Chapter 41

CIARAN The shadow retreated just as quickly as it had appeared, leaving me cold and trembling.I let Rhidian go. He slumped against the wall, gasping and clutching his throat.There were red marks across his neck, stark evidence of how hard I had held him.I didn’t care if he lived; I only cared about one thing: the girl standing in the doorway.Eleanor looked like a ghost. She was swaying, her small hands turning white as she gripped the stone frame.I moved toward her, my boots crunching on Alluvia’s broken ribs.My eyes were still aflame. I expected her to run, expected her to see the monster in my gaze and finally, rightfully, scream.I wouldn't have blamed her if she did.But she didn’t move. She just watched me.Her eyes were steady, reflecting the carnage I’d wrought without a single flicker of judgment in those grey depths.It was terrifying.“Eleanor,” my voice was raspy.She took one step, then another, before her legs gave out.I caught her before she hit the floor. She wa

Chapter 42

ELEANORI woke up feeling different.For the first time since the Siren Kingdom, the heavy, burning weight in my chest had eased.My limbs didn’t feel like stone anymore. I actually wanted to move.I got out of bed, my bare feet hitting the cold wood floors.I didn't want to sit by the window and watch the world move without me; I wanted to be in it.I pulled a thick knit shawl over my nightgown and stepped out into the hallway.The Packhouse was massive, all dark stone and high ceilings.I walked slowly, my hand trailing along the wall. I just wanted to see where I was living.But as I rounded a corner near the great hall, I heard voices coming from behind a slightly jarred door.The voice was masculine and sounded familiar.I stopped. My heart gave a little thud against my ribs. It was Ciaran."How is she today?" he asked. He sounded tired, but there was an edge of concern in his voice that made my breath hitch. "The healer said the tonic should be finished. Is she regaining her str

Chapter 43

ELEANORThe stone floor of the Great Hall was cold beneath my feet.Ciaran had been obsessed with my lineage and origin since we got back from the Siren Kingdom, and I couldn’t blame him.I was curious, too. I had been losing my mind trying to come up with explanations for how I had managed to grow the lilies out of nowhere, not to mention all the other things that had happened to me that I didn’t have explanations for.Today, he was looking for answers. He’d brought in a high witch, a woman named Mother Vane.She looked like a bird of prey, draped in heavy, oil-slicked black feathers and smelling of bitter herbs.She didn't speak; she just rattled a bowl of jagged obsidian crystals as she staggered in.Her eyes were as white as the long frizzy hair on her head. She was bent over and too frail, it was a miracle she was able to walk without dropping to the ground."Sit," Ciaran commanded. His voice was tight. I sat on the stool he’d placed in the center of the room.Across the hall, Dy

Chapter 44

CIARANDylan looked between us, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across his face.He knew exactly what he was doing. He patted my shoulder, a little too hard, and stepped toward the door."Right then," he said, his voice dripping with amusement."I’m going to go. Try not to kill each other—or, you know…" He trailed off, chuckling as he turned around to leave.The door clicked shut, and the silence that followed was worse than the shouting. I didn't move from the doorway. I just watched her.Eleanor was standing by the edge of the bed, her head down, her fingers twitching at her sides.She looked small, but after what I’d seen in the garden, I knew she wasn't. She was a tornado wrapped in a small frame, waiting to explode.Suddenly, the air in the room grew tense. I could hear the frantic rise and fall of her heartbeat. Her scent was potent like never before.There was a mix of something different, something that stirred my wolf inside of me. The scent of her arousal.My wolf purred. I

Chapter 45

ELEANORA knock at the door startled me. I wasn’t expecting anyone, especially not after the way Ciaran had stormed out earlier.A young maid entered, carrying a large, flat box wrapped in silk. She laid it on my bed with a wide smile and hurried out, only to return with two other girls."For you, Eleanor," she whispered, her eyes bright with excitement.They helped me open it, and I gasped. Nestled inside was a dress made of deep, midnight-blue silk.It was beautiful, more beautiful than anything I’d ever touched, let alone owned.For a girl who had spent her life in hand-me-down rags and rough, worn-out Omega tunics, this felt like a dream."Put it on! Please!" one of the maids chirped.I stripped off my old clothes and stepped into the silk. It felt like cool water against my skin.Once it was settled, I couldn’t help myself; I twirled.The skirt flared out in a perfect circle, looking incredibly luxurious.The maids clapped, their faces glowing with a genuine joy that made me fe

Chapter 46

ELEANORBy nightfall, the courtyard was alive with activity.Maids and guards strolled in and out, preparing the group for the journey.To me, this gala was just another cold place where powerful people decided my fate. I didn’t belong. I hadn’t belonged anywhere for a long time.I had grown up in the dirt, an orphan shifted from one bad house to another. Even now, in this expensive dress, I felt like a stray cat someone had taken home and tried to love.I stood by the carriage, my fingers twisting the silk of my skirt. The midnight blue fabric felt beautiful against my skin, and yet I didn't feel like I deserved to wear it.Every time I sensed Ciaran looking at me, I fixed my gaze on the gravel.Once, I dared to peek up, hoping to see a trace of the man who had touched me so gently in my room, whose lips entwined with mine had set my whole body on fire.But the moment our eyes met, I flinched away. He was a wall of ice again, no trace of the man who had looked at me with desire and p