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The Loft Above the Stables

Author: LYDIA
last update publish date: 2026-09-30 19:20:45

‎POV: Isabella

‎

‎"Meet me in the hay loft above the east stables at dusk tomorrow," James read aloud in a flat, careful voice, holding Riley's letter close to the firelight. "Bring the royal seals yourself, or Noah's potions stop at once."

‎

‎I stood in the middle of the tower chamber with my arms wrapped around myself, and my hands would not stop shaking. Hearing the threat spoken aloud made it feel more real, and I could picture Noah's thin face and his rattling cough. James folded the letter slowly and looked at me with calm, steady eyes.

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‎"You do not have to go," he said quietly.

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‎"I do," I answered, and my voice cracked. "If I stay away, he will stop the potions, and I cannot risk Noah's life. I have to see what he wants."

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‎James was silent for a moment, and I could tell he was struggling with his own reluctance. Finally he nodded. "Then you will go, and I will make sure you are watched. You will not see anyone, but my guards will be close enough to reach you, and I will hear you through the bond if you call."

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‎His words eased some of my fear, and I nodded and stepped closer to the fire.

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‎At dusk the next day, I walked across the palace grounds in a plain cloak with my hood pulled low. The stables stood at the far edge of the courtyard, and the air smelled of horses and old straw.

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‎I looked around carefully as I walked, and I noticed a stable boy leaning on a pitchfork near the door and a shadow standing very still on the roof. Neither of them looked at me, but knowing they were there gave me courage.

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‎I climbed the ladder to the loft, and my heart beat faster with each step. A single lantern hung from a beam, and its light showed piles of golden hay and a tall figure waiting in the corner. When he turned around and I saw his face, my stomach twisted, because he was smiling at me in exactly the same gentle way he always had.

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‎"Isabella," Riley said softly, opening his arms. "Thank the gods. I have been so worried."

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‎Inside me, my wolf let out a low, dangerous growl, and I nearly stepped backward. I forced my face into an expression of relief and ran to him, pressing my cheek against his chest.

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‎"Riley," I whispered, letting my voice tremble. "I was so frightened. I did not know if you were safe."

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‎"I am safe, my love," he said, wrapping his arms around me. "And now that I see you, everything is better."

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‎He took my hands and held them in his warm ones, and for a moment I remembered how comforting that warmth had once been. "Do you remember last winter, when I brought soup to Noah and you fell asleep at the table?" he asked gently. "I stayed and watched over you both until morning. That is the life I want for us, Isabella. A small house by the river, a garden, and Noah healthy and laughing. We are so close to having it."

‎

‎His words sounded so kind, and my chest ached because part of me still wanted to believe them. The memory of that soup was real, and for one terrible second I almost said yes. It frightened me more than his threat, because it meant that he still knew exactly how to reach me.

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‎"I want that too," I said softly, and I hated how much of it was true.

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‎Then something small reached me, something that grief and exhaustion had taught me to ignore for two years. As Riley held me close, I noticed a faint, sharp smell on his sleeve, and my body went alert. It was bitter and earthy, and it was the same root I had tasted beneath the metallic smell in my sabotaged tea.

‎

‎I kept my face calm and leaned back slightly, glancing at his hands. Under the lantern light, I saw a faint yellow stain across his fingertips.

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‎"You smell like herbs," I said lightly. "Have you been working with the apothecary?"

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‎"I help him gather roots for Noah's potions," Riley answered without pausing. "Nothing is too much for your brother."

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‎It was a smooth answer, and I nodded politely. Then I lowered my voice and gave him the lie James and I had prepared. "Riley, something happened. Yesterday, I was holding the prince's hand, and I felt his finger move."

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‎His face changed for only a moment. It was not hope that crossed his eyes but a sharp flash of irritation, and then his expression smoothed over so quickly that I almost missed it.

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‎"That is wonderful news," he said warmly. "Truly wonderful."

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‎I told myself to breathe, because that quick, hidden anger told me more than anything he could have said. He had not sounded surprised or hopeful, and he had not asked whether James was in pain. He had only wanted the moment to pass.

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‎"Noah asks about you every day," I said, watching him closely. "He wants to know when you will come to see him."

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‎"I will come soon," Riley said quickly, and his eyes drifted toward the ladder. "Now, the seals. Have you learned anything?"

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‎I realized that he had not asked how my brother was. He had not asked whether Noah was sleeping, or whether his cough had improved, and I felt a wave of anger toward myself for not noticing it sooner.

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‎"Not yet," I whispered. "The guards are watching me closely. I need more time."

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‎Riley's jaw tightened, but he nodded and reached into his coat. "Then take this. It is a fresh vial for Noah, so you know I keep my word." He placed it in my hand, wrapped in a small piece of cloth. "Do not disappoint me, Isabella."

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‎He kissed my forehead, and I stayed still until his footsteps faded down the ladder.

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‎I looked down at the cloth in my hand, and I noticed that something was tucked inside the folds, a small square of folded paper. I opened it carefully, and my throat tightened when I saw the messy handwriting.

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‎“Dear Isabella", Noah had written. "I hope you are well. My cough is much better, and I have not needed the extra blanket for three nights. A stray cat has stayed in school the tavern, and I named him Biscuit, and he sleeps on my feet.”

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‎I smiled through my tears, but the next lines made my skin turn cold.

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‎“A polite man with a kind face has visited twice. He asked whether our mother used to sing to us, and which song. I said I did not remember, but then a song came into my head from nowhere, so I told him as a joke. It goes, "Sleep, my little one, the night is calm and slow."

‎

‎My hands began to tremble so badly that the paper shook.

‎

‎Those were the same words my wolf had shown me in the garden, words I had believed no living person remembered.

I spun around in the dim loft, staring at every shadow in the hay.

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  • MARKED BY THE UNBROKEN ALPHA   THE EMPTY BED IN SILVER CREEK

    Riley I rode into Silver Creek before dawn on the Voice's orders.The order had come the night before, tucked inside a potion wrapper the same way every order had reached me for two years. The handwriting was small and sharp."Retrieve the boy, bring him to the capital, and use him to keep the Luna obedient now that the Rite has made her untouchable," the letter said.I read it twice."Use him to keep the Luna obedient," I said out loud to my horse. "Now that the Rite has made her untouchable."The horse did not answer. I folded the letter and put it in my coat.I rode hard through the night. The road to Silver Creek was dark and empty. I told myself I was a soldier for the starving and that this was necessary. I told myself that the palace deserved every knife the rebels sent, and that the boy was a leash I needed."The boy is a leash," I said to myself as I rode. "That is what the Voice called him from the start. A leash for the girl."But the words felt wrong in my mouth now.I re

  • MARKED BY THE UNBROKEN ALPHA   THE EMPTY BED IN SILVER CREEK

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  • MARKED BY THE UNBROKEN ALPHA   THE VOICE IN THE CURSE

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  • MARKED BY THE UNBROKEN ALPHA   THE SECOND BRANCH

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  • MARKED BY THE UNBROKEN ALPHA   THE NAME SHE ANSWERED TO

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