Nadia's pov Helen stepped out of the room leaving me with surprise all over my face. Where was this coming from? I thought Helen was in on the plan together with Caeleen but it seemed something had happened between them and their alliance had fallen through? Or perhaps this was all still part of their plan. I lowered myself into the nearest chair as I tried to wrap my head all around it. I had to deal with this new development carefully. If this was all a plan by both of them and I was caught off guard then the consequences would be dire. My fingers drummed absently against the armrest as I was engrossed in thought, my gaze fixed on nothing in particular as thoughts spiraled.Helen’s boldness was no accident. No Caeleen’s hand was all over this. I could almost feel his shadow lingering in the corners, tugging strings I couldn’t yet see. A quiet breath escaped me, sharp and controlled. He wasn’t finished. He never was.I straightened, resolved hardening in my bones. If he thought I
Nadia's povThe council chamber emptied in tense silence, the scrape of chairs echoing long after the elders had gone. Whispers trailed through the corridors like wildfire, but none dared linger too close to me. My face was carved from fury, my jaw tight enough to snap.By the time I stormed into my chambers, my wolf was already pacing within me, restless and enraged.“She touched him,” my wolf snarled, its voice sharp inside my head. “She dared to put her scent near our mate while he lay defenseless. I should rip her throat out myself.”My hands curled into fists. I forced myself to breathe, to control the storm boiling inside me. “Not yet. She’ll get what’s coming.”I snatched up the small crystal communicator from my desk, pressing it to my lips. “Elara,” I ordered, my tone cold as ice, “I want everything on Caeleen. Every whisper, every deal, every hidden secret. I don’t care how deep you have to dig.”On the other end, Elara’s sharp voice replied without hesitation. “Understood,
Nadia's povThe great courtroom filled quickly, murmurs circulating throughout the room as the council members assembled. The call to emergency session had dragged them unceremoniously from their daily activities, and their faces showed as much curiosity as irritation.But they couldn't complain or refuse to come because that would be going against my orders and most of them now although they stood at the crossroads of choosing which faction to support. "Beta Nadia," started one elder, his voice echoing off the lofty stone pillars, "what is the urgency that requires such abrupt convening?"I nodded my head as I adjusted in my chair. I was sitting at the head of the table where Varic normally sat down which was at the center of the conference hall, my expression serene, my hands clasped neatly behind my back. The tranquility I carried was feigned, a cloak for the storm that had been gathering inside me only moments earlier."You will know in due course," I replied firmly, my tone comm
Helen’s POVI stood frozen beside the bed, my hand half-raised, trembling and I couldn't even move like my hands didn’t belong to me. My fingers hovered in the air above Varic, aching to touch the man I once called mine. A single look at Varic's white face, and something inside me unwound a numb ache, a yearning that threaded its way through all the veins. Rides into the brain burst forward, his laughter, the warmth of his arms when we were young, the vows we inscribed with heart when we said to ourselves when he went into the quiet of the forest. My heart writhed in torment, and tears welled up at the edges of my eyes.I couldn't breathe.I fought, caught between loyalty and want, yesterday and this unbearable today. Guilt scratched at me, humiliation heavy in my chest, and yet need beat there too insistently, demanding. For one mad throb, I fantasized about climbing into the bed, curling into the hard warmth of his chest, having his voice hum my name in that soft, comforting drawl
Helen’s POVI sighed as Caeleen’s words echoed in my ears and thinking about them made me feel the words pressing down on me. It was like a reality I couldn't escape and maybe that was it cause I knew I was already neck deep in this and there was no going back anymore.Caeleen's voice was steady, calculated, like every move had already been decided long before I was even part of it. I wanted to speak, to ask if this was truly the path we were meant to take, but the look in his eyes left no room for hesitation.So I nodded.At the snap of his fingers, the maids entered. They moved around me quickly, pulling open drawers and unfolding silks, their hands quick and silent as they stripped me of my old dress and fitted me into something softer, something meant to tempt. Dressed for the event that was about to take place. My heart hammered in my chest, the tightness in my th
Caelen’s pov “There are already here,” a maid walked up to him and informed me. I nodded at her and told her to invite them into my chambers. I leaned back in the chair, fingers drumming against the carved armrest, watching the two figures shift uneasily in the flickering torchlight. Their faces were half-hidden by their hoods, they walked towards me and stopped in front of me as their faces came into light. These men were ones who had long since sold their honor for coins.One cleared his throat, rough and low.“Word travels fast, Lord Caelen. You want Luna's name dragged through the mud, whispered in every corner of the kingdom? That will cost you.”The other chimed in, smirking.“Doctors, healers, charms it makes her look frantic, weak. Easy prey for rumors. We can spin it however you like. Make her out to be a witch, a traitor, a desperate woman clinging to power she never earned. But it won’t come cheap.”I let the silence hang, savoring the weight of their greed. Then I leane