Kael's POV
Nightfang Pack House - Royal Study
The name keeps appearing.
Ariyah Vale.
I stare at the report in my hands, my eyes fixed on those two words. They're written in the margin of a border patrol report, almost as an afterthought. Ariyah Vale confirmed departed from Nightfang territory. Current location unknown.
Ariyah Vale.
The name means something. I know it does. But when I try to remember her face, her voice, the sound of her laugh... there's nothing. Just fog.
I set the report down and rub my temples. My head aches, a dull throb that's been constant for weeks now. The healers say it's stress. The weight of the crown. The burden of leadership.
But it feels like something else.
Something is wrong with me.
"Seraphine!"
My voice echoes through the study. A moment later,
