.
VALERIE.
The days in Dorian’s realm passed quietly—but my soul wasn’t at rest.
Each hour I spent in peace was an hour closer to the storm I felt brewing beyond the borders. I could almost taste it in the air—the scent of danger. War. Blood.
Dorian had treated me with gentleness I didn’t expect from a ruler. He was nothing like the Lycan twins. There was no cruelty in his touch, no hunger to dominate or use me. But perhaps that was what frightened me the most.
He was kind. And I didn’t know how to receive kindness anymore.
I sat by the window of my chamber, watching the trees sway under the soft whisper of wind. I often found myself absentmindedly rubbing my lower belly. It wasn’t showing much, but the weight of what grew inside me was undeniable.
A life.
A part of me.
A part of
