LOGINLENA
“Who is it?” I asked.
Varik looked at Kael first. “A summit server named Dorian. He was assigned to the east kitchens tonight.”
Kael’s face remained unreadable. “Bring him.”
The
LENABy the time we reached my room, the entire summit had transformed into something sharp-edged and watchful, it was no longer a gathering of powerful packs exchanging alliances, gossip and expensive wine. It had become a fortress with polished floors and too many secrets. Guards stood at every turn in the corridor, servants kept their eyes lowered as they hurried past, and the usual noise of the summit had dulled into nervous whispers that clung to the walls like smoke.I hated it, I hated the silence, I hated the note still burned into my memory, and I especially hated the fact that Kael still hadn’t let go of my hand. Not that I’m complaining.I mean, I was absolutely complaining. Internally, repeatedly and wit
LENAVarik’s gaze sharpened. “There’s more.”Kael looked at him.Varik’s mouth thinned. “The cut was clean. Precise. Whoever killed him knew exactly what they were doing.”I felt suddenly, horribly cold because that meant this wasn’t panic. It wasn’t a desperate servant trying to cover his tracks.This was deliberate and planned, someone had tried to poison me, then sent a note about it, then killed the only person who might have led us back to them before he could even be questioned.My hands started shaking, I curled them into fists immediatel
LENA“Excuse me?” I was beyond offended.“You heard me.”“No, I heard you accuse me of being stupid after someone tried to poison me.”His expression didn’t shift. “If it helps, I’ve been thinking it for days.”I stared at him in disbelief. “You are unbelievable.”“And you are reckless.”“I am not reckless.”“You accepted food from a woman who hates you.”
LENA“Who is it?” I asked.Varik looked at Kael first. “A summit server named Dorian. He was assigned to the east kitchens tonight.”Kael’s face remained unreadable. “Bring him.”The guard hesitated and that made my stomach sink.“He’s not here, Alpha.”Silence.Kael’s eyes narrowed. “Explain.”The guard swallowed. “When we went to fetch him, his quarters were empty. But we found a pouch of coin hi
LENAFor one terrible moment after reading the note, I couldn’t breathe. The words blurred beneath my fingers, then sharpened again as though my eyes refused to decide whether they wanted to understand what I was seeing.‘If the wolfsbane didn’t work, perhaps the next thing will.’My stomach turned so violently I thought I might be sick right there at the table.The dining hall around me was still alive with noise… glasses clinking, low conversation drifting between tables, servants moving through the aisles with silver trays in hand, but all of it suddenly sounded far away, muffled, as though someone had shoved me underwater.‘Not everyone at this summit wants you alive.’I read that line again and again, each time hoping the words would change into something less horrifying.They didn’t. Slowly, I lifted my head and Kael was already standing.The movement had been so quiet I hadn’t even noticed it, but the effect on the room was immediate. Conversations thinned and several nearby no
LENAThe summit grounds were bright beneath the morning sun, but whatever calm the day might have offered was ruined by the fact that Kael was indeed following me but it was close enough to make it obvious to everyone else, but close enough that every time I slowed down or turned around, there he was watching, existing and. Ring impossible. After ten minutes, I stopped in the middle of a garden path and turned to face him.He stopped too.“This is ridiculous.”“No,” he said. “It’s necessary.”“It’s irritating.”“That too.”I folded my arms. “I’m going to a courtyard full of nobles in broad daylight, not marching into enemy territory.”“Those are often the same thing.”I stared at him for a moment, then sighed because unfortunately, that also sounded true. “Do I at least get to know where you’ve assigned the guards?”“No.”“Why not?”“Because if you know where they are, you’ll look for them.”“That is absolutely something I would do.”“I know.”That answer annoyed me more than it shou
LENAFor a brief moment after the man spoke, the corridor felt unreal, like my mind had failed to accept what my eyes were seeing.“Hello there.” The greeting was calm enough to be insulting. It wasn’t rushed or uncertain and it was the kind of voice that belonged to someone who already knew how t
LENAThe scream tore out of me before I could stop it, raw and immediate, slicing through the silence of the corridor like something that didn’t belong in a place like this.For a second after it left my mouth, I couldn’t breathe.My throat tightened as the sound echoed back at me from the stone wa
LENAI woke up before the knock even came, it wasn’t the sound itself that disturbed me… it was the absence of quiet. The estate had a way of shifting at night, like it was never truly asleep, and I had started to recognize when that shift turned toward me. That morning, the air already felt watche
LENA“Excuse you?” I blinked. “It’s a compliment, you’re supposed to thank me,” he said, moving to stand beside me but not too close to make me uncomfortable. “I owe you nothing?” I deadpanned and he nodded, shrugging casually. “That’s fair.”A moment of silence passed, and while I contemplated







