The battlefield still reeked of iron and ash. Smoke curled into the night like dark fingers clutching at the stars, and the once-verdant valley lay in ruin, littered with broken banners, trampled soil, and the silence of those who would never rise again. Amidst the chaos of victory, Amara stood tall. Her leather armor, once polished and gleaming, was now caked with blood, grime, and soot, but her eyes burned with an intensity that silenced even the howls of the wind.
The Empire’s soldiers—Dante’s soldiers—looked at her as though she were something more than human, a force, a legend birthed on the battlefield. Whispers spread:"The Scarlet Widow.""No, the General of Shadows.""She fights like she was born for war."They spoke her name with reverence and fear alike. For weeks now, she had carved her way through enemy lines, breaking ranks, toppling commanders, and securing territory that once seemed lost. She had become both sword and shield of DanThe night had been unnaturally quiet, a silence that pressed against the walls of Dante’s safehouse like a suffocating blanket. Selena sat by the window, her eyes scanning the mist that curled across the forest outside. The bond between her and Dante still burned strong, stronger than the doubts that had almost torn them apart. But after everything—the ambush, the whispers of spies, the taste of death brushing too close—they both knew the worst was not yet behind them.There was one truth everyone in the pack had agreed on: someone close to them was feeding information to the enemy. Someone who had broken bread with them, stood shoulder to shoulder with them, pretended loyalty while weaving betrayal in the shadows.The council meeting that night was tense. Dante stood at the head of the long oak table, his dark eyes flickering with controlled fury. Around him sat his most trusted warriors, advisors, and allies—people who had fought alongside him for years. And yet, among them, a trai
The coronation had ended, but the echoes of the ceremony lingered in the grand halls of the Florentine palace like the aftertaste of strong wine. Outside, Florence celebrated with unbridled joy. Bells tolled from every cathedral tower, flags bearing the crimson dragon of Dante’s new crest fluttered above the piazzas, and the city’s streets were choked with jubilant citizens singing ballads of their king.But inside, within the chamber lined with velvet drapes and gold chandeliers, the mood was far more solemn. Dante sat on the carved throne of walnut and ivory, the weight of the crown pressing upon his brow. Beside him, Seraphina occupied the adjoining seat—smaller, more delicate, yet equal in grandeur. Their hands did not touch, but their closeness filled the chamber with a quiet electricity. For the first time in Florence’s long and blood-soaked history, the city had not only a king but also a queen whose authority was more than symbolic.A murmur spread among the gathered nobles.
The night after Dante had seized Lorenzo’s territories was quieter than expected. The streets of Naples, usually humming with whispers of loyalty, debts, and vendettas, seemed suspended in a fragile silence, as though the entire city was holding its breath. Word of Lorenzo’s downfall had spread like wildfire. Some celebrated in hidden corners, others trembled with uncertainty, but all acknowledged a single truth: the crown of Naples’ underworld now rested upon Dante’s head.Dante stood on the balcony of Lorenzo’s former villa, a sprawling estate perched above the city like a throne itself. From here, he could see the glow of streetlamps flickering in the distance, broken occasionally by the sound of dogs barking or a car speeding down the coastal road. Yet even in his triumph, the weight pressed heavy on his chest. Victory was supposed to taste like wine—sweet, intoxicating, triumphant. Instead, it felt like iron, cold and unyielding.Behind him, the villa bustled with his men. Matte
The night was thick with smoke and the metallic tang of blood. The city that had once been filled with the sounds of bustling carriages, laughter from taverns, and merchants calling out their wares was now drowned in silence broken only by the faint crackle of fire and the distant cries of the dying. The ambush had taken its toll. Many loyal men of Dante had fallen, their bodies scattered along the cobbled streets like discarded pieces of armor. But none of this compared to the storm brewing inside the man who had once been feared as both conqueror and savior.Dante stood at the edge of the ruined square, his cloak heavy with ash, his blade still dripping with the lives it had claimed. His men, those who survived, waited at a distance, watching their king with a reverence mixed with unease. He was silent, too silent, the kind of silence that comes before thunder rips open the heavens.Lorenzo’s betrayal had cut deep—not merely because of the ambush, but because it had been calculated
The night had begun with a fragile sense of peace, one Amara had clung to desperately, as though it were a rare and delicate treasure that might shatter at the faintest touch. After days of spiraling conflict, betrayals, and fractured alliances, she finally sat in the softly lit parlor of Dante’s villa, the fire crackling low, her body tucked beneath a shawl while Dante paced near the window. His restlessness was obvious, but for Amara, the silence—his silence—was enough to calm her.But peace, she would soon discover, was not meant for her.The moment arrived so quietly, so unassumingly, that for a split second she almost mistook it for nothing more than weariness. A strange heaviness spread across her chest as she sipped from the glass of wine before her, its deep crimson color glinting faintly in the firelight. Her fingers, delicate and trembling, tightened around the stem of the glass.Her breath hitched. Something was wrong.Dante turned just then, as though sensing the shift in
The silence after Lorenzo’s defeat was thick, unnatural, like the world itself was holding its breath. Amara stood among the wreckage, her boots crunching over shattered glass and scattered shell casings, her chest rising and falling with the ragged rhythm of someone who had tasted blood—and wanted more.The ambush had been brutal, but she had turned it around, turned Lorenzo’s trap into his coffin. Now his body lay slumped in the corner of the warehouse, eyes wide open in a permanent mask of disbelief. The remaining loyalists had either fled or been executed on the spot. And through it all, Amara felt… calm. Too calm.Dante would have raged, would have dragged Lorenzo’s corpse through the streets as a warning. But Amara? She didn’t need theatrics anymore. Her message was written in the silence that followed her footsteps, in the way men avoided her eyes now, in the way they whispered her name with reverence edged in fear.She was no longer just Dante’s widow. She was becoming someth