Novels by Sherry

RONAN I continued. “And I am not interfering because I want to protect her or punish her.”One of the elders nodded slowly, “That is reasonable.”I sat back.There was a difference between refusing to defend someone and demanding their destruction.I had begun to understand that.For most of my life, I had thought protecting family meant standing between them and anything that might hurt them.But sometimes, standing in front of someone only meant preventing them from facing consequences they had to face themselves.Seraphine's position was not mine to save, the twins were and those were two different responsibilities.I could love my children without pretending their mother had done nothing wrong.I could understand her grief without allowing it to decide what Moonblade did next.That was uncomfortable but it was honest.After the meeting, I called the household staff together.“The family room needs to be changed.”They looked at me.“The tables stay, but anything within the twins

RONAN A week had passed since the summit and Moonblade had moved on.At least, it looked that way. By breakfast, the training grounds were already loud with the sound of bodies hitting the mats. Patrols came and went through the eastern gate. Hunters argued over territory boundaries that had nothing to do with the dispute that had occupied half the summit. The kitchens complained about missing supplies, two guards had gotten into an argument over training schedules, and one of the northern villages had sent a report about a damaged storage building.They were all normal problems and the kind that reminded me why being Alpha had never allowed much time for grief.I sat behind my desk with three reports open in front of me.“Move the western patrol rotation by two days,” I said.The guard standing across from me nodded.“The eastern team has already covered that route twice this week. Give them a break.”“Yes, Alpha.”“And what about the hunters?”“They are still arguing.”“They ca

ELARA I looked down for a moment, yesterday, Tomas had looked terrified when we found him.For a brief moment, I had wondered what could have happened to him out there but I now understand better.He had been frightened because he had stumbled across someone who was frightened himself.“You should have told him you weren't going to hurt him.”“I know.”There was regret in his voice.“I should have but at the time, I was thinking about surviving, not about how a frightened child would understand my words.”I couldn't blame him entirely for that.“But you didn't harm him?”“No.”“And you didn't threaten him?”“I just told him to keep quiet, I probably sounded threatening.”He looked at me, “But I never touched him.”I believed him, at least about that. “And what about the metal box?” I asked.“Is it the one your patrol found?”“Yes.”“The metal box belonged to the military.”“Moonblade military?”“Yes.”My attention sharpened, “What was inside?”“Mostly old supplies, a few papers and

ELARAElias studied me for a moment.The old shrine had gone quiet again as the wind moved through the trees around us while carrying the smell of damp sand and leaves. Rhys stood a short distance away while keeping watch but still giving us enough space to speak.Elias finally nodded.“All right.”He lowered himself onto the edge of the broken stone platform behind him. Observing him this close, I noticed he looked even more tired than I had noticed before. His clothes were all worn, and there were faint scars along his hands and neck that disappeared beneath his collar.“I sent all the three letters you received. I didn't mean to play around with you or make you feel bothered.” He admitted and I wasn't even surprised at all but hearing him admit it still made something settle inside me.“The first one?”“Yes.”“And the second?”“All three.”I folded my arms. “Why?”“Because I didn't know how else to get your attention without putting myself in danger.”His answer was simple.“You

ELARAMy brows drew together and he continued.“I can't undo what happened and also can't bring back the child you lost nor can I change what Ronan did or didn't do.”His voice softened.“But I can tell you that you weren't imagining Seraphine's intentions.”I looked down and a strange ache settled inside me, it wasn't happiness or anger but validation.I had never needed someone to tell me that my pain was real but maybe a part of me had always needed to know that I hadn't been completely alone in seeing what happened. Seraphine had always been careful, she rarely said enough for anyone to accuse her openly. She knew exactly how to make cruel words sound like concern and how to turn a simple conversation into something that stayed in my head long after she had walked away.Somehow, I had carried those words with me.Perhaps, that was why hearing Elias speak about them now affected me more than I expected.He had seen and noticed everything.I took a slow breath and forced myself to

ELARAMy fingers tightened around the edge of my cloak after hearing what Elias said. I took a slow breath, “Start from the beginning.”Elias nodded and stepped farther into the room.“I barely survived the battle,” His hand moved unconsciously toward his side, as though the memory of the wound still lived there.“I was injured badly enough that I couldn't travel. Someone found me away from the main fighting area and took me somewhere safe where I stayed hidden while I recovered.”I listened without interrupting.“Then, after the battle, people came looking for me.”“Who?”“I don't know.”His answer came quickly, “They weren't wearing anything that told me who they were working for. They were asking about the messenger who had carried an urgent message during the battle. They wanted to know whether he had survived.”I felt sudden chills “which is you right?” He nodded, “I was the messenger.”I looked down briefly, that explained why he had never returned.“Why didn't you contact