Selene’s POV
The castle felt quieter without Kael in it, but not safer.
The silence was only a pause before the storm—a false peace Malrik always cultivated before he bared his teeth. Servants walked lighter, spoke softer, and no one met my eyes for long. Fear was a scent, and it clung to everything.
I sat near the window, a half-finished letter before me. My hand hovered over the parchment, the ink cooling on the tip of the quill. I had written the same sentence three times already and torn it each time.
He’s not coming back the same.
That was what my heart kept whispering.
Eryndor entered quietly, robes whispering against the stone. He didn’t speak right away; he simply studied me, his eyes sharp but not unkind.
“You haven’t eaten,” he said.
“I wasn’t hungry.”
“Lies don’t suit y
