LOGINThe letter arrives with the morning light.It rests on a silver tray beside a pot of tea, the royal seal pressed in deep blue wax. Lira notices it first as she steps onto the balcony, a blanket wrapped loosely around her shoulders.Rylan stands by the railing, sleeves rolled to his forearms, staring out over the gardens where lanterns from the previous night’s anniversary celebration still sway lazily.“You let it sit there,” she says softly.“I was waiting for you, babe.”She picks it up, turning it over in her hands. “He still writes like he is sending commands for war.”“He was never good at anything else, you know.”She breaks the seal.The parchment inside bears Charles’s steady handwriting.She clears her throat dramatically and deepens her voice.My son and daughter,Five years feels both brief and vast. The countryside has given me quiet, though not silence. River has taken to his studies with more discipline than I expected. I believe distance has done him good. It has done m
Author's POVThe palace courtyard does not know silence in three weeks.Tailors hurry across marble floors with fabric draped over their arms. Jewelers bow over velvet trays, arguing in hushed voices about the angle of a setting. Florists debate color palettes as though the fate of the kingdom rests on petals alone. Guards double patrols. Elders shuffle in and out of council chambers, murmuring about guest lists and protocol.Lira stands in the center of her chambers while three seamstresses circle her.“Lift your arms.”She does.“No, not like you are about to spar with someone,” one of them mutters. “Gracefully.”Lira lowers her shoulders with a reluctant smile. “Grace has never been my strongest trait.”“It will be in a couple of days!” the woman replies.Across the room, Beta Hale watches from a cushioned chair, amusement softening her features.“You terrify a room full of elders,” her mother says. “You can manage walking down an aisle.”“That is different,” Lira answers.“How?”“
Author's POV Five to four. Twelve seconds left on the clock. Moonfang… Moonfang has possessionnnn!”The commentator’s voice thunders across the packed arena, bouncing off steel beams and glass.Lira stands at the edge of the rink in her white and blue cheer uniform, pom-poms clutched in her hands, her breath caught halfway in her chest. She has returned to school since everything has returned to normal now.The cold from the ice bleeds through the barrier and kisses her skin, though she barely feels it.“Rylan Grayson carries it down the right wing. Captain Lucien has been relentless tonight. Two assists, one goal already. He wants this title.”The rival team’s defense closes in, skates carving white arcs into the ice. The scoreboard glows above them, bold numbers glaring down at thousands of eyes.Moonfang.Northcrest.Nine seconds.“Block him,” someone screams from the opposing bench.Rylan dips his shoulder, body low, stick steady. A defender lunges, aiming to trap him against the
Author's POV“Eva… step forward.”The courtyard does not yet settle from the previous revelations when Alpha King Charles calls another name.Lira feels Rylan’s fingers tighten around hers.Eva steps forward from the lower steps. Her face looks pale against the morning light, yet there is resolve in her posture. The murmurs quiet as she climbs to stand before the King.Charles regards her with grave gravity. “Speak without fear now. You are under my protection.”Eva nods, though her throat works before any sound comes. She draws in a long breath.“I lie,” she says.The words ring clear.Gasps roll across the courtyard.“I say Prince Rylan forces himself on me,” she continues. “He… does not. He never touches me. He is the one who saves me instead.”Lira’s heart pounds. She glances at Rylan. She sees his jaw go rigid beneath his mask, though he does not look away.Eva’s voice trembles, then steadies. “It is Prince River. He corners me in his quarters and rapes me. When Prince Rylan save
Behind her, Rylan follows.The sunlight falls across Beta Hale’s face as she looks at her daughter.“Hello, you.”Lira stares at her mother as though she might vanish if she blinks.The woman stands near the foot of the bed, hands clasped, eyes glistening. Even though she was in prison just weeks ago…‘I-it can't be.’Rylan remains by the door, watching Lira’s face change from confusion to hope to something that looks dangerously close to tears.“How are yo—,” Lira whispers.Her mother laughs softly.Lira crosses the room in quick steps and throws her arms around her mother, ignoring the faint pull in her muscles. The poison leaves her weak for a while, but now she feels strength settling back into her limbs.Rylan looks away for a moment. He gives them space. He imagines this scene many times while chasing fragments of truth in dusty ledgers and secret meetings just so he can come to this. Seeing it unfold makes his chest tighten in a way battle never has.When Lira finally pulls bac
Author's POV“Out of the way. Move.”Rylan’s voice tears through the corridor as he runs beside the stretcher.Lira lies motionless, her skin pale beneath streaks of dried blood. Her hand hangs off the side until he grabs it, pressing it between both of his as if he can force warmth back into her by sheer will.“Careful with her head,” he barks at the physician. “If she feels even a scratch when she wakes, I will have your license!”“She is breathing, Your Highness,” the physician replies, strained but steady. “Let us work.”They burst through the infirmary doors.Behind them, the courtyard has not yet quieted.Nerrissa’s voice cuts across the lingering noise. “She fainted. That concludes it. The final phase must be declared a tie.”Charles does not raise his voice. He does not need to.“The rule is clear,” he says. “If the opponent does not rise within one minute, the standing fighter wins.”“She collapsed,” Nerrissa presses. “That should invalidate her victory.”“She collapsed after
Lira’s POVLuna and Eva pulls me into a tight embrace the moment I step back into the dorm. Luna kiss my forehead lightly while Eva pats my back. No words is exchange as we stand there for a while.“Lira..” Luna says, taking my bag from me as she pulls back. “I heard about what happened between you
Rylan’s POV“She already left, prince Rylan,” Luna says and it’s feels like a bucket of cold water is emptied on my face. I had driven here at the fastest speed hoping that I will be able to catch up with her but she left. it’s even barely dawn and she already leave… is she that eager to get away f
Lira’s POVIn his bed?” The word echoes relentlessly in my ears until it’s seems like it is going to rip my eardrums apart. Untamed rage course through my veins. My hand reach out and connect to his face in a sharp and resounding slap that makes my hand burn.“You bastard!” I curse, my chest rising
Lira’s POV“Your answer would determine if I will get on that train or not?” I say, my eyes fix on him as I just expect him to say the damn words that I desperately want to hear. Of course, I want to be sure we are clear—that we are on the same note because I don’t have the time and strength for th







