LOGINLENABy sunrise, Blackthorn was still standing, but barely. Smoke drifted over the fortress walls, the eastern tower had collapsed completely, and the courtyard was littered with broken weapons and splintered arrows. Healers moved between the wounded while warriors repaired whatever sections of the walls they could salvage, nobody had slept, nobody had forgotten the enemy's retreat and nobody believed the attack was over.I stood beside the war table while Rowan placed a collection of recovered weapons across it. Every blade carried the same dark symbol we had seen in the capital, the forest, and now on the armor of the soldiers who had attacked Blackthorn.Kael sat at the opposite end of the table, still pale from the poison. He had refused to remain in bed, although the healer had threatened to tie him there if he tried to leave again. His hand rested against the edge of the table, his fingers occasionally tightening whenever the poison sent another wave of pain through him.“The a
LENABlackthorn was burning and from the infirmary window, I could see flames climbing the eastern tower while warriors fought across the courtyard below. The fortress that had once felt impenetrable now shook beneath the force of the attack, every distant crash reminding me that the people who had hunted my bloodline for generations were no longer hiding.They were here and they wanted me.Kael pushed himself upright despite the healer's protests. His face was still pale from the poison, but the moment he looked toward the battlefield, that familiar authority returned to his expression.“We need to move the wounded into the lower chambers,” he ordered, gripping the edge of the bed for support. “The eastern wing won't hold if they breach the second gate.”I stepped toward him and pressed a hand against his shoulder, forcing him back down. “You're not going anywhere.”His eyes lifted to mine. “Lena, this is my fortress.”“And you're poisoned.”“I've survived worse.”“You nearly died le
LENAThe eastern forest swallowed the guard before we reached the tree line.Rowan and I followed the trail at a run, with six warriors behind us and the sound of Blackthorn's alarm bells fading into the distance. My lungs burned, but I refused to slow down. Every few seconds, I caught another glimpse of the man's blood on the leaves, a dark trail leading deeper into the forest.He was injured and that meant we were close.“Lena, stay behind me,” Rowan ordered as he pushed through a curtain of branches, his sword already drawn. “We don't know how many people are waiting ahead.”“I know.”“You're not acting like you know.”I glanced at him without slowing. “Kael is lying unconscious because someone inside our fortress poisoned him. I'm not going to stand behind you while you find the person responsible.”Rowan's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue again. The forest grew unnaturally quiet and that was what frightened me most.There should have been wolves somewhere in the distance, birds
LENAWe barely made it back to Blackthorn before everything began falling apart.The journey from the capital had been tense from the beginning. Kael barely spoke, and neither did I. The stranger's words followed me the entire way, especially the mention of Moonvale and the night it fell. I could still feel the fragments of memory pressing against the edges of my mind, waiting for something to unlock them completely.By the time Blackthorn's walls appeared through the trees, I was exhausted but Kael wasn't.He rode ahead of me with his shoulders rigid, scanning the road as though he expected an attack at every turn. When we entered the fortress, he immediately summoned Rowan and Darius and ordered the gates sealed. Warriors spread throughout the courtyard while servants hurried inside with news from the capital.Something had changed.Blackthorn no longer felt like a fortress protecting us from the outside world, it felt like a fortress preparing for war.Kael dismounted and turned to
LENAThe chamber didn't quiet after my last words.If anything, the silence became more dangerous.I could feel the weight of every stare following me as I stood beside Kael, my fingers still wrapped around his. The nobles were whispering among themselves, the guards were watching the Council for instructions, and Cara remained frozen beside Adrian with the physician's testimony hanging over her like a blade.For the first time since I had entered the capital, the room no longer felt like a place where everyone else had decided my fate before I could speak.They were afraid.Not of me.Of what might come next.Varick slowly rose from his seat, his expression carefully composed despite the evidence scattered across the table. “This hearing is not over,” he announced, his voice carrying through the chamber as he gathered what remained of his authority. “The physician's testimony raises questions, but it does not establish that Princess Cara orchestrated the poisoning.”Kael's thumb move
LENAI looked at him for a long moment, then I nodded.Kael's eyes moved toward me. “I'll be outside.”He didn't sound happy about it and before leaving, his fingers squeezed mine once. It was brief, but it steadied me.When the door closed behind him, Adrian stepped closer to the bars. “I know you didn't poison Cara.”I almost smiled. “You finally believe me?”His expression tightened. “I found out about the servant.”“So did I.”
Tonight wasn’t supposed to matter for someone like meThe other girls gleamed and sparkled while I struggled with a dress twice my size. Selene had only slid the notice of my invite under my door three hours ago. I could still recall how wide my eyes were when I read the notice. I had checked the
LENA“Lena.” His voice cut through the dining hall like a final verdict.I froze mid-step, my fork still half-raised from the plate I had been aggressively eating out of sheer frustration. Kael’s earlier words still echoed in my head—experiments in the bedroom—and my brain refused to decide whether
LENAMy body was trembling.“Alpha kael,” Elder Marsh said and the room went still. My mind was blank but my wolf had backed into a corner.Who was Alpha Kael?And why was my wolf acting…strange?My eyes flickered, landing on Cara. A coldness seeped into my skin as something glinted in her eyes. P
I had barely slept a wink when a horrible pounding sent me scrambling to the corner in fear.The mark burning on my wrist burned but it was strangely comforting. Slowly, the door opened to reveal a pack warrior and I frowned, standing up in confusion.Why would a warrior be here by this time of da







