LOGINAt the heart of the mansion, behind thick doors, Desmond had not left his study for long time and the room looked like the aftermath of a storm.Scrolls lay scattered across the massive desk and the floor beside it were maps marked with red ink, troop movements sketched and resketched, weak points circled again and again until the it was worn thin. Desmond stood over the desk, both hands braced against its surface, shoulders rigid, spine straight with the kind of tension that came from refusing to break.He had been staring at the same map for nearly an hour and his thoughts refused to obey him.Every time his focus slipped, his mind betrayed him by pouring out memories he wished he could forget. Desmond’s jaw tightened until it ached.“No,” he muttered, as if the thought itself were an enemy. “Not now.”He slammed his palm against the desk, rattling the ink and sending a quill rolling to the floor.“Focus,” he growled to himself. “Focus.”The resistance would attack soon or he wou
The room smelled of bitter herbs and crushed flowers meant to be some kind of therapeutic process but Seraphina hated it.She lay half-reclined against a mound of pillows, pale silk sheets drawn neatly to her waist, her hair brushed but dull, lacking the former shine it once carried so effortlessly. Sunlight streamed through tall windows, yet none of it seemed to warm her skin.Ava sat beside the bed, carefully dipping a cloth into a basin of lukewarm water.“You need to drink this,” Ava said softly, lifting a cup toward Seraphina’s lips. “The new healer said it will help with the dizziness.”Seraphina turned her head away sharply. “I am not dizzy" she said harshly, her lips pressed tight.Ava held the cup there anyway. “You nearly died. You need to get your strength back.”Seraphina’s eyes flashed. “Lower your voice. I am not some fragile thing.”Ava bit back a sigh and lowered the cup slightly, though she did not put it down. “You’ve been unconscious for days, Seraphina. Your b
The room chosen for the meeting sat deep within the resistance hideout, carved from stone and reinforced with thick wooden beams that bore the marks of old battles and newer desperation. Oil lamps burned low along the walls, their flames steady, casting long shadows that stretched and shifted in the light breeze.Eugene stood at the head of the long table, both hands braced against its surface.Dorian leaned against the wall to his right, his arms crossed, his expression sharp and alert. Sax sat opposite Eugene, a rolled map spread before him, his fingers tapping against familiar routes and supply lines. Robin stood near the doorway, watchful, his presence a silent promise that no one would enter uninvited.Max hovered just behind Eugene’s shoulder, his jaw tight, his eyes distant, still carrying the weight of Skye’s warning, Seraphina’s fall, and a pack moving closer to chaos.None of them spoke at first, but they didn’t need to.The air itself felt charged, buzzing with the knowle
Seraphina woke to silence so deep it felt unnatural.Her lashes fluttered and pain hit her first. A dull, pulsing ache spread from her head down her spine, settling heavily in her chest. Her throat was dry, her limbs weak, as though they no longer belonged to her.She tried to move and a sharp gasp tore from her lips.“Luna Seraphina!”Hands rushed to her shoulders, warm and steady, pressing her gently back into the bed.“Don’t move,” the voice said urgently. “Please, don’t move.”Her vision swam until shapes slowly sharpened into something familiar.Ava’s face hovered above her, her eyes red as if she hadn’t slept in days.“Ava?” Seraphina said.Her voice sounded weak.Ava let out a shaky breath that might have been a laugh or a sob. “Yes, yes, it’s me. You’re awake, Moon Goddess, you’re awake.”Seraphina frowned faintly. “Why… why are you crying?”Ava’s hands trembled where they rested on the blanket. “Because you’ve been asleep for three days,” she whispered. “Because we though
Eugene woke to silence.Not the peaceful kind, the kind that settles gently around the bones, but the wrong kind. The kind that made his instincts snap awake before his mind fully caught up.His hand moved first as he reached for the other side of the bed and then he felt it was cold.“Becca?” he murmured, pushing himself upright.The sheets were slightly rumpled, the faint scent of her still lingering, but she wasn’t there. For a brief, terrifying second, his heart lurched. Every horrible possibility rushed in at once when thought about danger, intruders, her wandering off alone until he heard different sounds that suggested otherwise. He registered a soft clatter, metal against wood and a quiet hum coming form downstairs. Eugene exhaled slowly, running a hand down his face. “Of course,” he muttered.She’s cooking.Despite himself, a tired smile tugged at his lips. Only Becca would wake before dawn, after everything they had endured, after a night that had left his body aching an
Ava moved quickly through the eastern hallway, her soft slippers barely making a sound against the polished floor. Dawn had not yet broken, but the sky beyond the tall windows had begun to change.She had not slept, not properly, not with Jack on her mind.Her fingers curled anxiously around the folds of her dress as she replayed their last conversation over and over again. She remembered his calm face, his stubborn refusal to admit fear and the way he had looked at her like he was already prepared to be sacrificed if it meant protecting the servants.He was too noble and it was dangerous.She turned a corner sharply and nearly collided with him.“Jack!” she hissed, grabbing his arm instinctively.He startled, then frowned when he recognized her. “Ava? What are you doing roaming the halls this early?”She released him but didn’t step back. “I could ask you the same thing.”Jack glanced down the corridor, then back at her. His expression was tired but composed, as if he had been car







