“Because I don’t know what I want anymore.”She reached out and squeezed my hand, warm and solid. We sat in silence again.After a while, she asked, “Do you want to see him?”I hesitated. My thumb drifted along the edge of the teacup. The warmth had faded again.“I don’t know,” I whispered.But part
LilaThe robe they’d given me was too soft.Every thread brushed my skin like an apology, and I hated how easily I melted into it. It reminded me of the cell—how the cold had stripped away sensation until the return of warmth hurt.I sat by the window in Damon’s chambers, curled beneath a quilt I ha
DamonThe crown sat heavy on my brow, and I wanted it that way.Let them feel its weight. Let them remember who they were dealing with.The council chamber was packed once again—Elders seated in their gilded semicircle, nobles and Pack representatives pressed into every corner of the gallery.Even t
DamonI hadn’t moved from the beside the bed for a long while. Hours, maybe. Time blurred in the heavy silence of the room, broken only by the soft rhythm of Lila’s breathing.She hadn’t stirred since the healer left, though her color had started to return. I watched the rise and fall of her chest l
And that was my fault.I reached forward and took her hand, gently, pressing my thumb over the faded marks at her wrist.She didn’t pull away. Not even a flinch.“I should’ve been here,” I said, more to myself than her. But I think she heard it because her fingers twitched against mine—small, fragil
DamonI carried Lila through the halls in silence. Servants froze when they saw me. Courtiers paled. One noble tried to speak—some hollow, startled protest.I didn’t hear it.My focus was on the woman in my arms. The way her breath caught. The way her fingers curled slightly into my shirt, even now.
DamonThe moment I stepped into the courtyard, I knew something was wrong.The palace gates groaned open ahead of us, the guards offering their bows a beat too slow. Ronan had peeled off to handle the travel reports. I stayed behind, expecting the usual—an update on the selection, Council requests,
I was still curled in the corner when I heard the footsteps.Not the guard’s heavy boots or the Council’s echoing presence. These were graceful. Sharp.My spine went rigid. I lifted my head slowly, blinking against the torchlight that had dimmed since last I looked.The cell door didn’t open. But so
LilaThe cell door slammed shut behind me with a sound that echoed into my bones.Thick stone. No windows. I could taste the iron in the air.No light except for the guttering flame of a single enchanted torch anchored high on the wall—too far to reach, even if I had the strength.The walls were dam