로그인Kael's POVThe moonlight spilled through the wide arches of the council hall, silvering the cold marble beneath my boots. It was quiet… too quiet for a palace built on constant whispers and watchful eyes. I liked it this way because I’ve learnt that silence made men vulnerable, and silence let me weave my words like silk around their throats.And tonight, my target was Edrian.I found him where I knew he’d be, he was leaning against one of the high windows, shadows clutching his frame, his gaze was distant. He carried himself differently now. Not the slouched posture of a slave but the sharp, wary poise of someone who had finally glimpsed his worth. The silver streak in his wolf sang in him, whether he admitted it or not. And I… Kael, son of the second queen, heir by opportunity if not by birthright, intended to make him mine.“You look tired,” I said softly, stepping into his shadow. My voice was smooth, the kind that coaxed rather than commanded. “The weight of truths can drag even
(Edrian’s POV)The chamber felt too small.Every word Korran spoke pressed down on me until my lungs forgot how to breathe.Heir of House Deymira.Royal blood.The key to breaking the curse.The shouts of the council, the strike of the fist of the Alpha King on the table, the clamour of the nobles who insisted upon their answers, everything faded away to nothing... everything melted away to the sound of a hollow ringing in my ears. I could not even feel my legs walking until I was outside the room, the heavy doors closing behind me.The passage was long, interminable, and the torches were a streak of light as I swayed along. My heart was beating like a hammer, my throat flamed, and yet the words pursued me like wolves, not a slave... noble... royal...I leaned my back against the cold stone wall, my hands gnawing at my own chests as though they could excavate the truth before it could swallow me up.“Edrian...” Xander’s voice reached for me down the hall."Don't. Please." I jerked, an
Xander’s POVThe whispers had already spread like wildfire.By the third morning, even the kitchen servants had ceased to bow properly when I passed. They gazed long and wondered without saying anything."The heir to the throne was deprived of his right to the throne.""The throne will go to Kael."I had heard the rumors myself echoing through the courtyards, seeping through the stones of this palace like rot.. The nobles were acting civilized, though I could see the delighted looks on some of them, and the deceitful ones of others.And still, I did not care.Not enough to kneel in front of that council and grovel. Not enough to sit in chambers and argue with men who had already made their choice.I had chosen, too.Looking at Edrian, the set of his shoulders, the shadows beneath his eyes, his attempt to shoulder my decision as though it were his own, I was certain I would repeat the same a thousand times even if the kingdom burned.The argument with my father had been brutal, all ste
Amber's POVRidiculous.Impossible.Insulting.I could still hear the healers’ words echoing in the hall as if they had carved themselves into my skull: “A mate mark from an Alpha can override the killing spell.”That boy...no, that slave should have died the very night I wove my spell. The magic was flawless and absolute. It should have drained him dry before Xander even reached the healer’s chamber, but Edrian lingered. Lingering was not possible. Lingering meant his wolf had been stubborn enough to hold the thread of life until...I dug my nails into the arm of my chair, blood welling beneath my painted nails.Until they found the loophole. Until Xander made the choice no prince in history had ever dared.He marked him.I could hardly breathe when I first heard it the rumour. My goblet slipped, crimson wine splattering across my gown, and still I sat frozen, numb, waiting for someone to laugh, to correct the mistake, to tell me this was a fucking joke.But no one laughed.The whisp
Xander's POVThe words hung in the air like judgment. I felt the room tilt.To mark Edrian as my mate meant claiming him publicly, irrevocably. No court, no council, no father of mine would ever allow it. An Alpha prince bound to a slave. It would rip the throne from beneath my feet.But when I looked at him, pale and motionless on the bed, I knew that was all there was to it.He was already mine. The throne could burn, for all I bloody careI waved away the healers and sent them away. They fell like leaves in the wind and left, then I was left alone with Edrian in the room.I sat next to him, sweeping his wet hair away. He was as cold as a corpse, yet I laid my lips against his temple, and I swear, I felt the slightest movement of breath."You stubborn wolf," I said to myself. "Even now, you fight me. Always making me choose."My chest ached. The idea of putting my fangs into his neck, of making us one forever...ought to have made me feel all hesitancy. Rather, it gave me a sense of
Xander's POVEdrian’s body was cold in my arms. Too cold.I picked him up as the entire ritual went off. Courtiers were screaming, priests were dropping incense bowls, guards were rushing in, but I could not hear. The world had become smaller than the weight in my chest, and those shallow broken gasps of air became nothing more than silence.“No… no, stay with me,” I muttered, though his eyes were rolled back, lashes trembling like he hovered between life and the void.The healers tore open the palace doors when I stormed through. “Move!” I roared. The echo of my command rattled the gilded hallways. “Clear the chamber! Prepare your wards!”They scrambled, bowing low as I laid Edrian upon the stone bed carved with moon symbols. His body jerked once, then stilled.The head healer pressed trembling fingers to Edrian’s throat. Her lips thinned. “My prince… he is caught in a killing spell.”“I know that already!” My growl reverberated through the chamber. “Undo it.”Her eyes flicked to t







