LOGINđ Fenrir POV
Ten days.
Still nothing.
đ Arria POV“You will have to find it.”I squinted at him.“Why?” I threw at him the same question he had used against me.“To convince me you really want it.”I looked around.
đ Arria POV He did not move. âCome on. Give it to me,â I urged him. âWhy?â He sounded unconvinced. âIt is already mine, right?â I asked instead of answering him. âYes.â But again, he did not move. âFenrir?â âHmm?â âWhere is it?â I tried again. I hoped he had not decided to throw it away. âIn the bedroom.â I almost exhaled in relief. I slipped my hand into his big one and pulled him to his feet. He followed my lead, and I guided us up to the second floor and toward our room. âOkay, we are here,â I stated, looking around as if it would appear just because I willed it to. It did not. Of course. âSo?â I pressed again. âSo you feel guilty,â he said. âAnd a little curious, obviously. If I give it to you, your curiosity will be satisfied, and then you will return to being guilty. Bothered. Thinking about how to repay it. That is exactly why I did not give it to you in the first place.â I turned fully to him, slipped my hands around his waist, and pulled the sweetest smi
đ Arria POV Five days had passed since the vote. Everything had changed. Not in a bad way, exactly, but it was overwhelming. The attention. The gifts. And most of all, the expectations. After the stunt Fenrir had pulledâcarrying me princess-style in front of everyone and letting them laugh in his presenceâsomething had shifted. People were watching me as if I could somehow keep every bad outcome from reaching them. It was deeply unsettling because, as a matter of fact, I had nothing to offer. âYou have to tell them to stop,â I said pleadingly after closing the door behind me with a final thud. Fenrirâs eyes lifted from the kitchen table and took me inâthe flowers in my left arm, the basket filled with fruit and different kinds of baked goods in my right hand, and the few new bracelets around my wrist. Amusement flashed through his eyes, but he schooled his expression. âIs it really that bad?â he asked. âAccepting gifts?â âCome on, Fenrir, thisâŠâ I gestured to everything
đ·ïž Vaerion POV I did not need screams right now. Not here, at least. And it would be suspicious to take her to my wing. âSo you questioned her for me?â I asked him before he reached the handle. âOf course, my lord.â âShow me.â He turned around and came back. Not eager. Not reluctant either. He knew the pain that would follow. He did not hesitate. I had somehow started tolerating that pet. He had strength, ruthlessness, and decisiveness. More than most of the wolves I had met. At times, more than the king himself. And he knew his place perfectly well. Marking that trash was his first real mistake. Arria Crestwood, I reminded myself. If she was the heir, as I now suspected, then I had misjudged one thing at the time. I had been searching for someone strong. Someone who had probably displayed power already. Not a weakling. I placed two fingers against his temple. I could do it from a short distance once my plant was well rooted. But I would have to sift through
đ·ïžVaerionPOVThethrone room smelled of polished stone, old banners, and fear carefully hidden beneathceremony.King Edric sat where kings were supposed to sit.Straight-backed.Crowned.Dressed in dark blue and silver, withthegolden wolf of his line resting heavily over his chest.
đ Arria POVSilence followed.Not the sharp silenceFenrircreated.Not the frightened one Alaric pulled from people without trying.This one was heavier.âYou donât have to choose now,â I told them. âYou can ask all your questions first. Greg and Stone will answer truthfully. Then youâll have three more days before the official vote.â
5 days later When I arrived, the yard was empty. The laughter that usually greeted me was gone. Inside, the children were sitting in rows behind desks while an instructor stood in front of the room. âExtra lessons,â one of the caretakers explained when she noticed me standing by the door. âThe
đ Fenrir POV“Who gave it to you?” Arria asked.“A trusted source.”
Chapter 6 The whip lay coiled on the stone bench beside Aron. For a moment, no one moved. The evening air felt colder than it should have been. The courtyard walls trapped the silence, pressing it down over all of us. I wanted to scream. To tell them how unfair it all was. How none of it had ev
The moment my feet left the edge, the world fell silent. There was only wind. And peace. For one fragile heartbeat, I was free. Like a bird. Then something slammed into me from behind. Arms. Hard. Unforgiving. The impact hurled me sideways instead of down. Wood splintered. Something inside m







