ANMELDENVesperian and Caelum worked side by side in the garden for most of the afternoon, their hands moving in careful, practiced patterns. Ancient runes glowed briefly in the air before sinking into the stone walls and the soil around the house, strengthening the wards layer by layer. I watched from the doorway, Cyrus cradled against my chest, his tiny body warm and trusting as he dozed.The new protections hummed in the air like a living shield. Stronger. Deeper. Caelum had brought old texts and rare components; Vesperian had added his own power, the remnants of centuries of rule woven into every line. When they finished, the house felt safer. But safety, I was learning, was always temporary.I began training my own retained power in the quiet hours.The strength I had absorbed from Vesperian during those long, dark months hadn’t vanished completely when the curse broke. It had settled inside me, quieter now, but still present. A reservoir I could shape if I focused. I practiced in the gar
The rumors reached us like poison on the wind.At first, they were just whispers from passing merchants and the occasional visitor Caelum sent with supplies. Factions within the outer packs. Dissatisfied nobles. Even some of Kieran’s own supporters. They called Cyrus the “Cursed Heir.” They said his power was too dangerous. That he would bring ruin. That the new king was weak for allowing him to live.I tried to shield our small home from it. I kept the windows closed. I sang to Cyrus when he woke at night. I told myself the walls we had built were enough. But the fear crept in anyway, reopening old wounds I thought had finally started to scar. I remembered too clearly what it felt like to be hunted. To be seen as something less than human. To know that at any moment, someone could decide you didn’t deserve to exist.Vesperian did what he could. As Lord Protector, he increased subtle protections around the house, stronger wards on the garden walls, quiet patrols that never came too cl
The garden was quiet under the full moon, silver light bathing the flowers that still bloomed brighter whenever Cyrus passed by during the day. Our son slept soundly inside, watched over by a soft magical ward Vesperian had set himself. For once, the world felt almost peaceful.Vesperian and I sat on the wooden bench near the back wall, his arm around my shoulders, my head resting against his chest. The night air was cool, carrying the scent of night-blooming jasmine and distant rain.“The empire is changing,” he said quietly, fingers tracing slow patterns on my arm. “Kieran’s reforms are holding. More male Omegas are coming out of hiding. Some packs are even allowing them to live openly. It’s slow. Painful. But it’s happening.”I nodded, watching the moonlight play across the flowers. “Cyrus will grow up in a different world than I did. That’s something.”Vesperian was silent for a moment. “I’ve been thinking about his education. Not the palace tutors. Something simpler. Here. With u
Six months after Cyrus’s birth, our son was no longer just a baby.He was a small storm of power and curiosity. At six months, he was already pulling himself up on furniture, babbling in sentences that almost made sense, and showing control over his magic that left me breathless with both pride and fear. Flowers bloomed instantly when he smiled. Small objects floated when he reached for them. The air around him shimmered with golden light whenever he was happy or frustrated or simply awake.Vesperian had taken a more active role in teaching him.This afternoon, they sat together in the garden behind our house, Vesperian cross-legged on the grass, Cyrus in his lap, both focused on a single closed rosebud on a low bush. I watched from the doorway, arms crossed, heart tight with conflicting emotions.“Gentle,” Vesperian said softly, guiding Cyrus’s tiny hand toward the flower. “You don’t have to force it. Just… invite it. Like this.”Cyrus cooed, reaching out. The rosebud trembled, then
The public ceremony dragged on like a slow blade across old wounds.I stood on the raised platform beside Vesperian, Cyrus cradled securely in my arms, the golden glow beneath my skin carefully dimmed by sheer force of will. The new king’s celebration of “reforms” felt like salt in every scar I carried. Nobles and Alphas watched us with a mixture of curiosity and unease, their eyes lingering too long on my son, on the way Vesperian’s hand rested protectively at the small of my back.Then I saw him.Beta Harlan stood near the front of the crowd, dressed in finer clothes than I remembered, clearly trying to curry favor under the new regime. Our eyes met across the distance. His face paled. Recognition hit him like a physical blow. The man who had dragged me through the mud in silver chains, who had handed me over like tribute to save his own pack, now stared at me holding the child I had fought the world to protect.My stomach twisted violently. Cyrus stirred against my chest, sensing t
The invitation arrived by royal messenger at dawn, sealed with Kieran’s new sigil.I read it twice, Cyrus dozing against my chest in the sling, his warm weight grounding me as the words blurred on the parchment. [A public ceremony celebrating the new protections for male Omegas. The presence of the Omega Eli and the Heir Cyrus is requested as honored guests.] It was phrased politely. Almost respectful. But I felt the trap beneath the ink.I spent the rest of the morning pacing the small garden behind the house, Cyrus babbling happily as flowers bloomed in his wake. Vesperian found me there later, still in his simple clothes from whatever duties had kept him away since sunrise.“You’ve been reading that letter for hours,” he said quietly, stepping up beside me. His hand brushed my lower back, a gentle touch that had become familiar over the past weeks. “What are you thinking?”“I’m thinking about going back,” I answered, voice tight. “To the palace. The place where they dragged me in c







