MasukSERA'S POVThe sacred night of the Luna Festival was finally here. Outside, the full moon hung like a heavy silver coin in the sky, watching over us all. This was the night for the Moon Goddess, a time for destiny and celebration, but my heart felt like lead.I had already chosen my dressâa beautiful cream-colored silk that felt like a second skin. It was light and free, and for a moment, looking at it, I actually felt like a woman instead of a prisoner.I started to dress slowly, pulling the ropes tight at my sides to fit my waist, catching my reflection in the mirror and forcing a small, hopeful smile.Then, Beatrice walked in."Dear," she said softly, her voice filled with a pity that made my stomach turn. "Wear this. Elder Ping told me this is what you must wear to the festival."She held out a garment that made my blood run cold. It wasn't a gown; it was a rough, drab piece of cloth. My face twisted with a mix of disgust and deep sadness. I knew exactly what this was. This was t
SERA'S POV I should have ended him right there on that cliff. The Great Lord of the North, reduced to nothing more than a man who couldn't control his own urges. He dared to lean in. He dared to think he could taste what belonged to someone else.My skin felt like it was crawling. These lips were reserved for Chris. I had kept myself pure for him, guarded every touch like a treasure, and now the air around me felt tainted by Liamâs near-kiss.I moved through the restricted area of the palace archives like a ghost with a grudge. My fingers flew across the spines of old, leather-bound books, pulling them back just enough to see the titles. I didn't care about the dust or the way the silence seemed to watch me. I was on a mission.When the lower shelves gave me nothing, I leaped.I didn't need a ladder. I moved upward with a grace that felt like a secret, landing on the higher ledge where the books were buried under decades of gray cobwebs. I tore through the sticky webs with a hiss o
LIAM'S POV The morning sun was just beginning to bleed over the horizon, casting long, sharp shadows across the stone walkway. I stood hidden in the alcove near the back of her chambers, as still as the statues lining the halls. The wind picked up, whispering through the trees, but my focus was entirely on the cold gold of the ring on my finger.It was humming. She was close.I stepped back further into the shade, watching as she emerged from the forest path. Her movements were slow, calculated, but there was a frantic energy behind her eyes.She stopped dead in her tracks, her gaze snapping up toward my tower, searching the windows for any sign of my presence.My jaw tightened. Where had she been? How had she managed to slip past the tether I had placed on her? I had spent the entire night in a restless fog, and the fact that I hadn't sensed her absence until now galled me. Someone was helping her."Sera, darling, where have you been?"Beatriceâs voice broke the silence. The old ma
SERA'S POV The ceiling was a blur of shadows and moonlight, but no matter how many times I blinked, I couldn't find any peace. My mind was a tangled mess of thoughts about Chris. He felt a world away, and the silence from his side was starting to feel like a heavy weight on my chest.I rolled onto my side, then my back, my skin feeling too tight for my body. The night air outside was crisp and freezing, but inside this fancy room, it felt like a furnace. I couldn't stay still. I leaped out of bed and started pacing, my bare feet hitting the cold floor with a frantic rhythm.Heâs worried about me. I know he is.I bit down on my finger, hard enough that the skin should have broken, but I didn't even flinch. The physical pain was nothing compared to the restlessness vibrating through my bones."Oh, right," I whispered to the empty room.I checked the corner of the room. The maids were fast asleep, their breathing steady and deep. Even the guard outside the door seemed to have drifted o
LIAM'S POV The council meeting had been a theater of the absurd. Meta was playing his games, pulling strings that sent our soldiers into pointless skirmishes, and the elders?They sat there like decorative statues, offering nothing but hollow words while my men bled. My kingdom was bleeding, and if I didnât find a way to sever those strings soon, the losses would become a tide I couldn't turn back.I walked down the long stone hallway, my boots echoing with a sharp, rhythmic click. My fist was clenched so tight against the silk of my robe that my knuckles were stark white.Clang! Clang!The sound of steel on steel drifted from the training grounds.It was a familiar, grounding noise, but today it felt different. Suddenly, the royal ring on my finger hummedâa low, magical vibration that sent a jolt up my arm.She was close.I stopped dead in my tracks. I turned my head, my gaze cutting through the archway to the courtyard. There she was.Sera.She was locked in a spar with one of the
LIAM'S POVThe wind caught the heavy silk of my robes, a cool caress that did nothing to settle the storm in my head. Lady Koileâs words were like a thorn pressed deep into my skinâirritating and impossible to ignore. The girl had reacted to the fox killer ash; the evidence was right there, plain as day. Yet, something felt off. Logic told me one thing, but a gut feeling I couldn't name told me another.I needed to see the truth for myself.As I turned to leave, my boot brushed against something soft. I looked down, expecting a stray pillow or a fallen cloak.Instead, it was her. Sera. She was sprawled on the floor, looking fragile and utterly spent, her breath so shallow she seemed more like a ghost than a girl.I waited for the spark of concern, that human pull to help someone in pain. It didn't come. I just stood there, my face as still as a winter pond, watching the rise and fall of her chest.Without a word, I stepped around her and walked away. My duty was to my kingdom, not to







