Kaelira woke up and heard nothing. Not the gentle quiet you’d get in Black Hollow, with birds singing and leaves rustling outside her window. This silence felt heavier, colder—a silence that made her feel like she was intruding.
She sat up and glanced around her chamber. The room was stunning—high ceilings painted with silver stars, velvet curtains framing huge windows, and a fireplace carved with wolves and moonflowers. Honestly, it looked like something out of her wildest dreams. But somehow, she felt empty inside. Like she’d been locked inside a beautiful cage.
She got dressed and stepped into the hallway. Servants rushed past, arms full of food, fresh flowers, shining silver. The instant they noticed her, everything changed. One young maid bowed so fast her folded dresses fell to the
