Semua Bab Rejected By The Alpha, Crowned The Rogue Queen : Bab 41 - Bab 50

SIERRA'S POV The twins were finally asleep.Nyx had curled up around her blanket and Zephyr had fallen asleep half on top of his stuffed wolf. It took everything in me not to melt on the spot. I brushed their hair back gently before stepping out of the room with the lantern lowered so the light would not wake them.Isaak closed the door quietly behind us.The house felt smaller. We had been doing this dance for days since he showed up at our door. Close. Too close. Pretending nothing simmered under the surface while the tension climbed.Isaak stretched, rolling his shoulders. His shirt lifted just enough to show the deep V line disappearing into his trousers. He did not even notice, but I definitely did.“Stop looking at me like that.”“Like how?”“Like that.”He opened his mouth as if to argue but then huffed a laugh. “My mistake.”He stepped closer, not too close, but close enough that if I reached out, my fingers would brush his shirt.“The thing is, I like looking at you.” He said

SIERRA’S POVAs I rode across the border into Ithacus, I had expected guards or scouts or maybe even resistance, but instead, the land felt strangely quiet.Isaak rode beside me, his wolf restless beneath his skin. He kept looking around as if waiting for trouble. I could feel the tension rolling off him.We crested a hill overlooking the heart of Ithacus territory. The village lights shimmered against the cold landscape. Smoke curled up from chimneys. People moved about, unaware that war was about to touch their lives.I swallowed and urged my horse forward.As soon as we crossed the main path, voices rose.“Lady Aris has returned.”The sound swelled fast, louder and louder, spreading through the village like wildfire. Doors opened, feet rushing to gather as we rode past. By the time we reached the hall, what felt like the entire pack stood waiting and at the front was Xenox.He ran toward us, breath fogging in the cold.“Lady Aris,” he gasped, relief and emotion twisting through his

SIERRA’S POVThe healers said the blade missed his heart by less than an inch, like that was supposed to comfort me, except Isaak has been laying unmoving on the bed for weeks now.His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths beneath layers of clean bandages. The cursed wound spread out in dark lines like webs across his chest, a sickly black that refused to fade no matter what they tried. I had not left his side in the weeks since his injury, simply sitting in the chair beside his bed with his hand in mine.Nyx and Zephyr slept on a pallet in another room, watched over by two trusted guards. Zephyr had not wanted to let go of my shirt for hours after we returned from the dungeons. He only let me put him down when exhaustion finally claimed him. Nyx had cried herself to sleep with her face buried in my cloak, but they were safe now and Isaak was alive.That was supposed to be enough, yet it wasn't.A soft knock came at the door, but I ignored it, not in the mood for anyone. The knock c

SIERRA’S POVThe next morning, I was summoned before sunrise.I had barely slept, instead spending most of the night staring at the ceiling, listening to the steady breathing of my children and wondering how many more times my heart could fracture before it simply stopped hurting altogether.I had just finished braiding Nyx’s hair when the knocks came, three sharp raps against the door. I knew it was the council even before they announced themselves because of how abrasive it was. They were always abrasive, always taking, and expecting compliance in return.I got to my feet and grabbed a burgundy coat from the closet, dealing it over my shoulder. My movements felt automatic. This was not my first summons, and it would not be my last.“I’ll be back before breakfast,” I said leaning down to kiss the crown of her head and then Zephyr's. “You two stay together.”Nyx nodded, far too serious for a child her age and Zephyr continued to play with his wooden sword. I smiled at them, a fond smi

SIERRA'S POV The council room doors were warm against my palm as I pushed through them. The councillors sat across the room, their eyes widening as I stepped in.“Lady Aris, to what do I owe this–”“What's this I hear about a celebration?” I cut in, meeting the head councillor's eyes.He breathed, pushing up from his seat slowly.“It's a festival, lady Aris, to commemorate the recovery of the alpha.” He said with a pliant smile. “Moonbane has not celebrated anything properly since the Luna Ceremony. Too much blood and uncertainty to do so. This is tradition. A sign of renewal and–”“That's not what this is about and you know it.” I said, “you're just doing this because word’s getting out that he's lost his memories and you don't want that. You want to keep people thinking he's perfectly fine when, in fact, he isn't. Not yet.”“None of us do, lady Aris. And neither should you. You might look at him and see a man you desire–” I gasped at the audacity of it, yet he continued, “but other