Vivian pov
The iron was gone.
I stared at the dust covering the floor, my heart racing in my chest. The huge man, known as the Butcher, had let go of my hands as if they had scorched him . He stood in the middle of the small stone cell, breathing heavily, with his dark locked on my bare wrist.
"Silas!" He shouted.
The silver-eyed man appeared right away at the entrance of the cell. He didn't glance at me; instead he stared at the ground, focusing on the pile of ash where the unbreakable shackles were supposed to be.
"Alpha?" The silver eyed man whispered, his hands going to the hilt of a dark dagger. "The dampeners….They're completely destroyed".
"Take her to the North tower", the Butcher commanded , not bothering to look at me again. He turned away, his shoulder broad enough to block out the light of the torches. "Not a cell. A room. It should be guarded.
" Alpha, she's a Solari stray. If the council finds out—"
"I am the council", the butcher snapped, his voice a landslide of gravel. He glanced back at me for just a second, and I saw the fierce in his eyes soften. "And if the sun clan finds out what she is before I do, they'll send an army to finish what their prince started".
Silas—the silver eyed man, stepped into the cell. He didn't grab me roughly this time. He gestured for me to move, his expression untraceable.
"Come on, little sun girl", Silas murmured. "Let's get you out of the dirt".
The room felt less like a place of rest and more like fortress. I sat on the massive bed, my fingers tracing the embroidery of a black wool blanket. Through the window I could catch a glimpse of the Northern mountain. It sharp, snowy peaks that looked like they were gnawing at the moon.
A soft knock at the door made me jump.
A girl walked in, no older than I was. She carried a tray of steamy soup and bread. She didn't have a kind face, but a terrified one. Her thick braid of brown hair whipped against her back.
"You should eat", she said, setting the tray down. Her eyes darted to the violet mark on my neck and then back to the floor. "The king, Alpha Dominic, doesn't like it when his leverage waste away".
"Dominic", I whispered, the name feeling heavy on my tongue. "Is that his name".
The girl nodded once. Her hands trembling "And I'm Elara. I'm to be your maid while you're here. But if you try to use that 'ash' on me, I've been told the guards will take my head along with yours".
I let out a hollow laugh. Maid? I have a maid?
"I'm the maid ,Elera. I've spent my whole life scrubbing floors for people who hated me. I don't know how to be a guest".
"In the shadow pack, everyone is a threat until they're dead", Elara replied, her voice dropping to a fearful hiss. don't dwell in the past. We focus on what you carry within you. Rumors are already spreading in the kitchen, Solari. They say the iron turned to ash because the moon has gone weary of the Sun's deceptions".
I'm a void—a curse". ,I replied, my voice shaking with a sudden spike of anger . "I'm a void—a curse".
"Is that what they've told you?" Elara asked, her gaze drifting to the violet mark on my neck. "Because curses do not cause the King of the North to bleed black light".
Before I could respond, a horn echoed from the Citadel walls. It was a sharp sound that made the window panels vibrate.
I ran to the window, pressing my face against the freezing stone.
Below at the massive gate, a small group of riders had emerged from the tree line.
They weren't wearing the black iron of the North. They were draped in shimmering golden cloaks.
In the center of the group, riding a white stallion, was a man I recognised even from this height.
Damian.
For a second, hope flared in my chest. He came for me . But then I saw what he was carrying. He was carrying a long, black velvet box—the kind used by the Sun Clan to return the remains of criminals.
He hadn't come to save me . He had come to facilitate my end.
"He's here", I whispered, my breath misting the glass.
"He's come to make sure I am dead".
Across the courtyard, I saw Dominic emerge into the snow. He was alone, standing against the golden riders like a shadow facing a flicker of false light.
Damian got off his horse, his voice ringing out against the stone walls with confidence.
"King Dominic!! I'm here to take back a thief who escaped my lands tonight. Give me the girl, and our peace treaty will remain".
Dominic didn't budge. He didn't even pull out a weapon. He simply tilted his head, his voice booming like thunder.
"I don't have a thief, prince", Dominic called out, his voice a low rumble that vibrated my bones. "What I have is a stray who crossed my river. And in the North, we don't return what the tide brings us".
Dominic stepped forward, and the snow around his boots suddenly turned to black ice.
"You'll need to get past me first. Dominic hissed, his voice echoing like thunder across the courtyard. "But I promise you—you won't like what's waiting on the other side".