Chapter 82 – Saw itLucien’s POVIsolde doesn’t see it yet, but her time is up.She’s standing across the room, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. Her heartbeat gives her away, fluttering fast like a warning drum. Selene stands just behind me, flanked by Aria, Theron, Koda, and Nyra’s family. Everyone’s attention is fixed on her.I tilt my head, keeping my voice steady. “You had your hands on Selene’s necklace. Want to tell them why?”She blinks, startled. Her eyes dart between us, calculating. Then she straightens up. A soft smile appears. “I saw it on the table. Thought it looked familiar. I was going to return it, honestly.”She dangles the necklace like it’s nothing, but I’ve prepared for this moment. “You’re lying.” I hold up my phone. “There’s a camera in that room. It caught everything.”Her mask cracks. Hands tense. She leans forward like she might deny it, but I turn the screen toward the others before she can speak. The footage plays. Everyone sees her rifling through my
Chapter 81 – Family Selene’s POVBy the time Saturday afternoon arrives, the week has drained me. Work was long. Aria had school projects that took twice the time they should have. And Lucien was gone more than usual. So when he suggested we spend the weekend visiting Nyra’s family, I agreed without hesitation. I needed the break, and Aria had been asking when she could see Nyra’s sons again.Lucien doesn’t come with us. He says he will join us later. That doesn't bother me much. He has work, or something close to it, and I’m glad for the chance to enjoy a quiet afternoon without any palace distractions.We are dropped off at Nyra’s estate by a quiet carriage driver. One of the house stewards is already waiting at the gate. He offers a small bow and leads us through a path lined with flowering vines and trimmed hedges. I’ve been to Nyra’s house a number of times, but I usually head straight to her workshop or the herb garden behind the west wing. This time, I follow them into a sunro
Chapter 80 – Did You Leave Something Behind?Selene’s POVThe moment I stepped into the lounge, the air around me turned stiff. Isolde was already there, standing near the wide window with her arms tightly crossed over her chest. Her back was to me at first, but she turned sharply when she heard my steps. Her face was composed, but her eyes were cold. She had been waiting. For me.Her voice cut through the quiet. “So you really think a couple of contest wins and some amateur perfume work make you relevant again?”There was no mistaking the venom in her tone. I opened my mouth, unsure if I should even dignify that with an answer, but another presence entered before I could get a word out. Lucien's footsteps sounded behind me. Slow, firm, deliberate. He moved beside me without hesitation and rested a steady hand on my back.“Selene earned her place here,” he said, his voice calm but unmistakably firm. “Nyra reviewed her portfolio herself. She saw the results. The decision to bring her b
Chapter 79 – Again Lucien’s POVThe moment I hear the door click shut behind Selene, I let out a slow breath and finally sit up straight. The alcohol in my system was nothing more than juice, but the act of pretending to be intoxicated drained me more than I thought it would. Pretending to be something I am not, even for a few hours, has never been my strong suit. But tonight it was necessary. It was the only way I could keep Selene close without raising her defenses or sparking another argument.Being near her when her walls are lowered is a rare gift. I took it, selfish as it may have been.As the silence settles in the room, the voice in my head stirs again. Manuel, the wolf part of me, always quick to speak and rarely willing to keep quiet.“You need to tell her. You cannot keep doing this. I feel it. Something in her has shifted. Her scent, her energy, the way her presence wraps around us. It reminds me of something. No, it reminds me of someone. Isolde. But not quite. It is more
Chapter 78 – The Night Selene Hears Her WolfSelene’s POVThe basket was only half empty. I had folded two shirts, mismatched a pair of socks, and stared at a towel for the last five minutes. The apartment was still and quiet, except for the low hum of the fridge and the occasional sigh from Aria, who was curled into a bundle of warmth on the couch. She had insisted on staying there tonight. She claimed her room was too cold. I had given up arguing. She was asleep now, her little fists tucked beneath her chin like she was still dreaming of her fairytale drawings.My phone buzzed again.Third time in less than five minutes.I didn’t recognize the number, but something about the timing put me on edge. I picked it up and pressed it to my ear without thinking.“Selene?” The voice on the other end was male, familiar, and tense. It took me a second to place it. Oliver. There was noise behind him, a mix of music, chatter, and the occasional sharp laugh.“I hope this isn’t a bad time,” he sai
Chapter 77 – When the Voice ComesSelene’s POVThe sky above Verdancia is painted in muted golds and lavenders, the last breath of daylight casting long shadows over the worn garden path. We’re walking slowly now—Lucien just ahead, silent for the first time all day. I can hear the tension in every footfall he makes. Not his usual stride. No purpose, no direction. Just… stalling.He stops. Not abruptly, but deliberately. Like something inside him finally pulled too tight to keep moving.I pause beside him, heart ticking faster than I want to admit. His shoulders shift. He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it again. A flicker of conflict passes through his eyes—raw, exposed, uncertain.That alone nearly steals the breath from my chest. Lucien. Hesitating.But then, like a steel door sliding back into place, it’s gone. His face sets. His voice, when it comes, is clipped and controlled.“I had you sign the bond for Aria,” he says.Just that. No warmth. No preamble.I stare at him, bli