LOGINAfter the nap, Gianna felt more like herself than she had in weeks, though exhaustion still lingered somewhere beneath the surface of her renewed energy. They rose together and made their way to the dining hall for a late lunch, and it was there that Gianna truly began to understand just how deeply the news of Nolan’s recovery had spread throughout the pack.Servants moved through the corridors with lighter steps, smiles breaking across faces that had carried worry and grief for so many weeks. Guards stationed at various posts nodded to them with genuine warmth as they passed, some even offering quiet blessings or words of relief. The entire palace seemed to hum with a different energy entirely, joy replacing the heavy dread that had settled over everything since Nolan’s collapse.Only the council members who had aligned themselves too closely with the idea of Nolan’s death remained conspicuously absent, their earlier eagerness to bury him and select a replacement now standing as an u
Iris raised a hand in farewell, her form already beginning to grow fainter in the moonlight, the portal’s glow reflected in her eyes as pure joy replaced the centuries of grief that had weighed her down for so long.“Go,” Iris said softly. “Go home, Gianna. Your family needs you now.”Gianna wanted to say something more, wanted to properly thank the woman who had guided her through this impossible journey, who had sacrificed her own peace for so many years to help set right a wrong that had never been hers alone to bear. But her body had reached its absolute limit. Every muscle screamed in protest, her strength drained so completely that even lifting her head felt like an impossible task.She managed a small nod, tears streaming down her face as she watched Iris’s form dissolve into that shimmering light, disappearing entirely into whatever peace awaited her beyond the veil separating the living from whatever came after.Then Gianna was alone in the clearing, the moonlight casting lon
“My soul will finally find rest,” Iris continued, her voice trembling with the weight of centuries finally reaching their conclusion, “once I set Nolan free from this curse. And no child born from his bloodline will ever be affected by it again. Not your children, Gianna. Not any generation that follows after them.”The words struck Gianna with unexpected force, and she found herself blinking back tears of her own. She hadn’t realized, until this very moment, just how deeply the fear had been buried inside her, the quiet terror that her own child, still growing within her, might inherit this same terrible affliction that had plagued Nolan’s bloodline for so many generations.“I was so afraid,” she admitted quietly, her hand drifting protectively to her stomach. “I didn’t even let myself think about it directly, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I kept wondering if my baby would suffer the same fate. If I would have to watch my own child slowly poisoned by something neither of us c
“We will carry out the ritual at midnight,” Iris said, her voice carrying an eerie calm despite the weight of what they were about to attempt. “If the moon goddess accepts it, Nolan will wake.”Gianna’s stomach dropped at the word. “If? After everything I’ve gone through, after everything I’ve sacrificed and endured, it’s still just a possibility?”“Calm yourself,” Iris said gently, reaching out to touch Gianna’s arm, her fingers cool and solid against her skin in a way that felt more real than any of their previous encounters. “I would have let you perform the ritual alone if there was no other way. But I came here myself, to stand beside you, so the moon goddess might look more favorably upon this offering. Two voices calling out together carry more weight than one calling alone.”Gianna felt some of the tension drain from her shoulders at that, though the fear didn’t fully dissipate. She nodded, forcing herself to accept that this was the best chance they had, the only chance remai
“Ask your father,” Iris said, her voice carrying a weight that made the words feel heavier than they should have. “The truth. Only the truth from him can save you now.” Gianna felt something cold settle over her, a dread that ran deeper than the panic already coursing through her veins. “What truth? He already told me everything he knows. He told me about the woman at the border, the one they executed. He told me that’s who the blood belonged to.” “He told you what he wanted you to hear,” Iris said quietly. “There is more, Gianna. More than he has shared with you. You have until midnight to uncover it.” The connection faded before Gianna could demand further explanation, before she could beg Iris to simply tell her outright rather than sending her chasing after riddles with so little time remaining. She stood frozen for a moment, the necklace still clutched in her trembling hand, and then something inside her finally broke entirely. She screamed, hurling the necklace across the
Cyrus's demand was outrageous, a request for land and titles and privileges far beyond anything Gianna was willing or able to grant, especially not for a man who had caused her family so much pain already. She refused outright, and when he simply crossed his arms and repeated his terms with infuriating calm, something inside her snapped entirely.She gave the order without hesitation, and the guards moved swiftly, restraining Cyrus and applying whatever pressure necessary to loosen his tongue. It didn't take long. Within the hour, he was gasping out an address, a small cottage on the outskirts of Valemont where he claimed Pietra had fled after taking the plant.They rode there immediately, and sure enough, they found Pietra hiding inside, terror written across her face the moment the guards burst through the door."Please," Pietra sobbed as they dragged her forward, the stolen Heartbloom plant clutched protectively against her chest, its crimson petals somehow still intact despite eve
Gianna turned around slowly.Nolan was still standing by the window, his expression unreadable in the firelight."You found him," she said."I did.""Who was it?""A council member named Broderick. He holds a seat in the lower chamber and oversees trade regulations for the outer markets."Gianna fr
Gianna stood perfectly still, studying his face.He was only agreeing because he needed her blood and he was desperate.The moment the transfer was done, he'd go back to making decisions without her but something in his eyes looked genuine.She decided to trust him one more time.Just once more.Sh
Cyrus followed Gianna to her room."I'm coming with you," he said.Gianna opened her wardrobe and started pulling out dresses. "No, you're not.""It's improper for a married woman to have dinner alone with the King. I'm your husband. I should be there."She held up a dark green gown, examining it.
The day came and went. Nolan sat in his chambers, watching the sun move across the sky.There was no sign of Gianna.He couldn't go to the healer, not in this condition. His legs were weak and his vision blurred at the edges.He couldn't send Elmund either. Another visit to Valemont would start rum







