LOGINLENA
“Kael—”
“No.” The word came sharper this time, leaving no room for argument. “He’s dead because someone chose to kill him. That isn’t on you.”
“You don’t know that.”
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.”
LENAThe cell beneath the palace was colder than I remembered.Stone walls surrounded me on every side, damp from years of holding people the kingdom had decided were dangerous. A single torch burned outside the bars, throwing enough light into the room for me to see the iron ring around my wrist.They hadn't chained me, they hadn't needed to.The guards outside had made it clear that I wouldn't be leaving.I sat on the edge of the narrow stone bench, staring at the floor while the events of the Summit replayed in my head. Cara collapsing. The poisoned goblet. My vial appearing exactly where someone needed it to be. The servant dying before he could be ques
LENAThe accusation came before the Summit had even recovered from the discovery of the altered document.I could feel the room changing around me. The nobles were no longer sitting comfortably in their seats, and the Council had lost the control it had walked into the chamber expecting to have. Every whisper seemed sharper now, every glance more deliberate. The evidence had cracked something open, and nobody knew how far the damage would spread. Kael remained beside me, his expression unreadable as he watched the Council members exchange quiet words.Then the doors opened.A servant entered carrying a silver tray. I barely noticed him at first. The Summit had become too tense for anyone to pay attention to something as ordinary as a servant carrying refreshments, and he approached the royal table where several goblets had already been placed. Cara reached for one, but the servant stopped her and lowered the tray slightly.“Your Highness, this one is for you,” he explained, indicating
LENAThat was exactly what the Council didn't want. Varick struck his cane against the floor and the sharp crack silenced the room.“This is not a trial.”I looked at him. “Then stop treating me like the accused.”His jaw tightened and before he could answer, the chamber doors opened.Adrian entered with Cara beside him and the room shifted immediately.I could feel the change in the atmosphere before either of them spoke.Cara looked immaculate in a pale silver gown, her hair perfectly arranged, her expression carefully composed. But her eyes went straight to me.Adrian's gaze followed.For several seconds, he simply stared.I had expected him to look surprised.I hadn't expected him to look devastated.His eyes moved over me slowly before settling on my face, as though he were searching for the girl he remembered and couldn't find her.Cara noticed.Her fingers tightened around his arm.I saw it.So did Kael.Adrian and Cara approached the table, but Adrian never stopped looking at
LENAThe doors of the council chamber closed behind us with a heavy thud, cutting off the noise of the palace.For a moment, nobody spoke, I stood beside Kael at the entrance, taking in the room that had once represented everything I had been taught to fear. The chamber was larger than I remembered, with towering windows, black marble floors, and a circular table surrounded by representatives from nearly every major Alpha bloodline in the kingdom.The Elder Council occupied the raised seats at the far end, dressed in ceremonial robes that made them look untouchable but I knew better now.Untouchable was only another word for unchallenged.Kael placed his hand lightly against the small of my back as we walked toward our seats. The gesture was subtle enough that nobody could accuse him of displaying weakness, but I felt the reassurance behind it.“Don't react to provocation,” he murmured, keeping his gaze ahead. “That's what they're expecting.”I glanced at him. “What if I want to reac
LENAThe capital looked exactly as I remembered it and that was the first thing that unsettled me.The towers still rose above the city like they had been carved from the sky. The palace still sat at the center of everything, its silver banners moving lazily in the morning wind, while crowds gathered along the roads to watch the royal procession pass.But I wasn't the same girl who had once entered those gates with her head lowered.I sat beside Kael in the carriage, my fingers resting against the edge of the window as the palace came closer. The reflection staring back at me looked unfamiliar in a way I couldn't explain. My clothes were simple compared to the nobles waiting ahead, but nothing about me looked small anymore.Kael noticed me staring at my reflection. “You've been quiet since we left,” he said, watching me from across the carriage. “Are you nervous?”I glanced at him. “Would it make you feel better if I said yes?”His mouth twitched slightly. “No. It would make me more c
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
LENA“You’re smiling like you didn’t just have a corpse in your room.”The words slipped out before common sense could stop them, and for one dangerous second, the entire hallway went silent.Alpha Kael stared at me.Then he laughed.My jaw tightened. “You’re insane.”“I’ve heard that before.”He st
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
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







