جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 23

Elariana Morning crept into the tent so softly, as if dawn itself were afraid to disturb the fragile, almost dreamlike peace I had finally sunk into during the night. The light glowed faintly through the canvas, and as my eyes slowly opened, for a brief moment I thought I was still in that stifled, dark world where every waking meant a new command, a new punishment, or a new task. Then I realized there were no orders here. No cold, harsh voices demanding instant obedience. The tent was quiet and calm. A faint scent of lavender lingered in the air. And yet… something was wrong. The silence. That was it. Too wide. Too deep. Too empty. I sat up carefully, pulling the blanket to my chest, and as I looked around, my stomach clenched. Zane was not there. He was not standing at the entrance. Not sitting on the chair. His cloak was not where it usually was. The tent was painfully empty. And I… in a single heartbeat, I fell back into

Elariana The morning still felt like it was stepping around me carefully, as if it was not sure it was allowed to pour full light over me. But when Zane stood and said he would have breakfast brought, something tiny yet enormous shifted inside me. The thought that my hunger was not a scandal, not shame, not the doorway to punishment. It was simply a sign that my body was alive, and someone did not want to silence it. It did not take long before he returned. The tent flap moved, and the next moment he was there with a bowl of warm food, a mug, and a piece of fresh bread. Steam rose from the bowl. The smell of spices and meat mixed together, simple and natural, as if this had always been part of my morning. Zane did not come too close. He set the bowl down on a flat board inside the tent, then sat across from me, leaving space between us. His presence was still strong, his alpha aura like a heavy blanket that can feel too warm, yet still makes you fee