LOGINSeravyn's POV"I love him, Lirvae," I confessed, my voice dropping into a gentle, emotional whisper as the tears threatened to return to my eyes. I looked across at her, my hands shaking slightly around the mug. "I really do. And it terrifies me cause I didn't think I could ever feel this way about anyone again, not after—”I broke it and took a deep breath.“Not after everything Caelrix put me through... Not after the way he crushed my spirit and made me feel like I was just an object to be owned,” I added. “I perfectly understand you, Seravyn,” Lirvae chimed in.“Zoriven makes me feel safe. He treats me like I have value, like my voice actually matters. It’s like he took all the broken, shattered pieces of my life and helped me put them back together without asking for anything in return,” I whispered.Lirvae’s expression softened completely, the teasing light in her eyes giving way to a deep warmth I had never felt before.She leaned forward, placing her mug on the side table, an
Thessaly’s POVThe heavy oak doors of Caelrix’s chambers slammed shut behind me, the sound echoing down the stone corridor like a gunshot. I practically marched down the hallway, my heels clicking sharply against the floor even to my own ears as my fists clenched so tight my knuckles were completely white.I had never felt this angry.How could he be so incredibly useless? He had two hundred fresh, heavy raiders at his disposal, the baddest, most ruthless group this Pack had seen since I actually took notice of him, and he just rolled over cause Zoriven waved a few northern banners in his face? It's so fucking embarrassing. Caelrix talks a massive game about being this unhinged, unstoppable force of nature, but the second things get a little complicated, he folds up like a cheap lawn chair. He's so pathetic.But beneath the rage, there was a sharper, uglier pain clawing at my chest. It was a feeling I wouldn't dare mention in public. Caelrix hadn't just failed to crush the Sun F
Seravyn's POV It started as a low, deep rumble from the space around us where the exhausted, blood-stained Pack soldiers were standing guard. I just about looked up as Exovyn stepped forward, his shoulder now wrapped in a bloody bandage, but he lifted his sword and struck it against his iron shield.Repeated it and yelled, "Stay!” He hit his sword against his shield again, raising it to the air before yelling, “Stay!”“What nonsense is this?” I heard elder Eldrin say, but his voice quickly got muffled out as another warrior joined in, slamming his axe handle against the stone wall. "Stay!” He yelled too.Within seconds, the rhythm caught on like wildfire. The Pack soldiers, the healers, the servants who had crawled out of the remains of the buildings all joined the chant. The entire courtyard was suddenly vibrating with a massive, single heartbeat of iron and voices."Stay!”“Stay!”“Stay!"The word roared through the valley, completely drowning out the angry muttering of the eld
Seravyn’s POVThe world stood completely still around me, but inside my head, everything was crashing down.Zoriven was on his knees in the mud. The Alpha of the Sun Flower Pack, a man who commanded an entire army with a single tilt of his chin, was kneeling at my feet like a common beggar. His large hands were wrapped around the hem of my dirty, blood stained dress, completely unbothered by the wet earth soaking through his trousers.His words felt less like a question and more like a hit to my chest. My breath hung in my throat, coming out in short, ragged gasps as my mind scrambled to make sense of the sheer weight of what he had just dropped on me. It was way too heavy, way too deep, and unsettling everything in me. Just an hour ago, I was ready to throw hands with him for lying to my face on how we met. I was convinced he was just another high-ranking wolf using me as a chess piece in some grand political game. But now? He's offering me a crown while his whole Pack is literal
Seravyn's POV And for the next two hours, the compound was a blur of painfully slow recovery. The smoke slowly thinned, leaving the black, empty remains of the cottages standing against the gloomy morning sky. Warriors moved through the mud, picking up discarded weapons, while the Pack healers cared for the wounded towards the main hall. The effects of the adrenaline were fading fast, leaving a cold, hollow, tired feeling in my bones.I was standing near the shattered fountain, my hands covered in dried mud and blood, my body aching with a deep, painful fatigue. Zoriven stood roughly twenty feet away, refusing to let the healers touch his split cheek until the final casualty logs were delivered. Kaelen was beside him, leaning heavily against a stone pillar, his nose broken but his expression stiff.Then, the heavy oak doors of the main hall opened with a slow, ominous groan, pulling me up to my feet at once.A group of six elderly men and women stepped out into the open. They wor
Seravyn’s POVThe tip of Caelrix’s bloody sword remained leveled at my chest, not flinching an inch with his eyes aimed directly at me.Barely ten paces away, he stood like a monument of rage, the rising smoke from the burning cottages wrapping around his iron hard frame like a dark shield. His golden eyes were wide, glittering and matched with a blood soaked crazy smile that made my skin crawl. Behind him, the wall of about two hundred fresh Moon Stone attackers stood shoulder-to-shoulder, their heavy shields locked together, entirely sealing off the courtyard's exit. There was no way out now, no path through the trees. The trap hadn't just closed in on us, it had buried us in."Step away from her, Duskrael," Caelrix boomed through the space, his voice cutting through the heavy silence of the ruined courtyard with a bone chilling confidence. He shifted his grip on the base of his sword, his muscles tensing beneath his armor till it pulsed up and down."It's over, Zoriven. Look ar
Caelrix POVMy jaw muscles ticked wildly as I did the only thing I could do, stare right back at him.His face didn't give much away, but it was clear as day what he meant by those words.I didn't need to be told twice, Valdremis isn't the type to play with words, he has drawn the line, and it's my
Caelrix's POVWar.That's the only solution, the only escape, the only lifeline, the only language men like us understand.The word refused to leave my head the moment I mentioned it, beating on like a war drum, steady and unrelenting. Maybe it's because it had been so long since we had actually g
Seravyn’s POVThe question lingered between us for far too long.I couldn't possibly answer that, but couldn't possibly avoid thinking about it either.I swallowed hard as my heart pounded loudly in my ears, but not with fear this time…But something far more dangerous.For once since I walked away
Seravyn's POVThe wind had gone still.That was the first thing I noticed.Not the trees. Not the ache still clawing through my chest. Not even the lingering tension that followed me like a shadow since I walked away from the dining table.The whole space had gone quiet. Too quiet.My breathing slo







