เข้าสู่ระบบAsher’s POVI was definitely not going to his damn room.I stood in that dark stone passage for maybe five seconds after Kaelen left, watching his long black cloak disappear around the bend. My skin was still prickling from his breath. But the second the hallway went quiet, my brain clicked back on.Fuck waiting in his chambers like a good little trophy. If I stayed put, I was just waiting to be trapped. Besides, if the Citadel was going crazy over something happening at the stables, then I wanted to see it. I needed to know every single thing happening in this fortress. Every distraction was an opportunity that I could use.I stepped out of the shadow, keeping my boots quiet against the flagstones as I trailed the shouting guards.I stayed about twenty paces behind them, blending into the dark edges of the corridor. Torchlight flickered against the damp stone walls as more guards ran past, swords half-drawn, shouting over each other about broken chains and panicked beasts. I kept my
Asher’s POV“My… my…”I couldn’t even get the fucking words out. My throat was dry and my tongue felt heavy. Damn. My mind was still trapped back in Vaelin’s war room, picturing him standing over that dropped parchment, getting ready to destroy me.Before I could force another word past my teeth, Kaelen pressed his ringed finger against my lips, hushing me softly.He looked into my eyes as his grip shifted to the back of my neck. His fingers tangled into my hair. He dragged me backward off the main corridor into a dark, narrow stone passage.Kaelen flooded the tiny space with his pheromones.It hit me like a wave of thick heat—heavy, sweet, and suffocating, reeking of spiced wine and dark jasmine. It filled my nose, sinking deep into my chest until my head felt light and my legs became weak. My body wanted to fight it, but the scent was created to strip a wolfless man of his instincts, turning muscle into water.“Look at you,” Kaelen said, his eyes gleaming in the dim shadow. He reac
Asher’s POVMy boots hit the cold flagstones of the corridor, the oak door snapping shut behind me.I didn't stop right away. I kept my chin up and my spine straight, taking long, steady strides down the dim hallway away from Vaelin’s war room. My jaw still ached where his damn fingers had dug into my skin, but I kept my face blank for the two guards stationed outside. They watched me pass but I didn't give them a glance.The second I turned the corner and stepped into the quiet shadow of a stone archway, my knees buckled.I slammed my back against the damp stone wall and slid down a few inches, swallowing hard against the lump in my throat. My hands were shaking. Actually shaking. I stared at my trembling fingers in the dark, hating myself for it, hating every weak bone in my body.Fuck this… fuck all of this.My breathing came fast and ragged. The deadpan mask I’d worn for weeks was cracking, piece by piece, and I couldn't stop it. Vaelin was nothing like Kaelen. Kaelen was blinded
Vaelin’s POVThe noise in the main hall was loud enough to give a lesser man a headache.Hundreds of drunken Western warlords downing ale, tearing into roasted meat with their hands, and shouting over each other like animals in a pit. I didn't drink. I barely touched the meat on my plate. My eyes stayed glued to the room, tracking every guard rotation, every open exit, and every idiot who had too much wine in his belly.Then my brother made a complete fool of himself.CLANG.Kaelen slammed his iron flagon onto the high table, the sound cutting straight through the roaring chatter around us.I didn't turn my head right away. I just cut my eyes sideways, watching the scene play out. Malakor—that fat, worthless excuse for a steward—was standing over the Eastern slave with his right fist pulled back, ready to strike. The slave stood there, holding a silver wine pitcher, his face totally blank. But it wasn't the boy's split lip or his cold eyes that made my pulse spike.It was the damn shi
Asher’s POVTheir damn eyes couldn't leave me as I walked into the inner kitchen hall.Every single house slave stopped what they were doing. Hands holding wooden spoons froze mid-stir. Their eyes widened, moving over the high collared crimson silk and the silver trim cut along my shoulders. Whispers rippled across the room."What in the moon goddess are you wearing, Ash?" Lyra appeared at my side, her hands instantly reaching out to run her fingers over the smooth fabric of my sleeve. "What's with the colors?"She gasped, her eyes scanning my chest up to my jaw. "And gosh... you look fine. Almost royal."I scoffed, grabbed her wrists, and dragged her into a dark corner behind the wine casks before the guards took notice."I don't know why," I muttered, keeping my voice low so only she could hear, "but Prince Kaelen wants me in these damn clothes.""Kaelen?" Her voice dropped to a terrified squeak. "Ash... that's his personal household livery. Only his direct servants wear crimson. Yo
Asher’s POVI made it back to the slave quarters before my knees gave out beneath me.The low cellar smelled like wet limestone, sweat, and old tallow candles. Everyone was out cold. Row after row of thin straw mats crowded the dirt floor, thick breathing and harsh snores filling the darkness.I dropped onto my mat, my back striking the floor hard enough to knock the breath straight out of me. Fuck.My jaw still burned, and the cut on my lip throbbed. I stared up at the cracked ceiling, my brain turning over the same thoughts in endless, messy circles. Kaelen’s hot breath on my skin. The blood coating my tongue. The binder sitting in that hidden drawer. I kept tracing that boundary until my eyes burned too badly to stay open, and sleep finally dragged me under.SPLASH.Ice-cold water smacked me right across the face.I sat up fast, coughing, choking, and shaking off the shock. The same bastard guard stood over me with a fucked up wooden bucket dangling from his fist, a yellow-toothe







