로그인Beatrice's POVI was home.The field stretched out in every direction, golden wheat rippling under a sky so wide it made my chest ache. My brother rode beside me, his horse a full length ahead because he always had to win, always had to be first, and I was laughing at him for it. The wind tore at my hair and pressed against my skin like warm hands, and the hooves beneath me struck the earth in a rhythm that felt like a heartbeat."Keep up, Bea!" Callum shouted over his shoulder. His grin was wild and bright, the grin of a boy who hadn't yet learned what a prison cell looked like."I'm letting you win!" I called back, though we both knew I wasn't.The field narrowed into the path that led to the eastern ridge, where the archery range overlooked the river. Our bows were already strung—mine lighter, his longer—and we dismounted in a tumble of elbows and competition. I nocked first. Drew. Released. The arrow punched the outer ring of the target, and Callum howled with exaggerated disappoi
Beatrice's POVI made it as far as the main road before he caught up."Beatrice."I didn't stop. "Beatrice, stop."I kept walking. Cedrick's hand closed around my arm, and he spun me to face him."Where do you think you're going?" he demanded.I looked at him and suddenly, I realized I was so tired. Tired of being the vessel for everyone else's grief and revenge and guilt. I was tired of being brave.I pulled my arm free."Will I only be free of this when I'm dead?" I asked.His expression changed."You've lost your mind," he said. "I lost it a long time ago," I said. "You made sure of that."I turned toward the road.The avenue was busy, carriages and wagons moving in a steady stream, iron-rimmed wheels churning against stone, the heavy bodies of draft horses filling the lane. The noise swelled as I stepped off the curb. I heard Cedrick's voice behind me shouting my name.I stepped into the road.The world shrank to a single, narrow corridor of movement. A carriage filled my visio
Beatrice's POVHis lips were still on mine when he stiffened. His hand dropped from my face and when he pulled back, the warmth that had been in his eyes moments before was gone, replaced by his usual coldness."Well," he said, straightening. "At least I know you haven't lost your ability to respond."The shift was so abrupt it gave me whiplash. One second he'd been kissing me like I mattered, and the next he was back to being an ass."That had nothing to do with—" I started."With your suitor?" He leaned against the opposite wall, arms crossed, perfectly at ease. "Tell me, Beatrice. Does Martin know what he's pursuing? Does he understand what comes attached to that pretty face?"My stomach tightened. "There's nothing between Martin and me.""Then you won't mind telling him that.""I just said—""You said it to me." He pushed off the wall and took a step closer. The corridor felt narrower than it had a moment ago. "Now say it to him publicly so there's no room for misinterpretation."
Henry's POVWe never made it back to the council chamber.Cedrick had been walking toward the east corridor, his usual route from the meeting hall to his private study when he stopped. I nearly walked into him."Your Majesty—"He held up a hand. His head turned toward the open archway that led to the small dining terrace overlooking the courtyard garden. Martin and Beatrice.Martin's elbows rested on the table, his hands open and expressive. Beatrice sat across from him, her posture still and attentive, a half-finished cup of tea between her fingers.Martin was speaking. I couldn't hear the words from this distance, but his eyes never left Beatrice's face. Then Martin reached across the table and took Beatrice's hand.Beside me, Cedrick's breathing changed.His wolf pressed against the surface so hard I could feel it from where I stood—a wall of dominance and territorial fury that made my own wolf drop its head and flatten its ears.I watched Beatrice's face through the archway. Sh
Beatrice's POVMartin was telling me about a coastal town he'd visited as a boy, when I suddenly felt a slight chill in the air. I stopped laughing immediately,My wolf went taut inside me, every muscle locked, her ears swiveling toward the door a full second before it opened. The scent arrived next, leather, iron, flooding the room and drowning everything else.Cedrick stood in the doorway.He wasn't alone. Two guards flanked him, though they hung back near the corridor as if they already knew they wouldn't be needed. He wore a dark coat over his usual attire, and his expression was the one I had learned to fear most, amusement.His gaze moved across the scene with the unhurried precision of a man cataloguing details for later use. "Well," Cedrick said. He stepped inside, and the room seemed to shrink around him. "Am I interrupting a date?"Martin set down his glass, "Not a date," he said evenly. "We're simply sharing a meal. Beatrice hasn't agreed to be my girlfriend, though I've
Henry's POVI was waiting outside Beatrice's quarters as instructed, standing at attention when Cedrick rounded the corner with his jaw locked and his wolf rolling off him in waves so thick that two passing servants pressed themselves flat against the wall and didn't breathe until he was gone.He stopped when he saw me.I knew that look. "You," he said. "The southern watchtowers haven't been inspected in six months.""Your Majesty, the last inspection was conducted in—""Inspect them again. I want a full written report on my desk by morning."Twelve watchtowers. The southern perimeter stretched forty miles through dense forest and rocky terrain. On foot, in one night, it was barely possible even for a wolf at full sprint.I bowed my head. "Yes, Your Majesty."He walked past me without another word. I caught a trace of something on him as he passed. He smelled like Beatrice, and he was furious about it.I turned south and started walking.The inspection took me through the night and
Elena’s povLydia didn't wait to be invited in.She stepped past Blake like he wasn't even there, her heels clicking against our hardwood floors. "I'm here in my capacity as Chief Warrior," she announced, smoothing her dress as she surveyed our living room. "A formal visit."Blake moved to block h







