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Chapter 61

Author: Marva
last update publish date: 2026-05-27 18:19:32

The Gilded Cage

​POV: General Vesh (Elara Vance)

​The Capital city of Aethelgard did not smell like the North.

​There was no crisp scent of pine, no ozone of an approaching blizzard, and no metallic tang of fresh blood on the snow. The Capital smelled of blooming jasmine, crushed rose petals, and cloying, overwhelming wealth.

​I sat rigidly in the plush velvet seat of the royal carriage, staring blankly out the window as we rolled over streets paved with smooth, white cobblestones. The archite
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    The White Silk ​POV: General Vesh (Elara Vance)​The wedding dress was a masterpiece of Capital tailoring, woven from the finest arachnid silk and embroidered with thousands of tiny, crushed diamonds. It cascaded to the marble floor like a waterfall of pure, blinding light. It was the most expensive, exquisite garment I had ever seen.​It felt exactly like a shroud.​I stood perfectly still before the towering gilded mirror in the royal dressing chambers. Three handmaidens fussed around the hem, their hands trembling as they avoided making eye contact with me. My silver-white hair had been braided into an intricate, heavy crown, interwoven with platinum threads.​But no amount of diamonds could hide the heavy, thick band of solid gold locked securely around my throat.​The collar was cold. It was a suffocating, physical weight that constantly reminded me of the void in my soul. I reached out through the darkness in my mind, whispering for Astra, searching for the brilliant violet fir

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  • The Alpha's rejected mate   Chapter 61

    The Gilded Cage ​POV: General Vesh (Elara Vance)​The Capital city of Aethelgard did not smell like the North.​There was no crisp scent of pine, no ozone of an approaching blizzard, and no metallic tang of fresh blood on the snow. The Capital smelled of blooming jasmine, crushed rose petals, and cloying, overwhelming wealth.​I sat rigidly in the plush velvet seat of the royal carriage, staring blankly out the window as we rolled over streets paved with smooth, white cobblestones. The architecture was towering and decadent—soaring spires of white marble, arches gilded in pure gold, and massive fountains flowing with crystal-clear water.​It was beautiful. It was a masterpiece of Lycan civilization.​It was a graveyard for my soul.​The heavy golden collar around my neck felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. It didn't burn anymore, because there was nothing left to burn. When Kaelen had severed the bond in the Weeping Gorge, he hadn't just saved me from the necrotic magic of the ru

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    The Gauntlet​POV: Elara Vance​I woke up screaming.​It wasn't a scream of pain, but of memory. In my dream, I was back in the ballroom. Kaelen was standing over me, his eyes black with rejection, but when he opened his mouth to speak, blood poured out instead of words. It flooded the floor, risin

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