Chapter 9
1536 Words
The First Crack
Snow fell quietly over White Fang Palace. The Winter Moon Festival was only three days away. For the first time in years, excitement filled the territory.
Children ran through the courtyards.
Servants decorated hallways.
Warriors actually smiled.
Smiled.
Some even laughed.
Which was concerning.
Because according to Froz White Fang, warriors were not supposed to laugh that much.
Or smile.
Or enjoy themselves.
Unfortunately for him, Summit Angel Warm had infected the entire palace with happiness. And there seemed to be no cure.
“That lantern is crooked.”
“It’s not.”
“It is.”
“It’s not.”
“It is.”
Sam glared down from the ladder.
Froz stood below with his arms crossed.
Looking annoyingly handsome.
Annoyingly calm.
Annoyingly right.
The lantern was crooked.
She hated that.
“No one will notice.”
“I noticed.”
“You’re annoying.”
“I’m accurate.”
The servants nearby tried not to laugh.
Failed.
Immediately.
Sam pointed at them. “Stop encouraging him.”
One servant coughed.
Another looked away.
A third suddenly became fascinated by the floor.
Cowards.
All of them.
Froz reached up and adjusted the lantern.
Perfectly straight.
Of course.
The irritating man was good at everything.
She hated that too.
“Happy?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re here.”
Sam gasped dramatically.
The servants immediately began taking bets on how long this argument would last. Apparently this was a daily event now.
That afternoon, Queen Rhed summoned them.
Again.
The Queen sat inside one of the palace lounges with tea prepared.
Naturally.
Metro stood nearby.
Naturally.
And unfortunately—
The moment Sam entered, she recognized the smile on Queen Rhed’s face. That smile never meant anything good.
“Sit.”
Sam immediately became suspicious.
Froz became suspicious.
Metro became suspicious.
Everyone became suspicious.
Queen Rhed looked delighted.
Which only made it worse.
“What happened?” Sam asked.
The Queen folded her hands. “The festival dance.”
Silence.
Pure silence.
Then Froz stood. “No.”
Queen Rhed smiled. “Sit down.”
The Alpha sat down.
Against his will.
Sam nearly laughed.
The Queen turned toward them. “As future Alpha and future Luna, you will open the festival.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
The Queen looked toward Metro. “Write that down.”
Metro nodded. “Already did.”
Traitor.
Absolute traitor.
Froz rubbed his forehead. “We are not dancing.”
“We are.”
“No.”
“We are.”
Sam watched happily.
This was becoming one of her favorite hobbies.
Watching Queen Rhed defeat Froz.
It never got old.
Never.
Eventually the Queen won.
As always.
The Alpha looked like he wanted to challenge fate itself.
And lose.
The next morning, training resumed in the courtyard. Sam had become a frequent visitor. Mostly because she enjoyed watching the warriors. Partly because she enjoyed annoying Froz.
Mostly the second reason.
She arrived carrying pastries.
Immediately.
The warriors cheered.
Froz narrowed his eyes. “What is that?”
“Food.”
“I can see that.”
“Congratulations.”
Several warriors choked.
Metro quietly walked away.
A survival instinct.
A good one.
Sam handed pastries to the warriors. The men accepted them gratefully. One warrior looked emotional. Actually emotional.
“My Lady, this is the first homemade food I’ve had in months.”
Sam looked horrified. “What?”
The warrior pointed toward Froz.
The entire training field became silent.
The Alpha stared.
The warrior immediately regretted existing.
Apparently the palace diet had become somewhat… repetitive.
Froz looked unimpressed.
“You survived.”
“We barely survived.”
The warriors nodded.
Together.
United.
Brave.
Or stupid.
Probably both.
Sam burst out laughing.
Froz looked betrayed.
For the first time in his life—
His entire army had turned against him.
Over pastries.
Later that day, something unexpected happened. Something that changed everything.
It began with a letter.
A simple letter.
One delivered by a messenger from the Warm Clan.
Sam smiled the moment she saw the seal.
Her home.
Her family.
Lucifer.
Maybe even Apo.
Excitement filled her chest.
She immediately opened it.
And watched her smile disappear.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Froz noticed immediately.
The Alpha had been reviewing reports nearby.
The change in her expression caught his attention at once.
The room became quiet.
Too quiet.
Sam read the letter again.
Then again.
As if the words might change.
They didn’t.
Her hands trembled slightly.
Just slightly.
Enough for him to see.
The Alpha stood. “What happened?”
She didn’t answer.
For several seconds.
Then she quietly folded the letter.
“It’s nothing.” A lie.
An obvious lie.
Froz stepped closer. “Summit.”
Still nothing.
The silence stretched.
Heavy.
Painful.
Eventually she handed him the letter.
Without speaking.
Froz took it.
Then read.
His expression darkened immediately.
The letter wasn’t from Lucifer.
Or Apo.
It was from Fuji.
And every line dripped with poison.
Father barely mentions you anymore. Everyone knows White Fang only accepted you out of pity. You were sent away because nobody wanted you here. Don’t embarrass the Warm Clan. Try not to get rejected completely.
The words grew worse.
Crueler.
More personal.
By the time Froz reached the end—
The paper crumpled in his hand.
The room became cold.
Dangerously cold.
Sam looked away.
Embarrassed.
Ashamed.
Hurt.
And for the first time since arriving at White Fang Palace—
Froz felt genuine anger.
Not annoyance.
Not frustration.
Anger.
Real anger.
Because someone had made her look like that.
Someone had taken her smile.
And somehow—
That infuriated him.
The Alpha’s voice became dangerously quiet.
“Fuji sent this?”
Sam nodded.
A mistake.
Because his expression darkened further.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Even Metro looked alarmed.
“Froz.”
Sam noticed immediately.
“Don’t.”
The Alpha looked at her.
“What?”
“Don’t do anything.”
His jaw tightened.
She knew that look.
The same look he wore before battle.
The same look he wore when protecting his territory.
The same look he wore when someone threatened people he cared about.
The realization made her heart skip.
No.
Surely not.
Yet the evidence stood right in front of her.
Froz was angry.
For her.
That night, Sam couldn’t sleep. The letter kept replaying in her mind.
Every cruel sentence.
Every painful word.
Every insecurity she tried to bury.
Fuji had always known exactly where to strike.
Exactly how to hurt her.
And unfortunately—
She was very good at it.
The balcony offered little comfort.
Neither did the stars.
Neither did the snow.
For the first time in weeks, she felt alone.
The feeling reminded her of home.
And she hated it.
A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
“You should be asleep.”
Sam smiled weakly.
“There you are.”
Froz stepped onto the balcony.
Holding two cups of tea.
Which was surprising.
Very surprising.
The Alpha handed one to her.
Silently.
Awkwardly.
Like someone unfamiliar with comfort.
She accepted.
Equally awkwardly.
For several moments neither spoke.
Then Froz broke the silence. “She’s wrong.”
Sam froze.
The words hit harder than expected.
“What?”
“Fuji.” His gaze remained on the horizon. “She’s wrong.”
Something tightened inside her chest.
Painfully.
Because part of her wanted to believe him.
A bigger part didn’t know how.
The Alpha continued. “You’re not unwanted.”
The simple sentence shattered something inside her.
Not dramatically.
Not loudly.
Quietly.
Like ice beginning to c***k.
Her eyes burned.
Dangerously.
She hated crying.
Especially in front of people.
Especially in front of him.
But somehow—
Froz noticed anyway.
Of course he did.
The Alpha sighed.
Then did something neither of them expected. Something that completely shocked her. He reached out.
Slowly.
Carefully.
And brushed away a single tear from her cheek.
Silence.
The world stopped.
Snow drifted through the air.
The moon watched overhead.
Neither moved.
Neither breathed.
Neither looked away.
Sam’s heart pounded.
Too fast.
Way too fast.
Froz’s hand remained suspended between them.
As if he’d forgotten how to move.
Or perhaps—
He simply didn’t want to.
For one brief moment—
Every wall disappeared.
Every defense.
Every scar.
Every fear.
And all that remained were two people standing beneath the same sky.
Seeing each other clearly.
Truly.
For the very first time.
Then reality returned.
Both stepped back.
Immediately.
Too quickly.
The moment shattered.
But the feeling remained.
Lingering.
Dangerous.
Unavoidable.
Froz cleared his throat.
Looking away first.
A rare surrender.
“Get some sleep.” His voice sounded different.
Rougher.
Softer.
Human.
Sam smiled.
A real smile.
The kind she hadn’t worn since receiving Fuji’s letter.
And somehow—
That alone made everything worthwhile.
As Froz walked away, neither noticed the figure watching from the shadows.
Metro.
The servant quietly adjusted his glasses.
Then looked toward the moon.
Finally.
After weeks of arguments.
Weeks of teasing.
Weeks of denying the obvious.
The first c***k had truly appeared.
And once ice begins to c***k—
It can never become whole again.
- Writer
