All Chapters of Tethered Hearts of Ice : Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

“Was he enough?” I asked again. My voice barely sounded like mine anymore. It was thin, stretched raw, like something pulled too far and left to tear. Dorian did not answer right away. He stood there in the doorway, tall and immaculate, his presence filling the room without warmth. His eyes moved once more to the bed, to the still form in my arms, and then back to my face as if calculating the inconvenience of this moment. “Selene,” he said, measured and controlled. “You are not thinking clearly.” A sound tore out of my chest. It might have been a laugh. It might have been a sob. “I asked you a question,” I said. “Was he enough?” Dorian exhaled slowly, like a man running out of patience. “This is not the place for accusations.” I stared at him. Accusations. I looked down at Rowen’s face. Peaceful. Too peaceful. His lashes rested against his cheeks like he was sleeping after a long day of trying too hard to be brave. “You did not answer him,” I said quietly. “You did not an

The claws retracted as quickly as they came, leaving my fingertips stinging and my palms slick with sweat. My vision tunneled—Marisol’s words echoing like a death knell inside my skull. New heir. Three days. The one growing inside me right now.The room spun. My wolf snarled so loud in my head I thought the others must hear it.Dorian’s gaze flicked to my hands, narrowing for half a second—as if he’d seen something he didn’t like. Then he turned away, dismissing me like the inconvenience I had always been.He clapped his hands.The sound was sharp. Final.Six guards stepped into the ward immediately, their boots quiet against the floor, their faces blank. They did not look at me. They did not look at Rowen. They stood in formation like this was a scheduled task.I turned slowly. “What is this,” I asked.No one answered me.Dorian straightened his cuffs. “We need to proceed,” he said. “This cannot become a spectacle.”A cold weight settled in my stomach. “Proceed with what.”He looked