Chapter 45: Home

Ysabella POV

The Beta's quarters had never felt so warm.

Ysabella curled into Emrich's side, her head resting on his chest, her fingers tracing idle patterns on his arm. The fire crackled in the hearth, casting dancing shadows on the walls.

Aileen was sprawled on the rug at their feet, surrounded by her wooden animals, lining them up in a careful parade from the sofa to the window.

Emrich's arm was wrapped around Ysabella's shoulders, holding her close as if he was afraid she might disappear if he let go. His chin rested on top of her head, and every few moments, he pressed a kiss to her hair.

"I should not have left," he said, his voice thick with regret. "If I had been here, I could have protected you. Protected her."

"Stop." Ysabella tilted her head back to look at him. "You could not have known there would be a storm. You could not have known Aileen would wander off. You were doing your duty."

"My duty is to protect my family first."

"And you do. Every day. In every way." She reached up and cupped his face in her hands. "We are fine, Emrich. Aileen is fine. I am fine. Thanks to the king and the healer."

He exhaled slowly, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "Tell me what happened. Everything."

Ysabella told him. She told him about the storm, about the empty bed, about the open window and the small footprints leading toward the forest.

She told him about Hecate's tracking spell, about the silver thread of magic that had led her and the king into the rogue den. She told him about the fight, about the freezing spell, about Maddox tearing through the rogues like a wolf possessed.

Emrich listened in silence, his jaw tight, his hand fisting in the fabric of her gown.

"When I think of what could have happened," he said when she finished, "if the king had not returned when he did, if Hecate had not been there..."

"But they were there." Ysabella pressed her palm to his cheek. "They brought her back. She is safe. We are all safe."

Emrich pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair. "I am sorry I was not here."

"You are here now. That is what matters."

Aileen looked up from her parade of wooden animals, her dark eyes wide. "Papa, are you crying?"

Emrich laughed, a wet sound, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "No, little star. Papa just has something in his eye."

Aileen tilted her head, considering this. Then she picked up her wooden wolf and held it out to him. "Fenris says you can hold him if you are sad."

Emrich took the wolf and turned it over in his hands, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Thank Fenris for me."

Aileen nodded solemnly and returned to her animals.

Ysabella watched them, her heart so full it ached. This was what she had fought for. This was what she had chosen, three years ago, when she had stayed behind while Samantha and Tori fled into the snow. A family. A mate. A child who looked at her father like he hung the moon.

She did not regret her choice. Not for a single moment.

But there was a part of her that still mourned. A part of her that missed Samantha's laugh, Tori's steady presence, the easy friendship they had shared in the days before everything fell apart.

Now Samantha was back, hiding behind a mask and a new name, fighting a war that no one else could see. And Ysabella had promised to help her. Had promised to keep her secret.

Even from Emrich.

She looked at her husband, at the honest lines of his face, the loyal set of his jaw. He was a good man. An honorable man. He served Maddox faithfully, believed in him, trusted him. If he knew that Hecate was Samantha, that the king's former mate had returned in disguise, what would he do?

Would he tell Maddox? Would he feel obligated to reveal the truth to his king?

Ysabella did not know. And she could not risk finding out.

So she would keep the secret. She would carry it alone, with Tori, with Samantha. She would smile at Hecate in the corridors and pretend she did not see the ghost of her friend beneath the dark hair and darker eyes.

It was a heavy burden. But she would bear it. For Samantha. For the woman who had saved her daughter's life.

After a while, Emrich shifted on the sofa, pulling Ysabella more comfortably against his side.

"I want to thank Hecate properly," he said. "For what she did. For saving Aileen when I could not."

Ysabella nodded. "That is a good idea."

"I was thinking we could invite her to dinner. Here. Tomorrow night. A small gathering, just the four of us. You, me, Aileen, and the healer."

Ysabella smiled, warmth blooming in her chest. "That is a wonderful idea. I can finally use the ceramic dishes I bought at the autumn market."

Emrich laughed. "You have been waiting for an excuse to use those dishes."

"I have been waiting for a special occasion. This qualifies."

Aileen looked up again, her wooden horse in her hand. "Is the healer coming to dinner?"

"Yes, little star. She is."

Aileen's face lit up. "Will she bring her magic?"

"I do not know," Ysabella said, smiling. "Perhaps. You can ask her."

Aileen nodded seriously and returned to her animals, already planning her questions.

Emrich was quiet for a moment, his thumb tracing circles on Ysabella's shoulder. "There is something I have been meaning to ask you. About the healer."

Ysabella's heart stuttered. She kept her voice steady. "What about her?"

"I have noticed the way the king looks at her. The way he seeks her out. The way he speaks about her." Emrich's brow furrowed. "And I have noticed the way she looks at him."

Ysabella said nothing. She could not.

"Do you think there is something between them?" Emrich asked.

Ysa escolheu suas palavras com cuidado. "I think the king is grateful to her for saving Odette. And I think Hecate is dedicated to her work. Whatever else may or may not exist between them is not our concern."

Emrich considered this, then nodded slowly. "You are right. It is not our place to speculate about the king's private life."

"Exactly."

He kissed her forehead and settled back against the cushions. Ysabella closed her eyes, listening to the steady beat of his heart, the soft sounds of Aileen playing with her animals, the crackle of the fire.

She had not told him. She had kept Samantha's secret.

And she would continue to keep it, for as long as she needed to.

Tomorrow, they would host Hecate for dinner. They would eat off the ceramic dishes and drink wine and pretend that everything was normal. Ysabella would smile at her friend and call her by her false name, and she would carry the weight of the truth alone.

Because that was what Samantha needed. And Ysabella would do anything for the woman who had once been her closest friend.