LOGINđ Arria POV
“Well,” she said slowly, her gaze flicking between us. “Look who finally decided to rejoin the living.”
Melanie didn’t move.
Arria POV A few days later. We had been awake for a long time. Still, no words came. I refused to let go of him, and he just pulled me closer. âI donât want it to be true,â I said eventually. âI know.â âBut you are usually right.â He didnât answer. âI am afraid,â I forced the words out. âOf being different again. Of being pushed into something I donât want.â âAm I different for you because I am the king?â I considered my answer. âYes⌠in a way,â I said. âYou have duties. You can slip away any minute.â He pulled back just enough to look at me. âI am not going anywhere, Arria.â A beat. âI am right here.â I smiled. Not quite sadly. âYouâre leaving in four days.â He shook his head. âNot because I am the king.â A pause. âTo protect him.â âYou think there is a difference,â I said quietly. âThere isnât.â A breath. âThis is your legacy. What you were shaped for. My hand hovered near his face. The fear that one day⌠he would simply be gone made me hesitate. I almost
đFenrirPOV“Tell me your favorite memory.”She went still.Thinking.
Fenrir POV What is this? Alaricâs voice cut in the moment I sat behind my desk. He had been quiet the whole morning. Watching. Waiting. Just like me. I glanced again at her. She was fully focused on the book in her hands. But that wasnât it. She wasn't sitting on the edge of the sofa ready to leave. She was settledâlegs folded beneath her, shoulders draped in the blanket I put on her. The change was subtle. But there. Her trying.I replied and opened the first report on my desk. Time moved quickly after thatâdates, numbers, namesâchecked within minutes. Necessary transactionsâsigned. Then the next. Clear. Efficient. Faster with her in the room. I had told her that. Now it was even better. I glanced at her. Again. Then out the window. And closed the last report. I leaned back slightly, letting my gaze settle on her again. âYouâre done?â her gaze snapped to me. Aware.I nodded. âYou?â She looked at the book then back at me. âAlmost.â âFinish it. Iâll prepare
đArria POV“Well,” she said slowly, her gaze flicking between us. “Look who finally decided to rejoin the living.”Melaniedidn’tmove.Didn’tblink.Didn’teven pretend to hide the fact that she had clearly been standing there for a while.Her gaze slid from Fenrir—to me—the
đArria POVI woke up slowly.Not all at once—just enough to feel. The warmth. The scent. The weight ofarmsaround me.A breath slipped out as I pressed myself closer into it—drawn bysomething quiet and instinctive. My nose brushed against the warmth.
Unknown POVFinally, somethinguseful.The darkness shifted as the image formedânot a blurthistime, not another broken minddissolving under pressure, but a face that held its shape long enough to matter. A familiar one. A name thatcarriedweight.
I woke up to pain. Not the sharp kind that steals your breath, but something heavier, more persistentâlike a weight pressing down from the inside. It settled into every movement, every breath, making even stillness feel like effort. So I stayed where I was, eyes closed, letting the sensation anch
đFenrir POV
đ Fenrir POV The truck rolled to a stop at the edge of the clearing, the two escort vehicles following seconds later. One by one, the engines died, leaving behind a brief stillness. Then movement began. The doors opened. My men stepped out firstâspreading naturally out of habit. Always watchi
đFenrir POV







