LOGINWhen they returned to the Blackthorn packhouse, Julian expected to find his mother in one of her usual places—the sunroom overlooking the gardens, or the small sitting alcove near the east corridor where she liked to read. She wasn’t there. He checked the parlor. The dining hall. Nothing. A fai
Julian sat at the kitchen table, tension still visible in the tight line of his shoulders as Kaelani moved at the counter, finishing the last touches on their breakfast. “I would have ripped his head clean off his shoulders,” he said quietly, though there was nothing casual about the way he said it
Lyressa’s expression softened, though there was quiet gravity beneath it. “The moment Draevyn fell, the illusion fell with him,” she said. “They saw clearly what they had refused to see. That they turned away from their rightful queen out of fear and ignorance.” Her gaze did not waver. “They were
Surprise flashed across Kaelani’s face as her eyes flicked briefly to Lyressa before returning to Julian. “I had some business to attend to,” she said. “I wasn’t gone that long. I thought you’d still be asleep.” Julian didn’t respond out loud. “You can’t just leave like that,” he said through the
Elara’s crying still echoed through the courtyard when Kaelani lifted her hands. Violet light flared outward from her palms in a sudden, controlled surge, rippling across the pack grounds in expanding waves. The energy arced over rooftops, threaded through the treeline, and sealed overhead in a vas
Kaelani glanced down at her palm, the cut sealing before her eyes. Garrick stepped forward. Slowly, intentionally, he lowered himself to one knee before her and placed his hand over his heart. “I, Garrick Blake, pledge my allegiance to Kaelani Blake of Silveredge. As Alpha. In loyalty. In service
Kaelani descended the sweeping stone staircase of the castle slowly, one hand trailing along the cold railing to steady herself. Her head throbbed. A dull, relentless ache pulsed behind her eyes, blurring the edges of her vision as if the world itself had softened into something unreal. Her limb
Only then did he seem to notice her. For a moment he simply looked at Lyressa through the narrow crack in the doorway, his expression unreadable beneath the dim light. Not surprised. Not panicked. Almost… Disappointed. Lyressa’s breath trembled in her chest as their eyes met. The golde
It made sense. The court was already tense with fear and suspicion. News of their union—Seelie queen and Unseelie commander—would ripple through both courts like a thunderclap. So Lyressa agreed. But keeping their love hidden did nothing to temper the way her heart opened to him. If anything, it
Something in Lyressa’s chest shifted at the look on his face. “I had trouble sleeping,” she said stiffly. “Of course you did.” Draevyn handed her a goblet of dark wine. She accepted it before she could second-guess herself. And the night unfolded from there. They played games Lyressa had never







