Damon“My King. You need to come. Isabella’s been seen inside the palace grounds.” Ronan’s voice cut through the intimate moment like a blade.Lila froze in my arms. The firelight still danced on her skin, her hand still pressed against my chest—but the warmth between us vanished in an instant. I fe
LilaThe fire had burned low by the time I heard the door open.I didn’t turn to look. I didn’t need to. Damon’s presence filled the room like a shift in gravity—subtle, but undeniable. The scent of cedar and cold wind followed him in, brushing over my skin like a memory I hadn’t decided whether to
“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