Returning in Reverse After Betrayal의 모든 챕터: 챕터 201 - 챕터 210

“I want to be,” I admitted. “But I’m not sure if I remember how. Everything has been in survival mode for so long that I’ve forgotten what it feels like to just… be with you. Not plotting, not planning, not preparing for the next fight. Just being.”Kael moved over and sat beside me.“I miss that too,” he said. “I miss the simple days before crowns and heavy responsibilities and impossible choices.”“May we get it back?” I asked. “Or is it gone for good?”“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “But I’d like to try. After we bring Alaric home. After we deal with Seraphine. After the immediate crisis calms down, I'd like to find our way back to each other.”“And if we can’t?”“Then we build som

“I’m sure.”My voice stayed steady. Controlled.“I need some time alone.”“Alright. But Sophia, if you need to talk, I’m here.”“I know. Thank you.”Her footsteps faded down the hall.I waited until the sound disappeared completely, then let my head fall into my hands.Four more weeks.I could do this. I had to. For Alaric. For the kingdom. For every wolf who had chosen to stay and fight.I just was not sure what it would cost me.That night I lay beside Kael and stared at the ceiling.“You are not sleeping,” he said quietly.“Neither are you.”“I am worried about you.” He rolled onto his side

“There,” Giga pointed ahead. “I see it.”The refuge.Stone walls built into the side of a rocky outcrop, just as I remembered. Light glowed from within—warm, real light that cut through the Black Realm’s constant gloom.I did not wait for the others.I urged my horse faster, ignoring Kael’s shout to slow down.The curse pulled harder, sensing my desperation, but I did not care.Could not care about anything except reaching that light.Reaching Alaric.I dismounted before my horse fully stopped, stumbling on legs that had gone half-numb from the curse’s touch. The refuge door stood open—just a crack, as if someone had left rushing.“Alaric?” I called, pushing through the door. “Alaric, it is Mom! I am here!”The interior looked exactly as I remembered.Furnished with simple comfort.Tapestries on the walls, a fire burning in the hearth, and shelves lined with books.And Alaric’s things.His drawings were scattered across a small table.His favorite blanket was draped over a chair.A woo

I could still turn back.Lock the door again.Return to bed and let the gray reclaim me.I need you to be there when I get back.Alaric’s voice—real or imagined—whispers through my memory.I unlock the door.Turn the handle.Step out into the corridor.Erica is there.Of course she is.Slumped against the wall across from my door, asleep while sitting up.Her face is swollen from crying.Dark circles shadow her eyes.My daughter.Who lost her sight saving everyone.Who has been sitting outside my door for three days, begging me to acknowledge she exists.Guilt crashes through me.I ha

“Aldric sent word this morning,” Kael said. “Seraphine’s gathering forces somewhere shielded by heavy magic. He couldn’t pinpoint the location. But he confirmed the non-wolf allies. He mentioned… things. Creatures he wouldn’t name.”“Helpful,” I muttered.“He’s bound by oaths. You know how it is.”I waved it off. “What matters is that she has reinforcements we can’t see or count. So we plan for the worst.”Martin let out a low breath. “Not exactly encouraging.”“Realistic,” I said. “Right now, realistic is all we’ve got.”I leaned over the map, eyes tracing the lines of Black River and the scattered settlements around it. The strategy formed slowly, heavy and bitter on my tongue.&