Lily
The palace had changed. Or maybe I had. Every step I took down its marble halls carried a different weight now. The servants bowed lower. Guards straightened with almost military precision. Whispers followed me like a shadow; soft, curious and tinged with speculation. I wasn't just another healer anymore. I wasn't the quiet figure in the Alpha King's court who could slip by unnoticed. I was his mate. And everyone knew it.
I had spent years blending into the background, my life a deliberate whisper. Now, there was no hiding. At night, when the palace finally exhaled into silence, I slipped into the shadows again, my kind of shadows. Empty rooms, forgotten corridors, secluded gardens. I traced runes into the air, whispered words older than the stone walls themselves, felt the heat gather in my palms until my fingers trembled. I pushed myself harder each night. I had to. If Zal wanted me, and I knew he did, I wouldn't make it easy.
Zeena certainly didn't make things easy either. She wore her hatred plainly, like fine jewelry she wanted everyone to see. "You don't belong here," she hissed one afternoon, stepping close enough for me to catch the faint scent of her perfume. "A lowly healer playing queen."
I tilted my head, letting a slow, dangerous smirk curl my lips. "Funny. I don't remember asking for your opinion."
Her eyes narrowed, but I didn't flinch. I met her stare and held it until she broke first, storming away.
Later, Elis found me, his golden eyes searching my face. "What did she say?"
"Nothing I can't handle," I said with a shrug.
His jaw tightened. "You don't have to handle anything alone."
"I know," I murmured, resting my hand over his. But the truth was… some battles you fight alone. And this was one of them.
Sara was nothing like Zeena. If anything, she was my one refuge from the constant stares. She had been the first to throw her arms around me when I came back to life, the first to smile without hesitation, the first to fuss over me like I was made of spun glass.
"You almost died, Lily! You need to eat more!" she'd scold each morning, shoving another plate of food my way until I groaned.
I told her I could serve myself. She ignored me. I told her I wasn't fragile. She ignored that too.
Eventually, Elis caught her mid-fuss and, with that infuriating smirk of his, appointed her my personal maid. I tried to protest. He ignored me too.
I thought I'd hate it. But somehow, between Sara's relentless care and Elis's quiet watchfulness, a strange warmth began to grow, something that felt dangerously like family. Still, there were pieces of me no one touched.
When the palace was asleep, when Sara's snores drifted faintly from her own chamber, I pulled my leather-bound spell book from its hiding place beneath the floorboards. By a single candle, I traced the shimmering ink with my fingertips, whispering the words in a voice soft enough for only the magic to hear.
Sometimes I moved to the gardens, letting the moonlight guide my hands. My magic flared there, freer under the open sky, but still carefully contained. I never let it spill too far, never let anyone see. Not even Elis. Because this power wasn't just mine, it was my advantage.
The blade that should have ended me had only shown me what I truly was. I hadn't planned to take that hit. I'd only wanted to protect him, to keep the assassin's knife from finding his heart. If it had…I shuddered. He wouldn't be here. I survived because I'm a witch. But not just any witch. I was something… more. Modified. Zal knew it. That's why he wanted me. Too bad for him. Elis had already claimed me. And when Zal comes for me, he won't just be facing a witch. He'll be facing him.