LOGINSerena's POV
The throne room was empty now, and the echoes of the court's shouts had faded into silence.
I stood frozen in the center of the room, staring at the throne where Alejandro had sat, and I could still see his face when he said "Accepted." I could still feel the stillness of it, the coldness, and the fear hidden beneath.
I thought about Felipe's smile that was triumphant and sharp, and I thought about the nobles who had
Serena's POVI stayed in Alejandro's arms for a long time after he made his promise.I felt his heartbeat against my cheek, beating slow and steady, and I let myself believe that everything would be okay. But when I finally pulled away and looked at his face, I saw the exhaustion still there, and the weight of three centuries pressing down on him.I kissed him, and I told him I would be back, and I left. But I did not go to my room, because I could not be alone.The silence of my room would have been unbearable, and it would have given the fear in me too much space to grow and fester. I needed to be near someone who understood, someone who had seen the weight of this kingdom and the cost of its crown.I needed Ramona.My mind was racing too fast, and my heart was pounding too hard, and I needed someone who would tell me the truth, even if it hurt.
Serena's POVThe throne room was empty now, and the echoes of the court's shouts had faded into silence.I stood frozen in the center of the room, staring at the throne where Alejandro had sat, and I could still see his face when he said "Accepted." I could still feel the stillness of it, the coldness, and the fear hidden beneath.I thought about Felipe's smile that was triumphant and sharp, and I thought about the nobles who had looked away, unwilling to meet Alejandro's gaze. I thought about the whispers that had followed me out of the room."The king's weakness.""He has changed.""He fell in love with a human."I closed my eyes, and I took a breath, and I knew I could not stay here. I needed to see Alejandro, and I needed to understand.My legs carried me through the halls, but my mind was still trapped in that th
Serena's POVThe warmth of Alejandro's blush stayed with me long after I left his chambers that evening.I carried it with me like a secret, and like a small flame I was afraid to let go out. For the first time in weeks, I felt like we were moving forward instead of just surviving.But the castle did not let me hold onto that feeling for long.The next morning, a summons came. The court was to gather in the throne room. There was no explanation, and no warning, just the cold, formal command that sent a ripple of unease through the halls. I knew something was wrong before I even stepped through the doors.The morning sun was pale and cold through the high windows of the throne room, and I felt the chill of it deep in my bones before I even understood why. The court had been summoned, and the nobles were filing in, their voices low and urgent, with their eyes darting toward the thr
Serena's POVThe morning sun was pale and weak through the window, and I was sitting at my desk, staring at my notebook, when the knock came at my door.I looked up, and my heart skipped a beat. It was too early for visitors, and too early for bad news.I prepared my heart, and looked at the door. "Come in," I called.The door opened, and a young guard stepped inside. His face was flushed, and he was breathing hard, like he had been running."Sir," the guard said. "There is a messenger from the southern border. A human settlement. They have sent a request to the castle."I stood up immediately. "A request?" I asked. "What kind of request?"The guard held out a folded piece of parchment. "They are asking for help," he explained. "They are willing to trade food for protection."I took the parchment, and I unfolded it, a
Serena's POVAlejandro walked to the desk in the corner of the room, and he pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment. The paper was thick and expensive, and it was the kind that only a king would use.Alejandro dipped the quill into the inkwell, and his hand moved across the page with quick, deliberate strokes.I watched him write, and I felt something shift in my chest. This was the first time we were truly planning something together. We were not just surviving, and not just reacting, but we were fighting.I watched him work, and I could see the focus in his eyes, the way his jaw tightened as he chose each word carefully. This was not a casual letter. This was an order, a command, and a piece of the plan that would bring Felipe down.When Alejandro finished, he set down the quill, and he blew gently on the ink to dry it. He folded the letter, and he pressed his seal into the wax.
Serena's POVI woke up the morning after my meeting with Doña Beatriz, and the first thing I did was reach for my notebook. The pages were still there, filled with my handwriting, and the words about Felipe's mistress were still fresh in my mind.I read them over twice, making sure I had not missed anything. "The mistress was in the south, she was human, Felipe visited her often, and he thought no one knew."I had been carrying this information for hours, and waiting for the right moment to share it. It felt like holding a flame in my palm that was hot and dangerous, but also full of light. This was the kind of secret that could burn Felipe to the ground, if we used it correctly. And I was going to make sure we did.I smiled to myself, and I felt something warm spread through my chest.I dressed quickly, and I walked through the halls toward Alejandro's chambers. The castl
Serena's POV The room had a fire, and that was the first thing I noticed when the guard shoved me through the doorway and closed the door behind me with a click that echoed in my ears like the sound of a cage locking shut.It was a real fire, with logs burning and flames dancing and heat pouring o
Serena's POV I had expected a monster, the kind of monster that lived in the stories my mother used to tell me before bed, with sharp teeth and claws and eyes that glowed in the dark, but when the doors of the throne room opened and the Lycan King Alejandro walked in, I realized that I had been wr
Serena's POV The snow burned my knees through the holes in my trousers, and I had been kneeling for what felt like hours, though time moved differently when you were waiting to die, and I had been waiting to die for as long as I could remember.The chains bit into my wrists, and the metal was so c
I woke to the smell of bread and honey, and for a moment I forgot where I was.The mattress was soft beneath me, and the blankets were warm, and the fire had been relit sometime while I was sleeping, casting orange light across the ceiling in dancing shadows. I







