RAPHAEL'S POV
The chamber, dimly lit, cast an array of shadows across the granite walls, and within the palatial walls, silence felt almost stifling. I was perched on the edge of the bed, head bowed low in my hands, stilling myself against the tempestuous emotions that had registered for the past couple of days.
Lady Seraphina, my mother, had fallen ill, and what had followed was the destruction of all order within the palace. I think every day her rapid decline from ill health into near death shakes me and the entire pack. Anxiety was coursing through our ranks about what uncertainty about her illness would mean for our future: the dark cloud of dread loomed large over us.
I shook my head and pulled at my hair, trying to shove away the memories; they came back again and again to one
