LOGINThe war room felt different from the council chambers.Less ceremonial and more honest.Maps covered the long table, weighted down at the corners with iron markers. The northern territories were already marked in red.Three villages, gone overnight.Darius stood at the head of the table, both hands braced against the edge, studying the map with the kind of stillness that meant his mind was moving fast.The King sat to his left.Kael stood opposite, arms crossed, jaw tight.I took my place beside Darius without being asked.Without hesitating.A few weeks ago I might have stood near the door.Close enough to be present.Far enough to disappear if needed.Not anymore.Darius didn't look up when I sat.But his hand shifted slightly on the table.Closer to mine.Not touching, just closer.I noticed.I didn't move away."The Ashborn don't move without reason," the King said.His voice was measured.The voice of someone who had seen wars begin before and knew exactly what the first hours lo
The silence after magic dies is a specific kind of quiet. Not peaceful, not empty just different. Like a song you'd heard so long you'd stopped noticing it, until suddenly it wasn't playing anymore. That's what the bond felt like now. Gone, but not forgotten. A warmth that used to live in my chest, steady and certain, reduced to something faint. Like the last heat left in stone after a fire goes out. I could still feel traces of it. Barely. The way you remember a dream hours after waking. Present enough to remind you, gone enough to hurt. I found myself standing in the corridor outside Darius's chambers the morning after. Not inside, outside. Which was new. Before, I would have known exactly how he was feeling before I even reached the door. Tired. Guarded. Quietly relieved. Now I knew nothing. Just stone walls and my own heartbeat. I raised my hand to knock. Then felt immediately ridiculous. I had faced an ancient queen, a shattered seal, and centuries of inherit
By sunset, the entire kingdom knew.Or at least they knew enough.The ancient burden was gone.The kingdom was safe.And for the first time in generations, people had a reason to celebrate without fear lurking in the background.The capital exploded into life.Music drifted through the streets.Lanterns illuminated every building.Food stalls appeared seemingly out of nowhere.Children ran through the crowds laughing.Merchants abandoned business long enough to join the festivities.Even the palace staff seemed incapable of acting professional.Not that I blamed them but the mood was contagious.I stood on a palace balcony overlooking the city below.The sight was breathtaking.Thousands of lights stretched across the kingdom like stars scattered across the earth.For a moment, I simply watched, listened and enjoyed.No crisis, no danger,no prophecy just life.The balcony doors opened behind me.I didn't need to turn around.I already knew who it was."You disappeared."Darius's voice
The doors of the Great Hall opened.And every conversation stopped.Instantly, hundreds of eyes turned toward us.Nobles, warriors, pack leaders, members of the royal court.People filled every corner of the enormous chamber.The moment felt oddly familiar.Which was unfortunate.Because large crowds and I had never been friends.I resisted the urge to turn around and leave.Darius noticed.Of course he did.His thumb brushed lightly against my hand.A silent reminder, you're not alone.My wolf purred.Traitor.We walked forward together.Kael followed behind us, somehow looking both important and completely uninterested at the same time.An impressive skill.At the front of the hall stood the King.For the first time since I had met him, he looked...Peaceful, not happy, not carefree.The grief of centuries didn't disappear overnight.But the weight crushing him seemed lighter and manageable.The hall fell completely silent as he stepped forward.His voice carried easily through the
I woke up confused.For one glorious second, I had no idea where I was.No ancient chambers, no cursed queens and no life-altering revelations.Just warmth, soft blankets, and the faint sound of birds outside the window.Then reality returned, the curse was gone.The First Queen was gone.And somehow, I was still here and alive.I stared at the ceiling for a long moment.Waiting, for anxiety, for dread, or for some new responsibility to come crashing down on me.Nothing happened.The silence felt strange.Almost suspicious.A knock sounded at the door.Before I could answer, it swung open.Kael walked in carrying a tray of food."Good. You're awake."I sat up immediately."Why do you have food?""Because I'm a caring friend."I narrowed my eyes."That's not the real reason.""Fine."He set the tray down dramatically."Darius threatened me."That sounded more accurate.I laughed despite myself.The tray contained enough food to feed a small army.Fresh bread, fruit, eggs and tea.Sever
The crack echoed through the chamber like thunder.Golden light burst across the floor.Then the ancient circle shattered.Not physically but magically.The glowing symbols fractured into thousands of tiny sparks that drifted upward before fading into nothing.Gone, completely gone.For a moment, nobody moved.Nobody spoke.The silence felt sacred somehow.Like the chamber itself was mourning, or maybe finally resting.The King stood staring at the empty space where his daughter had disappeared.Centuries of grief carved across his face, this made me look away.Some losses deserved privacy, even after hundreds of years.Kael, surprisingly, remained quiet.A miracle in itself.Darius's hand found mine again.Gentle and steady.Not because he thought I needed saving.Just because he was there.The absence of the ancient magic felt strange.Lighter.The chamber no longer felt like a prison.Just stone.Old stone beneath an old kingdom.Nothing more.The burden that had shaped generations







