Lyria's POVI was tempted—no, aching—to ask Mira: What about Kael? What had Kael, the great king, been doing while I was half-dead on a battlefield? Why had Garrick, the very one who hated me with a passion, been the one to drag me out of the jaws of death?But the thought alone made anger surge so fiercely inside me that I squashed it down before it could escape. I hated Kael. I wasn't supposed to care what he was doing or whether he even noticed my limp body amidst the chaos.I wasn't supposed to care.Still, I couldn't wrap my head around it. Garrick? Saving me? It felt like asking the sun to freeze the oceans.After the king himself, Garrick had been known as the fiercest warrior of the court. A mountain of a man, proud and unyielding, respected—and feared. And he had hated me. That much had been clear from the moment I first humiliated him at the Blood Trials.That night, my powers—wild and raw—had flared unexpectedly, knocking him flat on his back before he could land even a sin
Lyria's POVThe moment the question left my lips — “Do you really want to know the truth?” — I noticed a sudden change in Ivy's demeanor.Her laughter died mid-giggle, and her eyes widened like a startled deer caught in a hunter’s snare. Fear. Raw, unfiltered fear clouded her features before she quickly masked it behind a shallow, forced smile.Without missing a beat, she grabbed Hood’s arm, her fingers tightening like claws around him. She giggled again, louder this time, almost unnaturally, like she was trying to bury the tension beneath a veil of humor."Come on, Hood," she said lightly, but I caught the frantic undertone she couldn't quite hide. "Let's not waste any more time here."Before Hood could protest, she was dragging him away, her steps quick and almost desperate. Hood glanced back at me, confusion furrowing his brows, but Vanessa gave a sharp tug, forcing him to move faster.As they retreated down the corridor, Vanessa cast a brief look over her shoulder — stylishly, so
Lyria’s POVFor a second, the room was suspended in stunned silence.The air itself seemed to freeze, thick with shock and tension.Ivy scrambled backward, clutching her torn blouse against her chest, her face flaming with mortification. Her wide, horrified eyes darted to the door as if calculating whether she could somehow vanish into thin air. Hood, on the other hand, swore under his breath, running a frustrated hand through his messy hair, his whole body taut with frustration and guilt.Garrick stood planted at the doorway, arms folded, an eyebrow cocked so high it almost disappeared into his hairline. His mouth twitched like he was struggling — badly — to keep from laughing."Don’t stop on my account," he said, voice thick with mockery. "By all means, continue. I’ve seen worse in the rogue camps."The wicked amusement in his tone was like salt to an open wound.Hood muttered another curse and shoved Ivy slightly behind him, shielding her half-bare form from Garrick’s amused gaze.
Kael's POVGradually, my eyes fluttered open to another morning. I didn't bother to look around. There was no need. The room, the air, the emptiness—it was all the same as yesterday. And the days before that. I just stared into vacancy, my gaze locked onto nothing In particular, my mind heavier than my body.Although I felt better now, I had long lost count of how many days I had woken up to find myself still miserable and broken.But amidst all the bitterness, I couldn't deny the deep, aching gratitude I owed Mira once again. She had saved my life—again—just like she had healed my sight all those years ago, when I had given up on myself. It was this same Mira who nursed me when death loomed too close, who placed herself between me and the shadows clawing to take me. It was Mira who brewed the herbs that helped me sleep away the endless, soul-crushing hours when my body was too battered to move and my mind too fractured to hope.I didn't have to lie awake each night drowning in help
Kael's POV Apart from the nightmare which I just shared with Mira again, and the title memories she had with my mother before she died, I saw that Mira could only recall little fragments of my painful childhood memory that I had long shared with her. It had been so long… so painfully long that even she had forgotten. I could tell from the way she positioned herself, her brows furrowing, fingers tapping gently against her lap as if groping around in the dark for fragments of a memory. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I lay there, feeling the anger swell in my chest.Then I reminded her.I reminded her how a fire had broken out when I was just a boy—how I had gotten trapped inside, blinded as hot, blazing woods from the ceiling crashed down and seared my eyes. I told her how my mother, my precious mother, had found a back exit and dragged me out into the night. I was half-conscious, my small hand squeezed tightly in hers as she ran and explained in desperate, broke
Kael's POVMira folded her arms and shook her head in dismay at me, her lips pressed into a thin, silent line. She didn't say a word, but I understood that look well enough—it was a look that screamed you're foolish but I won't waste my breath.Pushing past the throbbing ache in my ribs, I scrambled up to my feet as regally as I could muster, wiping my hands against my trousers like it was all nothing but a minor stumble. I flashed Mira a crooked smile, one that barely concealed the sharp pang in my side. "I just lost my footing," I said breezily.Her frown deepened, but I didn't give her the chance to protest. In moments, I was out of that chamber again, my gait steady despite the muted fire of pain burning through my body.Far be it from me that I walked back into the palace like a weakling.The palace corridors were quiet this early at dawn, bathed in a cool, gray light that leaked in from the high windows. My eyes darted around as I walked—searching for a familiar figure. Searchin
Kael's POV I didn’t know what Ivy was up to at first.One second she was fidgeting nervously in front of me, and the next, she was fishing a small cellphone from the pocket of her pale blue dress. Her fingers trembled slightly as she unlocked it. I frowned, suspicion rising in my chest.“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice calm but wary.Instead of answering, Ivy lowered her gaze, almost looking bashful, and pressed play on something.A recording.The static crackled for a beat, and then—Lyria’s voice, soft and aching, bled into the room.I stilled.“There was an event one night... I was young—too young to even remember what the event was truly about. But I remember that the adults had all gathered in the central hall for some ceremony. Us pups… we were kept in a separate room to play.”A strange, hollow sensation began to creep down my spine. I stared at the phone as if it were something cursed.“We were playing hide and seek... we laughed anyway, squealed and ran. It was innoce
Kael’s POVThe sound of Ivy’s sobs faded into the corridor as she stumbled away from my room, her figure crumpled with shame and fear. I remained standing by the door for a long moment, my fists clenched at my sides, breathing deeply to restrain the storm rising within me.How dare she?What did she think she would gain by trying to paint Lyria—my mate—as a monster?The betrayal was bitter in my mouth, but beneath it bloomed something so fierce and powerful it nearly stole my breath: relief.Lyria was the same girl.The same girl whose face, though blurred by the smoke and fear of that night, had haunted my dreams ever since.I could still remember the weight of her tiny body in my arms, the way she clung to me as if I were her last hope, and the devastating guilt that gnawed at my bones when I went back for the others but didn’t make it back the same. I had lost my sight for weeks, barely surviving.And now, fate had wound its thread once again, tying us back together.A stunned, alm
Lyria's POVIt was well into the night by the time Kael returned, but everyone had stayed awake all along. Even before his return, right from the time Magnus was killed and defeated, and everyone got to know, the whole palace had become a beehive of activity. While some got busy taking away Ivy's body which Magnus used, some took care of the mess that had been created in my room, while the rest even came up with a little plan, deciding that if the king did not return soon, they would go all out into the night to look for their king. Thank goddess Kael came back just when they were planning it. Now, Kael stood before a crowded hall, his hands intertwined in mine while we had Mira and Hood flanking us as Kael prepared to address everyone who had been jubilating for the final victory that came from Kael and I. Soon, one of them shouted, Long live the King! Long live the Queen! Another followed, and another, till I lost count, till everyone of them started chanting it. I couldn't he
Lyria's POVThe metallic tang of blood still hung in the air, staining the wooden floor and seeping into my senses even though I had already left the room. I stood just outside the threshold, trembling slightly, not from fear, but from the aftermath of what had just unfolded.Hood stood by me, his broad frame solid and unmoving, acting as a silent shield. Mira soon joined us, her face pale and her eyes reflecting the swirl of shock still settling inside her. Behind us, the hallway was chaotic. Warriors murmured to one another, confused but ready for action, and palace workers stood stiffly, waiting for instruction. The eerie silence that followed the confrontation had now morphed into hushed chaos.Hood finally raised his voice, commanding with the same strength he had used when leading warriors in battle. “Drag her out,” he said flatly, motioning to the twisted, bloodied body that had once resembled Ivy. “That’s not her anymore. That was Magnus.”The warriors hesitated for a beat, a
Lyria's POVThe letter shook in my trembling hands, its corners crumpled from how tightly I gripped it. I had found it under the pillow, as though Kael couldn’t bear to place it anywhere else, as though hiding it there would soften the blow. But it didn’t. It shattered something deep inside me.He was gone.He left without taking a single warrior, without so much as a whisper in my direction—no warning, no goodbye. Only a letter. One that didn’t even say where he was going. It only spoke about how he didn’t want me to get hurt. As though I would be fine watching him walk straight into danger alone. As though my heart wouldn't tear apart with worry.He must be far away now. Far enough that the bond between us had dulled to a fragile echo, a dim hum instead of the steady, grounding presence I was used to. That bond was my compass, my anchor—and now, with it so faint, I felt like I was drifting.And how do I tell him?How do I tell him that I’m pregnant? That there’s a tiny, flickering l
Kael's POV The journey to the seer felt like walking through a tunnel with no end, the terrain familiar and yet stretched endlessly under the weight of my thoughts. I knew I didn’t have the luxury of time, but each step closer to the seer’s dwelling made me feel heavier. Like the very act of seeking answers was slowly anchoring me in a truth I might not be ready to face.When I finally reached the seer’s small hut nestled between withered oaks and whispering moss, I didn’t bother knocking. She was already outside, sitting cross-legged before her fire, her eyes half-lidded as if she'd been waiting for me since the beginning of time."You wish to chase a shadow that refuses to die," she said, before I could utter a word. Her voice was raspy, like dry leaves dragged across stone.I froze. I shouldn't have been surprised. She always knew. "Then you already know why I’m here."She nodded once, the motion slow and eerie. "The man you seek now wears two skins."My brows creased. "What does
Kael's POVThe dull light of dawn filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle glow over the room. But I didn’t move. I couldn’t. I lay there, glued to the edge of the bed, my back turned to Lyria. My body still ached, not just from the war, not just from the fight, but from something heavier. It was fear. The fear of uncertainties. Fear that the danger that still lingered out there, if left uncurbed, will come back in a more deadly wave The sex Lyria and I had last night felt great—intense and raw, and for a moment, it had numbed everything. Her touch had silenced the voices. Her breath on my skin had reminded me I was still hunan—still hers. But come morning, the weight returned with cruel clarity.Magnus wasn’t dead.He’d vanished. Again. Like a cursed shadow slithering into the cracks of the world, waiting to reform. I could feel it in my bones, in the dread pooling in my chest. This wasn’t over. It was just delayed. And I couldn’t stomach the thought of him coming back—to hu
Lyria's POV I woke up the next morning wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and soft sheets, Kael’s arm draped protectively around my waist, his breathing steady behind me. The first rays of sunlight streamed through the slightly drawn curtains, casting golden streaks across the room, bathing everything in a tender glow.For a fleeting moment, the chaos of the war, the bloodshed, and the pain from the night before slipped from my mind. All I could think of—feel, even—was the raw intensity and depth of what had transpired between Kael and me last night.My body still tingled with the memory of his hands on my skin, the hunger in his kiss, the fire in his eyes. The way we came together like two halves of the same soul desperately finding home in one another after being torn apart.I smiled to myself, a slow, dreamy kind of smile. My fingers traced over the crook of my neck where Kael had marked me—his mark. It pulsed faintly now with a warmth I couldn’t explain, like a star lodged under my sk
Kael's POV The moment we got into the room now after leaving the palace, Lyria slumped unto the bed tiredly and I sat next to her. “You were incredible back there,” I murmured, still trying to believe everything I’d seen with my own eyes. “They were dead, Lyria. Some of them were gone. But you brought them back.”She gave me a small, humble smile. “I didn’t bring them back, Kael. The moon goddess did. I was just a vessel.”“But without you, they would have stayed gone,” I insisted.Lyria didn’t argue—she never took credit—but she also didn’t deny the truth. Instead, she stared at the floor for a moment, her fingers tightening around mine.Then, after a few paces of silence, she spoke. “I’ve been thinking about Hood…” her voice was low, laced with sorrow. “If he had known that Ivy would still come back to life—even if just unconscious—I think he might have held on. Might not have run into the remnants of Magnus’ magic.”I looked at her. Her expression was steady, but grief shimmered j
Kael's POV I watched with swelling pride as the warriors—those who had once laid still in pain or death—staggered forward, their expressions a mix of awe, gratitude, and disbelief. Some had risen from death itself, their eyes wide and trembling with the weight of life returning to their bodies. Others who had been too injured to move now stood tall and whole, like they'd never tasted the edge of death.And they all came to Lyria.One by one, they approached her—some kneeling, others bowing their heads, a few clutching their chests in reverence—as they thanked her over and over. Their words were thick with emotion. But Lyria only offered them a warm, gentle smile and said, “Thank the Moon Goddess. She chose you to stay.”The humility in her voice stunned me. Power like that could easily corrupt someone, yet she wore it like a gentle blessing. Not a crown.Lyria and I continued walking together, hand in hand. Mira had summoned a few of her assistants, and I glanced back to see them ge
Lyria's POVThe moment Kael’s eyes fluttered open, I forgot how to breathe.For a second, I thought I had imagined it. But then his lashes trembled again, slow and uncertain like a dream rousing itself to life. I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth as his chest rose with a deep inhale, and color returned to his face like dawn breaking through a long night. The gaping wound that had spilled his life onto the earth was gone. Not a trace left. Not even a scar. The ground where he lay was wet with blood, but his skin now bore no sign that he had ever been touched by death.My heart exploded.“Kael,” I whispered, the name catching in my throat like a prayer half-formed.His eyes opened. Fully this time. Slowly. Those familiar, warm eyes that I thought I’d never see again blinked up at the sky before they turned toward me. For a beat, he just stared—confused, dazed, like someone waking from a deep slumber. Then his brows furrowed and his lips parted slightly.“Lyria?”A sob tore out of me