All Chapters of Blood ,Fire and Frost: Chapter 41 - Chapter 45

The forest felt different once the king vanished— as though his presence had soaked into the soil, staining the night with something cold and lingering. Rowan stayed close on her right. Lucien stayed close on her left. But for the first time since the marsh, neither touched her. Not because they didn’t want to. Because they were afraid of unbalancing her again. That fear cut deeper than claws. --- They walked in silence until the trees thinned and the sound of running water reached them—a shallow river slicing through the moonlit earth. Rowan stepped forward first. “We’ll stop here. Just long enough for her to rest.” Lucien nodded, but Selene caught the flicker of disagreement in his eyes. He wanted to keep moving. He wanted her safe from the king. Rowan wanted her safe from herself.

The sanctuary settled around them like a living lullaby. The fire in Lucien’s hearth crackled quietly, flames shifting between soft blue and silver. Outside, the pine forest whispered in gentle waves, no longer echoing with threats, spirits, or prophecies. For the first time in what felt like months, Selene’s lungs didn’t hurt when she breathed. The air slipped in easily, no longer sharp or crushing, no longer filled with panic and pressure. Her chest rose and fell without resistance, without fear, as if the weight she’d been carrying had finally loosened its grip—just enough to let her remember what relief felt like.Rowan dozed lightly beside her—no longer wolf, no longer warrior, just a man leaning against her shoulder, exhaustion softening every sharp edge of him. His breathing had evened into slow, steady pulls of air, the tension that usually coiled through him fina

Theron vanished the way shadows do— swiftly, silently, leaving the forest colder in his wake. Rowan stood bristling long after he was gone, chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. Lucien’s shadows swirled around him, restless but controlled. Selene felt it immediately: They were both at their breaking point. The river attack, the king’s emergence, the prophecy twisting tighter around them— they couldn’t take another blow. And neither could she. Rowan staggered slightly. Just a shift in weight—barely noticeable—but Selene caught it. Blood trickled down his arm. Shadows still clung to his ribs where the spirits had dragged him under. “Rowan,” she whispered, “you’re hurt.” “I’m fine,” he said, too quickly. Lucien sighed softly. “He’s lying.”