ログインMy mind went black for a moment before something stirred inside my head.It was a memory that was faint at first.Auritaurie... The rogue war... A day off..."I don't need guards. I can protect myself."And yet, he had sent them anyway because he wasn't there. He was worried, and because even then... he couldn't bear the thought of something happening to me.My fingers tightened slightly against the table as the memory unfolded further. The noise of the marketplace... The rare, fleeting peace I allowed myself to feel...And then... Him. Not physically, but in every thought that followed me from stall to stall.Lucretius gave so easily, no matter if it were hairpins, books, or silks. Those things I never asked for, but he simply chose for me. Because he wanted to. Because he cared. And I had stood there in front of that tailor shop, realizing something I had never once questioned before. What have I ever given him... that wasn't born from duty?My breath slowed as I remembered ste
Morning came too quickly with no voices, no footsteps beyond my own, and no distance clatter of servants moving about their duties.It was just... silence. I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling for a long moment before exhaling slowly and pushing myself upright as the tranquility lingered. It wasn't unsettling, but it was unnatural.Yesterday had already made that clear. There had been no one else in this manor. There were no attendants and caretakers. And yet, breakfast, lunch, even the small tray of snacks that had appeared in the afternoon... Even dinner.All of it had been prepared by... him. My fingers slightly fisted against the sheets. Lucretius...The thought of him settled heavily in my chest as I stood and made my way out of the room after taking a bath. He was already in the dining area when I arrived, seated with that same composed posture, as if the world had never once managed to disrupt him. But the moment his gaze lifted to meet mine, I felt it again. That awareness
My grip on his wrist tightened slightly. Not enough to hurt, but enough that he would feel it. That I was still there. That I hadn't walked away. I lowered my gaze because I couldn't look at him. Not when everything inside me felt like it was slipping out of my control and not when it was getting harder to pretend I didn't understand what he meant. My thumb unconsciously caressed against his skin. "I don't..." My voice faltered as I swallowed and tried again. "I don't know how to do this." The admission was barely above a whisper, but it felt louder than anything I had said before. Because I knew it was real. It wasn't defensive. It wasn't a shield. It was just... me.Just for once.The silence that followed wasn't heavy this time. It was... different like something had changed between us. It was like something fragile had been placed carefully in the space we kept breaking over and over again.Lucretius didn't pull away. He didn't even press closer either. He just stared there
My grip tightened on him. For a reckless, fragile moment, I let myself sink into it. Into him. Into the warmth, the familiarity, the way my body responded like it had always known him... like it had always belonged here.My Lucretius...The thought alone sent something dangerous through my chest. His hand at my waist tightened, but enough to pull me closer, as if holding me there, as if he had no intention of letting me go this time. And that was when it happened. That sharp, piercing awareness, not of him, but of myself. Because of how easily I had given in and quickly I had forgotten. My breath faltered as the realization hit too fast and too deep. I knew that this was how it always started. The warmth... The closeness... The illussion..My fingers trembled against his chest. And then I pushed harder this time. "Stop." The tone came out sharper than before while feeling breathless from the kiss.Lucretius stood still, not immediately pulling away, but not chasing either. He
The moment his lips crashed against mine, everything had stopped. No thought. No hesitation. No restraint. Just... him. And something inside me answered. It was as if my body had already made the decision long before my mind could catch up. My fingers curled into the fabric of his coat, pulling him closer without meaning to—without thinking—without stopping.And that was all it took. A low, rough sound slipped from him. It was something between a breath and a restrained groan like approval, like something he had been holding back for far too long. My heart slammed against my ribs. I knew I should have pushed him away. I should have... but I didn't.I couldn't.Because the moment his hand tightened at my jaw, steadying me, deepening the kiss just slightly, my wolf surged in recognition. In longing. In something that felt dangerously close to relief. My breath hitched against him, my grip tightening as if grounding myself in something real and solid or something I had lost too m
He didn't answer right away. That alone told me enough. Lucretius had never been a man who hesitated with words. He either spoke plainly... or chose silence with intent. And right now, he was choosing carefully.His gaze lingered on me, unreadable, as if weighing something far heavier than the question I had asked. Then, slowly, he leaned back in his chair."Because you were almost killed."The simplicity of it made my chest tighten.I let out a quiet breath through my nose. "That doesn't answer my question." "It does," he replied calmly. My grip tightened around the edge of the table. "No, it doesn't," I said, sharper this time. "It tells me what happened. Not why you brought me here."His gaze didn't waver. "You were not safe there." "And you think I am safer here?" I shot back. "Yes."The answer came too quickly. Too certain. It was as if there had never been another option. Something in me snapped. I let out a small, humorless laugh, setting my teacup down with more force
Beside him was Lilith, clinging to him.I almost forgot that they were also here. And that we didn't get to witness to their wedding as Lucretius happened to be summoned back to the military as soon as possible. I hadn't seen Redmund again after the night of my wedding with his uncle.I remembered
Before the advancement ceremony for the military soldiers who had been promoted, we held the mourning ceremony for our lost soldiers.It was brief, solemn, and heavy with the kind of silence that pressed against the chest. Names were read where some unfamiliar, others spoken with a pause that betra
Lucretius and I began showing each other's hunger the moment we had taken a bath. Soaked in a tub, steam curling around us like a veil, I sat on his lap facing him while we exchanged a fiery kiss.The water lapped softly against the porcelain as his hands slid up my back, warm and steady, pulling m
"The assembly meeting has been extended to another three days. It will also be the wedding of Alpha King Claudian and our Luna Queen candidate, General Rachelle."Murmurs in the strategic tent began to erupt at the news of my announcement, which came from Lucretius, who had notified the Auritaurie







