جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 70

CHAPTER 62THORNE’S POVThe sky hadn't even begun to shift into dawn when my boots struck the stone corridors of the lower gallery. I preferred the quiet of the pre-sunrise inspection, long before the court woke to play their political games. The repairs from the Blood Oath attack were finished, the new blocks integrating into the ancient walls. On the surface, the fortress looked impenetrable again. The vanguard guards on the battlements had relaxed their posture, their voices low as they joked about the upcoming winter hunting season. They believed the danger had passed.I watched them from the passage, my hand resting on the handle of my sword.“Peace had always been the favorite disguise of war.” By mid-morning, I took my position near the edge of the training grounds, tracking the movements of the courtyard. Ava emerged from the main passageway, followed by Maya as she carried out her daily Luna duties. She offered a polite smile to a group of passing weavers, but it didn't reach

CHAPTER 64AVA’S POVThe deep, resonant swell of the Moon Mother’s ancient hymn echoed off the battlements. The lower palace courtyard was overflowing, packed shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds of pack members who had traveled from the farthest borders of the territory. Rows of young families stood in quiet, respectful lines, their breaths pluming in the air as they cradled newborn pups wrapped securely in layers of winter furs. This was the traditional Winter Blessing ceremony, a sacred event dedicated to welcoming the newborn pups of the kingdom, presenting them before the high altar to secure the pack's future, blessings and prosperity.I was already standing at the center of the dais beside Draken, our shoulders lightly brushing as we performed the ceremonial duties. There was no time for hesitation, no space to let the quiet throb behind my eyes distract me. This was the heart of the Northern traditions, the moment where the crown anchored itself to the future of the pack.“May t

CHAPTER 66 AVA’S POV The silver hairbrush shattered against the wardrobe with a crack, sending bristles flying across the floor. I didn't care. I didn't even stop. My hands were trembling with anger as I gripped a porcelain vase from the vanity and hurled it directly into the stone hearth, watching it explode into a thousand white pieces. “Luna! Please!” Maya shrieked from the threshold, her voice high-pitched and quivering as she pressed her back against the doorframe to avoid the flying objects. She took one look at my sweating, pale face and the wreckage littering the royal bedchamber, her lower lip quivering. “Oh, goddess... let me fetch the head healers immediately. You're burning up with that fever again—” “Enough!” I snapped, the word tearing from my throat with a growl. As the sound left my lips, a wave of dark Alpha command rolled off my skin. It wasn't intentional. I didn't even know I possessed that kind of power, but the bleeding from my soul swamped the entire ro

CHAPTER 68DRAKEN’S POVThe doors of the royal wing yielded to my palm without a sound, but the silence inside the private chambers was far too deep. I had prepared myself for the worst—for more shattered porcelain, for another wave of her aura, or to find her burning with that wretched fever beneath the furs.Instead, the bed was empty.I followed the faint, fading trail of her sun-baked earth and lavender scent toward the opened doors at the far end of the room. Ava was standing completely alone on the stone balcony. Thick flakes of snow fell around her, dusting the dark wool of her cloak and landing softly in her golden hair. She was staring blankly out into the mist, her small frame so completely still that she didn't even notice my boots behind her.I didn't pause. In three long strides, I bridged the distance between us, reached out, and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her back firmly against my chest.She let out a sharp gasp, her body instantly stiffening, but the mo

CHAPTER 70AVA’S POVThe high drawing room of the lower conservatory was overflowing with the persistent clatter of tea cups and the hum of court gossip. A few days had passed since the Winter Blessing ceremony. The palace walls were alive with judgment. I stood near the entrance, my fingers tightening against the silk of my skirts as the scattered murmurs of the noblewomen drifted through the air, completely unburdened by my presence.“Did you see the way she hesitated with the warrior's child?” one of Geneveive’s entourage whispered, leaning over her embroidery frame toward Lady Vesper. “She froze completely. She looked at that newborn pup as if it were a curse, not a blessing.”“And she left the courtyard before the feast even peaked,” another lady added, her voice a sharp hiss. “She looked entirely pale. Distracted. Almost completely absent. Some say the grief of losing that Southern Beta has broken her spirit, but a Luna of the North cannot afford to be so fragile.”“Perhaps the