The envoy left at dawn, carrying Kael’s refusal like a torch set to burn down whatever fragile hope for peace had lingered. The pack gathered in the courtyard to see the messenger go, their expressions carved with fear and awe. Kael stood tall on the steps of the stronghold, his presence a wall of power that held them steady.
But Ariana’s chest felt hollow.
Lucien’s offer had been vile—trading her body and soul for peace—but still, Kael’s fiery refusal sat uneasily inside her. It wasn’t only the war that weighed heavy; it was the gnawing whisper inside her mind, Selene’s warning, the fragments of stories from Bran, and the shadows in Kael’s eyes whenever the past came too close.
The truth was still hidden. She felt it as surely as the moonlight on her skin.
That evening, Ariana wandere
