A King, A Scar, A Promise

Chapter Thirty Seven : A King, A Scar, A Promise

Selene’s POV

The room was silent.

Too silent.

The fire in the corner made soft crackling sounds, but they did nothing to warm the cold inside me. My hands lay still over my lap, and I could feel the soreness deep in my bones. Every breath I took reminded me I was still hurting. Still healing. Still trapped.

I didn’t know how long I’d been in the Lycan King’s palace, but it couldn’t be more than two days. Still, it felt like weeks. Maybe months. I had lost sense of time the moment I said yes to the proposal.

I hadn’t even seen him since last night.

Evric.

That was his name. Cold and sharp. Like something carved from stone.

There was a knock on the door, soft but sure. Before I could answer, the door opened. A woman stepped in quietly, holding a leather bag that smelled of herbs.

She was older, with silver hair tied neatly behind her head. Her eyes looked tired, but kind. Her presence calmed the fear rising in my chest.

“You must be Selene,” she said softly.

I nodded, my lips barely moving.

“I’m here to tend to your wounds. His Majesty sent me.” Her voice was steady, but I heard the fear in the way she said His Majesty. Like even saying his name too loud could bring danger.

She came to my side and helped me pull back the blanket. When she saw the bruises and cuts on my legs and arms, she sighed gently.

“You’re lucky,” she murmured.

“Lucky?” I asked, confused. “To be here?”

“Yes,” she said, opening a small jar and rubbing a balm on my arm. It stung a little, but the pain was bearable.

“Not many survive a night in the woods. And not many are brought into his palace… especially not like this. You should count your stars.”

I frowned. “He didn’t have to help me.”

She smiled faintly. “That’s the thing. Kael doesn’t help people. At least… not unless he sees something in them. And even then, it’s usually for his own reasons.”

Her words left a strange feeling in my chest.

“He’s not like any alpha or king you’ve ever heard of,” she continued, as she moved to check the bruises on my side. “Evric doesn’t talk much, but when he does, people listen. And if they don’t… well, they never get the chance to ignore him twice.”

I swallowed hard. “Is he… cruel?”

She paused, then said, “He’s not cruel for the sake of being cruel. But he’s not kind either. He’s strict. Disciplined. He has no space for weakness, no time for failure. Even his own guards walk on eggshells around him.”

My throat tightened.

She looked at me, a bit softer this time. “There’s a story they tell around here… of a warrior who disobeyed one of his orders in battle. Just once.Evric didn’t say a word. He just walked up to him, looked him in the eyes, and broke every finger on his right hand… one by one.”

I flinched.

The healer reached into her bag and handed me a cup. “Drink. It’ll help with the pain.”

I took it with shaking fingers.

“He scares me,” I admitted.

She nodded. “He scares all of us. But I’ve worked in this castle for years, and if there’s one thing I know about Evric… it’s that once he sets his eyes on something, he doesn’t let go.”

A shiver ran through me.

The healer gently patted my hand. “I don’t know why he picked you. But you must be stronger than you think.”

She stood and packed her things.

“You rest now, Selene. Heal well. You’ll need all your strength.”

Then she left, and once again, I was alone.

The room felt colder now. Her words stayed in my mind, replaying like a whisper in the shadows.

He doesn’t help people. He doesn’t forgive mistakes.

He doesn’t let go.

I lay back against the pillow and closed my eyes. The pain in my side made me wince. But there was another pain—deeper, sharper. A pain that had nothing to do with bruises.

I missed Ronan.

So much that it hurt.

His face came to me like a memory in the wind—his smile, his quiet strength, the way his eyes softened when he looked at me. Ronan wasn’t loud. He wasn’t cruel. He protected me, even when I didn’t ask him to. He trusted me.

And I left him.

I had no choice, but still… I left him.

Tears rolled down my cheeks before I could stop them. I bit my lip and turned my face to the side.

“Ronan…” I whispered. “I know you’re out there. I know you’re looking for me. And I’m so sorry I couldn’t say goodbye.”

I touched the spot over my chest where his pendant used to hang. I had lost it during the escape.

“I miss you. I miss the way you held my hand when I was scared. I miss the way you looked at me like I mattered. Like I wasn’t just another girl in the pack. Like I was… yours.”

A sob escaped my lips.

“But I won’t let this break me. I won’t let this place swallow me. I’ll come out stronger, Ronan. I’ll rise from this pain. I’ll survive this, and I’ll become the kind of woman you’d be proud of.”

I took a deep breath and wiped my face with the edge of the blanket.

“I’ll be okay. One way or another… I’ll be okay.”

And in that silence, I made a promise—not just to him, but to myself.

I would not let Evric destroy who I was.

No matter how dark the road became…

I would not become a shadow.