LOGINSix days had passed since Nolan’s pronouncement echoed across the pack square, and tomorrow would finally bring the reckoning Gianna had waited so long to witness. She slipped from their bed quietly that night, careful not to disturb Nolan’s steady breathing beside her, and made her way out to the balcony overlooking the settlement grounds, the cool night air a welcome relief after the warmth of their chambers.A small glass of wine sat waiting on the balcony table, left there earlier by a servant who had no idea their Luna probably shouldn’t be indulging so freely while still nursing. Gianna knew it too, some distant part of her mind offering a token protest as she lifted the glass anyway, taking a small sip and letting the warmth settle into her chest.She’d thought, in the days leading up to this moment, that her resolve might soften. That perhaps her earlier fury had been amplified unfairly by pregnancy hormones and exhaustion, that with distance and clearer thinking she might fin
Nolan stood before the gathered pack the following morning, his voice carrying clearly across the courtyard as he delivered the formal decree. The healer and her brother would be executed at the pack square in exactly seven days, their crimes laid bare for all to hear one final time before judgment was carried out publicly.The reaction rippled through the crowd in waves. Faes who had only recently emerged from hiding exchanged relieved glances, some openly weeping with the release of decades of accumulated fear. Several werewolves who had apparently suffered their own quiet grievances at the healer’s hands over the years, poor treatment, dismissed complaints, favoritism shown to those who could pay handsomely for her services, nodded with visible satisfaction at the news.But not everyone reacted with approval. Nolan caught the tight expressions of a handful of council members and older pack members near the back, their disapproval evident in the set of their jaws, the way their eyes
Word of the birth spread through the palace and beyond within hours, and by midday the courtyard had filled with well-wishers, both pack members and Faes alike, eager for a glimpse of the newborn princess who represented, in so many ways, the end of one era and the beginning of another.Gianna remained in bed for most of the day, exhausted but content, Iris nursing peacefully against her chest while Nolan hovered nearby, unable to stay away for more than a few minutes at a time despite the mounting pile of official duties awaiting his attention.“You should go,” Gianna said gently, watching him pace near the window for the third time that hour. “The council is waiting. Word needs to be sent to the neighboring territories.”“They can wait a little longer,” he said, though he made no move toward the door.“Nolan.”He sighed, finally crossing back to the bed and pressing a lingering kiss against her forehead, then another against Iris’s tiny head. “I’ll be quick,” he promised. “Send for
Two and a half weeks after Fenna’s prediction, Gianna woke in the middle of the night to a tightening ache low in her belly, sharp enough to pull her instantly from sleep. She lay still for a moment, breathing through it, until it passed and released her.She’d barely settled back against the pillows when another one came, closer this time.“Nolan,” she said, shaking his shoulder gently.He was awake instantly, some part of him always attuned to her even in sleep, and when she told him what was happening, he was out of bed and calling for servants before she’d even finished the sentence.“Fenna,” he said urgently to the first maid who appeared at the door. “Get Fenna now. And send word to Alexander.”The next hours blurred together in a haze of pain and effort, Fenna moving with calm, practiced authority around her, guiding her through breathing, through positioning, her hands steady and reassuring even as the contractions grew closer and more intense. Nolan remained at her side the e
In the weeks that followed the execution, the palace grounds transformed into something Gianna could hardly have imagined possible only months earlier. What had once been quiet, unused fields at the edge of the territory now bustled with activity as Nolan’s council, finally cooperating rather than resisting, oversaw the construction of proper homes for the Fae families continuing to arrive.Gianna spent much of her time among them, her belly now heavy and round, though she refused to let her advancing pregnancy keep her entirely confined to the palace. She walked the growing settlement most mornings, greeting families by name, listening to their stories, learning slowly what it meant to belong to a community she had never known existed until recently.It was during one of these walks that she met Fenna.The older woman approached her cautiously near the edge of the settlement, her hands twisting nervously in the fabric of her skirt, though something steady and assured lived behind her
The council members exchanged uneasy glances, but no one dared challenge her decree a second time. The elder who had spoken first bowed his head slowly.“As the Luna commands,” he said. “It will be carried out.”Nolan reached for Gianna’s hand beneath the table, his thumb brushing gently across her knuckles, a silent acknowledgment of everything she’d just carried on her own shoulders before the entire council. She squeezed back, some of the fury still simmering in her chest even as exhaustion crept in behind it.The meeting dissolved shortly after, the council filing out in subdued silence, and Nolan wasted no time issuing the necessary orders. The execution would take place within three days, enough time to prepare properly, enough time for word to spread among the newly emerging Fae communities so they might witness, if they chose, the justice finally being delivered on their behalf.Gianna didn’t sleep easily that night, her mind turning over everything that had transpired, the we
Gianna stood perfectly still, studying his face.He was only agreeing because he needed her blood and he was desperate.The moment the transfer was done, he'd go back to making decisions without her but something in his eyes looked genuine.She decided to trust him one more time.Just once more.Sh
Cyrus followed Gianna to her room."I'm coming with you," he said.Gianna opened her wardrobe and started pulling out dresses. "No, you're not.""It's improper for a married woman to have dinner alone with the King. I'm your husband. I should be there."She held up a dark green gown, examining it.
Gianna dressed quickly, pulling on a dark cloak that would help her blend into the night.She was halfway down the stairs when Cyrus appeared.He stood at the bottom, watching her descend with narrowed eyes."You're in a hurry," he said.Gianna kept walking."I asked you a question." He stepped int
Nolan stared at her, completely thrown.He'd expected anger when she came here. He'd even expected her to demand an explanation for why he'd issued the declaration without consulting her. He'd expected arguments about boundaries and agreements and the limits of their arrangement.He hadn't expect







