로그인The dinner ended in complete silence.No one had the appetite to continue eating after Kaelyn's dramatic departure.The once lively dining hall now felt cold and lifeless.Servants quietly began clearing away untouched plates, carefully avoiding eye contact with anyone at the table. They had witnessed enough family disputes for one evening and wanted nothing more than to disappear unnoticed.Becca slowly pushed her chair back. The scraping sound echoed loudly through the nearly empty hall.Mira immediately stood beside her."Come on, let's go" she said softly. Becca nodded.She wanted nothing more than to return to the room, their room, Eugene's room, she reminded herself bitterly, and crawl into bed.Neither woman looked toward Eugene, not at first.At the far end of the hall, Eugene had already begun speaking with Max and the Chief of Guards. The three men stood over a large map of the estate that had been hurriedly brought to the table.Eugene's face was hard, businesslike. The wa
The dining hall remained trapped in an uneasy silence long after the guards stopped Kaelyn from leaving.At the center of it all stood Alpha King Eugene. His shoulders were tense. His jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles visibly flexed beneath his skin.He had spent the last several weeks trying to prevent conflict, trying to keep everyone together, yet every attempt seemed to create another disaster.Across the room, Becca quietly exhaled. She had completely lost her appetite. Beside her, Mira rubbed her temples."This dinner is cursed," she muttered under her breath.Becca couldn't disagree. She glanced toward Kaelyn who looked heartbroken and completely unreasonable.Becca genuinely sympathized with her pain, she really did, but turning every gathering into an emotional battlefield wasn't helping anyone.Especially not the innocent child sleeping peacefully in the maid's arms nearby.Eugene finally broke the silence. His voice carried the calm authority expected of an Alpha
Kaelyn remained standing beside her chair, her chest rising and falling with every shaky breath. The flush on her cheeks was no longer only from the wine she had consumed. Her emotions had completely overtaken her.Around the table, the servants stood frozen with trays in their hands. Ava lowered her eyes, carefully hiding the satisfaction creeping into her expression.Seraphina remained perfectly still, though inwardly she was delighted.At the head of the table, Eugene slowly pushed his chair back and rose to his feet. The movement alone was enough to make everyone tense.His expression remained calm, at least outwardly. Inside, however, he was exhausted.He had barely been crowned Alpha King, and it already felt as though every decision he made created three more disasters.He looked directly at Kaelyn."Sit down."His voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. It carried enough authority that several servants instinctively lowered their heads.Kaelyn laughed bitterly."You want me t
Dinner had somehow become even more uncomfortable than anyone had expected.The long dining table was covered with beautifully prepared dishes, expensive wine, and enough food to feed dozens of people but none of that could overcome the tension sitting around the table.Several servants moved carefully around the room, their movements quiet and cautious.Nobody wanted to attract attention, especially not tonight.Eugene watched Becca for a moment before speaking."You barely touched your food" he said.Becca didn't even look up from her plate."I'm eating" she said.Mira took a sip of water, trying very hard not to put herself in the conversation. Eugene noticed."Mira."She immediately looked innocent."Yes, Alpha King?""You aren't helping" he told her.Max snorted and Mira immediately glared at him. His amusement disappeared instantly.The tension between them had become impossible to ignore.Max frowned."You're still angry."Mira looked horrified."Still? You say that as though
For several moments after Seraphina left, neither Becca nor Mira spoke. They couldn't shake off the feeling that had settled during Seraphina's confrontation.They simply continued walking toward the dining hall and the silence between them felt unusually heavy.Seraphina's final words continued echoing inside their minds, telling them to prepare to lose as if they were in the middle of some war and the stakes were extremely high.The confidence behind those words was what disturbed them most, even if they told themselves they didn't care.Seraphina was many things, manipulative, arrogant, annoying, but she was rarely confident without a reason.That fact alone made Mira uneasy and all efforts she put to remove lingering thoughts about it proved to be a waste.Beside her, Becca appeared equally thoughtful.The earlier frustration she had felt toward Eugene had been temporarily overshadowed by the strange feeling Seraphina had left behind.Finally Mira sighed."I just don't like that w
Becca was still sitting on the edge of the bed when she heard a knock at the door. The sound pulled her away from her increasingly frustrating thoughts.She immediately stood, perhaps a little too quickly because she nearly tripped over the edge of her dress."Wonderful," she muttered.Her evening was clearly going perfectly.The knock came again, more impatient this time and Becca already knew who it was.Only one person knocked like that.She crossed the room and opened the door and Mira immediately stepped inside then stopped.Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and Becca instantly regretted opening the door. Mira was looking at her the way a hunter looked at prey."What?"Mira folded her arms."What happened?" She asked.Becca frowned."Nothing happened" she replied. "Hmm."The response was entirely too knowing then Becca sighed."Mira.""You look strange.""I do not.""You do" she insisted. Becca walked past her."I don't know what you mean" she said.The two women stared at each ot
The chamber smelled of blood, iron, and sweat. Its walls were stone, slick with damp, and the single torch burning in the corner cast jagged shadows that danced across the floor. At the center stood a wooden chair, bolted down, and bound to it with thick ropes was Jack. His arms were pulled tight
The infirmary was quiet save for the faint crackle of the lanterns that lined the walls and the rhythmic sound of Jack’s breathing. His chest rose and fell slowly under the blanket that covered him. Becca let out a long breath and sat back on the stool beside the bed. Her fingers ached from hours
Sting of her Words When Alpha Eugene stepped in, his eyes immediately narrowed at the scene before him.On the cold floor, Jack lay slumped against the wall, his lip split, his eye swollen, his chest rising and falling in shallow, painful breaths. His shirt had been torn nearly to ribbons, the fa
Becca steadied herself, willing her heartbeat to calm. Councillor Hadrian was not the kind of man who made unplanned visits, his presence always meant purpose.“Please,” Becca said, gesturing toward the cushioned chair near the window. “Sit, Councillor.”“Thank you, my dear.”He moved with measured







