MasukGaius 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
We left the kitchen and walked back to the royal wing.When we reached our bedroom, Cillian pushed the heavy oak doors open. We walked inside. Cillian closed the doors and slid the heavy iron deadbolt into place. The loud click echoed in the room.The fire in the hearth was still burning. The room was warm. It smelled like wood smoke and clean linen.Cillian turned to face me. He did not say a word. He reached out and placed his large hands on the collar of my heavy winter coat. He slowly undid the leather buttons, one by one. His hands were completely steady, but he moved very carefully, as if he was afraid I would break.He pulled the heavy coat off my shoulders and tossed it onto a nearby chair.I stood in front of him in my simple linen shirt. I watched his face. The cold, hard mask of the Warlord King had completely vanished. He looked at my neck. He looked at my chest. He watched the way it rose and fell with my steady breathing.Suddenly, the last string holding him together sn
{Elian P.O.V}We walked out of the stairwell and stepped onto the main floor of the castle.The heavy stone corridors were completely quiet. It was the middle of the night, and most of the guards were outside securing the gates. Kaelen stopped walking when we reached the intersection that led to the guest wing. He turned to face us. He looked terrible. His shirt was ripped, his skin was covered in thick dirt, and a long cut on his arm was still bleeding slowly."I am going to find water," Kaelen said. His rough voice sounded completely exhausted. He leaned heavily against the stone wall. "I need to wash this dirt off. Then I am going to sleep for two days."I stopped. I let go of Cillian's hand.I did not wait for the Warlord to speak. I walked right up to the massive rogue Alpha. I did not hesitate for a single second. I reached out and wrapped my arms tightly around his broad, dirt-covered waist, hugging him hard.Kaelen froze completely. His massive body went entirely rigid in surp
"Alpha."The word hung in the hot, heavy air of the room, heavy and completely damning. I couldn't believe I had said it. My brain screamed in horror, but my body didn't care. My inner Omega, starved and beaten down into the dark for nineteen years, clawed its way to the surface, demanding I give i
I didn't know if I was dying, but the world burned down around me.The castle became a dizzy, spinning blur of grey stone and flickering torchlight. I was held tight against a chest so broad and hard it felt like being pressed against a boulder. The heat coming off Cillian's body felt like pure hea
I couldn't look up, but I felt it. The whole feeling of the training yard disappeared. The air emptied out, replaced by a heavy, scary force that made every single Alpha in the yard fall to their knees without meaning to.Every Alpha except Torin. He was too busy wanting to hurt someone."Lick my b
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







