSomething was wrong.I had known it long before the hour was over.At first, I told myself Mariana was simply taking her time. Perhaps her father had agreed to the peace talk, and the two of them were discussing the terms. Perhaps she was trying to convince him to stand down, just as she had promised me she would. But as the minutes passed, the silence between us became unbearable.I reached for her through our bond.Mariana?Nothing.I tried again.Little wolf, can you hear me?Still nothing.I could feel her heartbeat faintly. That was the only thing keeping me from storming into the Graham territory immediately. She was alive. I knew that much. But I couldn’t feel her thoughts. I couldn’t sense her emotions. I couldn’t hear the little voice that had become so familiar inside my mind.My jaw tightened.It had been more than an hour.I had given her only a few minutes to speak with her father before she was supposed to signal us. Something was wrong.“Stay here,” I ordere
Last Updated: 2026-10-14
Chapter: The betrayalMariana’s POV A couple of days passed, and Frostcrest was ready for war.The council chamber was filled that morning with the kingdom’s highest-ranking soldiers, commanders, and council members. Maps of Mountcrest and the surrounding territories were spread across the long table, with markers indicating the Graham mansion, the roads leading into the territory, and the safest places for Frostcrest’s army to camp. Zayan stood at the head of the table, still carrying faint traces of his injuries beneath his armor, but there was no weakness in his posture anymore. He looked every bit like the warlord the entire empire feared. I stood beside him, listening carefully as he went over the plan one final time.“Mariana will travel ahead in the carriage,” Zayan explained, pointing toward the Graham territory on the map. “She’ll enter the mansion alone with only the guards assigned to her. Our forces will remain outside the borders of Mountcrest and establish camp where they won’t be detected.
Last Updated: 2026-10-14
Chapter: Before the warMariana’s POV I ran toward him without thinking. My knees hit the floor beside him, and I immediately reached for his head, pulling him gently into my arms. His breathing was uneven, his skin colder than it should have been, and there was still blood at the corner of his mouth. “Zayan,” I whispered frantically, brushing his hair away from his face. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” For a man who had just been shot with a silver-laced arrow, beaten by his enemies, and nearly watched his entire kingdom fall apart, he somehow managed to look at me and smile.Actually smile.I stared at him in disbelief. “Why are you smiling?”His smile only grew a little wider.Tears immediately blurred my vision. I had spent the last few minutes convinced I was going to lose him, and now he was lying in my arms looking at me as though I were the one who needed comforting. A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it. Zayan lifted his trembling hand and wiped it away with his thumb. “I don’t like i
Last Updated: 2026-10-14
Chapter: The golden phoenixMariana’s POV There he was.Nicholas stood at the end of the corridor with that same infuriating smirk on his face, slowly making his way toward us. Behind him were the guards from Mountcrest, men I recognized from my father’s household, their weapons drawn and their expressions filled with the confidence of people who believed they had already won. My entire body went rigid. I could feel the rage rising inside me so quickly that it almost made it difficult to breathe. I looked at Zayan, who was still on one knee, one hand pressed against his chest. Blood was slipping between his fingers, staining his clothes, and for the first time since I had met him, I saw something I had never imagined I would see. Weakness. Zayan had taken worse injuries than this. I had watched him return from battles covered in blood and still stand as though nothing in the world could bring him down. So why was an arrow enough to make him struggle for breath?“You?” I whispered, staring at Nicholas. Then m
Last Updated: 2026-10-14
Chapter: The warningMariana’s POV The next morning, sunlight streamed through the curtains and painted warm patches across the bed. I stirred beneath the covers, still half-asleep, before slowly opening my eyes. The first thing I saw was Zayan sitting beside me, already dressed, his attention fixed on me. The moment he noticed my eyes open, a smile appeared on his face. “Good morning, sleepy little wolf,” he murmured. “I’ve been waiting for you to wake up.” I blinked at him, still trying to gather my thoughts. “How long?” He shrugged. “Long enough to consider sending Clara in here to wake you.” I groaned and pulled the blanket over my face. His quiet laughter followed. “Come on. We need to go get breakfast before I go to the council. I have a meeting this morning, but I wanted to eat with my wife first.” The word wife still made something warm bloom inside me. I finally pushed the blanket away and smiled at him.The maids came in shortly afterward and helped me get ready. Once I was dressed, Zayan a
Last Updated: 2026-10-14
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