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Chapter 13: Stolen Trinkets
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2026-10-31 08:31:34Camilla
The Great Hall of Riverfang had never looked so alive.
Fires roared in every hearth, roasting pigs turned over open pits, and flagons of dark spiced ale flowed freely across the long pine tables. The warriors laughed, banging their wooden tankards together in drunken celebration.
Father had declared a three-day feast. The Northern tax ledgers were piled in the center of the hall, burned to ash before the pack elders as proof of our greatest diplomatic triumph. Riverfang owed no grain, no timber, and no silver to the North for ten full years.
And all it had cost was one useless, broken stray.
I leaned back on the velvet-cushioned settee on the raised dais, letting out a delighted sigh as the maids set a silver platter of honeyed pastries at my elbow. Kael sat beside me, his arm wrapped possessively around my waist, his amber eyes bright with pride.
"To the future Luna of Riverfang," Kael murmured, raising his silver goblet toward me. "The woman who brought peace without shedding a drop of our warriors' blood."
The table erupted into cheers. Warriors raised their cups, howling in approval, while Mother beamed beside Father at the head of the board.
"It was nothing," I said, offering a demure, delicate smile that showed just the right amount of dimple. "A true Luna thinks only of her pack's survival. Sera was... difficult. But if her sacrifice keeps Riverfang safe, then perhaps the Moon Goddess had a purpose for her after all."
"Sacrifice?" Father scoffed with a deep, booming laugh, wiping grease from his graying beard. "The wretch was dead weight! She burned our roof this very morning! The Duke thought he was taking a treasure, the arrogant northern bastard. He'll throw her carcass into a snowdrift before they even reach the Citadel."
Mother chuckled, leaning in to pat my knee. "Let the Lycans keep her bones. Look at our girl. The morning transfusion did wonders. Have you ever seen such color in her cheeks?"
I touched my face. My skin felt smooth, warm, and radiant. The gray flaking around my nose had vanished entirely.
To complete my look for the evening, I had sent the maids up to the burned attic before the carpenters sealed the door. There was no real jewelry up there, of course, but Sera had kept a small carved wooden box hidden beneath the loose floorboards under her cot.
Inside was a simple silver chain holding a rough, cloudy moonstone drop—a cheap trinket Tyler had claimed was found around her neck in the swamp twenty years ago. Sera had guarded that ugly stone like it was sacred gold, crying whenever anyone touched it.
Now, it hung around my own throat, resting against the low-cut neckline of my rose-silk gown.
I fingered the cool stone, smiling down at the dancers in the hall. "She won't be needing her little childhood toys where she's going. It looks much better on me anyway."
"Everything looks better on you, my lady," Kael said, leaning down to press a kiss against my bare shoulder. "You won the day, Camilla. You won everything."
I took a sip of sweet wine, letting the warmth spread through my chest.
I had won. The phantom that had shadowed my life—the pale, shivering reminder that my body was born weak—was finally gone. No more listening to her cough in the attic. No more hearing Mother argue about how many vials she could spare.
Riverfang was wealthy, my betrothal was celebrated, and the future was mine.
Then, deep in the pit of my stomach, a tiny, icy prick formed.
I paused, setting my wine cup down on the table.
The room was sweltering from the roaring fires, but a sudden draft seemed to skate across the back of my neck. A faint, bitter taste coated the back of my tongue—like burnt sage and spoiled milk.
"Camilla?" Kael asked, noticing my hand stiffen. "What is it?"
"Nothing," I said quickly, forcing another bright smile as I smoothed the silk over my knees. "Just... too much rich wine. Let us watch the dancers."
I ignored the cold knot behind my ribs. It was nothing. Just the winter chill creeping through the timber walls.
The wretch was gone forever, and with her, any weakness in my blood.
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