LOGINA week later, Emma called.I stared at my phone, her name flashing on the screen, my stomach twisting into a knot so tight I thought I might be sick. I had been avoiding her calls, avoiding her texts, avoiding the inevitable conversation that I knew was coming. Every time I saw her name, I felt the weight of my betrayal pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe.But I couldn't avoid her forever."Hey, Em," I said, my voice carefully neutral."Chloe! I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever. What's going on?""Nothing much. Just work, you know.""Listen, I'm having a party at my place this Saturday. Nothing huge, just some friends. You're coming, right?"My heart sank. "I… uh… I might have plans.""Cancel them. I need my bestie there. Please?"I closed my eyes, guilt washing over me in waves. "Yeah. Okay. I'll be there.""Perfect! Love you, bye!"She hung up before I could say anything else.I stared at my phone, my hands shaking.I had to tell her. I had to come clean
He took me to a small Italian restaurant tucked away in a side street."You're full of surprises," I said, sipping my wine."I always try." He reached across the table, his hand finding mine. His fingers were warm, his palm rough in a way that suggested he worked with his hands, despite his desk job. "I want to do this right, Chloe. I want to show you that I'm not the monster Emma made me out to be.""I saw the photos, Marcus. Even if it's hard to believe, now I know she wasn't innocent.""But you still hesitated.""Because she's my best friend. Because I made a promise." I looked down at our intertwined fingers, at the way his thumb traced slow circles on the back of my hand. "Because I'm scared of all this.”He squeezed my hand gently. "All this?” "It means I'm breaking a promise to someone I love. It means I'm risking a friendship that's lasted years. It means…" I met his eyes, "I shouldn't be doing this.” He didn't smile. He just looked at me with those deep blue eyes, and I sa
The breakup was ugly.I sat on Emma's couch, a glass of cheap red wine in my hand, watching my best friend sob into a throw pillow. Her mascara had run down her cheeks in dark streaks, her hair was a tangled mess, and she had been alternating between cursing Marcus Reed's name and begging me to tell her she was beautiful for the past three hours. We had killed half the bottle of wine already, and the empty bottles from earlier littered the table."I gave him everything," she wailed, her voice cracking. "Three years, Chloe. Three years of my life, and he threw it away like it was nothing."I patted her back. "I know, Em. I know.""He said I was too clingy, too needy. That he needed space." She laughed, bitter and broken. "Space. He wanted space. So I gave him space. And now he's fucking free.""He's an asshole.""He's a fucking asshole." She looked up at me, her eyes red and swollen. "Promise me something.""Anything.""Promise me you'll stay away from him. Promise me you won't… " she
Dawn broke blood-red over the eastern front.I stood at the edge of the camp, my silver hair whipping in the wind, my robes pressed tight against my body. The army had assembled… thousands of men, their armor shining, their banners snapping in the breeze. They looked like a sea of steel and determination, ready to throw themselves into the claws of war.And at their head, mounted on a black stallion, sat Drake Hale.He looked like a god of war. His armor was polished, his sword strapped across his back, his helm tucked under his arm. His storm-gray eyes found mine across the distance, and the bond pulsed between us, warm and reassuring.He rode to me, dismounting in a single motion. His hands cupped my face, his forehead pressing against mine."Stay here," he said, his voice low. "Stay safe. Whatever happens, don't come onto the battlefield.""I can help…""You can help by staying alive
Three months passed before Drake fulfilled his promise.The war ended, the kingdom rebuilt, and Drake Hale… the hero of Crimson Fields, laid down his sword. He refused the crown they offered him, refused the titles, the lands, the wealth. He wanted only one thing.A quiet life. With me.The cottage sat at the edge of a forest, nestled between two hills, with a stream running past the front door. It was small but sturdy, built with his own hands, every beam and nail a testament to his love. A garden grew in the back… roses and lavender, herbs and vegetables. A fire hearth crackled in the main room, casting warm light across the furs and woven blankets.And every night, he laid me down on those furs and reminded me why I had given up everything to be with him.The first night in our new home, he carried me across the threshold, his gray eyes bright with joy."Welcome home, my Oracle."
The camp fell silent at night. Tomorrow, Drake Hale would face Kael Blackthorn, and the fate of the kingdom would be decided.But tonight was ours.Drake pulled me into his tent, his hands already moving on the ties of my robes. His breath was hot against my neck, his voice a low growl that sent shivers down my spine."I need you," he said, his lips brushing my ear. "I need to feel you, all of you. Before tomorrow."I turned in his arms, my hands cupping his face, my thumbs tracing the sharp lines of his jaw. "Then take me, warrior. Take me like it's the last time."He kissed me with a force that stole my breath, his tongue sweeping into my mouth, tasting, claiming. His hands pulled at my robes, pulling them from my shoulders, letting them fall at my feet. The cool night air kissed my skin, raising goosebumps across my flesh."Fuck," he breathed, pulling back to look at me. "You're so beautiful, Sere







