LOGINArielleBy the time Kael came back I was already in the small kitchen moving plates around like I was hosting the entire kingdom. I do not know why I was stressing myself because it was just two of us but my hands refused to stay still. Maybe it was the silence from earlier or maybe it was the fact that I could still feel the warmth of his arms from last night and the fear that followed right after. I kept telling myself that today was a new day and I should not think too deeply but my head had a mind of its own.The maids got the day off because Kael thinks they are the ones gossiping and he wanted us to stay in the other wing that has its own kitchen which I appreciate. I keep falling for the man everyday it’s ughhhhKael pushed the door open and the moment I heard his footsteps my whole body relaxed in a way I did not even understand. He looked tired but he gave me a small smile when he saw me. It was not one of those heavy smiles. It looked soft and shy and almost like he was tr
KaelI barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes I saw the runes on Arielle’s stomach. I saw the way they moved like something alive under her skin. I saw the way she screamed my name. Them i saw the way my hands finally touched her without pain and how that tiny moment of peace felt like a dream I should not have tasted. And then the pain hit again and ripped everything apart.I stared at my desk for a long time. Papers scattered everywhere and none of them made sense. My head felt heavy and chest felt tight. I kept rubbing the bridge of my nose like that would fix anything. It did not.A knock came on my door and I frowned.“Alpha the elders are calling for you. They said it is urgent.”a guard said through the wood. “What for?” My stomach dropped a little reminding me I need to put them in their place for good“They said it concerns last night.”My whole body went cold as I pushed the chair back and stood slowly. The air around me felt heavier. The guard looked nervous when I st
Arielle. I woke up with my heart beating like it wanted to climb out of my chest. My whole body felt heavy almost bruised on the inside. The room was quiet and for a small second I thought maybe last night was a dream. Maybe I did not scream. Maybe Kael did not rush to me. Maybe the runes did not glow and move under my skin like living things. Maybe I did not cry into his chest.But when I sat up I felt a dull ache in my stomach. Not pain just something that reminded me that everything was real. I touched the spot with my fingers and I swear it felt warm. Just warm almost like the runes were sitting there quietly waiting for the next storm.The room still smelled like Kael. I hated that it comforted me. I hated how much I leaned into it as if it could explain anything. I pulled my knees to my chest and stayed there for some time. I did not know how long I just breathed and tried not to think about how he held me last night and how the pain vanished when he touched me. How I felt sa
KaelI don’t even understand how I’m still breathing, because the relief that crashes through me the moment Arielle softens against me is so sharp it almost feels like pain. I hold her the way I’ve dreamed of holding her since the curse began. My arms wrap around her waist my forehead resting against her temple. She’s warm and trembling but I don’t care. All that matters is that I can touch her. I can hold her. For the first time in months, my skin isn’t burning like I’m holding fire.It’s like the world pauses for us. Like every nightmare we’ve survived fades away just long enough for this one small impossible moment of peace.Arielle clings to me so tightly her fingers tremble against my back. She makes this small sound all fragile, broken and it nearly destroys me. It isn’t quite a cry but it carries every fear she’s had to swallow for so long. She presses her face into my neck and the breath that leaves her sounds like she’s been drowning all this time.“Kael. Is this real?” she
Kael. I did not want to sleep that night but my body gave up on me. I lay beside Arielle and watched her chest rise and fall. She looked peaceful for once. I wanted to hold her but fear sat heavy in my chest like a stone. The pain I felt whenever I touched her was still fresh in my mind. It made me feel useless and angry. I closed my eyes because I wanted rest but instead of sleep I felt myself sinking again into that strange place I had been in before. A place that felt like a dream and also felt too real.Everything around me was dark at first then slowly I saw a faint glow that grew brighter until I could see a shape walking toward me. I knew who it was before he fully appeared and it ws my father. Or whatever was left of him. His face looked the same and his eyes looked the same but he carried something heavy in the air around him like he was bringing a warning with him. He stopped a few steps away from me and looked at me with the same expression he used to have when he wanted
Third Person’s POVDiane pushed the curtain aside and stepped into the Prophetess’s hut slowly like she was entering a place holy and dangerous at the same time. The air inside was thick with the smell of burning leaves and crushed hers. It wrapped around her like smoke and made her eyes sting a little. She held the basket of dried herbs close to her chest as she crossed the room. Her steps were quiet on the floor because she did not want to disturb anything in this place. The Prophetess liked silence which Diane learned that months ago. She placed the basket down gently on the small wooden table near the wall and wiped her palms on her skirt because her hands were suddenly sweating.The Prophetess sat on her usual seat, a carved wooden chair that looked older than everyone in the pack combined. Her eyes were fixed on Diane but they were not warm. They were the kind of eyes that saw through lies before they were even spoken. Diane felt the weight of that stare and forced herself no







