ВойтиAlthea nodded without hesitation. “Yes. I don’t remember everything. I don’t remember us. But I know this much. I don’t want uncertainty hanging over me or over you. I don’t want whispers about my blood, my father, or whether I belong. If standing beside you openly ends those doubts, then I’ll stand there.”His throat tightened. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he exhaled slowly, as if grounding himself. “You’re sure?” he asked, his voice low. “This isn’t something I want you to agree to because you feel cornered.”Althea met his gaze head-on. “I’m sure,” she said firmly. “This is my decision.”She took a small breath, steadying herself. “Don’t worry. I trust Melva, and I believe everything she told me. And somehow…” She hesitated, searching for the right words, then sighed softly. “You feel familiar. I don’t remember you, not the way you do. But I’m comfortable around you.”For a moment, Gavriel simply stared at her. Then a slow, heartfelt smile curved his lips. “Thank you,”
“Feeding you,” he replied simply, lifting the spoon. “This is what I used to do with you before, aside from—”Her cheeks warmed. “Stop. I don’t remember agreeing to that.”For some reason, she had a feeling the man would be shameless enough to say far more than necessary. It was pure instinct, a quiet warning in her gut, and it made her cheeks burn with embarrassment.Last night, Melva had told her everything. Every detail Melva could remember, including how the Alpha King had been impossibly possessive, almost obsessive, as if he could never get enough of her. How he had held her as though letting go was unthinkable, how his affection had left love bites scattered across her skin.
The sky was still dark when Gavriel stepped into the kitchens of the Archon’s palace of House Aetherion. Dawn had not yet broken. The halls were quiet and Melva nearly jumped when she saw him.“Y–Your Majesty,” she blurted, bowing so quickly she almost knocked the basket in her arms to the floor.Gavriel lifted a hand at once. “No need for that. I was looking for you.”Melva straightened, confusion flickering across her face. “For me, sire?”“Yes.” He glanced toward the long wooden table, already stacked with fresh bread, fruits, and herbs prepared by the night servants. “I need your help.”
Zander shook his head the moment he spotted Gavriel and Osman outside. He had been buried under countless responsibilities, and only now did he finally find a moment to check on them again.Gavriel and Osman sat side by side on a stone bench in the side courtyard of the Aetherion mansion, both staring into the bonfire as if it held answers neither of them liked. The flames crackled softly, casting long shadows across the courtyard walls, but neither man spoke.‘They looked… miserable. Love-struck and suffering,’ Zander decided.With a quiet sigh, he beckoned a servant. “Bring a bottle of wine. Two glasses. And whatever snacks you can find,” he said, then added after a brief pause, “Make it quick. They look like they might freeze to death before I get there.”
Althea stiffened at first, instinctively drawing in a sharp breath. The arms around her were strong, steady, unmistakably protective. Warmth seeped into her back, unfamiliar yet achingly comforting, as though her body recognized what her mind could not. A soft kiss brushed against her bare shoulder, then lingered at the curve of her neck. Her heart skipped, a startled flutter that sent warmth rushing through her veins. Tingling sensations spread across her skin, and she bit gently on her inner cheek to keep herself steady.For reasons she could not quite explain, she liked it. The realization alone made her face heat, warmth blooming into a shy crimson. Thankfully, he could not see her expression at all.Gavriel closed his eyes as he breathed her in, his forehead resting briefly against her damp hair. He had imagined this moment too many times, feared it even more. Having her awake again, warm and breathing in his arms, nearly broke him.“You feel the same,” he murmured, his voice lo
Althea’s lips parted as she stared at Melva, her eyes widening while Melva continued to recount the story her memories refused to give back to her.The last thing Althea remembered clearly was preparing to escape with Melva. News had reached them that her father, Cain, had failed in his attempt to usurp the Alpha King’s throne. Panic had followed, urgency and fear to Cain’s household that were left to stay in the pack.Then everything blurred.She remembered Luna Meena’s men dragging her down into the dungeon, the cold stone biting into her skin as the iron door slammed shut. She did not know how long she remained there. Time had dissolved into hunger, darkness, and exhaustion. The last sensation she recalled was dozing off, her body too weak to stay awake any longer.What unsettled her most now was something else entirely.She could not read Melva’s thoughts anymore.Melva noticed her silence and continued gently, her voice steady. “We all lost our abilities, my lady. Our inner wolv







