Elis
The palace walls felt colder these days. Heavier. Like they were holding their breath. I hadn't left Lily's side in days. The healers came and went, murmuring hopeful words that didn't match the haunted looks in their eyes. Her breathing was shallow, her body still. But her soul…gods, her soul had to be fighting.
She was still here. I could feel it. When the knock came, I didn't look up. I just said, "Enter."
Douglas stepped in. His scent was tense. Alert. My Beta rarely wore nerves so close to the surface. I finally raised my eyes to meet his.
"We tracked Jose," he said without preamble. "He went into the western woods two nights ago. Didn't return until dawn." I waited.
"Our best spies followed. They didn't risk getting too close…too many wards in the area but they heard part of the meeting. He was speaking to someone. Someone powerful. We only got a name."
I straightened. "Say it."
"Zal."
The name rolled through the room like a cold gust of wind. "Zal," I repeated. It tasted wrong. Like ash and rot.
Douglas nodded grimly. "The spies didn't see him. He was cloaked in shadows. Said the whole forest felt wrong. Twisted. The kind of dark magic that drains you just by standing near it."
I clenched my jaw. My thumb rubbed slow circles against Lily's knuckles as I listened. Her hand was still limp in mine. Too still. "He's not just a warlock," Douglas continued, "or a rogue Alpha. Whatever Zal is… he's beyond the old bloodlines. The air warped around him. Even Jose could barely speak in front of him."
That I believed. I closed my eyes, took a breath, then opened them again. "Did they say anything else?"
"Only that Zal was furious Lily got hurt. That she wasn't supposed to be harmed. Zal threatened to destroy Jose if she died."
My wolf bared its teeth at that. I didn't know what Zal wanted with her but that interest alone was enough to make my blood turn to ice. I turned toward Douglas fully, letting my voice settle into quiet steel. "Keep watching Jose. I don't care how many men it takes. I want to know what Zal wants, where he's hiding, and who else is in his pocket."
Douglas nodded once, sharp and sure. "But," I added, eyes drifting back to Lily, "we don't move. Not yet."
"My King…"
"My mate is barely breathing, Douglas. You think I'm going to leave her side to chase a shadow?" Silence. I let my voice drop even lower. "Not until she wakes. Not until I know she's safe. Then I'll deal with Jose. And this Zal."
"And if she doesn't wake?" Douglas asked quietly.
I looked at him. Steady. Unflinching. "Then I won't need an army," I said. "Because I'll burn the whole godsdamned world down myself."
He didn't speak after that. He just bowed his head and left. And I turned back to Lily, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. My voice dropped to a whisper, one only she might hear. "Hold on for me, love. Just a little longer." Because the war hadn't even begun yet. And she was the only reason I hadn't already started it.
***
Eunice's voice came softly from behind me. "Elis, you need to eat."
I didn't answer. I hadn't eaten since… gods, I didn't even know how long it had been. Days? Time had lost all meaning.
She came closer, placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. I didn't flinch. Didn't even breathe. My focus was where it had always been, on her. Lily. She looked like she was only sleeping now. The healers had done their work. The wound had closed. Her breathing was even. But she wouldn't wake. Her body was here. But where was her soul? I couldn't lose her. Not when I'd just begun to understand what she meant to me.
I didn't blink. Didn't move. My entire being was held together by threads of hope that were fraying fast.
Then…A sound. So soft I almost thought I imagined it. A breath. But different. A shudder. My body went rigid. I stared at her lips. Another breath, shaky this time. Then her fingers twitched.
"Lily…" I whispered, barely daring to believe it.
Her eyelids fluttered, slow and uncertain, like they weighed more than they should. Then finally, they lifted, just enough for her gaze to find mine. And in that moment, everything else fell away.
"Elis…" she breathed. Her voice…gods, her voice. My hands found her face, cupping it gently, reverently, like she was made of light and I was afraid to crush her. My thumb swept across her cheek.
"I'm here," I rasped. "Lily…"
She tried to smile, though it was weak, and so very tired. "Did I… ruin your night?"
A broken laugh tore from my throat. It was pain and joy in equal measure. "You almost ruined my life, little witch," I murmured. But she was here. Her eyes softened, and I felt it again—that pulse between us, deeper than flesh, older than time. The bond. It was alive. Stronger. Fiercer.
A moment later, the healer entered, silent as a ghost. She checked her pulse with the gentlest touch, then looked at me. "She's stable," she said. "But she needs time. Rest. She's… she's strong."
"How long before she's at full strength?" I demanded.
She hesitated. "Days. Maybe longer."
I didn't like that answer, but I accepted it with a tight nod. She was breathing. That was enough for now. But I knew what came next. The attack hadn't been random. They wanted me. They nearly killed her. And if word got out that she was alive? They'd try again.
I turned to the healer, voice like ice. "No one hears of her recovery. No one."
She stiffened. "Yes, my King."
Without another word, I slipped my arms beneath her fragile body. She was too light, but she was warm. And she was alive. That was all I needed to feel steady again.
I cradled her against me, her head resting beneath my chin as I carried her out of the chamber. Eunice walked silently behind us, saying nothing. She understood.
The halls were quiet, thick with shadows. Most of the palace was asleep, or pretending to be. I moved fast, steps sure, until we reached the deeper wing of my private quarters. Eunice opened the door before I even reached it. The wood closed behind us with a heavy, final thud.
I laid Lily down on my bed…our bed now…and covered her carefully, my hands lingering just a second too long on her shoulder. She was still unconscious, but her presence filled the room more completely than it ever had before.
Eunice stood near the hearth, arms crossed. Watching. "You don't trust the palace anymore," she said.
I didn't look at her as I brushed a loose strand of hair away from Lily's brow. "Not after what happened," I said quietly, but there was steel beneath every word. "They came for me. They hurt her. And I won't let it happen again."
Eunice's nod was slow, firm. "So we keep her here. Hidden. Until she's ready."
My gaze never left Lily. My heart still beating like a war drum in my chest. "She won't be weak for long," I murmured. No. The moment she opened her eyes, I saw it in her. The fire. The fight. She would rise. And when she did, I would make sure no one ever touched her again. Not Jose. Not Zal. Not even the goddess herself.
"Until she's strong enough to fight back," I said.
And I meant every word.