CHAPTER 71

KATHERINEI didn't get back to the palace until super late. The symposium and the events afterward took up most of the day, and by the time the car pulled into the driveway, I was exhausted. I expected Stephen to be waiting for me, probably ready to ask why I had skipped half my classes, but he wasn't in the foyer. I didn't see him in the dining hall either.I stopped a passing maid and asked where he was. She told me he had gone to the council chambers for a major meeting that had been called on short notice. Apparently, something big had happened in the human capital of Oslo. I was surprised to hear that. We rarely got news from the human side of the border unless it involved political treaties or major security breaches.After the maid left, I stood in the hallway for a minute. The palace felt unusually empty. If Stephen was at the council, that meant Elder Cassian and the other high-ranking advisors were likely there too. It was the perfect opportunity. I had spent the whole week

CHAPTER 72

KATHERINEI honestly hated dinner parties. They were always the same. The people walked around with their noses in the air, acting like they were better than everyone else, and the conversations were usually fake. Most of all, I hated the dresses. They were always tight, heavy, and uncomfortable, making it hard to even breathe, let alone move. I felt like a doll on display, and it was exhausting.As the car drove through the night, the silence between Stephen and me was thick. He was busy working on his tablet, his eyes moving fast across the screen as he checked reports. He didn't look up once. I wasn't interested in keeping silent, though. The quiet was making me restless, and I wanted to know why we were suddenly rushing to a human castle in the middle of the night."So, what is actually going on?" I asked.I just wanted to keep the place lively a bit. I didn't really expect him to give me a straight answer, but to my surprise, he actually set the tablet down and looked at me."The

CHAPTER 73

STEPHENWe were thrown back as the stone walls buckled, and dust filled everywhere instantly. I was on my feet before the debris had even settled, my wolf snarling inside my head as my vision sharpened. Julian was coughing beside me, his crown skewed on his head, and I reached down to pull him behind a fallen pillar."Stay down!" I ordered, but he was already reaching for the small pistol he kept tucked into his formal jacket.Moments later, a group of masked attackers burst into the hall. These were rogues. They ignored the screaming guests and started targeting Julian directly. My guess was they wanted to destabilize the human capital by killing their newly crowned king before the ink on his decree was even dry.I bared my teeth and stepped in front of Julian, tapping my communicator to call Rowan."Rowan, we have a breach in the main hall. I need the royal guard here now," I barked into the device.There was nothing but static. I tried again, but the line was dead. They had jammed

CHAPTER 74

KATHERINEPanic flared in my chest immediately, and I started to move, but Rowan’s hand clamped down on my shoulder. He told me to stay back, his voice firm and flat, saying they didn't know what was going on yet and it was too dangerous. Before I could even open my mouth to argue, he was already running toward the smoke, leaving me behind.I stayed in the garden for a few minutes, but my heart was racing too fast. I couldn't just stand here and wait for someone to tell me if the man I was bound to had been blown to bits. The itch to see for myself became too much to ignore, and I ignored Rowan’s orders, moving quickly through the greenery.As I made my way toward the castle, the reality of the situation hit me. I saw numerous guards lying on the ground, groaning in pain or not moving at all. The attack was massive, and the sheer number of casualties made my stomach churn. I found myself wondering if Stephen had survived it, and to my surprise, a part of me truly hoped he did.I pause

CHAPTER 75

ALARICI stood on the little forested hill that overlooked the castle. It was nearly a kilometer away, but I could see the chaos perfectly. The flames were licking at the night sky and the sounds of sirens reached my ears. People were yelling and running in every direction down there. I couldn't help but smile as I watched the results of my efforts. It was a beautiful sight to see such a secure place fall apart so quickly.However, my smile didn't last long. I looked closer at the gates and realized that the main objective had failed. I felt a frown pull at my lips and I let out a heavy sigh, annoyed by the lack of completion. I had given the borderland rogues a simple task, but the human king was still very much alive. Even worse, Stephen hadn't been injured. Not even a scratch as far as I could tell. My plans were meant to be more effective than this, and losing a fighter like Mira made the whole thing feel like a waste of resources.Right then, there was a sharp whooshing sound in

CHAPTER 76

KATHERINEI had been back at the pack grounds for a few days, but the atmosphere felt different than before. Everything was quiet and tense. I hadn't really seen Stephen since we returned from Oslo because he was constantly busy. He spent all his time in meetings or on the phone, trying to mitigate the effects of the ambush. The attack on the human king had caused a massive political mess, and Stephen was right in the middle of fixing it. Today was the first time since we got back that he actually reached out to me. He sent a maid to my room to fetch me, saying he wanted to speak in his office.As I made my way through the stone hallways, my mind started to wander. I couldn't say I had moved on from what happened in that hall, but I was getting there. I wasn't crying every hour anymore. Instead, the sadness was being replaced by something else. What resonated in my mind the most were the words Mira had whispered right before she bit her cheek an