LOGIN[Elian's POV]I stood in the courtyard and watched the guards drag Selene out of the castle.She looked nothing like the proud, cruel woman who had tortured me in the Royal Suite. Her expensive clothes were ruined and covered in mud. Her hair was a tangled mess. She was shaking violently in the cold wind, struggling to keep her balance as the guards pulled her forward through the snow.When she saw the wooden block in the center of the courtyard, her legs gave out completely. She collapsed. The guards did not stop walking. They carried her the rest of the way. They forced her down onto her knees in the wet snow right in front of Cillian.I did not feel sorry for her. I stood perfectly still. I did not hide behind Cillian's back. I did not look away. I looked directly at her face.She looked up at me. Her eyes were wide and full of absolute terror."Elian," Selene begged. Her voice cracked. Tears spilled over her dirty cheeks and dripped onto her chin. "Please. Tell him to stop. I kept
[Selene's POV]I lost track of time in the dark.There were no windows in the lowest cell of the dungeon. There was no candle, no torch, no crack in the stone to let the moonlight in. The only way I knew a day had passed was the small iron slide at the bottom of the door. Once a day, a silent guard pushed a wooden bowl of water and a hard piece of stale bread into the dirt.I counted the bowls. One. Two. Three.By the fourth bowl, I started screaming. I demanded to see Cillian. I reminded the empty hallway that I was a Princess of the East. I threatened them with war. I promised them heavy chests of gold. I told them my father would slaughter their families if they did not open the door. No one answered. The silence was absolute and suffocating.By the sixth bowl, my throat was completely raw. I stopped screaming. I pulled my knees to my chest and shivered violently on the freezing floor. My expensive leather riding clothes were soaked with damp mud. My hair was a tangled, filthy mess
Gaius kept his head bowed, accepting the praise quietly."For your bravery," Cillian declared loudly, making sure the entire hall heard him, "you are granted full access to the Royal Archives for the rest of your life. You will receive a permanent place on my high council, and a chest of solid gold to fund your medical research."The soldiers in the hall cheered loudly. Gaius smiled a weak, grateful smile. He bowed again and walked back to his seat.Cillian raised his hand again to quiet the room."Martha," Cillian called out.I smiled widely as I watched the old cook stand up from her chair. She smoothed down the front of her clean gray dress. She looked incredibly nervous as she walked up to the high table, wringing her hands together."You did not hold a sword in this fight," Cillian told her, his voice softening with deep respect. "But you showed more courage than an entire battalion of soldiers. You protected the innocent when no one else would. You discovered the Princess's esca
I stood in front of the large mirror in our bedchamber. I pulled a clean, dark blue shirt over my head. The fabric felt incredibly soft against my skin. It did not pull on the healing cuts on my back, and it did not scratch my neck. I fastened the buttons and let out a long, slow breath.Cillian was sitting on the edge of the mattress. He was already dressed in a simple black tunic and dark trousers. He did not wear his heavy armor or his crown today. He was watching me quietly. His golden eyes were calm and clear. The heavy, dark guilt that had covered his face for the last few weeks was finally gone.I turned away from the mirror and walked directly over to him.I did not stop until I was standing right between his knees. I reached out and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. I pulled him close and pressed my chest against him. Cillian immediately wrapped his massive arms around my waist, holding me firmly against his body. He buried his face in my stomach, taking a deep, steady
The heavy doors opened wider, and the castle guards began to enter the hall. They took off their heavy helmets and sat down at the tables. They laughed and patted each other on the back. They started passing the bread and pouring the ale.Then, I saw a massive figure standing near the large open archway that led out to the courtyard.It was Kaelen.The rogue Alpha had washed the dirt off his face and arms. He was wearing a clean, dark tunic and new leather boots. He did not have his broadsword strapped to his back. He stood right on the edge of the hallway, taking a deep, heavy breath of the freezing winter draft blowing in from the outside. He had not come down to eat. He was just trying to get some fresh air, escaping the loud, stuffy heat of the inner keep.I walked right up to the giant man.Kaelen heard my footsteps and turned his head. His dark eyes locked onto me."You look completely exhausted," I said quietly, stopping right in front of him. "And you look entirely too lean."
Chapter 125 [Martha's POV]I woke up to the sound of complete silence.I sat up in my small bed. My knees popped loudly in the empty room. For fifty years, I woke up before the sun to start the large fires in the kitchen ovens. My body wanted to stand up and rush to the scullery immediately. I swung my legs over the edge of the mattress. I reached for my stained white apron hanging on the back of the wooden chair. My fingers touched the rough fabric.Then, I stopped.I remembered what the Warlord said to me in the middle of the night. He told me I would never work in the scullery again. He told me I was a hero.I slowly pulled my hand away from the apron. I let it hang on the chair. I stood up and put on a clean, simple gray dress. I did not tie my hair back tight for cooking. I left it loose around my shoulders. I opened my door and stepped out into the hallway.The castle felt completely different today. The heavy, terrible fear that had choked this building for weeks was gone. The
I was not given food or water.A few hours after Cillian left me in the dark, the iron door shrieked open again. Two massive Beta guards dragged me out by the chains, my bare feet scraping against the freezing stone. The sudden influx of torchlight felt like daggers in my eyes. My head was pounding
The first thing I felt was cold. A heavy, damp chill seeped straight into my bones, sucking the life right out of me.Where was I? I tried to move, and a sharp, metallic clink echoed through the darkness. My breath caught. I pulled my arms toward my chest, stopping short as heavy iron chains bit
Several people screamed. I slapped both hands over my mouth to keep from making a sound, biting down on my own palm so hard I tasted blood. My heart was beating so fast against my sore ribs that I thought my chest was going to split open. Panic. Blind, total, animal panic. My body got hot fast.
My ribs ached before I opened my eyes. That was how every morning started. Pain. A dull, steady ache burned on my left side where Alpha Thorne had kicked me two days ago. My crime? I hadn't scrubbed the blood out of the training mats quick enough. It wasn't just that my ribs ached. The screaming







