LUCIANWe’ve not heard anything from Shadowfang pack yet, and we will continue to wait patiently for them. The camp had become our home for now, though no one called it such with warmth in their tone. It was a place of vigilance, of sleepless nights and sharpened blades, of eyes that scanned the horizon for any hint of movement and ears tuned to the slightest crack of a twig. The tension lingered like a storm that refused to break, thick enough to taste in the air.It had been two days since Lilith was brought here. Like Selena said, we would monitor her, and I had kept to that—though my reasons were not rooted in distrust, but in necessity. Every word, every flicker of expression from her carried meaning, and meaning, when it came to Adrian’s daughter, could not be taken lightly.The sun was rising, its gold light spilling slowly over the treetops, painting the canvas of our camp in muted warmth that did little to chase away the heaviness that lived in our bones. I was standing with
SELENAThe secrets I got from Lilith last night filled me with a whole lot of eagerness to go and meet Adrian, to look him in the eye and fight him, to pay him back for every piece of evil he had ever planted in my life, to tear down the mask he wore and let the world see him for what he truly was. The thought of my sister locked away, breathing the same stale air behind iron bars, weighed on me so heavily that waiting even a single day felt unbearable. I did not want to wait anymore. I could not. My chest ached with urgency, with the need to act, as though time itself was slipping away faster than my hands could hold it. But first, I knew I had to see Lucian. I had to tell him everything I had learned, because the truth now pressed against me so forcefully it felt dangerous to keep it inside.I dressed quickly, pulling on clothes with movements sharper than I intended, each button fastened with trembling fingers that betrayed the storm inside me. My sword leaned against the wall, and
SELENA“I’m not pregnant. I’m never pregnant for your mate,” she said, her voice steady, though her fingers twisted into the blanket like she needed to anchor herself to something before the words slipped away.“But your dad said that you were pregnant for him. Why did he allow you to come here then?” I asked her, my voice sharper now, because the story was shifting, the ground beneath it no longer holding the weight of what we had all believed. The story was getting more interesting, but also far more dangerous.Her lips pressed together for a moment, her jaw tightening as if speaking was a betrayal to her own bloodline, but then she exhaled slowly, her shoulders sagging with the weight of words that seemed impossible to carry alone. “He’s planning a war,” she whispered, and though her tone was soft, the words carried like steel in the small room. “And it’s going to be a very big one. The target is you. He wants you dead, because there is a revelation. He manipulated you people so th
SELENA“What truth?” I asked again, my voice carrying a measured firmness, though my tone was not raised, as I fixed my eyes on hers without wavering, refusing to let my gaze drift even for a heartbeat. I watched her closely, searching for the smallest flicker that might give her away, holding her there as though my persistence alone could pry open the walls she had built around herself. It felt as if there was something heavy lodged between us, something thick and unspoken, and I imagined it cracking apart under the weight of my insistence, spilling whatever she had been hiding into the dim light between us.She didn’t answer right away, not even with a shift of her body or a twitch of her lips. Her mouth parted slightly, as if the words were about to step forward, only for her to close it again, trapping them inside. I caught the faint, almost imperceptible bob of her throat as she swallowed, her gaze flickering sideways in a quick, darting motion, like she was weighing whether spea
SELENAIn the quiet of the night, after training with the children until their laughter faded into yawns and sleepy smiles, I had eaten dinner alone in my quarters. The warmth from the stew still lingered faintly in my stomach, the taste of herbs and slow-cooked meat clinging to my tongue. I was tired in that heavy, bone-deep way that came after long hours of movement and discipline, the kind that made every part of me ache for the softness of my bed.I had just pushed the plate I’d used for dinner aside, sliding it lazily across the low table until it came to rest near the foot of my bed, when I heard it—a knock.It wasn’t the kind that rattled the door or announced itself with confidence. It was faint, almost hesitant, the kind that didn’t demand attention but asked for it in a careful, almost nervous way. Once… then again, even softer this time, as if the person outside wasn’t sure they should be there at all.I stilled, my hand resting against the table’s edge. My ears sharpened i
SELENAI had directed Mara, the oldest maid in the Alpha’s quarters, to take very good care of Lilith. Mara had served in this house longer than anyone else, her quiet efficiency and unshakable loyalty making her the perfect choice for such a task.I found her in the kitchen that morning, her sleeves rolled up to the elbows, hands deep in a basin of steaming water as she rinsed the last of the breakfast plates. The scent of fresh bread lingered in the air, mixing with the sharper tang of soap, and the faint hiss of the boiling kettle filled the silence between us. She looked up as soon as I stepped in, wiping her hands on her apron before bowing her head slightly.“Mara,” I began, keeping my voice even, each word chosen carefully. “I want you to see to Lilith’s comfort. Everything she needs, she gets. Meals—hot, on time, and to her liking. Clothing—washed, folded, ready in her quarters. Keep her rooms warm, and make sure the bed is turned down each night before she comes in.”Mara’s e