LOGINThe guard's eyes widened as Gianna pulled back her veil, and recognition flashed across his face like lightning. He straightened immediately, his entire posture changing from threatening to deferential in an instant. The other guards around him seemed to realize at the same moment who she was, and they all began to bow or step back, clearly uncertain about what to do.Gianna straightened her dress and looked down at Elmund, then back at the guards with an expression of cold fury. "This is my guard," she said, her voice sharp and cutting. "And I came here to bring gifts for your king's celebration, since we heard about his wedding and wanted to show our support." She paused, letting her eyes sweep across each guard one by one. "But it seems I've been insulted and embarrassed for simply trying to be gracious. So I'm leaving."The lead guard's face turned pale. He rushed toward her with his hands raised in a placating gesture. "My lady, I'm so sorry. We didn't realize. Please forgive us.
When they finally emerged from the forest, the rogue king's palace came into view and Gianna immediately saw the problem.Lights blazed everywhere, casting the entire courtyard in a warm, dancing glow. Fires burned in iron baskets along the stone walls and lanterns hung from every available surface. The entrance was decorated with white flowers and golden ribbons, and people moved through the gates in a steady stream, dressed in their finest clothes. The sounds of music and laughter drifted toward them on the wind, mixing with the smell of roasted meat and wine."What is this?" Gianna whispered, leaning closer to Elmund as they sat hidden behind a cluster of large rocks at the edge of the palace grounds.Elmund squinted, trying to see through the crowd. "Looks like a celebration, my lady. A big one."As they watched, more details became clear. Servants were arranging tables laden with food. Musicians played instruments from a raised platform. And in the center of it all, moving betwee
Gianna's objection came immediately, her voice sharp with panic and disbelief."Twenty-one days?" she said, her words tumbling out rapidly. "Such a risky assignment in just twenty-one days? How is that even possible? I need to break into the healer's chambers, find plants in dangerous territory, and locate a potion hidden by ancient magic. All in less than three weeks?"Iris's expression remained unmoved, her ethereal face a mask of calm certainty."That is all I can do for you," Iris said flatly. "You're only getting this opportunity because Nolan made a selfless choice. And because you are the chosen one—the one whose bond with him is strong enough to bridge the gap between life and death."She stepped closer to Gianna, her voice taking on a harder edge."No one in his lineage has ever gotten a second chance at life," Iris continued. "Not his father. Not his grandfather. Not any of the kings before them. They all died, and they stayed dead. But Nolan's choice—his willingness to die
Gianna stood frozen on the clouds, watching Nolan speak to the messenger. The weight of what she'd just witnessed—his refusal to sacrifice her, his acceptance of death rather than allow her to be bargained away—settled over her like a heavy cloak.Iris seemed impressed by his choice, her ethereal face showing something that might have been respect or approval. But Gianna was beyond shock. She couldn't process how he had been willing to give up such a golden chance to save himself. He could have exchanged her life for his. He could have lived. And instead, he had chosen to die.Gianna felt tears sliding down her cheeks—not just tears, but the kind of crying that came from the deepest part of her soul, from a place of profound emotion that transcended explanation."What happens now?" she whispered to Iris, her voice barely audible even in the stillness of this ethereal realm. "Now that he chose not to sacrifice me. What happens to him?"Iris turned to look at her, and for the first time
Gianna held the necklace tightly in her trembling hands, standing at Nolan's bedside. She pressed it against her chest and reached out mentally, desperately, frantically calling for Iris.At first, there was nothing. Silence. Emptiness. A void that seemed to swallow her pleas and offer nothing in return.She waited. Minutes stretched into what felt like an eternity. The weight of the silence was suffocating, pressing down on her like a physical force. Nolan's breathing grew shallower on the bed behind her, each breath a reminder that time was running out.Finally, unable to bear the silence any longer, Gianna spoke aloud, her voice shaking with fury and desperation."If you don't respond right now, I'm throwing this necklace away," she said harshly. "I'm done with you, Iris. I'm done with your cryptic messages and your half-truths. If you won't help me, if you can't do anything for me in this moment, then you're useless to me."She gripped the necklace so tightly that the pearls bit i
The air in the chamber felt thick, as if the very atmosphere were suffocating under the weight of Nolan’s fading pulse. Gianna’s fingers trembled as she pulled the heavy velvet curtains shut, plunging the room into a dim, amber-hued twilight. She couldn’t bear the thought of the guards outside witnessing her desperation, or worse, the pity in their eyes as they watched her cling to a ghost.She hurried to the vanity, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She ripped open the small, hidden compartment in the drawer where she kept the necklace—the obsidian chain tipped with a single, luminescent pearl."Iris," she hissed, her voice barely a breath. "If you are there, show yourself. Don't you dare abandon me now."The pearl remained dull, a cold, lifeless stone against her palm. Gianna clutched it tight, her knuckles turning white. She turned toward the bed, where Nolan lay in a stillness so profound it looked like marble. The doctor’s earlier words—his will is set aga
The guards caught Iris before she made it far into the woods.They grabbed her from behind, their hands rough and unforgiving. She struggled and fought but there were too many of them. They dragged her back toward the palace, her feet scraping against the ground, her white hair tangled with leaves
When Iris got back to the palace that day, she thought carefully about what she needed to do. If she was going to cheat on the lycan king, she needed the right man. Someone who would help her execute this plan. Someone who would be willing to play along so she could escape this prison of a marriage
Gianna felt her chest tighten as she watched what happened next in Iris's memory. She had never felt so bad for a stranger before but watching what the lycan king and his son did to Iris made something inside her ache with understanding and rage.The prince spoke words that were designed to hurt. H
The next place they stood was at the wedding ceremony itself.Iris watched her younger self standing in a white dress that felt like a prison. The dress was beautiful with intricate embroidery and layers of fine fabric but it might as well have been chains. She stood beside the lycan king and said







