LOGINMorvienne lay flat on her back, her chest heaving in slow, shaky breaths. The damp earth pressed against her spine, and the sound of the small stream trickling over smooth, grey stones was the only thing filling the silence of the woods. Her face was swollen and blotchy from an hour of sobbing, her eyes red and stinging. The revelation that Kael was innocent was still on her mind. The hatred and urge for revenge were still there, but now she wasn't sure why. She felt lost and confused as she stared up at the canopy of trees, watching the leaves sway overhead. But as the minutes passed, she felt a bit clear headed, although her emotions were not settled yet. The damage was already done and there was no going back to a peaceful life now that she had set the wheels of war in motion.She pushed herself up with that thought in mind, her muscles stiff, and crawled toward the edge of the stream. She plunged her face into the ice-cold water, splashing her cheeks and forehead repeatedly. Th
Morvienne had stumbled out of the mansion and into the night air, the cold air hitting her face like a slap, but inside her chest a fire burned hotter than any winter wind. She pressed a hand to her throat, feeling the pulse jump under her fingertips as she made her way out of the pack, wanting to be far away from everything as much as she could. "It's not true," she whispered, voice cracking like dry wood as her breath came in short, ragged gasps. "It can't be. I'm not wrong. I'm... I'm the victim. I'm the one who lost everything. Me! My pain! I lost everything!" The words tore out of her throat, raw and jagged. Tears spilled over her cheeks, hot and relentless as she lurched forward, her bare feet sinking into the soft loam of the woods. The trees loomed tall, their branches stretching toward the sky, but she didn't see them. She saw only the faces of the people she had lost—her mother's smile, her father's laugh, her friends, the way her father's hand felt when he tucked her in.
"You just made all this up!" She screamed, her voice cracking. She stepped toward him, her eyes wide and frantic. "You're lying! You're just saying this to make me feel guilty, to twist the knife! You're a liar, Kael! A liar!"Kael didn't even flinch. The walls he had spent years building around his heart slammed shut with a deafening finality. He didn't try to convince her. He didn't offer proof. He didn't even look at her with the love that had defined the last few months. His expression was a mask of cold, dead stone."Leave my pack. Right now," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "I don't want to ever see your face again." He paused, a flicker of something dark crossing his eyes. "You are lucky I fell for you. If I hadn't, you would have been without your head before you could even blink."He turned his back on her, his shoulders rigid, and began to walk toward the door. Panic surged through Morvienne. The thought of him walking away, of this being the end, was terrifying. "It
Morvienne took a shuddering breath, her chest heaving as she fought to keep her composure. She reached up and aggressively wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. She felt her heart hammering against her ribs, but she forced it to slow down as she hardened her mind, pulling a cold, thick wall around her emotions, shutting out the sight of his broken expression. She had to be the monster he now believed she was. "Because," she answered, her voice hollow and sharp, "I had to."A sudden, jagged laugh escaped her lips—a sound devoid of any real joy. She sniffed, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him. "Do you know what your family took from me?" she asked, laughing again, the sound bordering on manic. "Everything," she answered in a whisper, her expression filled with pain. "They took everything from me."She stepped closer, her voice rising, filled with a decade of stored-up agony. "My parents, my friends, my pack, everything... gone. Dead. All of them slaughtered.
The stillness that followed her confession was heavy, thick enough to choke on. For several long minutes, neither of them moved or uttered a word. Kael just stood there, staring at her, his chest barely moving. He couldn't understand. He didn't want to understand as the scent she had been hiding, the real, raw scent of her true nature, filled the room, clashing with the lie she had lived for so long. Then, a short, sharp laugh broke the stillness. The sound of someone who had just heard a joke that wasn't funny. He shook his head slightly, a small, disbelief-filled smile twitching on his lips."Do you know what?" he said, his voice sounding tired and strained. "I'm just going to leave now. We'll talk later. When you've decided to stop playing around."He turned his back to her, his shoulders tense, and walked toward the door, every step feeling like he was trying to physically walk away from a nightmare. He reached out, his hand gripping the door handle, and pulled it open. With a
Meanwhile, back in the mansion, Morvienne sat on the edge of her bed, the silence of the room pressing in on her. She remained perfectly still, her ears pricked for the sound of footsteps in the hallway as she waited for him. She expected Kael to burst through the door, demanding answers and grilling her until her facade cracked or maybe just come in and want to talk, but she expected him. "There is no way he wouldn't be a little suspicious," she thought, her mind racing. "But... How was I caught?" she wondered, brow furrowing. "I had been careful, silent. How?" The realization that he had been standing right there, waiting for her, left a bitter taste of uncertainty in her mouth. "Had he finally connected the dots? But he seemed shocked when he saw it was me.""What if he connects the dots?""I wouldn't be surprised. Kael is not to be underestimated.""What do I care? He'll find out soon anyway." Still, the thought that he might already know she was the one behind everything ma
Sevrin stood frozen for some minutes, eyes wide, and shock plastered across his face. His hands rose slowly to his neck, trembling, as he realized he was so close to death. Blood gushed out in thick, dark streams, soaking his clothes and dripping down his chest. He tried to speak, his mouth openin
The silence that followed right after was something unexplainable. There were no words to say, the feelings were also something he didn't understand, and they stayed like that for a moment, breathing the same air. Her eyes were still fixed on his and he held her gaze for a second longer than he me
"Come in," a deep voice answered from inside when a knock sounded on the door.The maid turned her head and looked at Morvienne first, her eyes warning her to remember to behave. Only when she was satisfied did she clear her throat and reach for the handle of the door."You can go in," she said to
Throughout the day, Morvienne was locked up in the room, pacing around as she tried to think of a way to escape. She had tried the door several times, tugging, pushing, but to no avail. Nothing was working, absolutely nothing!She had moved toward the window, peering out, but the view offered no es







