Mag-log inKATHERINE I was woken up far earlier than I wanted to be by the sound of the maids bustling around my room, opening the heavy curtains and letting the morning light hit my face. They informed me that breakfast was being served in the main dining hall, and since it was the weekend and I didn't have to worry about the academy, I actually had to be presentable. I dragged myself out of bed, my body still feeling heavy from the lack of sleep and the stress of the previous night, but I managed to get dressed and head out. I spent the walk down the long hallways bracing myself for another confrontation with Stephen, but when I walked into the dining room, I realized I could finally breathe. Stephen wasn’t there. His chair at the head of the table was empty, and I felt a massive wave of relief wash over me until my gaze shifted further down the table. My heart froze when I saw Leona sitting there, looking as polished and perfect as ever. She saw me at the same time, and before I could e
KATHERINE The sound of the heavy oak door slamming shut in my face made me absolutely furious, and I stood there for a second just staring at the wood like I could set it on fire with my mind. The guards were being such dumb bastards, following Stephen’s orders without a single thought of their own, and it made me want to scream. It wasn't like I was planning to run away again, I was exhausted and my head was spinning, but being locked in like a prisoner made my blood boil. I balled up my fists and banged on the door as hard as I could, the vibration rattling all the way up my shoulders. "Let me out of here!" I yelled, kicking the bottom of the door for good measure. "I’m not a criminal, and you have no right to keep me locked in like this!" My only answer was the cold, heavy silence from the hallway. I knew they were standing right there, I could hear their breathing and the faint clink of their armor, but they didn't say a word. Eventually, the adrenaline started to fade, leavin
STEPHEN I watched Katherine step out of the car, her back rigid as she marched toward the palace stairs without a backward glance. I didn't try to stop her from walking away, but I signaled the guards to follow her immediately and ensure she went straight to her room. She tried to protest when they caught up to her at the entrance, throwing a sharp look over her shoulder that was meant to sting, but I wasn't in the mood for her games. I ignored her refusal and kept walking toward the command center, but then I stopped and looked at her one last time before she disappeared around the corner."You had better not plan on running away again, Katherine," I said, my voice cutting through the hall with enough weight to make her stiffen. "The next time you decide to take a midnight stroll, you might not like where you end up."She didn't answer, she just let the guards usher her toward her suite, and I turned my attention to the security team standing by the door. My blood was still boiling
KATHERINE I sat in the back of the armored SUV, watching the dark trees blur past the window while the engine hummed a low, steady vibration beneath my feet. We were heading back to the castle, and everything felt uncomfortable and I felt like I was choking on it. Stephen was sitting in the seat next to me, his broad shoulders taking up way too much space, and he hadn't looked at me once since he’d ordered his men to give up the chase. They hadn't been able to catch Mira and her group, they had vanished into the fog like they were never there, and I knew Stephen was furious about it. He was working on a tablet, his fingers tapping the screen with a rhythmic, aggressive speed while his earpiece crackled with updates from the guards still searching the perimeter.The silence between us was killing me, and I kept shifting in my seat, trying to find a comfortable position that didn't exist. I knew he was going to have questions, I knew he was probably replayng the moment he found me in
KATHERINE I stood there in the damp grass, my boots sinking into the mud as the shock of Stephen’s words hit me like a physical blow. I looked around and realized he wasn't alone, his men were around too. I looked back at Mira, searching her face for a spark of the sister I used to know, but her expression didn't change at all. If anything, she just got colder, her eyes turning into flint as she reached down to her thighs and pulled out a pair of serrated daggers. The metal glinted under the harsh headlights of the convoy, and she held them with a steady hand that told me she had used them many times before.I couldn't just stand there and watch them kill each other, so I moved. I hurried over to Stephen’s side, my hand reaching out to grab his leather sleeve, and I felt the hard muscle of his arm beneath the fabric."Stephen, stop!" I said, my voice coming out in a desperate rush. "This is her. This is Mira. She’s my sister, the one I told you about, the one who was supposed to be d
KATHERINE I knew I should probably go back to Stephen’s room and tell him about the message, but the wound of losing my family was still wide open, and I needed answers that he might never give me. I slipped past the sleeping guards in the lower hall, moving as quietly as I could until I reached the outer gate and disappeared into the tree line. The night air was biting, and the forest was thick with a heavy fog that made everything look like a blurry nightmare, but I kept moving toward the coordinates of the old mill. My mind was a mess of doubt, thinking about the way Stephen had looked at me earlier and the way he had saved those wolves, but the pull of the truth was stronger than the heat he had stirred in my blood.I reached the clearing where the old mill sat, and the building looked like a rotting skeleton in the mist. It was silent, and for a second I thought I’d been lured into a trap, but then I heard a twig snap behind me. I spun around, my hand reaching for the small silv







