The storm hadn’t broken outside, but it had inside her.
Rayne stared at Lucian as they walked through the dim corridors of the Valen stronghold. Her home. Her legacy. And now, the place where the man she once loved had returned—not as a conqueror, but as something far more dangerous.
A memory.
A weakness.
A truth.
Lucian walked beside her in silence, heavy armor still caked with dirt and blood, his golden eyes sharp despite the hour. Their warriors had already retreated to their quarters. The Ironfangs were driven off. For now, they had peace.
But Rayne knew that peace was only surface-deep.
As they entered her private quarters, the door clicked shut behind them, muffling the wind outside. Her chambers weren’t grand—stone walls, a long oak table strewn with maps and war reports, a h
