CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Ronan's pov

I should’ve let him walk away.

Garrick’s words echoed in my skull long after he stormed out of the kitchen. His accusations weren’t a lie and they kept playing in my head over and over.

“But don’t keep her in your castle, give her a uniform, and then punish her for breathing. Make up your goddamn mind, Ronan.”

I clenched my jaw as I leaned against the cold stone wall, the scent of blood still lingering in the air. Hers. Mine. Ours. Everything about this night reeked of truths I didn’t want to face.

And yet—

I found myself moving.

Feet dragging, mind spiraling, I pushed through the castle halls like a hunted man. The thought of her alone out there—it twisted something deep inside me, something primal and raw. I told myself it was duty. That I needed to confirm she wasn't a threat. That I needed to understand why her presence made everything in me ache and burn at the same time.

But the lie tasted bitter on my tongue.

I stepped outside, slipping past the guards unnoticed, letting the night swallow me whole. The cold air was sharp, biting at my skin as I moved toward the forest. Moonlight was bright along the trail, and the world seemed hushed—like even the trees were holding their breath.

Then I saw them.

Garrick knelt beside her, murmuring something I couldn't hear. Her body was curled, trembling. I watched from the shadows as her eyes shot open, wild with fear, and he caught her in his arms without hesitation.

My hand found my chest.

And then it hit me—pain. Sharp. Sudden. Like a blade had slipped between my ribs and twisted.

What the hell was that?

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to stay still.

Jealousy?

No. I didn't get jealous.

I couldn’t afford that weakness.

I stayed in the shadows, tracking them from a distance as Garrick helped her to her feet and led her back to the castle. Every now and then, she glanced at him with something I couldn’t name—was it trust? Familiarity?

My chest ached again.

It was infuriating.

I told myself I was following them to protect the kingdom. To monitor her. A girl with a dormant wolf, whose scent was now… shifting. Strengthening. Something about her didn’t add up. She was an anomaly, and anomalies were dangerous.

That’s all it was.

So why did I feel like a goddamn pup watching the only toy I could remember wanting, play with someone else?

They reached the servants' quarters. I kept my distance but watched closely, staying just out of view. My hearing was the best in the kingdom so I was able to catch bits of their conversation.

Garrick asked her something about her healing.

Her response was like a punch to the gut.

Two weeks. Unconscious for one.

A girl without a wolf should heal in minutes. Hell, even without a wolf, it was unnatural to heal so slow.

Then he asked her to remember what I’d done to her. I didn’t need to hear her answer. I could still see it, the fear in her eyes, the pain, the way her body folded in on itself like she was used to being hurt and just… took it.

That had been me.

I did that.

Her scent was different now. Richer. More layered. It wrapped around my senses like smoke from a fine meal—hot, sharp, but somehow intoxicating. She used to smell faint, nearly human. But now?

There was something else under it. Like earth after a storm. Like buring fire.

I turned on my heel and stormed back to my chambers.

The doors slammed behind me, the sound echoing in the empty halls like a warning I didn’t know how to heed.

“You felt that, didn’t you?” Alaric’s voice echoed through my mind before I could even speak.

I sat on the edge of my bed, gripping the edge so hard my knuckles turned white. “Yeah.”

“It’s faint,” he murmured. “But I can sense something in her now. It's not a wolf yet… not fully formed. But it's waking.”

Waking.

“She said her wolf was dormant,” I said aloud, mostly to myself.

“And I smelled that dormancy, remember? You’re not crazy.” Alaric paused. “But something has shifted. Something… old. I can’t speak to it yet. But I can feel it.”

That chilled me more than anything.

Because I should’ve sensed it first.

My wolf was different. Stronger than most. I’d known that since I was young. But what no one knew—what I never told a soul—was that Alaric had the power to connect. To speak to wolves inside anyone, from any bloodline, any kingdom.

It was part of my birthright. My curse. A power passed down from a mother I never knew and a father who was filled with secrets.

But I hadn’t been able to speak to hers.

Not yet.

Why?

Who was she really?

And why did she feel like…

A forgotten melody stuck in my head.

Like a star you couldn’t help but look at, even though it was making you blind.

Lyra was something else.

Something impossible to ignore.

I buried my head in my hands, breath ragged.

I couldn’t keep doing this. Lashing out just to push her away, then chasing her like a damned fool when no one was looking. She was getting under my skin in ways I didn’t understand. I wanted answers, but all I had were more questions.

I had spent years perfecting control. Emotionless, calculated. My choices had always been black or white.

But she was the color in between.

And it pissed me off.

“I need to change tactics,” I muttered.

“What do you mean?” Alaric asked, curious now.

“If I keep coming at her with claws bared, she’s going to shut down. Maybe run. Or worse… she’ll let someone else in.” I clenched my fists. “I need to figure her out. I need to understand what she is before it’s too late.”

“Then stop being afraid of her.”

I scoffed. “I’m not afraid of her.”

But the silence that followed said otherwise.

I was afraid of what she could make me feel.

I had killed for less.

So I would learn her patterns. Study her responses. Slip under her defenses with calm, not rage.

No more reckless outbursts.

No more giving her reasons to hate me.

If I wanted to know her truth, I’d need to earn it. Even if it meant pretending I didn’t care. Even if it meant betraying every instinct screaming to get closer now.

Because whatever was waking inside her…

Was ancient.

And I was going to be there when it finally opened its eyes.