로그인Lucien’s POV>>>>The pack house looked the same when we rode back in. Same stone walls. Same banners. Same familiar faces nodding in greeting. But it felt smaller somehow. Hollower. I dismounted in the main courtyard and handed the reins to a stable hand. A few warriors clapped me on the shoulder, asking about the journey. I gave short answers and headed inside.Later that afternoon I walked through the training yard. Two younger warriors were practicing nearby. One of them wiped sweat from his brow and said, “I heard the Lycan King’s wife insisted the northern villages receive more blankets this winter. Seraphina arranged it herself.”The other laughed softly. “Hard to picture. The same girl who used to hide during pack gatherings?”“Maybe we never knew her at all.”I kept walking, but the words followed me. I couldn’t remember the last genuine conversation we’d had. I could remember rejecting her. I could remember ignoring the way she looked at me. But I couldn’t remember ever askin
I returned from the village with a lightness I had not felt in ages. The elderly woman’s grateful words still echoed in my thoughts, and the little girl’s enthusiastic wave stayed with me. For the first time since I arrived at the Citadel, the massive structure no longer seemed like a temporary shelter. It began to feel like a place where I could truly belong.Mara found me in the corridor shortly after. “The east storeroom could use some attention if you feel up to it. Dust has gathered there for years. Nothing too strenuous, mostly sorting through old items.”I agreed without hesitation. “I can help.”The space was dim and still, packed with ancient chests and pieces of forgotten furniture. I began shifting things around carefully, wiping down the shelves and going through crates filled with worn linens and damaged tools. My fingers picked up a fine layer of grime, yet the effort brought satisfaction. Toward the back wall, I discovered a faded tapestry rolled up tightly in a corner.
I spent the morning helping unload supplies for one of the mountain villages. An elderly woman watched me carry a heavy sack of grain. She didn’t smile at first. “We don’t need another lady from the Citadel telling us how to manage our stores.”I set the sack down carefully. “I’m not here to tell anyone anything. Just to help if I can.”She studied me for a long moment, then gave a short nod. Hours later, after we finished unloading, the same woman approached me again. She took my hands in her wrinkled ones. “We received the extra wool the Citadel sent last month. Mara said you were the one who insisted we needed more. Thank you, my lady.”I didn’t know what to say. Back in Black Hollow, people rarely thanked me for anything. Here, strangers remembered what I had helped arrange. They smiled when they saw me. The little girl who had tugged my cloak earlier waved goodbye with both hands. I waved back, feeling something warm settle inside me.Kael’s POV>>>>>>I watched from horseback on
Stable hands led fresh horses into the courtyard while servants carried trunks toward the waiting carriages. The whole place buzzed with quiet activity. Nobody needed to ask what was happening. By evening, Lucien and Selene would be gone. I helped Mara fold linens in one of the storage rooms, and for the first time in days, my shoulders weren’t tight with dread.The simple motion of smoothing fabric felt good. I caught myself smiling at something Mara said about the upcoming winter festival. The relief surprised me. I hadn’t realized how much space they had taken up inside my head. Their presence had kept me on edge, but now the air itself felt lighter.Lucien’s POV>>>>>>>The official notice was polite but final. My three days were over. Kael had made it clear there would be no extension. I packed my things slowly, folding clothes and setting aside maps from our meetings. Then I went looking for her one last time. I found Seraphina near the eastern courtyard, helping tie down a suppl
I spent the morning helping Mara and the servants prepare the great hall for the visiting northern nobles. The long tables needed fresh linens, the silver polished, and the fires stoked high against the mountain chill. Every time the doors opened, my eyes lifted before I could stop them. Each time it was only another servant or guard, I returned to my work, annoyed with myself. Lucien was still somewhere in the Citadel. I knew that. But I refused to let the thought ruin the day.One of the older noblewomen watched me arrange a vase of winter greenery. She smiled kindly. “His Majesty’s wife has become quite popular among the staff. That’s not always the case with outsiders.”I felt my cheeks warm. “Thank you. I’m just trying to be useful.”She nodded, pleased. For a moment it felt good. Like I was starting to belong here.Selene’s POV>>>>>>I couldn’t move freely anymore, but I still had words. While servants arranged flowers near the far end of the hall, I spoke quietly to one of the
I was carrying a crate of dried herbs back from the storage hall when Lucien stepped into my path. The weight pressed against my arms, but I held it steady. He looked tired, shadows under his eyes like sleep had been avoiding him for days. For a second neither of us spoke. The corridor felt smaller with him standing there.“Can we talk?” he asked quietly.I adjusted my grip on the crate. “No.”I walked around him without waiting for a reply. My steps stayed steady on the stone floor. I didn’t look back. The old Seraphina would have stopped, heart racing, ready to hear whatever he needed to say. This one didn’t. I kept moving toward my quarters, the herbs rustling softly with each step. The air outside carried the faint scent of pine from the nearby woods, and it grounded me. I had places to be and work that mattered more than old ghosts.Lucien’s POV>>>>>>She walked away like I was any other stranger in the corridor. No hesitation in her stride. No lingering glance over her shoulder.
The next morning I woke up and checked my wrist first thing. Nothing. No silver lines. No warmth. No whisper. Part of me felt relieved. The other part wondered if I had imagined the voice in the firelight. “Wake.” It sounded ridiculous now, sitting here in daylight with tea cooling on the table.Ma
“I don’t know what you mean,” I said. My voice came out weaker than I wanted.Kael’s gaze stayed fixed on my wrist. “The symbol.”I looked down. My skin was bare. No glow. No mark. Nothing. For a second I wondered if I had imagined it. The warmth. The light. The strange pull beneath my skin. But I
I couldn’t stop thinking about the signing. Not the contract itself. Not even the way my name now sat next to his on that paper. It was the way Kael had spoken up for me. Twice now. Nobody had ever done that before. I hated how much it stuck with me.Mara found me in the library the next morning. “
Morning arrived before I felt ready for it. I stood still while Mara and two other attendants helped me into a dark green dress. The fabric skimmed over my body without squeezing the life out of me. No corset. No pins digging in. No whispers about seams splitting.I kept waiting for the comments an







