Have you heard? Astrid sank farther into the crimson-cushioned sofa and purred while swirling the tea in her porcelain cup. Lady Neria's eyebrows went up. What about the rebellious girl? Everyone has been heard. Since he claimed her, there has been a constant buzz around the King's court. "Claimed? Astrid's laughing sounded like a honey-dipped razor, both gentle and sharp. That word is really offensive.
I would say... contaminated. Around the rosewood table, the other Alpha spouses looked at each other. In the corner of Astrid's drawing room, a fire was flickering. Shadows slithered further inside the room, but outside the Lycan Kingdom was painted in bleeding hues by sunset. "She's not welcome here," Lady Halya whispered. "A rebel in the hall of thrones? At the border, she ought to have been burned. Astrid sat up straight.
Her flawlessly coiled honey-blonde hair glistened in the candlelight. She is more than simply a renegade. She is a weapon. Kael, too, was blinded by... She is being protected by whatever perverse desire she sparked in him. That isn't love. That is sabotage. One murmured, "She has the Moonborn Mark." "Everyone saw it sparkle." Astrid grinned coldly. And nobody questions why it just showed up after Kael touched her. One can falsify marks. You can purchase magic. But what if she isn't Moonborn? Cursed by the moon? " There was silence. Lady Halya gripped her cup more firmly. "That is a grave charge." Astrid responded, "Then let's take it seriously." She carefully put down her cup.
We owe it to the throne itself, to our mates, and to the kingdom. We must take action if Kael is compromised before his error leads to our demise. Neria's eyes widened as she replied, "You talk of insurrection." "I mention preservation." Astrid's tone sank to steel and silk. Before assuming the throne, Kael was cold, calculating, and merciless. You are aware of this. Right now? He's preoccupied. muddied. While whispering secrets to no one, he welcomes a renegade into the palace, provides her with protection, and holds her near.
I have witnessed the expression in his eyes. That isn't a king. That man is caught in a trap. "So, what would you suggest? Lady Maelin, the youngest of them, enquired. Astrid slowly turned her head. "We gradually bleed her out." Not in a physical sense. Not quite yet. We start by discolouring her name. Halya remarked, "She doesn't have a name here." "That's right." Astrid grinned. "We ought to offer her one. Witch. Spy. A temptation. The court will sing it like scripture if you whisper it enough times. And when is that insufficient? Lady Neria enquired in a tentative tone. "Then..." Astrid's eyelashes fell. "We use something more permanent to remove her breath." Quiet. Maelin then leaned closer. "Do you mean poison?" " Astrid remained still. Before every full moon, a particular plant blossoms.
Bellshade. invisible in wine. In three heartbeats, fatal. Lady Halya's mouth clenched. "Kael will be aware." Astrid had glistening eyes. "If we time it well, he won't." And who is going to do it? Neria muttered. Someone knocked. The door then opened with a squeak. A sixteen-year-old serving girl carrying a tray of wine flutes came in. As if sensing blood, Astrid's eyes slipped to her.
The young lady bowed. I apologise for disturbing you, Lady Astrid. The wine you asked for. Astrid's voice curled like silk around the girl, saying, "Come closer, kid." Do you want to do a good job serving this court? " The young woman blinked. "Yes, lady." But Astrid's smile was too warm. "Then tell me..." "Are you familiar with Bellshade? " The girl bobbed her throat. Astrid's teacup was tapped by her fingernails. "Because I think the King's new visitor has a great taste for wine." Additionally, I think the next moon will be here in a few days.
In the hearth, the fire burst. A wolf howled somewhere far away, its voice piercing and urgent. Lady Halya knocked over her teacup and stood up. "This... This is insane. Astrid stayed in her chair. "No, sweetheart. This is mercy. Because one guy forgot his throne for a pair of terrified eyes, mercy is needed for a kingdom that must not crumble. Maelin's tone faltered. "You said to let the King love her corpse." At last, Astrid rose to her feet, her long, dominating silhouette against the wall lit by candles. "No," she replied. "Remember his duty and let him grieve her in peace." Whispers were borne by the wind outside.
And the silver-eyed girl dreamed of swords concealed in teacups and wolves with human mouths in the centre of the palace. "This isn't where you should be." Seraphina's steady, low, and breathless voice sliced through the quiet like a razor. Silver moonlight pooled at her bare feet as she stood close to the arched window. Behind her, the gauze curtain fluttered like a ghost attempting to get away. Kael shut the door after himself. "And yet I am." The velvety robe clung to her frail body as she turned slowly, her hair falling in a dark cascade down her back. Her eyes were burning with defiance, but the places where the chains had once bitten into her wrists were still damaged. "At the very least, look me in the eye when you complete the task the court requested if you have come to do so." Kael let out a quick, tired breath.
"You believe that after saving you, I killed you?" "You haven't explained why you saved me." His boots reverberated on the marble floor as he moved deeper into the space. "No," he muttered. "I haven't." With tension and questions neither of them dared to ask, silence lingered between them like a curtain. Seraphina's fingertips were white from the grasp as she held on to the window sill's edge. "I'm not in need of your sympathy." "It isn't sympathy." "Then what is it?" For the first time since she had last seen him on the throne, Kael gazed at her. human.
Not only the fearsome beast in court robes and power, but also the terrible Lycan King. But a man. One shaped by loss, time, and remorse. He folded his hands and sat carefully in the recliner across from her. His words, "There was a girl," "She was little, delicate, and an Omega as well. She was born beneath a crimson moon years ago." Seraphina parted her lips and blinked, but she said nothing. When I walked through her town, she offered me bread and smiled as if the world hadn't yet shattered her. "She resided in one of the outer provinces. I encountered her on my effort to bring order to the Eastern Tribes." He paused.
"And there I left her." She spoke in a whisper. "What happened to her?" "She pleaded for help, but no one spoke, and no one stepped up." His jaw tightened. "I heard later... that she had been torn apart by a Beta lord who disliked her fragrance." "Including me." With every phrase, the space became smaller. Seraphina moved to the front. "So, she's the reason you saved me?" He looked up and said, "No." "I spared you because I knew I would never recover if I allowed it to happen again." She was unsure about her expectations. Appreciation? pity? However, something more odd awoke within of her. A tether.
a connection between his pain and hers. Her words, "Your court hates me," "They murmur that I'm a curse, and Astrid schemes openly." "And yet," he remarked as he stood up, "you're still here." "I shouldn't have been taken to the palace by you." With a "Maybe not," Kael said. "But I'll protect you now that you're here." "Even if you're destroyed by it?" He looked directly into her eyes. "Especially then." Now they were too near. Just a breath away. On his skin, Seraphina detected the tiniest trace of forest and fire. She noticed the thin creases near his eyes, which were carved by sorrow rather than time. He remarked, "You're not afraid of me," Her head was cocked. "Should I be?" "More than the look you just gave me, I've slain kings." "I'm done running. Then kill me." There was a crackling silence between them. At his side, his fingers twitched. "Kael, what do you want from me?" He took a step towards her.
His hand extended to touch, not to hurt. to put something delicate between them to the test. As if requesting permission, he delicately touched her wrist. She let out a gasp. A rush of heat swept through her. Something more personal, not anguish. Her skin seemed to recall a tune that it had never sang out loud. Under his thumb, her pulse leaped fiercely. A small shimmer of light came from her collarbone. Kael recoiled as if he had been burnt. His golden irises flared in amazement as his gaze enlarged. "You felt that?" she inhaled deeply. He didn't respond. "Kael?" She appeared to be a myth to him. With a raspy voice, he said, "I didn't just feel it," "Light, under your skin, I saw it." "That isn't achievable." He gazed at the spot on her chest where her robe had come open just enough to show the skin over her heart. "The Moonborn's mark is on you." Seraphina took a step back.
"No, that's just a burn from my childhood, an old scar," "There isn't a scar there." "You are not logical," "Remember anything from your early years? Really?" Her head whirled. Her heart would not slow. "I only recall my mother's voice and her perfume." Slower this time, as if she would run, Kael came closer. "The Moonborn had light within them when they were alive, the power to control nature, bond the ground, and reawaken long-dead bloodlines." "You believe that I am one of them?" "You might be the last, in my opinion." She took a swallow. "What would I become from that?" At that moment, he gave her a gaze that was neither threatening nor rogue. similar to a key. "Capable of shattering kingdoms." Her laughter was brittle.
"That's why everyone wants me dead, then." He was not smiling. In a whisper, she said, "And you, what do you want from me now?" Kael remained silent. Instead, with the moonlight framing his form, he made his way to the window where she had been standing. He said, "Don't trust anyone but me," at last. "Not even your own recollections, not the servants, nor the guards." "That isn't very comforting." "Good," he said. "Not here. I don't want you to feel protected." Her tone had softened. "So why shield me?" Slowly, he turned. His eyes gleamed with gold.
"Because you won't be another mistake, I've made enough to last a lifetime." She called after him as he went to the door. "Kael." He hesitated. "What was the name of the girl... the one you left behind?" His voice sounded harsh, gravelly, and far away. "Lira." "Lira," she said again. He opened the door and entered the dimly lit hallway. However, he spoke once more before the door closed behind him. "I recognise her in you." Then he disappeared.
With her fingers still shaking where he had touched her, Seraphina stood by herself. There was something warm, steady, ancient, and pulsing beneath her skin. She cast her gaze downward. And a crescent of silver flickered across her heart for the smallest moment.