ログインSeraShe went completely still. Staring blankly at the wall, it looked exactly like Mina had just traveled back in time.I didn't move. I didn't reach out to touch her. I just sat there and stared, not knowing exactly how to react to the sudden, heavy shift in the room. Slow, silent tears started to well in Mina's eyes, catching the morning light. My heart physically ached watching her. My breathing quickened."Mina," I called softly, shifting closer to her on the mattress.Mina exhaled a shaky breath and shook her head, snapping out of the trance."I was six years old when she died," Mina said. Her shoulders began to shake visibly. "Growing up, my mother had absolutely hated how the Northerners sounded. She hated their barbaric ways. She hated their harsh, guttural accents. So she did everything in her power to preserve mine. She taught me every single day. She only spoke to me in the Southern tongue."I nodded slowly. That was why. When I had first arrived in the North, I immediatel
SeraI let out a long, shaky exhale. The relief was a physical weight dropping off my chest.Mina stared at me, a slight, lingering giggle still hiding in her voice. "Did you suddenly hate me just then? Just because of the tiny possibility that I could be fucking your mate?"I looked at her. Was that what that feeling was? Hate?The immediate thought of Kane rushed into my mind. I remembered how he had proudly paraded Elara around the Blackwater pack house, fully knowing he was mated to me. He didn't think it was a big deal to bring another woman into our space. He didn't care for a single second about how I felt watching him touch her.For one terrifying minute, when Mina casually mentioned fucking Fenris, I didn't even see her as his sister anymore. It just felt like another woman threatening to take my mate away. Just like Elara did.Elara had threatened my place. She had taken my man. She locked it all down by getting pregnant with his heir, and that was the end of it. I remembere
Sera"Get your heavy leg off my windpipe," I rasped, slapping blindly at the solid weight crushing my throat.Mina let out a low, miserable groan. She shifted, her bare leg dragging roughly across my neck before dropping heavily onto the mattress between us. The sunlight stabbing through the high windows felt like a physical weapon aimed directly at my retinas. My mouth tasted like old copper and fermented regret.I pushed myself up on my elbows, the room spinning slightly. I looked down at Mina. She was sprawled on her back, completely naked, one arm thrown over her eyes to block the light."My brain is bleeding," Mina mumbled."That's what happens when you smoke an old woman's pipe weed and chase it with four kegs of dark ale," I said, rubbing the tight muscles at the back of my neck.I looked around the room. The fire had burned down to white ash. My clothes from last night were folded neatly on a chair. I looked down at my own body, currently stripped bare under the heavy furs. Th
Sera“Mina!”I blinked through the steam. Mina had wandered away from the wall and was currently trying to walk right out the bathroom door. Fenris lunged forward and caught her by the shoulders just in time.When he turned her around to face the pool, I could see that Mina's eyes were completely closed. She had actually dozed off while standing up. When Fenris shook her, she opened her eyes, looking incredibly confused. She stared blankly at Fenris, her wide eyes fighting a losing battle to stay open.I burst out laughing. I slapped the surface of the water, giggling at the ridiculous sight of her sleeping on her feet.Fenris didn't laugh. He shook his head, looking incredibly annoyed, and started to scold her."You are completely exhausted," he told her, his voice stern. "I warned you to stop going down to the kitchens to help them prep. You shouldn't be down there, Mina. It's not your job. The kitchen staff is more than capable of doing their work without your presence."Mina swaye
Sera"Get up. Both of you."I took a deep breath, planted my feet on the floor, and tried to stand up. I moved entirely too fast. The room violently spun. My center of gravity vanished, and my knees simply buckled. I pitched forward, falling directly toward the hard wooden floor.I didn't hit the ground.Fenris caught me easily. His large hands clamped firmly around my waist, stopping my fall instantly. He pulled me flush against his chest, supporting my entire body weight. The contact sent a massive wave of goosebumps rushing over my skin. Every single nerve ending in my body suddenly felt hyper-sensitive."I got you," he murmured, his voice rumbling directly against my ear.I froze.That short, simple sentence opened something deep inside me. It broke a lock I didn't even know was there. In a split second, every single moment I had been used flashed before my eyes. Every time Aldric had manipulated me. Every time Kane had gaslighted me, feeding me pretty lies just to keep me complia
Sera"Let me get you both to your rooms." He stepped up beside us, placing one large hand on my back and the other on Mina's. He didn't push, but his sheer physical presence guided us forward. He acted like a wall, keeping us moving in a straight line down the long corridors.We reached a junction, and Fenris tried to steer Mina down the left hallway."Alright, Mina," he said. "Your room is down here."Mina dug her heels into the floor, stopping completely. I stopped with her. It suddenly registered in my drunk brain that I had been in this keep for weeks, and this was literally the first time I was even getting a hint of where Mina actually slept."No," Mina declared stubbornly."No?" Fenris repeated, sounding tired."I am not going to my room," Mina said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I want to stay with Sera.""You have your own bed, Mina.""I don't care," Mina argued, her voice rising in pitch. "We are talking.""Mina is right," I chimed in, leaning heavily against Fenris's
SeraI didn't feel the laces tightening across my ribs, even though Mina was pulling them hard enough to make me wince. My body was on autopilot—arms lifting when she nudged them, chin tilting when she needed to reach a fastener. My mind was stuck in the dirt of the training yard, picturing a seven
SeraAn hour passed, maybe two. I drifted in and out of sleep, my body heavy from the heat of the furs Fenris had piled on me. The smell of the mountain and the lingering scent of woodsmoke from his skin stayed trapped in the blankets . Every time I closed my eyes, I felt the phantom sensation of h
Sera"Looks like someone’s gotten comfortable with their princess," a voice cut through my sleep.I opened my eyes. My lids felt heavy, my vision blurry and thick. A woman was standing by the foot of the bed. She was tall, her skin marked by the kind of scars that only come from years of fighting.
SeraTaya didn't wait for me to catch my breath. She lunged, her face a mask of pure rage. I tried to brace myself, but my body was still heavy and sluggish from the springs . She slammed into me, and we both went down hard. My back hit the stone floor, and the furs we’d been bundled in scattered l







