MAXWELLFalling for someone you can’t have isn’t the hard part—it’s realizing that you already have, and there’s no way to turn back.I watch her from the edge of the training field, half-shadowed by the barracks archway. The morning light hits her hair just right, strands glinting gold as she moves through a sparring demonstration. Her stance is sharp. Balanced. Confident. There’s a quiet authority in her voice now, one that wasn’t there three months ago. The students don’t just obey—they listen.Beatrice has earned their respect the same way she’s earned mine: by surviving everything thrown her way without letting it harden her soul.I cross my arms, pretending I’m just here to check on Aria’s progress report. But the truth is, I’ve been finding excuses to watch her more than I should. And the more I do, the harder it becomes to look away.She doesn’t know.She can’t know.That every time I see her like this—focused, proud, alive—I feel something inside me pull tighter, like a thread
BEATRICEIt’s funny how one word can knock the air right out of you—and how another can bring it rushing back just as fast.“She’s my sister,” Maxwell says, looking directly at me.My lips part. “Your… sister?”He nods, one hand still tucked in his coat pocket, the other brushing his jaw as if he’s nervous. “Dalia. She’s younger by two years. I haven’t seen her in a while, so we’re catching up.”Relief crashes over me so abruptly, I nearly forget to breathe. I’m not sure what’s worse—that I was jealous, or that I actually believed, for a second, that he’d moved on without even looking back.But now?Now I feel ridiculous.And strangely… light.“Oh,” I say, trying not to sound as pathetically relieved as I feel. “I didn’t know she was in town.”“She came early,” he says. “She wanted to avoid the Dragon Court’s formalities.”Ah. There it is again.The reminder that no matter how close Maxwell stands to me now, someone far more fitting is being dressed in silk and gold to stand at his sid
BEATRICEIt’s almost unsettling how easy this conversation is—like we belong here, in this world of velvet cushions and expensive glassware, even though I’ve spent my whole life on the outside of rooms like this.Liora laughs at something Bailey says, dabbing her mouth gently with a linen napkin, while Cassian refills Rhys’s cup of juice like he’s done it a thousand times before. There’s no stiffness in their posture, no polite restraint like I expected. Just warmth. Openness. And for once, no hidden judgment.I’m still waiting for the shift—the moment they’ll realize who I really am.Not Beatrice the responsible mother. Not Beatrice the dependable teacher or bakery worker. But Beatrice the runaway rogue, the exiled Luna, the woman who once belonged to a name most people speak like a warning.But it never comes.“So,” Liora says, resting her chin lightly on her hand. “You train the young warriors now?”“Yes,” I say carefully. “Just started officially. Aria oversees me, but I lead my ow
BEATRICEThe second someone says, “We need to talk about your daughter,” my heart drops like a stone in my chest.I’ve just taken off my apron, ready to head out and pick Bailey up from the academy when a tall woman in sleek business clothes steps into my path. Her tone is polite but urgent, and I freeze instantly.“Is she okay?” I ask, panic rising in my throat like bile. “Did something happen?”“She’s safe,” the woman says quickly, hands up in a calming gesture. “I promise. We just… we’d like to speak with you. It’s important. Please come with me.”My instincts are on full alert, but something about her—her steady eyes, her lack of condescension—makes me pause. Still, I nod cautiously and follow her, heart racing with every step.She leads me out of the bakery and down a series of quiet streets that get nicer with every corner we turn. I recognize the area. Too well. It’s the upper district—cleaner stone paths, curated storefronts, and high-end restaurants lit by soft golden lanterns
BEATRICEIt’s strange how victory can taste sweet one moment… and bitter the next.The training session ends just after sunrise, and the kids scatter toward the academy with sore limbs and sweat-slicked foreheads. A few call out “Thanks, Miss Beatrice!” as they go, and I try to smile, but the exhaustion cuts deeper today. Maybe it’s because I pushed harder. Maybe it’s because I’m thinking too much.Or maybe it’s the weight of something I can’t name that’s been sitting in my chest since yesterday.I change quickly in the locker room, pull my hair into a bun, and make my way across the village toward the bakery. The morning smells of warm bread and burnt sugar reach me before I even round the corner. My feet already ache just thinking about the hours ahead. Flour. Fire. Fake smiles. The usual.But there’s an end in sight.I push the door open and grab my apron from the hook, moving on muscle memory as I step behind the counter and tie it in place.Today, I’m going to tell him.After the
BEATRICEI’ve fought for my life more times than I can count—but standing in front of a class of teenagers with practice swords feels like the scariest battlefield I’ve ever walked into.“Alright,” I say, loud enough to carry across the field. “Everyone line up.”They don’t move right away.Some of them glance at each other. A few shift their feet, clearly unsure. Only a handful—the ones I used to help as an assistant—step into position without hesitation. The rest?They’re waiting to see if I’ll crack.Aria stands off to the side, arms folded, face unreadable. She told me she’d let me lead on my own, just observing for the first few sessions unless something goes off the rails. I appreciated it earlier. Now I’m starting to wonder if I should’ve begged her to bark the first orders instead.I clear my throat. “I said, line up. Right. Now.”There’s something in my tone—steady, clipped—that finally gets them moving. Begrudgingly.“Good,” I say. “Today, we’re going back to basics. Footwork