LOGIN**Eirian’s Pov**I stirred as though I were being dragged up from deep water.For a while, I had no idea where I was. Then slowly, everything began to fall into place. But as my eyes adjusted, I realized this wasn't my chamber. Soft morning light filtered through the unfamiliar curtains—they were darker than the ones I knew. The scent around me was different too. It wasn't the sweet lavender scent Nessa used to leave in my chamber. This room smelled of wood smoke, leather, warmth… and strangely, safety. Vorath's chambers. I knew that scent. It clung to him.I slowly opened my eyes, searching the room for him. He was sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, his broad shoulders hunched, and his head hanging low. I could barely see his face from where I lay, but I noticed the tension in his back. He hadn't slept. The exhaustion in his posture made that obvious."Vorath," I called weakly, surprising myself.His head shot up so quickly I almost heard h
**Vorath’s Pov**I refused to allow anyone touch her.Bettin reached us within minutes, breathless and already giving out instructions to the healers following behind her.When one of my senior warriors stepped forward, reaching out his arms to relieve me of Eirian's weight, I violently turned my shoulder away from him. I didn't need to say a word; one look from me was enough. He instantly stepped back and bowed his head. I carried her myself. She was limp in my arms, her head resting beneath my chin, and her shallow, uneven breaths warm at my throat. The corridors blurred past, with the frightened, whispering faces of servants who had gathered at the sound of the alarm. Well, none of it mattered except getting Eirian to the healers.Bettin quickly cleared a table with a sweep of her arm, and I placed Eirian on it as gently as my shaking hands allowed. I refused to move away. My fingers remained loosely wrapped around her smaller hand as Bettin began examining her."My lord, I need s
**Eirian’s Pov**The blade came at me, its silver edge catching the firelight as terror flooded my chest.Then something answered.‘Now.’Nysera's voice echoed inside me. The word did not feel like a suggestion; it felt like a door being thrown open after eleven years of being locked shut; the rusty hinges finally gave way.What happened next was beyond my control. I did not choose to become something else; my body just ceased being mine. Heat exploded from somewhere behind my ribs and spread to other parts of my body. It tore through my muscles and bones so forcefully that it should have been painful.Instead, it was like relief.Blinding silver light burst from my body in every direction. I felt myself falling forward, as I could feel my bones shifting beneath my skin, landing on four legs that had not existed a heartbeat earlier. My vision changed. Everything became sharper, colors faded into shades of silver and shadow, while every detail around me became painfully clear.Then cam
**Vorath’s Pov**The courtyard had dissolved into chaos by the time I reached it. Torches flared brightly in the dark as warriors shouted orders across the yard. Steel clashed with steel somewhere in the southern wall, the sound sharp and unrelenting in the cold night air.“My lord!” Kaelan's voice rose above the noise.He fought his way to me through the scattering guards. Blood had already soaked one sleeve, but he barely seemed to notice the wound.“Intruders. At least six of them. They came in through the eastern section using the old drainage grate. We thought it was too narrow for a man to pass through."“How many made it inside?”“Three confirmed. The others were killed in the breach.”He fell into step beside me as I moved toward the fighting, my blade already drawn in my hand. The years of war had trained my body to react without hesitation. My mind became cold and focused, taking in every movement around me.“My lord, they weren't trying to escape. They moved with a purpose
**Vorath’s Pov**She stared at the page with wide, shocked eyes, then gazed up at me.Did she already know about Nysera?The accusation in her face was impossible to miss. I knew immediately that the compromise I had come up with that morning had just collapsed because of one drawing I never expected her to find so soon.I had spent weeks thinking about this moment and considered every possible way to handle it if she ever discovered the truth, and now that it had arrived, all those plans disappeared from my memory.‘Lie your way out,’ my wolf urged, not wanting to see her hurt. ‘Tell her the drawing is nothing worth fretting over. Pretend you're just as surprised as she is. Tell her it’s just another piece of ancient myth among thousands of forgotten stories in the realm.’ She might believe me. At least for a little while. It would buy me precious time to piece together the entire puzzle and prepare her properly. However, looking at her now, I couldn't bring myself to do it.Her ey
**Eirian’s Pov**Vorath returned from his brief conversation with Kaelan with a moody expression. He tried to hide it, forcing his face back to normal, but I could see the storm brewing behind his eyes.I was tempted to ask what they had discussed, but I stopped myself. I had learned enough about him during my time here to know that Vorath opened up only on his own timing. Pressuring a man like him would only cause him to retreat further behind his icy walls. “Shall we?” He gestured at the heavy iron door.I nodded and followed him inside.The archive was full of dust and the smell of old parchment. The thick, papery scent filled my lungs as we crossed the threshold. He lit a few candles, and their weak glow revealed dust floating through the air. Shelves rose into the darkness on every side, packed tightly with ledgers and scrolls. Most of the writing on their spines had faded with age, making them difficult to read.“This section contains the oldest bloodline records,” Vorath expla







