Novels by Stephanie Miller

LYRA The air got thicker the closer we got. At first, I thought I was just tired. None of us had slept well since Fenrir and Orion were taken. Every hour felt like the next every mile felt like it was never going to end. My body was tired. My heart would not stop. My sons were ahead that is all that mattered. I held the reins tight as Storm, my mare walked on the trail. The forest had. We did not even notice. The big pine trees were. Now there were old twisted trees with roots that looked like fingers. Moss covered the broken stones, and weird symbols were carved into the rocks. It felt wrong like we were in a place that the world had forgotten. Kael rode quietly on my left and Ares was ahead looking at the trees all the time. Neither of them looked calm. Neither did I. Commander Rowan stopped his horse and turned to us. “My Queen " he said. “What is it?" I asked. He pointed to the ground. I saw fresh hoof prints, many of them. “They were here more than two hours ago

SERENA The forest got quieter the farther we went. It wasn’t the kind of silence that comes at dusk. This was different. Even the birds stayed away from these trees. The wind seemed hesitant to disturb the old branches above. Nature remembered this place even if the kingdoms had forgotten it long ago. The boys kept looking Every minute one of them would turn in the saddle searching the endless stretch of forest we’d left behind. Hope still shone in their silver eyes. It was almost… impressive. The older one. Fenrir. The name suited him. He sat still for a child his age his little shoulders back despite the fear he was trying to hide. Every time his younger brother whimpered, Fenrir would lean in whispering something soft for me to hear. Whatever he said worked. Orion would calm down for a minute before the tears came back. Kids fascinated me. Not because they were innocent. Because they adapted. Even when they were captive they looked for comfort. For safety. For each o

As everyone studied the ancient altar, Lyra’s voice broke the silence. “I never realized…” Kael looked at her. “What?” She smiled sadly. “We never officially named them.” That caught me off guard. She was right. Somehow, between the war, Serena, rebuilding kingdoms, and learning how to be parents, we’d fallen into calling them our boys, the twins, little wolves. The names we’d whispered to them as babies had never been spoken before our people. I reached into the pouch at my belt. Inside were two tiny silver pendants I’d commissioned months ago but never found the right moment to give them. One was carved into the shape of a wolf’s head. The other bore the crescent mark of the ancient Lycans. “I had these made,” I admitted quietly. Lyra looked at me, surprised. “You did?” I nodded. “I kept waiting for the right day.” Kael glanced at the pendants before looking back at me. “What are their names?” I smiled despite the ache in my chest. “The eldest…” I closed my hand

ARES Sleep had become a thing for me. Every time I closed my eyes I heard the younger twin crying for his mom. I hadn’t even been there when Serena took them. The sound still haunted me. It echoed through every moment every mile we rode every camp we made. It followed me like a ghost. I felt like I had let them down. That thought weighed heavily on my shoulders with all the armor I wore. I was the one who had promised Lyra that they would never be hurt again. After Serena’s attempt I had sworn to make Stormclaw the safest kingdom around. I had reinforced every wall, carefully chosen every guard and watched every entrance. Still… Serena had walked into my kingdom and taken our sons. Our sons. The words still surprised me sometimes. They weren’t mine by blood. I had loved them from the moment they wrapped their tiny fingers around mine. Somewhere along the way they had stopped calling me "Lord Ares". Just started calling me Papa. The time it happened they both loo

KAEL I have fought in battles that I can count. I have seen a lot of bloodshed. I have lost friends and seen kingdoms fall. I have been hurt badly that I should have died. Nothing hurts more than the silence that has settled over Stormclaw. The twins were. Now everyone is quiet. No one talks unless they have to. Even the servants walk quietly as if they are afraid to disturb the grief that hangs over the castle. I stand on the wall looking out at the forest. My hands grip the stone until my knuckles turn white. My sons are there somewhere beyond those mountains. It still feels strange to think about it. I missed their words, their first steps, and all the little moments that fathers are supposed to treasure. Serena took them from me. She took my mind, my kingdom, and every chance I had to know them. The weight of that truth is heavy in my chest. I wish I had realized sooner what she was doing. I wish I had fought harder. Footsteps echo behind me. I do not turn around. "I know yo

LYRAThe older nursemaid said she was sorry. I did not really hear her.I had already walked past her.My eyes were looking around the orchard but I did not want to believe what my heart was telling me.The little blanket they had been playing with was on the ground under the apple tree.One of their wooden swords was in the grass and it looked like they had just forgotten it.The orchard looked very peaceful like nothing was wrong.My world had just fallen apart.I said "no" quietly.I did not want to believe this was happening.We had thought we were ready for something like this.We had guards we had changed the nursery and we had checked all the servants and every part of the castle.We had told ourselves that Stormclaw was the place.Then Serena had still found a way to get in.Ares got to me before anyoneHe did not ask if I was okay because he could see it in my face.He asked the nursemaids what had happened and his voice was steady. I could tell he was very angry.The younger