Masuk⋅ ⋅ ❦ Blaire Rose ❦ ⋅ ⋅The moment the bedroom door shut behind him, I snapped awake and sat up on the bed. My eyes instantly locked onto his jacket resting on the mattress. The second Zayn had walked into this room earlier, my heightened anxiety had picked up on it — a faint, distinct scent of another female clinging to his clothes.With trembling hands, I reached out and grabbed the heavy leather, pulling it to my face to sniff the fabric.My stomach turned. I was right… or at least, I thought I was. A sweet, unfamiliar perfume clung faintly to the fibres of his jacket — subtle, but enough to make my chest tighten. It could have been anything. Someone brushing past him. A crowded room.But the doubt didn’t settle. It only twisted deeper.New tears pricked my eyes, blurring my vision as a sob caught in my throat. Why? Why would he do this to me? After everything we had survived together, after all his promises of devotion and protection…Or maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was letting m
⋅ ⋅ ♔ Alpha Zayn Kai ♔ ⋅ ⋅ “If you need anything else while the reconstruction is underway, you can reach out directly to my Beta,” I rumbled, gesturing toward Ronan as we finally reached the end of our gruelling, hours-long meeting. The village elders all nodded in unison, murmuring a chorus of respectful thanks. “Thank you so much for your boundless generosity, Alpha King,” the village leader, Michael, said with a greasy, overly eager smile. “Since we have successfully concluded our business for the evening, Alpha, why don't I invite you to a private game of cards? It would be an honour to host you.” The image of my beautiful Blair immediately flashed across my mind. I was about to refuse and head straight back to her, but Ronan leaned in and spoke before I could get a word out. “Mish stated that the Luna will be having dinner and spending the evening comforting the people at the shelter,” Ronan informed me quietly. I nodded slowly, realising Blair was occupied. Michael and
⋅ ⋅ ❦ Blaire Rose ❦ ⋅ ⋅ I spent the rest of the afternoon sharing evening snacks and comforting the displaced families at the shelter, trying to keep my mind off my racing thoughts. Before heading back, I tried calling Zayn, but the call went unanswered. I figured he was still deeply locked in his meeting with the village heads, and since I hated disrupting him when he was handling business, I decided to return to the inn on my own. When I finally arrived back at the property, the entire place was eerily quiet. The only sound was the heavy footsteps of the two royal guards Zayn had assigned to tail me all day, one of whom was currently acting as our driver. I froze right on the front porch, a sudden, heavy hesitation wrapping around my chest. One of the guards noticed my pause and stepped forward immediately. “Are you alright, Luna?” I forced a tight nod, swallowing my nerves. “Yes. I'm fine.” I stepped inside. The inn was suffocatingly quiet, a thick, eerie stillness hang
⋅ ⋅ ❦ Blaire Rose ❦ ⋅ ⋅ Later that afternoon, Ronan officially confirmed that the heavy machinery wouldn’t arrive in time, and we would definitely have to wait until tomorrow before the path was clear. Zayn decided to hold an urgent, closed-door strategic meeting with the village elders and the heads; he went ahead with Ronan to the village hall. Wanting to stay productive, I decided to head back down to the temporary medical clinic. “I am honestly so glad to see that the patients are healing as quickly as they are. The medical supplies you brought have sped up the entire recovery process,” Cora murmured as we slowly strolled together outside the perimeter of the treatment tents. The afternoon air was thick with the scent of damp earth and woodsmoke. All around us, the village was a bustling hive of activity; guards paced the borders with sharp, alert eyes, while young wolves carried heavy wooden crates of food and clothing toward the temporary shelters. Rows of white canvas
⋅ ⋅ ❦ Blaire Rose ❦ ⋅ ⋅ The next morning, the loud, rhythmic creaking of the old bed woke me from a deep sleep. I rolled over and reached out, but the sheets were already cold — Zayn wasn't in bed. Last night, right after Ronan brought us dinner, an overwhelming wave of fatigue hit us, and we fell asleep almost immediately. I shrugged it off, assuming it was just the heavy emotional exhaustion of touring the broken borders all day. I slid out of bed, shivering slightly as the cool morning air hit my skin, and tightly wrapped my silk robe around my waist. Leaving the bedroom, I padded softly down the narrow hallway toward the dining area. But before I even reached the doorway, the low murmur of quiet voices drifted down the hall. It was Zayn and Sheila. I slowed my pace, instantly bristling with caution. Stepping over the threshold, my breath caught in my throat. They were close, and Sheila’s pale hand was resting conspicuously on my husband’s muscular forearm. My step
⋅ ⋅ ❦ Blaire Rose ❦ ⋅ ⋅ We walked into the small, rustic inn where we would be forced to spend the night until the unexpected massive rockslide that blocked the main mountain road out of town could be cleared by our guards. Sheila had seemingly overheard us discussing that we were trapped in the village, which was when she stepped forward and graciously offered her empty property for us to stay. The inn was old and weathered, with creaking wooden floorboards, a dim entryway lit by flickering candles, and the faint, heavy scent of pine and dust clinging to the walls. “My husband and I used to run this place together before he chose to leave it behind and join the vanguard to fight against the rogues,” Sheila said, her voice laced with a deep, aching sadness as she guided us down the narrow hallway. “I am so sorry for your loss, Sheila,” I said gently, trying to offer her comfort. “I miss them both so much it hurts,” she sobbed softly, her voice wavering as if the grief sat jus







