Lylah held his gaze for a little longer. Her throat thick. Then she slowly let go, letting the cloak slide down her shoulder and drop silently to the floor.He stilled, eyes roaming over the dark ink that kept her scars hidden. Even at that, one could still see them—the way they wickedly ran across her arms.Lylah didn't stop. She reached for the rope that held her tunic. Let it loose. Her trouser came next.Each scar tells its story. The survival of the barricades that bound her, and the blood, screams, and deaths in the arena.She was left with just a bind on her breasts and a thin fabric that covered her already damp most intimate part.Slowly, she met his gaze. Those crimson eyes were slowly turning into gold.She recalled when Arianna saw all of it. Her sister had cried, blaming herself, apologized, and pulled her into a hug—promising to fix everything.She bit her lips, averting her gaze to the floor. “They are ugly… aren't they?” she whispered.“No, they are not,” he said quick
When her bloodline was first exposed, Selene had once talked about Brigid. The head maid was worried that the girl she took in as a daughter might be facing some challenges.“Brigid has always been the type to stay away from people. Stubborn but soft-hearted. Ever since her parents died, she’s hardly been able to get used to people. Hardly likes or lives, but once she does—she gets obsessed.”Even though Arianna had been mad about what Brigid did, for Selene's sake, she slightly understood her.Soft clicks echoed as Arianna’s boots stopped in front of the sobbing Brigid, who had her hands clamped over her ears.Nyra's words echoed in her head. Perhaps by doing this, it would set Brigid free from the cruel chain she called love and teach her to live again. That is, if she ever healed—something that might be the hardest thing to do.She had been there. Had loved wrong before. Blind to see the cracks, even when they were slightly obvious.Arianna outstretched a hand to Brigid, who slowly
Words spread—echoes of how redemption was slowly creeping into the realm. Rogues heard terrifying stories of how their own were burned alive.Greedy leaders heard how their power was slowly slipping from their grasp.The starving were surprised the soldiers were no longer lashing out at them.Shocked to find sudden grains in the home.Fear for the devious. Hope for the lost.They spoke of the Dragon Queen and her unbelievable increase in army—the one they had cast out, called the devil—had come back stronger to save them.Guilt seeped into some. The realm's eyes had cleared. They should have known people shouldn't be judged by what they are, but by what they do.Among the saved, hope stirred—perhaps Duncan Thornevale was also alive.The true guardian and ruler of the realm. They had once opposed his judgment, and now they had learned their lesson.Arianna was based in her pack, the one she had grown up in, and that’s where the people sent their gratitude.Fruits, food, expensive wine.
Brigid had seen everything. That time Toran shot Arianna from the sky—in hindsight, she had wanted to stop him. She didn’t want Toran to have Arianna’s blood on his hands. But she had frozen... and watched everything happen.Everything fall. And now, it all came back to haunt her.But nothing could have prepared her for this twisted shock. Toran hadn’t been hallucinating when he said he had seen her—the devil who came to hunt them.Arianna was alive.Or perhaps she was hallucinating too."How...?" A broken whisper left her lips."The heavens saved me," Arianna replied, stepping away from the shadows.The slow echo of her boots mingled with the soft cry of her child.Brigid didn’t move. She couldn’t. The power froze her. Emotions swirled inside her, crashing and breaking the parts of her she thought had long gone numb."Aria..." she sobbed. "I'm sorry.""Save the apologies. That’s not what I’m here for," Arianna said, crouching to her level.Those eyes held no warmth like they did seve
That night, Brigid went to visit Yvonne. The baby was asleep while the mother had just finished being treated by the palace’s head healer, who bowed and quietly left the room.“My Queen,” Yvonne said, attempting to sit up. Her face tightened as though in pain, and even though Brigid knew it was a lie, she still offered comfort.“Don’t bother. You must still be recovering.”Yvonne gave a small, awkward smile and laid back down, whispering a thank you.“I came to congratulate you. You’ve finally borne the king an heir.”“Yes, Your Highness. It... was worth the trouble.”“May I hold him?”Yvonne’s smile faltered. “Uhm... he’s asleep. Cried a lot before we could get him to settle.”“I’m good with babies,” Brigid said softly, her voice tinged with something deeper. “Even though I never got to hold mine.”Yvonne stiffened but nodded. “Sure. You can hold him.”As Brigid walked to the side, she noticed Yvonne stiffened at the corner of her eyes.Gently lifting the sleeping baby into her arms,
While Yvonne was all tensed to give Valoreth the baby to check, a knock sounded and a guard stepped in. Urgency in his voice.“My Lord. The warriors sent to the Dragon realm have returned.”Valoreth's ears perked with interest while Yvonne secretly let out a breath of relief, drawing her baby close.Without wasting a moment, Lord Valoreth left the room to meet the soldiers. His steps urgent as he made his way through corridors. He swung the door open.He expected to see Rodaric but instead met an old werewolf warrior waiting. Damaris also appeared, seeming to have rushed over as well.“Where is your commander? And why the hell did it take you guys so long?” Valoreth asked, stepping forward.“I’m sorry, your highness. They turned out to be stronger than we expected. Their goddess still has a trace of her power, even though she was frail and quite drained. We lost our commander and more than seven thousand men before we could wipe them all out,” the male Lycan warrior replied while Valo