جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

The voice I heard yesterday kept me up for days, My routine consisted of eating and sleeping even though I was unable to sleep Suddenly three knocks hit the door. I already knew who it was before I crossed the room. Nobody else in this palace knocked like that. I pulled it open. Kaelen stood there with both hands braced against the frame. “Right. I’ve had enough of you rotting in this room all alone.” I crossed my arms. “I’m not rotting.” “You absolutely are.” He leaned against the doorframe with the energy of someone who had already decided how this conversation was ending. “I could smell the boredom from the corridor. It was tragic, Aylin. Truly.” “Kaelen.” “As your darling friend” he pressed a hand to his chest, completely sincere, “and as the Gamma of this Kingdom, which means I do actually have some power around here, I have made an executive decision, You are leaving this room.” He paused. “I did ask Lucien first, though.” I blinked. He pushed off the doo

Kaelen was still talking.Something about the east corridor painting.....but his voice had started to blur at the edges somewhere between the library and the balcony.I walked beside him and nodded at the right moments and said nothing.Children died from it, Aylin.Pregnant wolves lost their young.That is why humans will always sit beneath werewolves in this world."and the frame alone is worth at least three political scandals""Kaelen."He stopped.I exhaled slowly. "I'm tired."His expression shifted. "Aylin…..""The tour was wonderful. Truly But I think I need to stop here for today."He studied my face for a moment, "You're not tired," he said quietly. "Your mind is somewhere else entirely.""I know," I said. He opened his mouth.Closed it.Tried again. "There's still the east corridor. The painting alone will….""Kaelen."He stopped.Then he sighed, "Fine." He straightened. "I'll walk you back.""There's no need," I said. "I know the way.""I'm sure you do.""Then…..""Aylin.

LUCIEN’S POVShe had freckles.I hadn't noticed that before.Small, scattered across the bridge of her nose and the tops of her cheeks, barely visible in daylight but somehow clear as anything in moonlight. I had stood there in that corridor last night trying to focus on the gardens below and instead found myself cataloguing every detail of her face like it was something I needed to memorize before it disappeared.Her eyes. Dark, steady, the kind that didn't look away when they should. Her silver hair loose around her shoulders, longer than I realized, catching the moonlight in a way that made her look less like a girl standing in a palace corridor and more like something carved out of it. Still and composed, she had stood there and told me she wasn't angry at me with more grace than I deserved.She looked like a portrait.I could have watched her all night.I pressed my fingers against my desk and stared at the reports in front of me without reading a single word.Her hands were so w

I woke up gasping.My hands were gripping the sheets so hard my knuckles had gone pale. Sweat soaked through my clothes, my chest heaving, my breath coming in short uneven pulls I couldn't steady.The dream.My mother's voice. The forest. Her shape dissolving between the trees no matter how fast I ran.I sat on the edge of the bed and pressed both hands flat against my knees and breathed until the room stopped closing in.I drew myself a bath.The warm water helped. I sat in it until my breathing evened out and the dream loosened its grip. By the time I stepped out I felt steadier. Not fixed, just steadier.I crossed to the dresser and pulled it open.Dresses where everywhere. Organized neatly across the full wardrobe, more than I had ever owned in my entire life, fabrics ranging from deep jewel tones to soft creams and pale blues.The maids, They must have restocked it while I was away.I reached out and ran my fingers along the nearest rack.Silk, Linen. Something soft and embroider

LUCIEN’S POV"You called for a meeting?"Terak stepped in first, already reading the room before he crossed the threshold. Kaelen came in right behind him.Nerissa was still standing by the desk.She turned when they entered. "Beta. Gamma."Terak inclined his head once. "Nerissa."Kaelen smiled. "Nerissa. Always a pleasure."She returned it with practiced civility, then looked back at me."That will be all," I said. "The report was thorough. Well done.""Thank you, Your Highness."She left.The door had barely closed before Kaelen turned around. "What was she doing here?""Delivering reports." I moved behind my desk and sat. "I asked her to.""What kind of reports?""Warrior distribution, Female battalion assignments across the packs."Kaelen blinked. "You could have asked me.""She is one of the highest ranking in this kingdom. She's capable.""I know she's capable." He dropped into the chair across from my desk. "I'm just saying. You two were awfully close just now."Terak sat witho