LOGINKael’s POVThe sound of shattering glass still echoed in my ears.It had brought too many bad memories of the night of my parent's betrayal, ones i thought I had buried long ago but apparently they were still here to hunt me.My gaze burned as I stood at the edge of the broken window, the sharp wind brushing against my skin, carrying with it the faint, unmistakable scent of her.I looked around, my anger boiling close to the surface until I looked down to see her down there, alive.My jaw tightened.Of course she had managed to get out of her room.She hadn’t learned, just yet, what it meant to disobey me.My eyes narrowed as I looked down into the courtyard. There she was standing, breathing, unharmed and beside her was Rio.A slow, dangerous anger unfurled in my chest.He had his hands near her only moments ago. I could see it in the way she stood, the way her body was still slightly angled toward him.They were too close, far too close and Fay, standing there like she didn't know w
Liora’s POVThe air rushed past me in a violent blur. My breath tore from my throat, a scream caught somewhere between panic and disbelief as the ground surged closer.The wind clawed at my skin, tore through my hair, wrapped around my body like invisible hands trying to drag me down faster.My heart slammed wildly against my ribs.This is it.The thought came sharp and sudden.Below me, the courtyard spun into focus and scream pierced the air then another and another.I barely registered the group of maids below, their hands flying to their mouths, their voices rising in panic.“Look out!”“She’s falling!”“Oh moon goddess—!”Their voices blurred together as my vision tunneled.CThe ground was right there and then I heard a crash. Something exploded through the air above me.Before I could even process it strong arms caught me. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs, but it wasn’t pain that followed, it was warmth.The world steadied and the falling stopped.My body pressed agai
Liora’s POVI was going to lose my mind in this room. The silence wasn’t peaceful, it was suffocating.Every second that passed felt stretched, heavy, pressing against my chest like an invisible weight I couldn’t shake off. The walls were too perfect, too clean, too quiet, like they were hiding something or maybe, like they were hiding me.I paced again, back and forth from the bed to the window again and again.“You’re going to wear a path into the floor,” the maid said gently from behind me.I stopped abruptly then turned to face her.“I would rather wear out the floor than sit here like a caged animal.”Her expression didn’t change.“You are not a prisoner,” she replied.I stared at her.“Really? Because I can’t leave this room, I can’t walk outside and I can’t even breathe without you watching me" My voice came out sharper than I intended.She lowered her gaze slightly.“That is for your safety.”A bitter laugh escaped me.“My safety?” I repeated. "Or his control?”She didn’t answ
Kael’s POVScrolls and maps lay spread across the large oak desk before me, each one marked with inked lines, territories outlined, borders pushed and redrawn.My fingers traced the edge of one map absently, my mind calculating distances, manpower, resistance and then my focus slipped, replaced by Liora.My jaw tightened.I exhaled slowly, leaning back in my chair, forcing my gaze back to map in front of me so i cluld focus but it was already too late.The memory of her came uninvited. The way the thin fabric had clung to her body the night before, the way it barely concealed anything at all, almost translucent under the flicker of light.I could still see the subtle curve of her waist, the rise and fall of her breast with every unsteady breath.The sheen of oil catching the light across her skin, making her glow in a way that had no right to exist in my chambers.My fingers curled slightly against the desk as the memory sharpened further then my breath slowed.My body had already rea
Liora’s POVI woke with a sharp breath and for a moment, I didn’t know where I was.The ceiling above me was unfamiliar with high, smooth, carved with intricate patterns that caught the soft morning light spilling through tall windows. The air felt different too. There was a faint scent of rose and fresh linen, a quiet calm that didn’t belong to the chaos I remembered.My body felt heavy, my head throbbed faintly and then, it all came rushing back.The throne hall, the council, their voices and my stomach twisted. My fingers moved instinctively to my lips and rhe sting was still there.My chest tightened as the memory surfaced of his hand gripping my chin, his voice low and cold, the way his eyes had darkened right before he kissed me.I sucked in a breath and pushed the thought away then anger rose instead.My parents were the reason I was in this fucking mess. Everything traced back to them.My fingers curled into the sheets beneath me.“I hate them,” I whispered under my breath.T
Kael’s POVThe moment the doors closed behind them, I moved fast, but not fast enough to outrun what was clawing inside me.The echo of her scent still lingered in the throne hall and I couldn’t take it anymore. My jaw clenched as I walked briskly down the corridor, my boots striking against the marble floors in sharp, deliberate steps. Guards stepped aside instantly, servants lowering their heads as I passed.No one spoke, no one dared because if anyone had looked too closely, they would have seen the crack in my control.I pushed open the doors to my chambers without slowing down. They slammed shut behind me with a heavy thud.I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through my hair as I tried to steady myself.Her scent and tatse was still there.That brief moment when her blood had touched my tongue had made my wolf surge violently beneath my skin.“No” I snarled under my breath.I would not lose control, not because of her, not because of some cursed bloodline that should have died cen







