ANMELDENKellanThe moment I hear her call my name, I stop in my tracks. Her voice isn't loud, but it carries through the hall. It is smooth yet controlled in a way that makes it sound like a request, even though it isn't. My jaw tightens as I slowly turn back to face her. I fix my expression into something neutral before meeting her gaze again. “Yes, Helena?" I answer with the tilt of my head. Helena gives me that same polished, composed smile she always wears as she takes a step closer. She looks innocent, but after everything I've heard, she is anything but. "Luna,” she corrects softly. "It's Luna Helena.”I open my mouth, ready to tell her that Sera had already mounted the position. But she just raises a hand and shakes her head. "No need to argue about it,” she adds simply, bringing her hand back down. "I just wanted to come tell you that I'm sorry .. for what happened to you that day.”My brows arch slightly and my eyes narrow as I stare at her for a long moment. I note her careful
KellanI shouldn't have stayed back. I had been walking through the halls, taking in my new quarters when I walked past Helena's room. The nameplate at the top told who it belonged to and I turned to leave. Until… I heard Aeron's voice drift through the slightly ajar door. The moment it reaches me, I stilled. My fists clenched at my side and I glanced back at the door. I could see his regalia swish, the dull red velvet glistening in the sunlight as he took a seat by the entrance. I should have kept on walking, kept my head down and pretended not to care. But… something held me back, pinning me to the spot. Instead, I took a step away from the door and stood just out of sight before pressing my back lightly against the wall. I ignored the sharp jab at my sides as I tilted my head slightly, just enough to catch every word that slipped through the crack. Helena's voice came first, calm and controlled–too controlled. Like she forced the sweetness it held. Then Aeron spoke next, his
Aeron‘I don't know anything about this,’ she says. But as I stare at her, I sense the lie she hides underneath. I don't give a response immediately. Instead, I study the way her lips pressed just a little tight, and the overly composed expression she has forced on. Her hands no longer rest on her laps. Now, they squeeze the armrest tight, her fingers curling into the fabric like she doesn't even realize she's doing it. The entire thing is subtle in a way many people wouldn't notice. But I'm not many people. Seeing her this way tells me enough. Sure, she might not know much to matter yet, but there is something there that she isn't saying. Jaws tightening faintly, I take a deep breath and stand up from my seat. I am not going to push her, at least not now. It is better to let what she has sit, and let her think she got away with it. One way or another, I'll drag everything into the light like I always do. Like I did with her sons. “Okay then," I say finally, my voice even and
HelenaKnowing stretching the silence will only make me suspicious, I decide to move. I take slow steps towards the nearest seat like my heart didn't just skip a beat the second he walked into the room. Like everything about this exchange is… normal. “There's no need to stand, Aeron," I say, keeping my smile as I drop down on the chair, the wood creaking under me. I gesture toward the couch beside me and slap a hand once on its armrest. “Take a seat," I continue, holding my smile. “It wouldn't be nice standing after all you've gone through.”I make sure to keep my tone calm and almost warm and Aeron doesn't notice, thankfully. "Alright,” he says with a nod. His movement stiff, he walks across the room toward the seat. He tries to hide the limp in his steps and tension in his side as he keeps each step measured. When he grabs the armrest and lowers himself onto the cushion, the subtle tension of his jaw and tick of a vein under his neck give away all he's trying to hide. He's in
HelenaThe silence in the room is unbearable.It presses in from every corner, thick and suffocating, broken only by the faint ticking of the clock mounted on the wall.Tick.Tick.Tick.I hate that sound.My fingers tap restlessly against the arm of the chair as I sit, one leg crossed over the other, heel bouncing lightly against the polished floor. The place smells too clean—too controlled. Nothing like the abandoned stretch I had met Graven in earlier.This… this is where I belong.Order.Structure.Power sitting quietly beneath the surface.And yet—My jaw tightens slightly as I glance at my wristwatch for what has to be the tenth time in the last few minutes.He should be dead by now.Aeron should be dead.The thought circles my mind again, slower this time, heavier.Should be.But he isn’t.I know it.I felt it the moment Graven showed me that photograph. The moment his voice stayed too calm when he said it wasn’t Aeron’s body.Failure.The word sits bitter on my tongue.My nail
KellanI don’t go to her immediately.I stand across the street first.Just… watching.The restaurant sits exactly the way I remember it—warm lights spilling through the glass windows, the faint clatter of plates and low hum of conversation drifting out every time the door opens. It feels… normal. Too normal.Like the world didn’t almost burn a few hours ago.Like bullets didn’t tear through flesh and bone.Like I didn’t watch a man nearly die in my arms.My jaw tightens slightly as I shift my weight, my shoulder pulling in protest beneath the jacket. The wound has mostly closed, but the ache is still there—deep, dull, constant. A reminder.Of everything.Of him.My gaze drifts back to the window.And then I see her.Sera moves between tables with practiced ease, a tray balanced in her hand, her expression focused but calm. There’s a lightness to her movements that hasn’t changed. Not since the last time I stood here. Not since everything went to hell.For a moment…It almost feels li
SeraThe estate does not rest in response to the Grimwards, guards change twice as frequently, torches stay lit later in the evening, the western balcony is occupied at all times and even the servants move with a heightened awareness, their voices quieter, their looks more intent.Grimward did not
SeraThe chanting begins to fade, but the tension still lingers in the air–thick, palpable. It hovers above the courtyard like smoke after a fire."All hail the Alpha," the crowd repeats again, louder this time. “All hail the Alpha."They speak in unity, but their words sound forced now. I can see
SeraI wipe the stray bead of tears that slides down my greasy cheek with the back of my hand. Without another word–without looking back–I turn and walk out of the dungeon.Aeron keeps on calling my name behind me, begging me to stop. I hear the soft thudding of his boots against the stone floor as
Sera“I didn't do it," I whisper, my voice weak and torn from crying too much. “I… didn't… do it."I don't know how long I stay like that–curled up on the hay with my face buried in my arms as my chest shakes with my quiet sobs.The stray under me scratches against my skin every time I move. Cold s







