KNOX"You absolute fool!" Liam snarls in my mind, his fury washing over me in waves. "That's our mate you just threatened! What the hell is wrong with you?"Regret floods through me, cold and bitter as winter rain. What have I become? Standing here in this moonlit clearing, towering over the woman the Moon Goddess chose for me, using my power to intimidate her into submission. This isn't who I am. This isn't who I want to be."Aubrey," I say, my voice immediately shifting to something softer, more earnest. I take a step back, giving her space to breathe. "I... I'm sorry. That was inexcusable." I run a hand through my hair, scattering the carefully styled strands. "I handled that terribly. You have every right to be angry
KNOXI kneel there in the moonlit clearing, holding the ring that cost more than most nobles see in a lifetime, watching Aubrey's face cycle through shock, disbelief, and something that might be panic. The emerald catches the starlight, sending green fire dancing across the moss-covered ground between us, but her expression remains frozen in that same stunned silence.I didn't expect her disdain for me to be even more intense than the public indifference she's shown these past weeks. Every interaction we've had has been laced with barely concealed hostility, every conversation ending with her fleeing from my presence like I'm some sort of plague carrier. But tonight, when I found her talking to a crow—a fucking crow—declaring her hatred for me, the words hit like a physical blow.The whole scene was biza
For a moment, an inexplicable pang of guilt pierces through me as I stare into Knox's hurt green eyes. The raw pain shimmering there makes something in my chest twist, a sharp, unwelcome ache. But I shake it off before it can take root. I can't afford to soften toward him, not now. I don't reply to his question, hoping he won’t press further.The vial feels like molten glass in my palm, its weight seemingly increasing with each passing second. Knox's gaze flickers to it again, his jaw tightening as he takes in the damning evidence of whatever conversation he overheard."We didn’t finish our conversation yesterday," he says, his voice carefully controlled despite the storm I can see brewing in his eyes."We don't need to." I clutch the vial tighter,
AUBREYI hover at the edge of this strange part of the forest, my wolf form tense with indecision. The ancient trees tower above me like silent sentinels, their massive trunks gnarled with age and wisdom. Patches of ethereal blue fungi cling to their bark, casting an otherworldly glow across the moss-covered ground. The air here feels different—heavier, charged with something I can't identify, like the moment before lightning strikes.Knox's scent lingers in the air—cedar and storm rain—not fresh but from last night, trailing deeper into this forbidden space. It draws me forward despite the warning prickle along my spine telling me I shouldn't be here. My paws sink into the soft, springy moss that carpets the forest floor, each step silent as I advance cautiously.The usual forest sounds have faded to an unnerving silence. No birds call from the branches overhead, no small creatures rustle through the underbrush. Even the breeze seems to hold its breath in this sacred place. Yet curio
KNOXI stand frozen before the lifeless white wolf, its pristine fur gleaming under the ethereal blue light of the Ancient Heart. The creature's vacant eyes stare into nothingness, a haunting emptiness that makes my stomach churn. Despite the cool night air against my bare skin, sweat beads on my forehead as I try to process what I'm seeing."What the fuck is this?" I whisper, my voice barely audible even in the unnatural silence of the grove. The wolf's coat shimmers like freshly fallen snow, untouched by the decay that should have set in days ago. No smell of death, no signs of deterioration—just pristine white fur on a creature that shouldn't look this... preserved.Noah stands beside me, his expression grim in the bioluminescent glow. He's thrown on a loose shirt and pants he must have stashed nearby, the fabric hanging awkwardly on his lean frame. The blue fungi light casts strange shadows across his face, making him look older, more solemn than his years."This," he says, gestur
AUBREYI watch Knox's retreating figure until he disappears around a bend in the garden path, his broad shoulders stiff with tension beneath his blood-spattered uniform. The evening breeze rustles through the cherry trees surrounding the pavilion, sending a shower of pale pink petals swirling around me like snow. My fingers trace the cool marble of the bench where we sat just moments ago, the ghost of his touch still lingering on my skin.Relief washes over me as I release a long-held breath. Thank the Moon Goddess for that timely interruption. Another minute of his intense green eyes searching mine, and I might have forgotten why I'm really here. I smooth down the front of my silk dress—a deep burgundy gown that Queen Grace insisted befits my station as future crown princess—and steel my resolve."Focus, Aubrey," I whisper to myself, the sound barely audible over the gentle burbling of the nearby fountain. Water cascades over carved stone wolves, the moonlight turning each droplet to