LOGINCHAPTER 90 DRAKEN’S POVThe bitter scent of Madame Lira’s temporary portion still hung in the air of the royal bedchamber. I sat on the edge of the grand mattress, my chest rising and falling as I watched Ava. The fear that had dominated her eyes in the Seer’s chamber had finally begun to recede. Her breathing was steady now, her small fingers slowly uncurling from where they had been gripping my shirt.Gently, I slid my hand out of her loose grip tucking the bear furs securely around her shoulders. I leaned down, pressing my lips to her forehead for a single, lingering second. Then, I rose.Thorne was already there, standing like an iron statue in the dim twilight. I walked straight up to his shoulder, keeping my voice low enough to escape the ears of any lingering palace maids. “Find out how Moonbane entered her body,” I commanded. “Consider it done, your majesty.” he rumbled. “Quietly,” I added, my eyes flashing with a warning. “No accusations. No public arrests. And absolute
CHAPTER 89 AVA’S POVI sat in the armchair, a leather-bound book on Northern history resting in my lap. My eyes scanned the text, tracing the dark ink characters with a steady focus, but it was useless. I had been staring at the exact same paragraph for nearly twenty minutes. Every time my eyes reached the final sentence, the beginning of the page simply vanished from my thoughts, leaving nothing but a blank, frustrating fog. It was like watching ink dissolve in water, and the harder I tried to grab the slipping thoughts, the faster they slid away.A few feet away, Draken sat at the small writing desk with his arms crossed. Every time the pages of my book rustled, his golden eyes would drift away from the stack of border reports to fixate entirely on my face. He had been like this all morning, trailing me through the royal wing with a protectiveness that made the entire room feel incredibly small, as if the stone walls themselves were pressing inward.I finally set the book down on m
Chapter 88THORNE'S POVWe didn't waste time informing the rest of the High Council about our decision. The fewer people who knew how serious the Luna's condition had become, the better. The council already had enough reason to question her.By the time the night swallowed the valleys, I had gathered a vanguard escort. We quietly escorted Madame Lira through the lower gates of the inner courtyard, slipping out into the mountain before the court politicians could track our departure.The wind howled like a wounded wolf as our stallions finally reached the ridge, the silhouette of Master Eldrin’s old research archive rising out of the snow. The stone tower was choked with centuries of thick ice.Madame Lira stepped down from her saddle, her boots sinking deep into the snow. She didn't hesitate, she walked straight toward the iron doors of the archive building, her cane tapping on the ground.The place was completely untouched and the door was still fully sealed.Lira stopped at the thre
CHAPTER 87 DRAKEN’S POV The closed doors of my private solar did nothing to silence the council's voices in my head. I stood by the window, watching gray mountain fog crawl over the battlements. My warning had silenced them for now, but I knew Silas well enough to know it wouldn't last. Behind my ribs, Fenris paced restlessly making my blood simner. A familiar thudding sound of boots echoed from outside and the door clicked, swinging open just enough to let in a draft of air before closing. I didn't turn around, I knew the weight of that stride. “What did the council say after I left?” I rumbled, my eyes tracking a distant pine tree struggling against the wind. “They said nothing, Sire. Your warning was sufficient to pin them to their seats,” Thorne replied. His voice carried its usual discipline, but there was a hitch at the end of the sentence. His armor clattered as he stopped a few paces behind my shoulder. “But that is not why I followed you.” I shifted, turning my head
CHAPTER 86AVA’S POVThe Great Hall of the Northern Court was a sea of shifting colors, bathed in the morning light that cut through the high windows. I refused to hide in my chambers like a wounded animal. I wore a gown of dark wool, the silver collar pressed flat against my throat, and though my legs carried a strange, numbness with every step, I forced my shoulders back. I walked with the dignity expected of a Luna. But the silence that usually greeted the crown was completely gone.As I moved toward the raised dais, the whispers were no longer hidden behind cups of wine, tea or muffled by the crackle of the great stone hearths. They had grown bold, drifting across the floor like an approaching storm.“Still no sign of an heir…” a lesser lord from the eastern valleys muttered, his voice carrying over the rustle of clothes.“The Moon Mother must be displeased with a Southern wolf on the throne,” a matron whispered back, her eyes scanning my face for any trace of the lingering sickne
CHAPTER 85 AVA’S POV I found Maya in the gallery, adjusting the fresh linens. She nearly dropped them when she saw the sharp, determined focus back in my eyes. “Maya,” I said, my voice steady for the first time in days. “Where is the King?” Maya hesitated, her eyes darting toward the high windows. “His Majesty dismissed the high council early this morning, Luna. He... he wasn't in a state to deal with the high lords. If he isn't in his solar, he should be down in the lower forge.” I didn't wait for her to call a vanguard escort. I didn't want an announcement or a trail of boots behind me. I pulled my mantle deeper around my shoulders and took the winding stone stairs down into the lower levels of the fortress. The air grew thick with the scents of sulfur, raw coal, and burning iron as I neared the low-vaulted arches of the royal smithy. Thorne stood near the iron threshold, sorting a stack of newly polished vanguards' daggers. His head snapped up as my boots clicked against t
CHAPTER 5ShadowsAVA'S POV. I felt a hand like iron wrap around my ankle. Before I could fall, I was pulled backward. Draken had flown up the ivy. He caught me mid-air as I tumbled from the wall. his body shielding mine as we slammed into the grass at the foot of the wall. He rolled, taking most
CHAPTER 4The court of vultures. AVA'S POV.Two days had passed since I almost stabbed him with that silver letter opener. The King’s suite felt like a cage. Draken hadn’t touched me since that night. He slept in the armchair by the window, eyes open every time I woke up, gone by the time I preten
CHAPTER 3 AVA'S POV As we walked down the dim hallway of the Royal wing, the shadow at the far end finally stepped out into the light. It was a man. And he looked terrifyingly similar to Draken. He possessed the same towering frame and broad, built shoulders. But his features were softer, framed
CHAPTER 1 AVA'S POV "You’re just a Beta’s daughter, Ava." Jax’s voice still echoed in my head, like a headache that refused to go. "I’m going to be Alpha. I need a mate who brings power. Not just... you." The memory made the silence in my bedroom feel suffocating. I stared at my reflection in t







