LOGIN🔥🔥🔥
Kaelara looked around the courtyard. "I didn't choose the Obsidian Dominion. I didn't know this kingdom existed. I didn't ask to fall into your king's arms." A few warriors shifted awkwardly.m but said nothing. "I didn't ask to become anyone's mate. And I certainly didn't come here to seduce your king." Darius coughed loudly, and Lucian immediately elbowed him, earning a quiet snort from one of the nearby warriors.Kaelara continued as though she hadn't noticed. "I came here because my mother used a power I didn't even know she possessed. She sent me away." Her voice became softer. "Perhaps she knew I would die if I stayed. Perhaps she knew something I didn't." She blinked rapidly, refusing to allow the tears gathering in her eyes to fall. "Whatever the reason..." She lifted her chin. "I'm alive." Her voice became stronger. "And as long as I am alive, I have something left to do."The entire courtyard listened. "I have a family to find." Her voice trembled. "I don't know whether
The training yard remained silent long after Kaelara finished speaking. Her words had settled over the courtyard like the aftermath of a storm, leaving everyone trapped in a silence far heavier than the noise that had come before. Nobody seemed to know what to say. The warriors who had mocked her earlier now stood with their heads lowered, while those who had merely watched from the sidelines exchanged uneasy glances, suddenly unable to meet her eyes. Even the servants and guards who had stopped to listen remained rooted to their places, their earlier curiosity replaced by discomfort and something that looked suspiciously like shame. Kaelara stood in the middle of them all, the spear still resting in her hand, her breathing steady despite the weight of everything she had just revealed. For several heartbeats, she said nothing. Then her expression changed. The fierce fire in her eyes softened. It did not disappear, because Kaelara had never been a woman who could easily e
"And until I was twenty-four years old, no Alpha, no pack, and no army defeated the Silvercrest Pack because of us, the Nightbanes." She took another step forward. "Not because we were invincible. Because we refused to surrender." A few warriors lowered their heads and Kaelara stared at them. "So when you look at me and decide that I am some weak woman trying to gain the king's attention, remember that you know absolutely nothing about me." Her gaze swept across the female warriors. "You see a woman." She tapped her chest. "I see a warrior." She raised her chin. "You see a stranger." "I see someone who has survived things you cannot imagine." "You see someone without a kingdom." "I see someone who once protected an entire pack." "And you see someone who appeared in your kingdom without a name that you recognize." Her expression hardened. "But I know exactly who I am." She paused, letting her words sunk in before finishing... "I am Kaelara Nightbane!" Her voi
The laughter slowly faded after Kaelara and Aurelian pulled away from each other's embrace. Kaelara stood in the center of the training yard, her spear resting loosely against her shoulder, while Isolde continued to beam at her from the side. Darius and Lucian were still exchanging amused glances, clearly entertained by the entire situation, while Aurelian stood a few steps away with the same unreadable expression he wore almost every day. But then Kaelara turned. Her eyes settled on the warriors who had mocked her. And something changed. The playful woman who had just teased the king disappeared so completely that several people instinctively straightened. Her smile vanished, and the warmth left her eyes. Even her shoulders changed. She lowered the spear from her shoulder and planted its end firmly against the ground. Her back straightened, her chin lifted, and her feet shifted into a position so natural yet so commanding that the warriors around her stared in confusion
Aurelian suddenly lunged. She barely blocked him, the impact forcing her backward. He attacked again. She blocked. Again... She twisted away. Again... She ducked. The courtyard became a blur of movement as weapon struck weapon, boots tore through the dirt, and clothing snapped in the wind. Kaelara spun beneath his spear, her hair whipping around her shoulders like a dark ribbon. Aurelian turned with her, his movements so fluid they seemed almost effortless. She attacked high, and he blocked. She attacked low, and he jumped. She thrust toward his shoulder, and he knocked her weapon aside. Kaelara released the spear with one hand and struck toward his chest. Aurelian caught her wrist, and Kaelara smiled. Aurelian's eyes narrowed. He knew that smile... Too late. Kaelara twisted his arm, stepped behind him, and used his momentum to attempt a throw. For the briefest moment, Aurelian's balance shifted, but instead of falling, he turned with her movement. His free arm wrapped
Aurelian moved first. One moment, he was standing several feet away, a spear resting casually in his hand. The next, he was already in front of Kaelara. His speed was so sudden that several warriors gasped, but Kaelara had been expecting it. She twisted her body just as his spear came down, the weapon slicing through the air where her shoulder had been a heartbeat earlier. She stepped back, spun her spear around her body, and drove the blunt tip toward his ribs. Aurelian blocked. Their weapons collided with a sharp crack that echoed across the courtyard. Kaelara pushed harder, but Aurelian didn't move. Their wooden spears remained locked between them, the shafts trembling beneath the force of their strength. They stood so close that Kaelara could see the faint golden flecks scattered through his irises, bright beneath the afternoon sun, while Aurelian could see the tiny beads of sweat gathering along her temple and the stubborn determination burning in her eyes. Neither yi







