Rosaline looked around the hall, still waiting for Lucian to come back from his talk with Prime Minister Varric. The massive chamber, once so alive with chatter and clinking glasses, now felt suffocating.
It was already midnight, and her dread for this day was increasing rapidly, tightening around her chest like an iron band.
She wanted..no, needed to be with Lucian at this moment, to keep him within her sight, to prevent him from doing anything reckless, anything that could turn against her favor.
Her lips pressed into a hard line, the gloss of her earlier calm now gone. Only if she knew who his mate was going to be…
She would have already gotten her out of the way, just as she had done with her own mate.
Rosaline clenched her fists while standing in the hall alone with the confidants of Prime Minister Varric. Her nails dug sharply into her soft palms, leaving crescent marks as she tried to suppress the desperate urge to storm out in search of Lucian.
She could feel the weight of the confidants' presence, their watchful eyes like chains binding her to the spot. She could not abandon her post.
Just then, the subtle scrape of chairs echoed through the hall. Rosaline's sharp gaze flicked toward the Prime Minister's men as they suddenly rose to their feet, as if receiving an unseen signal. The tallest among them inclined his head with polite formality. "We will have to take our leave now, Luna Rosaline."
Rosaline forced herself to nod in response, hiding the flicker of relief and suspicion in her eyes. Her voice, cool though strained, dismissed them, and she gestured for attendants to escort the group out of the corridors.
As soon as the men were out of sight, Rosaline's composure cracked. Restless and unsettled, she turned her head sharply, eyes darting across the empty expanse of the hall like a frantic predator searching for its prey.
Where was Lucian? If the Prime Minister's confidants had departed, then surely Varric himself had left as well. But then… where was Lucian?
A sickening thought slithered into her mind, one she desperately tried to cast aside. Was he with his mate? Was that why he hadn't returned to her? The idea burned through her veins like venom, but she forced her trembling hands to steady as she stepped briskly toward the exit.
She moved into the garden. The silver glow of the moon illuminated the paths, but no matter how frantically she looked, no trace of Lucian appeared.
Panic scratched at her insides. She kept moving, her gown whispering against the gravel, until her hurried steps brought her to the backyard of the dining hall.
And there, her breath caught in her throat she froze.
Lucian had fallen on the ground, unconscious, his strong frame frighteningly still under the pale light. Elara was kneeling beside him, her trembling hands cupping his face, tears streaming down her cheeks as she pleaded for him to wake up.
Rosaline's mind blanked for a second, then flooded with white-hot rage. What had this wolfless… curse… done?
Without sparing another heartbeat, Rosaline stormed forward, the sharp clack of her heels against the stone echoing her fury. She closed the distance in a blur and seized Elara by the shoulder, her grip merciless as she shoved the girl away from Lucian.
Elara's cry rang out as she stumbled backward, falling hard against the unforgiving floor. A yelp tore from her lips as her delicate skin scraped against the stone, the sting of pain clear on her face.
Rosaline's shove would have been harsh for even a normal she-wolf to endure, let alone for someone like Elara, someone cursed to be wolfless.
"What did you do to Lucian, you wolfless mutt!" Rosaline spat, her voice a venomous hiss that cracked through the night.
Her arms immediately lowered to cradle Lucian, lifting his head into her lap as if to shield him from further harm. Her fingers trembled as they brushed against his skin, her eyes narrowing as she tried to see what had happened to him.
"I…I don't know. He was just fine and then… then suddenly he fell down unconscious." Elara's voice cracked between sobs, her chest heaving as tears streamed down her face.
Just moments ago she had cradled her mate in her arms, his warmth grounding her, his presence making her feel whole. And now he was pulled away, lying lifeless in someone else's embrace.
The ache in her chest was sharp and relentless, clawing at her from the inside, a pain she couldn't explain.
Her hands trembled as she reached out instinctively, her entire being screaming for her to reclaim him, to drag Rosaline away and cry out that Lucian was hers, that he was her mate, her soulbound, eventhough deep down, she knew she was no match for Rosaline.
Before she could act, hurried footsteps broke through the heavy silence. Mona appeared, her skirts gathered in her fists, rushing forward with several guards trailing closely behind her. Her face wore a mask of worry as she called out, but her eyes, sharp and cold betrayed the hatred simmering within.
"My Luna, are you alright?" Mona asked, her words honeyed with false concern. "I saw you leaving the hall looking distressed, so I thought it wise to bring guards for your safety." Her gaze flicked toward Elara, brimming with loathing, as though her step-sister's very existence was an insult.
Rosaline barely acknowledged Mona. Her focus remained fixed on Lucian, whose chest rose faintly but whose face stayed frighteningly pale, his body unresponsive as though he had been swallowed by a deep abyss. Fear gnawed at her stomach, twisting with her fury. Her voice rang sharp as steel when she finally spoke.
"Grab this wolfless and put her in the dungeons until Lucian wakes and tells us what she has done to him."
At her command, two guards stepped forward immediately, their hands like iron clamps as they seized Elara by the arms. She gasped in pain at the brutality of their grip, the sensitive skin of her arms burning as she writhed against them. Her desperate attempts to pull free only tightened their hold.
Mona's lips curved into a satisfied smile. Watching her step-sister cry out in agony was like a performance meant only for her...sweet, cruel, and gratifying. Her eyes glimmered with malicious delight, as though she were witnessing the fulfillment of a long-cherished wish.
Rosaline's expression mirrored that hatred, her eyes narrowing as if she wanted to claw Elara's heart out with her own hands. But then, her gaze caught on something.
Elara struggled against the guards, thrashing her shoulders in vain, her hair tumbling forward in disarray. And in that struggle, a lock shifted aside, revealing the delicate curve of her neck.
Rosaline froze. Her heart lurched violently in her chest, then seemed to stop altogether. There, exposed under the dim light, was a mark.
Her pupils dilated, fury and disbelief warring in her mind. Elara… Lucian's mate?
Had he already marked her?!
Frantically, Rosaline glanced down at Lucian, brushing the collar of his tunic aside with trembling fingers to check the smooth line of his neck. No mark. Relief, sharp and fleeting, loosened the crushing weight on her chest.
She exhaled, a shaky breath escaping her lips. But the relief was short-lived. Her gaze snapped back to Elara, and her expression hardened into pure venom.
She had intended only to lock the wolfless girl away, to keep her caged until Lucian awoke. But now, after what she had seen, the sight of that mark ignited a blood-deep hatred in her veins. The thought of Elara bearing what was meant for her made her skin crawl with rage.
Rosaline's voice dropped low, dripping with lethal intent as she issued her next order.
"Make sure she learns what happens when someone dares endanger our Alpha. Gag her and torture her until she begs me to grant her death."