MasukEmber Frost’s POV I’d had enough of circling around her arrogance. “Elder Marcus,” I said, my voice filled with impatience, “go ahead. Start the mind break.”Fear flashed across Seraphina’s face the moment Marcus’s power stepped forward. She thrashed against her restraints, her composure cracking like thin ice.“Wait—no! You can’t do that to me!” She thrashed against the chains, panic flooding her voice. “The Lycan King wouldn’t allow this! You don’t have the authority!”Of course she didn’t know I wasn’t planning to actually break into her mind, just frighten her enough to make her talk. But she didn’t need to know that.“If you’re this terrified,” I said, leaning in, “then answer the question before I let him continue. Your choice.”Seraphina glared at me from beneath her tangled hair, jaw clenched so tight I could hear her teeth grind. “You’re bluffing,” she hissed. “If anything happens to me, your precious Lycan King will have your head. I saw what happened in the hall earlier; y
Ember Frost’s POVI found my father in his study, but he was in the middle of a call. I didn’t want to interrupt, so I stood quietly by the door and waited.It took almost twelve minutes before he finally hung up. He set the receiver down, looked at me with concern, and asked softly, “What’s wrong, my dear?”I took a breath. “There’s something I need to talk to you about… it’s about Eira. If you don’t mind.” His posture straightened immediately. “Of course.”My palms felt damp; I wasn’t sure how he would react or if he’d even allow me to speak to a prisoner about such a serious matter. “It’s about her eyes. The… vision ability she awakened. I thought—maybe Seraphina might know something we don’t. Even if she isn’t a prophet, she’s still a witch. She might have heard of this ability before.”He agreed almost immediately. “I’ve already been informed about Eira’s condition. You don’t need to burden yourself with worry. I sent someone to the witch clan earlier; they’re already discussin
Ember Frost’s POVI went to check on Eira.She had just regained consciousness a moment earlier. Her body seemed fine, but her eyes had taken the worst of the damage. She needed more time to heal, and the bandages couldn’t come off anytime soon. The thought of what her life might look like after this event left a heavy ache in my chest.When I stepped into the room, she spoke before I even asked how she felt. “Strangely enough… I can see perfectly well,” Eira muttered. “Even though my whole face is covered, I can still see everything around me whether my eyes are open or shut. It’s clearer than before. Too clear.”Mira and I exchanged a stunned look. She suspected it had to be some rare witch ability we didn’t understand, so we called for the werewolf elder right away.Elder Marcus hurried in the moment he heard the news. He bent beside Eira, carefully brushing his fingers along the bandage covering her eyes before stepping back with a deep, thoughtful frown. After a long silence, hi
Ember Frost’s POVOnce the guards finally managed to soothe the raging Northern Duke, my father shifted his attention to the witch. His voice was calm but firm, the kind that left no room for excuses. “Alright,” he said, “let’s hear everything from your own mouth.”The witch tilted her chin up, wearing a mocking smile as if the entire situation amused her. “And what exactly do you want explained?” she replied. “I already told you—I was curious. I thought it’d be fun to live like some pampered noblewoman for a day. That’s all.”My father’s expression hardened, all patience gone. “If you keep talking like this,” he warned, “I might have no choice but to call in someone who isn’t as gentle as I am.” His tone dropped lower. “From the way you spoke earlier, it’s clear you know plenty about the old war. Then you should also remember what the werewolves used to do when they needed answers on the battlefield.” He leaned in slightly, his gaze cold. “We never worried about whether those methods
Ember Frost’s POVThis was the first time I’d ever stood in the middle of real tension between a ruler and those who served under him. My father wasn’t just any king; he commanded the room without even lifting a finger. So when a group of bold, disrespectful subjects challenged him, he handled them so effortlessly that it almost looked like he’d been expecting it.Watching him, I couldn’t help asking myself, what if that were me?If I had to face people like that one day, would I know what to do?Honestly, I doubted it. I imagined myself losing my temper in an instant, shouting, throwing insults, and probably barking orders for the guards to toss the troublemakers out of our clan entirely. Compared to my father, my imagined reactions felt childish, sloppy… embarrassing even.He didn’t need violence. He didn’t need to raise his voice.He survived every storm by staying calm, unreadable, and always in control.My father’s words echoed in my head. Respect isn’t earned by strength alone.
Ember Frost’s POV My father looked squarely at the bald elder, his tone calm but unmistakably hard. "I believe Elder Thane makes a fair point, Elder Donald," he said, his gaze never shifting from the stubborn old man who refused to drop the issue. "With danger looming over us, our attention should be on the real threat, don’t you agree?"Anyone with half a brain would have taken the cue and let the matter rest.But Elder Donald?No—he clung to his anger like it was a badge of honor.His face flushed an angry red, and he practically vibrated with indignation. "Your Majesty, matters of governance are never small!" he barked, twitching like a man who’d just stepped on an electric wire. ‘You may call it a mere seat, but every seat symbolizes rank, respect, and the balance of our noble order!He threw a hand toward the restrained witch. “Yes, questioning her is important, but what can she do? She’s bound! Let’s allow this miserable trespasser a moment to ponder just how she might ever rep







