Mag-log in~Lucian’s POV~A Lot of moons later… I knew something was wrong the moment Cressida walked into my study.She simply looked different. Quieter than usual, with one hand resting against her stomach and the other holding the edge of the door.I closed the book in front of me.“What happened?”“Nothing.”“That answer has never convinced me.”A small smile touched her lips, but she didn’t come closer.“I need to tell you something.”I stood.Her expression made my heart tighten.“Cressida.”“I’m fine, Lucian.”“You’re doing that thing again.”“What thing?”“Trying to convince me you’re fine before you’ve told me what is wrong.”She laughed softly and finally walked toward me.“I knew you would notice.”“I notice everything about you.”She stopped in front of me, and for a moment, she simply looked at me.Then she took my hand.“I think we should see the healer.”My wolf immediately became alert.“Why?”“Because I have been feeling strange lately.”“Strange how?”“Tired. Hungry at odd hours.
Cressidas POVIch hatte mir diesen Moment schon einmal vorgestellt.Aber nicht so.In meiner Vorstellung stand ich immer allein unter einem hellen Mond, umgeben von Menschen, die gekommen waren, um etwas Wichtiges mitzuerleben.Ich sah immer selbstbewusst aus. Schön. Würdig.Ich hatte mir nie vorgestellt, dass meine Hände zittern würden.„Hör auf damit.“Ich sah Elara an.„Womit?“„Damit, so zu tun, als wärst du nicht nervös.“Ich blickte auf meine Hände.„Ich bin nicht nervös.“Rowan lachte neben ihr.„Du drückst seit fünf Minuten ihre Finger.“Elara lächelte. „Genau.“Ich ließ ihre Hand los.„Mir geht es gut.“„Das hast du schon zweimal gesagt, und beide Male war es eine Lüge“, sagte Elara.„Langsam bereue ich es, dich eingeladen zu haben.“„Du hast mich nicht eingeladen. Ich bin Lucians Schwester. Ich wäre gekommen, egal, ob du es wolltest oder nicht.“Ich musste trotz allem lachen.Das half.Kurz darauf machte ich mich auf den Weg zum Innenhof, der inzwischen voller Menschen war.
~Cressida’s POV~ I had imagined this moment before. Not like this, though. In my imagination, I always stood alone beneath a bright moon, surrounded by people who had come to witness something important. I always looked confident. Beautiful. Worthy. I never imagined my hands would be shaking. “Stop doing that.” I looked at Elara. “Doing what?” “Trying to hide that you’re nervous.” I glanced down at my hands.“I’m not nervous.” Rowan laughed from beside her. “You’ve been squeezing her fingers for the last five minutes.” Elara smiled. “Exactly.” I released her hand.“I’m fine.” “You’ve said that twice already and it was a lie both times” Elara said. “I’m beginning to regret inviting you.” “You didn’t invite me. I’m Lucian’s sister. I was coming whether you liked it or not.” I laughed despite myself. That helped. I soon made my way to courtyard which was by now filled with people. Blackthorne’s wolves stood around the stone circle in silence, dressed in their finest c
We stepped through the main gates of the fortress as the last light of day faded behind the trees. The courtyard was quiet. Guards stood at their posts with straight backs, but their eyes held relief instead of the sharp readiness of the past moons. Servants moved aside and bowed, yet no one rushed forward with urgent messages. No one spoke of threats or missing people. The air itself felt lighter. I kept Cressida’s hand in mine as we walked the stone path toward the inner halls. Her fingers were warm. She matched my pace without pulling away. For the first time in nearly two full moons I did not scan every shadow or listen for distant horns. The fortress belonged to us again. We reached the private stair that led to our chambers. I opened the door and let her enter first. The room was exactly how I had left it days earlier, the bed made, the windows open to the night air. I closed the door behind us and turned the lock. The soft click sounded final.
~Lucian’s POV~Three days after Elara came home, Blackthorne finally felt like itself again.There were still guards stationed along the walls, but nobody was running through the halls with weapons drawn. The healers had stopped looking terrified every time Elara touched her stomach. Even Rowan had learned that hovering over my sister every five minutes would only earn him an irritated look.But there was one thing I still had to deal with.The delegates.They were still in their camps outside the fortress, completely unaware of what had happened.I stood inside the old council chamber with the hypnotizer and the witch who had helped him cast the spell.“How long can they remain under it?” I asked.“Not much longer,” the witch said. “The spell has already weakened. If we leave it in place, some of them may begin remembering pieces.”“Then lift it.”The hypnotizer looked at me carefully. “They will be angry. They may see what you did as an insult.”“I know.”I glanced toward the windo
~Lucian’s POV~I found Rowan in the courtyard with Elara.He was standing beside her while she sat on one of the stone benches, his attention fixed on her as he complained about the cold. She had one hand resting over her stomach and the other wrapped around the cup Rowan had brought her.“You’re going to freeze out here,” he said.“I’m fine.”“You said that five minutes ago.”“And I’m still fine.”Rowan sighed and pulled his cloak from his shoulders before placing it around hers.Elara smiled.That smile bothered me.Not because she looked happy. I wanted her happy.It bothered me because Rowan was the reason for it.Since I came to Know of Roan’s existence, all I saw in him was a slave, a fugitive, a Gilead.Now he was standing beside my sister like he belonged there.And worse, he looked like he believed he did.“Lucian.”I looked at Elara.She was watching me now.“You’ve been staring at us for the last minute.”“I wasn’t staring.”“You were.”Rowan glanced at me but said nothing.
Cressida’s POV I lay on my narrow bed staring at the stone ceiling. Two whole nights had passed and Lucian had not sent for me. The silence felt heavy and suffocating. My wolf paced inside my chest, restless and jealous. What was he doing? Was he with another woman? The thought made my stomach
Lucian’ POV The door slammed behind Cressida with a finality that echoed through my chambers longer than it should have. How dare she? The words still burned on my tongue. She had slept in my bed, curled against me like she belonged there, and the very next morning she asked for a favor as if
The days began to blur inside the stone fortress. After the first brutal night, the routine shifted in small, almost imperceptible ways. The guards no longer dragged me through the halls like a prisoner. Instead, they escorted me with detached politeness. My meals improved. I started eating more
Before I could utter a single word, the stranger turned and gave a sharp nod. “Take her.” Rough hands dragged me forward. I twisted and struggled, but it was useless against their iron grips. “No—please! Let me go!” I was completely ignored and dragged through the dark woods back toward my pack.







