Se connecterHe took a step toward her, slow and predatory. "There will never be another. Not while I breathe. Not while I exist."His voice dropped lower. "I would burn every kingdom to ash before I let another man look at you, Sera. Do you understand me?"Sera didn’t move. Her breath quickened. Not in fear, bu
She reached for his arm—He jerked away. "I left because the rut was coming. Because I knew if I stayed, I’d mark you with another child and destroy the last pieces of you I hadn't already taken.""Rhazien—""No." His eyes burned, voice rising like a storm ready to split the world. "You think I don’
The citadel had gone quiet for the night.Lioren had taken the last shift patrolling the outer hall, his boots silent against the stone. Even the flames in the sconces burned low, as if the mountain itself held its breath.Sera had watched him earlier from the nursery doorway, the way his small fram
“Then we find another way,” she said. “Mortals have ways to—”“No.”His voice was final, sharp as a blade. “We’re not talking about root teas or salves. I know what my body is capable of. I know what I’ll take from you if I lose control.”“You didn’t lose control. Not even once.”He shook his head s
It had been weeks since the birth, yet the mountain still felt like it held its breath—like every stone and shadow remembered the moment blood painted its halls. The air remained thick, not with smoke or heat, but with silence. A silence that pressed down, weighty and expectant, as though waiting fo
"So will I."Rhazien, watching from a short distance, didn’t speak. But he inclined his head once—slight, solemn. A gesture full of unspoken meaning.It was the closest thing to a blessing he’d ever given.And this time, Lioren didn't flinch from it.He straightened his spine.Sera watched him for a
The court chamber buzzed with tightly leashed whispers as Rhazien entered. The scent of incense burned too sweetly in the air, a mask for the rot of old alliances and courtly deceit. Every eye followed him—some reverent, most wary. His rage walked ahead of him like a shadow.He didn't sit."Summon t
But he knew one thing.The Ancients would feel it.He slumped against the wall, sliding down until his back hit the cold stone. For a moment, he just sat there, breathing—if the ragged gasps clawing their way out of his chest could even be called that. He had never felt so powerless. Not when exiled
And that shattered her all over again.Because if he hadn’t felt anything, she could have hated him. She could’ve buried the betrayal under rage.But he did. And still, he was going through with it.She hated that she could feel it. She hated that it hurt more because he cared.By the time the doors
No one spoke.The healer’s lips thinned. "You would do well to hold your tongue, courtier. This is no time for prophecy, nor poison."Rhazien’s nostrils flared, and he turned on Vessara fully. “Get out,” he said, voice like a blade drawn from its sheath.She arched a brow. “Is that how you thank an







