Natalie~
I sat beside Zane on our thrones in the grand hall of the Lycan palace, the weight of the golden crowns pressing against my temples—a constant reminder of the responsibility we now bore. The hall was alive with movement and sound: courtiers whispering in corners, advisors debating in hushed tones, the faint shuffle of parchment and the occasional clang of steel as guards shifted at their posts. The towering marble columns, carved with wolves eternally howling at the moon, seemed to watch us with a silent judgment of their own.
Sunlight streamed through the high arched windows, spilling golden light across the polished floor until it fractured into long shadows that slid and twisted like restless spirits. The grandeur of it all sometimes made my chest tighten; this was no longer just a palace, but the heart of a kingdom, and every decision Zane and I made reverberated far beyond these walls.
