KeithWe make it to the Royal Palace just as the sun dips behind the west wing.We were quietly walking here, each lost in our thoughts of the shared waking memory and the realization that the Queen has spies in the aLotus pack.My hybrid rumbles his displeasure.All these years spent keeping ourselves separate from the royals, of trying to hide our power and it might have been all for nothing.I've been wracking my brain for the last hour, trying to put together a list of all of those who would be guilty for betraying our pack.There's no way to be sure without questioning them though.The place looks quiet but there's something different in the air. The normal fluttering of people walking about has died down and there is no one to be seen. Anticipation. Tension. The kind that wraps around your neck like a noose sticks to my skin.Hope walks beside me, her posture calm, but her grip on my arm is tight.“Alpha Keith,” one of the guards says in surprise as we approach. “Hope?”Ignoring
HopeThe door closes behind us with a soft click. I glance at Keith, who’s already tossing his jacket over the chair. Elena is behind us, holding a trey with two small cups on top of it.“Take a seat on the edge of the bed,” she says, softer than I mean to. “Then you're going to drink this tincture and lay back. You should fall asleep rather quickly.”Keith watches me for a beat, then nods and pulls back the covers. We settle into the bed, neither of us really relaxed, bodies too tense with what we both feel pressing in around us.“Are you ready for this?” I say, holding up the glass vial she handed me earlier.Keith raises an eyebrow. “I think I’ve been ready since you first admitted what you knew about our possible future?”“This time we’ll do it together.”He sighs, holds out his hand. “Then let’s drink.”We clink the glass vials together like it’s a toast. I down mine. Bitter. Keith makes a face. “ Bitter moon, what is this?”But I don’t answer. The world tilts. The drink takes ef
HopeI trail behind Elena as we step into her office. The door creaks open on its hinges, revealing a space that’s more lived-in than formal. Sunlight filters through gauzy curtains, brushing over shelves cluttered with books, old photographs, and little glass bottles filled with dried herbs. She gestures toward the chair across from her desk.“Sit,” she says gently.I do, perching on the edge, unsure what will spill out of her mouth. Feeling out of place, my eyes flit around the room before landing on Elena. She’s waiting, but I can't tell what for.She settles into the chair behind the desk, fingers threading together on top of the wood. For a few seconds, we’re both quiet.Then she begins.“I met Kaelen when he was bleeding out on my porch,” she say. “It was the middle of winter. I found him near the tree line, unconscious and barely breathing. Looked like he’d been attacked by something big—clawed straight through his side.”My eyebrows lift. She leans in slightly like the weight
KiethI wake up with a sense of clarity that I've been craving for days.My hybrid rumbles in my chest content with the proximity to his mate.My body feels lighter, the tension in my muscles easing with every breath. It’s as if the tinctures Elena provided are working in tandem with my body’s natural healing, both methods playing their part.I sit up in bed, stretching my arms, and glance over at Hope, still asleep beside me. Her chest rises and falls with a steady rhythm. The bruises on her face are fading, and I can already see the color returning to her cheeks.I can’t help but smile.I thought I lost her when I saw her body go over that ridge and I was prepared to go with her.Thankfully, that wasn't the way it panned out.Now, with every passing minute, the weight of that fear lifts a little more.She stirs beside me, her eyes fluttering open. When she sees me watching her, she gives me that soft, sleepy smile that still does something to my chest.“Morning,” she says, her voice
Hope“Elena?” I say in shock. “But how? You’re…” It feels like my mind is short-circuiting.“Don’t think too hard, you might hurt yourself,” she teases before she turns back to Keith. “Down boy, I won’t hurt my blood.”Keith doesn't move. I dont expect him to. It wouldn't be natural for a dmonaite male like him to stand aside while I'm injured, given that he doesn't know her.Shit. I’m not sure I know her either.“You do,” she answers my unspoken question.“Why should I believe you?” I ask.Elena smiles. “Cleaver girl. I would expect nothing less from my granddaughter.”I snort. “Dont you mean great-great-great-great-great”“Okay, smartass, I get it,” she interrupts with a snark similar to Tessa when she gets mad.“Great granddaughter,” I add because I can’t help myself and because I think the blood loss is finally getting to me.Keith's forehead wrinkles adorably with a frown. “What in the moonlight is going on here?”“I’ve come to help you,” Elena says plainly.“And who the hell are
HopeI blink against the blur of gray above me. The sky shifts, spinning. My head pounds so hard it feels like the earth itself is inside my skull, beating. I try to lift my arm, but the movement sends fire through my shoulder. My ankle throbs in rhythm with my heartbeat, sharp and angry.Air burns in my lungs when I drag it in. The world smells of damp dirt and stone, and my mouth tastes of blood.For a moment, I can’t remember why I’m here, sprawled on the cold ground. Then the memory slams back. The two shifters had their snarling grins as they pushed me off the cliffs edge. It vanishes under my feet. The sick drop of air tears past me—then Keith, leaping after me. His body wraps around mine. His weight is crushing down as we hit.I gasp and turn. He’s beside me, naked and motionless, his chest barely moving. Keith.“No,” I whisper, my throat raw. “No, no, no.”I reach for him, ignoring the way my fingers tremble. My shoulder screams in protest, but I don’t care. I touch his arm, h