Chapter 7: Behind the Walls

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. “Would you like to see more of the Citadel, my lady? It might help you settle in.”

I nodded. Anything beat sitting alone with my thoughts.

She led me through the halls and out into the main courtyard. The mountain air hit sharp and cold, carrying the clean scent of pine and damp stone. Soldiers trained in neat rows, their boots scraping against the packed dirt, metal clanging as blades met. When Kael walked by on the far side, they straightened without him saying a word. One older worker carrying tools called out a greeting, his voice rough but easy. Kael gave a short nod. The man actually smiled after, shoulders relaxed.

Nobody rushed to get out of his way. Nobody looked terrified. They simply carried on with their work, like his presence was something familiar.

We continued down toward the village nestled against the Citadel walls. The stone streets felt uneven under my shoes. Bread cooled on windowsills. Someone argued with a butcher over prices. Children darted between stalls so fast they nearly crashed into me. A few people glanced our way, curious but not cruel. Mara pointed out the baker, the blacksmith, the healer’s hut.

“The king makes sure supplies reach everyone when winter hits hard,” she said quietly. “Doesn’t make a show of it. Just gets it done.”

I watched soldiers help unload heavy carts, their grunts mixing with the creak of wood and thud of sacks hitting the ground. Lucien had always smiled for the pack, but it felt like a performance. This was different. People here moved like they trusted the ground under their feet.

We turned a corner and a little girl, maybe six, tripped while running after a ball. Her knee scraped hard on the rough stones and she started crying, loud and hiccuping. I moved before I thought about it.

“Hey, it’s okay.” I crouched down on the cold pavement and brushed the dirt from her knee. The scrape looked raw. “Let me see.”

She sniffled and looked up at me, cheeks wet. “The king says scars aren’t something to hide. They just mean you kept going.”

I didn’t know why those words stuck with me. Maybe because nobody had ever said anything like that when I was growing up. I helped her up, her small hand warm and sticky in mine, and watched her run off again, knee already forgotten.

Mara smiled beside me. “He tells the children that every spring.”

I didn’t know what to say. So I just nodded.

Kael’s POV>>>>>>>>

I watched from the upper walkway, the cold wind tugging at my coat. The more I watched her, the more obvious it became. She apologized to a merchant for standing too close to his stall. The merchant looked confused. Seraphina immediately stepped back anyway. She hesitated before asking Mara a simple question. It wasn’t one thing. It was dozens of little habits.

Black Hollow had taught her to make herself small. My wolf paced harder at the thought. They had thrown her away like she was nothing. Sent her here broken and waiting for more pain.

I could tell her the truth. The bond. The pull. But she still carried that rejection like an open wound. Revealing it now might shatter what little trust she was starting to build. I wouldn’t risk it. Not yet.

Seraphina’s POV>>>>>>

Later that afternoon I wandered into an older part of the Citadel on my own. The halls grew narrower, the stone older and worn smooth in places by centuries of footsteps. The air carried dust, old wood, and something faintly sweet I couldn’t place. Dust floated in the thin shafts of light from high windows, catching in my throat.

I turned a corner and stopped.

An ancient mural covered the wall. Faded colors showed wolves and figures under a stormy sky. In the center sat a symbol I had seen before—the same one that had appeared faintly on my wrist the night I arrived. Circles woven together with sharp lines cutting through.

I reached out and touched the cool, cracked surface.

Warmth spread under my skin. The symbol glowed for a second on my wrist, bright and clear against my pulse. Then it vanished like it had never been there. My heart thudded hard. I looked around. No one else had seen.

Footsteps sounded behind me, heavy on the stone floor. I turned.

Kael stood there. For the first time since I’d met him, he looked caught off guard. His face went still when his eyes landed on my wrist.

“How,” he said quietly, “did you do that?”