MasukVALERIAN’S POVI kept my hand on her arm as the silence after my last words stretched between us and the stunned look on her face told me every admission had landed exactly as heavy as it felt. Her eyes stayed wide and her lips parted without sound while the weight of what I had just given her settled into the room around us.“You and this child are my weaknesses,” I said again for her to understand me just in case she didn’t get me the first time. I held her gaze and forced the rest out before the old habits of silence could reclaim me. “Honestly I’ve been a coward, hiding this truth for months. I’ve been a coward, lying to myself that I what I feel for you is nothing. Nyra, I’m admitting it today, not because of this child, but because I think lying to myself won’t take me anywhere, I love you. This marriage stopped being political for me a very long time ago. What I feel for you is real and it leaves me exposed in ways I have never allowed before. And it scares me.”She stared at m
NYRA’S POV“Nyra,” someone called my name in a low steady voice as the sound pulled me up from the dark. “Nyra, come back to me.”My eyes opened with a sharp jolt as the ceiling of the bedroom swam into focus above me. My heart slammed hard against my ribs as confusion flooded through me. I turned my head to find Valerian sitting on the edge of the mattress with his gaze locked on my face and his entire body held unnaturally still.“What happened?” I asked as I pushed up onto my elbows and searched his expression for answers while the last clear memory sat just out of reach. “What happened to me?”He stared at me without speaking as his mouth stayed closed and his eyes held a weight I could not name while the silence stretched long enough to turn the air thick between us. Panic rose fast in my chest as I watched him remain frozen and I sat up further with my hands gripping the sheets.“Talk to me,” I said as my voice climbed higher and the fear sharpened. “What’s going on? Why are you
VALERIAN’S POVI left the bedroom with the rejected tray still warm in my hands as the scent of the breakfast I had cooked myself clung to the air and my mind kept turning over the same questions while I took the stairs down toward the kitchens.Nyra had never fallen sick a single day since the mating bond settled between us, but now she was heaving over a toilet, nearly collapsing on weak legs with her face pale, and her eyes unfocused as if her body had decided to turn against her overnight.One part of me pushed hard to summon a healer immediately yet she had looked me in the eye and told me she was fine so I forced myself to respect that boundary even as the worry sat heavy in my chest and refused to ease.The head chef straightened the moment I entered the kitchen as the staff paused their work and I set the untouched tray aside before I listed exactly what Nyra had requested with clear instructions for the heavily spiced lamb she had never wanted before.The woman stared at me w
NYRA’S POVI woke to soft light filtering through the heavy curtains, the room sat quiet around me and the sheets felt cool against my skin while the memory of the nightmare lingered only as a distant ache at the back of my mind.I had slept through the rest of the night after the worst of it passed. But somewhere in the dark hours I remembered the distant sound of the shower running with water hitting tile in a steady rush that pulled at my half-asleep senses and left me wondering why anyone would need it at that hour.I turned my head to the side, the space beside me was empty with the covers pushed back and Valerian nowhere in sight while the absence felt strange after he had held me until sleep took me again.I reached for the small clock on the nightstand as my eyes focused on the hands and a jolt of disbelief hit me hard because the time showed it was almost noon with the morning completely gone.“How the hell did I oversleep?” I asked myself.I pushed the covers aside as I swun
VALERIAN’S POVI stood in the study with the low light of the desk lamp casting long shadows across the maps and scattered reports as Cassian waited in front of me with his arms crossed. His expression tight while the late hour pressed against the windows and the fortress held its usual night silence outside.“I want the one who broke into Silvercrest and took those records,” I said as my voice stayed even and cold with no room for debate while I held his gaze. “Find him. Bring him to me. I need answers before this gets any worse.”Cassian nodded once as he shifted his weight and answered without hesitation. “I’ll start with the outer patrols and the servants who had access near the eastern gates. If he crossed into Blood Moon land I’ll have him by morning.”“Go now,” I told him as I turned slightly toward the window with my hands resting on the edge of the desk. “Do not waste time and do not make noise that reaches the upper floors.”He left without another word as the door shut behi
NYRA’S POV My body sank into the mattress as exhaustion claimed me fully. Every muscle ached from the strain of the day, yet sleep arrived with little resistance. Then the dream took hold without warning. Fire filled every direction. Flames climbed wooden walls and leapt across thatched roofs with greedy speed. Sparks spiraled upward into a sky that glowed a dirty orange. Smoke choked the air and burned the back of my throat even though I knew this was only a vision. The heat pressed against my skin in waves. I stood in the middle of a small village I had never seen before yet somehow recognized in my bones. The layout felt familiar in a way that defied explanation. Narrow dirt paths wound between simple homes. A well sat near the center. A few scattered carts and tools lay abandoned in the open spaces. Everything burned. People ran screaming through the streets. Mothers clutched children. Men swung axes and knives in desperate defense. Wolves tore at one another in the open spaces







