LOGINSeraphina’s POV My master was consumed by an obsession with rare bloodlines to an almost sick degree. Since he lacked the blood of prophecy himself, he buried himself in star divination, studying the stars with relentless precision. Even I could manipulate the heavens to create remarkable effects.How irritating.Sometimes, I wondered if I should have let that pitiful human die back then. Let her fall into the cinderfall pit and meet a slow, miserable end. Maybe then she would have tasted even a fraction of the pain I had endured.But I didn’t.That decision haunted me every single day. I still didn’t understand what weakness had stayed in my hand, but it had, and now I hated myself for it.The cinderfall pit became my bedtime fantasy.I pictured it in my mind, night after night. Was the cave dwelling still standing? Had the heat cracked it open? Was it miraculously intact? Or had it already collapsed into ruins?What about the golem? Had it been blown away, or was it still standing—
Seraphina’s POVThe confinement cell was damp and freezing, the air thick with the sour smell of decay. Every breath felt rotten.The werewolves didn’t even bother to torture me. That, somehow, was the cruelest part. They brought me food. A roof over my head. A bed that barely passed for comfort in a place like this. Their so-called kindness only fueled my disgust. If their plan was to tear open my skull and see what secrets I carried, why pretend to care? Why hide their intentions behind a mask of sympathy?Savages born from failed witchcraft, parading around as if they understood civilization.I lay stiff on the narrow bed, staring at nothing, letting the minutes drag by while boredom gnawed at me.How much time did I have left?The thought stabbed deep. The curse running through my blood gave me no more than a few days before my mind became useless to them. No matter how hard they pressed, no matter how hard they tried to break me, I would never utter a word against my master.A us
Ember Frost’s POV The Northern Duke looked at me, his eyes brimming with tears. At that moment, he seemed stripped of all authority, fragile, exposed, almost like a child who didn’t know where to turn.I broke eye contact, forcing myself not to stop, and pressed on. “If Seraphina truly felt nothing for you, then why would she risk everything to claim you? Why would she start a war she knew could cost her life just to be acknowledged?”I went on. “And if she truly meant nothing to you… why does your distance hurt you so deeply?”“She did all of this because she wants what most of us take for granted, a place to belong. A family. A father who would look at her with care. From what I’ve seen, Seraphina isn’t healed at all. Her past still terrifies her. She isn’t cruel; she’s afraid, and she doesn’t know how to move forward.”“When she screamed at you earlier, every word was soaked in longing. When her tears fell, they weren’t just grief; they were accusations born of pain. I heard her c
Ember Frost POVI sat quietly in the study room.The air felt heavy. Everyone carried the same pained look; my father and Duke George kept glancing at the Northern Duke with guilt and sorrow burning in their eyes. But he seemed trapped far inside his grief, barely aware of any of us. It was like he had entered into another world that only he could see.My mother tapped the seat beside her, urging me to join her on the couch. When she noticed the tension in my face, she brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and gave a small, helpless shake of her head, saying nothing.“Dane,” my father finally spoke, his voice flat but strained, “I thought we were not just allies but friends. I trusted you. Yet you kept something this… massive from me. Something that could change everything we stand on. What happened between you and Diana? Yes, I knew you were close, but you never, not once, mentioned a child. Or anything more than friendship.”The Northern Duke covered his face with one trembling han
Ember Frost’s POVMoon Goddess… What had I just heard? Seraphina was the Northern Duke’s daughter! My mind couldn’t process it.The revelation weighed heavily on me, making my thoughts sluggish and scattered.And the mother she kept mentioning? I didn’t need to guess. Who else could it be but the life-weaver witch?I never imagined the Northern Duke and the life-weaver witch had been involved during the war. There had to be another hidden story behind this tragic, astonishing love affair.The elders’ reactions were a show all on their own. The royalist supporters’ faces were tight with worry, brows knitted, and eyes anxious, while the anti-king faction practically beamed with satisfaction, their hands fidgeting with barely contained excitement.“How could you! "How could you consort with the enemy in the middle of a war?" The first critic barked at the Northern Duke. “They say mercy is the grave of heroes. Northern Duke, I’ve always feared you might have betrayed the werewolves. Other
Ember Frost’s POVElder Marcus exhaled softly, his expression clouded with worry. He didn’t argue or question anything; he simply fell silent, lifted his hands, and summoned a small flame that reduced the strand of hair to powder. Then he pricked the Northern Duke’s fingertip, took a drop of blood, and mixed it with the ashes. With steady fingers, she brushed the strange mixture across Seraphina’s forehead, shaping it into a star-like mark.The effect was instantaneous. Whatever force had tormented Seraphina moments before vanished, leaving her slumped in the chair. She didn’t move. She looked almost lifeless.“…You’re bound by a curse,” the Northern Duke said, his voice rough and low. “That man you serve—the night magus Nareth—forced you to swear on your family’s blood. You weren’t allowed to speak his name. Isn’t that the truth?”Seraphina’s chest shook as she coughed violently. Blood splattered from her mouth onto the stone floor, and then she let out a wild, cracked laugh.“Half r







