LOGINSCARLETT’S POVFor a moment, I could only stare at Jordan as he knelt before me with the small black box open in his hand. The crown was still resting on the balcony behind him, forgotten for the first time since it had become part of his life. There were no council members watching us, no royal guards waiting for an announcement, and no political reason for what was happening. It was simply Jordan, looking at me as though my answer mattered more than anything else.“Scarlett, I know we have already been through enough to fill several lifetimes,” Jordan said, his voice steady despite the emotion in his eyes. “I know we have already called each other husband and wife, built a family and survived things that should have destroyed us, but I don't want this moment to belong to any of those things,” he continued, holding the box toward me. “I want to ask you properly, with nothing between us except what we feel.”My eyes filled with tears as he revealed a simple ring. “Will you marry me ag
JORDAN’S POVThe crown felt heavier in my hands than it ever had on my head. I stared at the gold resting against my palm while Scarlett stood in front of me, watching without saying a word. For years, I had believed this crown represented everything I had to protect, my kingdom, my people, my family and the future I had fought to build. But standing there with Scarlett, I suddenly understood that there was one thing the crown could never guarantee.“You look like you are about to do something reckless,” Scarlett said, watching me carefully as I held the crown between us. I smiled faintly at her words, because she had always been able to see through me even when I tried to hide what I was thinking. “Maybe I am,” I admitted, looking down at the crown before meeting her eyes again. “But this time, I need you to understand why I am doing it,” I told her, keeping my voice steady.I placed the crown on the balcony between us, then stepped away from it. “Scarlett, I have spent so much time
SCARLETT’S POV“I don't deserve forgiveness, but Silverclaw still needs its Luna,” Rowan repeated, his voice quieter this time as he stood before the council with his hands bound. I looked at him for several seconds, remembering the woman I had once been when I believed becoming his Luna would finally give me a home. That woman had spent years trying to earn a place that should never have required her to beg for it.“You are right about one thing,” I told Rowan, keeping my voice calm as I stepped closer. “Silverclaw does need someone to lead it, but it will not be me as your Luna,” I continued, making sure every elder heard me clearly. “I will never return to that territory as the woman you rejected, and I will not wear a title that belongs to a life I already buried.”Rowan lowered his head, accepting the words without trying to argue. Around us, the council remained silent while Jordan stood near the throne with Charles safely in his arms. I glanced at my son before looking back at
SCARLETT’S POV“I know who opened the door for them,” the maid admitted, her voice trembling as she stood before us with tears gathering in her eyes. I stared at her, waiting for the name, while Jordan held Charles securely against his chest beside me. “Who was it?” I demanded, keeping my voice controlled even though anger was already burning through me.“The order came from one of the council elders,” the maid confessed, lowering her eyes as her fingers twisted nervously together. “He told the guards that the nursery had to be opened because the rebels were coming with a message for the King,” she explained, her voice breaking as she fought back tears. “He said nobody would hurt the prince, and that taking him would force the King to surrender.”My stomach turned at her words, and I glanced toward Jordan, whose expression had become dangerously cold. Charles was still resting peacefully against him, completely unaware that men had entered the palace with the intention of using him as
JORDAN’S POV“Move!” I ordered the warriors around us as I forced myself forward despite the pain running through my side, my injured body protesting every step. Scarlett was already ahead of me, running toward the palace with several Silverclaw warriors surrounding her, and the sound of the royal alarm continued screaming above us. I had never heard that alarm for this long, and every second it continued made the fear in my chest grow heavier.“Your Majesty, you need to let the healers examine you first,” one of the warriors insisted as he hurried beside me, but I ignored him and kept moving. “My son is inside that palace,” I reminded him, gripping the wound at my side as blood warmed my fingers. “If you want me to stop, give me a reason that matters more than getting to Charles,” I told him firmly, making him fall silent as we rushed through the palace gates.The moment we entered the courtyard, I knew something was terribly wrong. Guards were running toward the eastern wing, servan
SCARLETT’S POV“Jordan!” I screamed his name as I pushed through the battlefield, still gripping the torn piece of his cloak I had found among the broken stones. Smoke blurred my vision while warriors rushed around me, some carrying wounded men away and others fighting the remaining rebels, but none of it mattered anymore. My heart pounded painfully as I searched every corner, refusing to believe that the blood on his cloak meant what my mind was trying to tell me.“Your Majesty, you cannot go any farther without protection,” a Silverclaw warrior warned as he caught up with me, his sword still covered in blood. I pulled my arm away when he tried to stop me, barely looking at him because there was only one thing I cared about. “My husband is somewhere on this battlefield, and I am going to find him,” I told him firmly, forcing the fear out of my voice before turning back toward the wreckage.“Search the eastern side and check beneath every collapsed structure,” I ordered the warriors n







