登入Reylap's POVThe aroma of freshly baked bread usually made my stomach rumble, but tonight, the thought of food curdled something deep inside me. I pushed my plate away, the nausea a familiar, unwelcome guest. Dinner was a battlefield I couldn’t fight. “No, thank you,” I mumbled to Elara, who eyed me with a mixture of concern and pity. Going to bed felt like the only escape, a chance to outrun the queasiness that clung to me like a shadow.My bed offered little solace. I tossed and turned, the soft mattress feeling like a bed of nails. My hand drifted to my belly, a small dome beneath the blankets. “You’re making Mama sick, little one,” I whispered, a genuine smile finally breaking through. It was foolish, talking to a pup I couldn't yet see, but a tiny flutter, a gentle kick, answered me. My smile widened. “Oh, you're a strong one, aren’t you?” The world outside the blanket faded as I conversed with my unborn child, the earlier nausea a distant memory. Sleep finally claimed me, pulled
Syrn's POV The blood pooled around Camille’s head, a dark, pulsing stain against the pale stones. My breath hitched. I knew how to *cause* wounds, how to make flesh tear and bones snap, but this… this was different. This was just raw, uncontrolled damage, and I had no idea what to do. My hands hovered, useless, as her whimpers turned into soft, struggling gasps.“Camille!” Reylap’s voice cut through the air, sharp and urgent, as she reached us. She dropped to her knees beside the fallen woman, her eyes wide with fear as she took in the grotesque spread of crimson. “What happened? How did you hurt yourself?”A choked sound escaped Camille’s lips, a desperate attempt to speak, but no words formed. Her eyes were unfocused, rolling back slightly.“She fell,” I stated, my voice flat, almost emotionless, even as a flicker of panic, cold and calculating, tried to override the sudden nausea in my stomach. “Tripped.”Reylap didn’t spare me a glance. Her attention was solely on Camille. Withou
Reylap's POV The scent of dry leaves and damp earth filled my nose as I stepped out of the palace gates. A cool evening breeze ruffled my hair, a welcome contrast to the gilded stuffiness inside. I had to check on the little girl, the one who’d seized earlier. My heart still clenched thinking about her small, shaking body. But first, a detour. Rika’s place wasn't far, a small, sturdy cottage nestled amongst deeper shadows.I knocked softly. A moment later, the door creaked open, revealing Rika’s comforting, familiar face. Her eyes, usually so sharp, softened when they met mine.“Reylap. Come in, child, don't stand out there in the cold.” Her voice was like warm honey.I stepped inside, grateful for the sudden warmth of the small living space. "Rika, thank you. For everything today. For helping me."She waved a dismissive hand. "Nonsense. You're family, Reylap. We look out for our own. Besides," she fixed me with a knowing look, "I heard what you did. Saving that child… I don’t know h
Syrn's POV “Stay put, Camille,” I said, my voice sharper than I intended. The evening air was cool, a deceptive calm before true darkness fell. I just needed a moment, a breath outside these walls.Camille, however, ignored me, pushing past the threshold onto the porch. Her gaze was fixed, unwavering. “Not happening, Syrn. Not tonight.”I spun to face her, the familiar frustration coiling in my gut. “What is your problem? I’m just going for a walk.”“A walk that will turn into a run, just like last time,” she shot back, her arms crossing over her chest. “No. Either I come with you, or you’re not leaving this house.” Her jaw was set, and I knew that look. It meant granite, immovable.A groan escaped me. This was unbearable. “You can’t be serious.”“Oh, I am,” she countered, a stubborn glint in her eyes. “Completely serious. So, what’s it going to be?”The thought of staying inside, trapped in this stifling silence, was worse than her company. Much worse. I sighed, a long, defeated sou
Syrn's POV Rage boiled in my veins, a hot, liquid fire. I stormed from the meeting room, the polished floorboards groaning under my furious strides, each step a deliberate attempt to outrun the humiliation that clung to me like a shroud. How dare he? How dare Elliott dismiss me, *undermine* me, in front of the council, all because of… her. That manipulative little… I burst into my chambers, the heavy oak door slamming shut behind me with a resounding thud that echoed my inner turmoil.My hands flew to the nearest object – a delicate porcelain vase – and I hurled it against the far wall. It shattered with a satisfying crash, a hundred tiny pieces skittering across the floor. My breath hitched, ragged and uncontrolled. My vision blurred at the edges, a crimson haze beginning to creep in. My head throbbed, a dull ache behind my eyes that quickly sharpened into a blinding pain.*He listens to her now.* The whisper was insidious, slithering into my thoughts. *She’s poisoning him against y
Elliott's POV I planted my feet, arms outstretched, forming a barrier between the worried mother and Reylap. “Give her room,” I said, my voice low but firm. The woman hesitated, her eyes darting from Reylap to her pale child. “She needs to concentrate.”I knew who she was, of course. My discreet inquiries had confirmed her reputation. A healer, once highly regarded in her old pack, before the whispers started circulating. My gut churned, a volatile mix of suspicion and a desperate need for a miracle. Still, I let her work. The child, barely more than a toddler, lay limp in Reylap’s arms, her skin an unnerving shade of ash.A tense silence descended, broken only by the child’s shallow, ragged breaths. Time stretched, each second a lead weight. Then, a shudder ran through the small body. A cough, weak at first, then wracking, violent. Her little chest heaved. I heard a wet, guttural sound.The child coughed again, and something dark and viscous spewed from her mouth onto Reylap’s tunic
Elliott's POV The stale air of the council chambers still clung to me, a heavy scent of old wood and older disagreements. I’d spent the last three hours fending off probing questions, their eyes sharp, their mouths twisting around the word “rogue” like it was a curse. *Why did I house her? Why did
Elliott's POVI let the muttering fill the air, a low, dangerous hum that grated against my nerves. My jaw was locked so tight I felt the ache all the way to my ears. They talked in whispers, in hushed, cruel tones, but every word clawed at me. “Rogue.” “Danger.” “Outsider.” All aimed at her. All
Reylap's POV I ran. My lungs burned with every uneven stride, the forest a blur of dark shapes and shadows. Each branch that lashed at my face, each root that threatened to trip me, fueled my escape. I clutched the tattered remnants of my tunic, the only thing I had managed to salvage. “Please,”
Reylap's POV The scent of roasting meat and simmering herbs hung heavy in the kitchen, a welcome distraction from the persistent knot of anxiety in my stomach. Anna, the head maid, a wiry woman with eyes that missed nothing, had just finished her morning rounds. I kept my head down, focusing on







