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[ELARA]‘I can’t sense his wolf,’ Lila tells me the moment I open my eyes. My chest feels empty and burdened at the same time as I get on my feet—realizing only a moment later that I’m in Magnus’ room. The memories of the previous night come flooding into my mind. “Alec,” I whisper his name as tears roll down my cheeks. He doesn’t remember me. He has lost his memory. “You slept well,” Magnus’ cool voice strikes my ears. I didn’t notice that he was in the same room. He walks to me leisurely from a dark corner of the chamber, his golden eyes appearing dark in the scant light of the morning. He looks more formally dressed than usual; even a dull gray tunic makes him look regal. I notice the wolves embroidered into the sleeves of his tunic with black thread. Lila says again, ‘I can’t sense Alec’s wolf.’“Where are you going?” Magnus asks as I put one step in front of the other and head to the exit of the chamber. Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I straighten my dress. I’m starting t
Alec never leaves my mind. His words keep coming back, his horrified face haunting me. While Beatrice helps me get into my mourning clothes, I don’t stop crying. Tears fall silently from my eyes until they're half shut from the swelling. I don’t hold them back, fearing the pain will suffocate me. This is the worst day of my life. I thought nothing would hurt more than losing my mother. But back then, I still had my father with me, friends in my pack. Now, I don’t have anyone. Even Lila has gone silent. She has lost her hope too. Beatrice doesn’t ask me anything. I wonder if she took care of me during the time I was unconscious. I doubt Magnus would've let her in. But then I found Alec in the same room as me. Beatrice trusted me with her tears, so I trust her with mine. She continues to rub my back in a soothing way occasionally. She's young but mature for her age. When I see myself in the mirror, I realize I’m wearing a gown with a pattern similar to the tunic Magnus wore. The g
[ELARA] Contrary to my assumption, Alec is not imprisoned in the dungeons. Neither is he in Morgana’s lair. He’s in a chamber on the highest floor of the palace. A room really, with a proper bed, a wide window, and wardrobes. When Magnus and I get there, he’s standing by the open window with his back to us. His hands are clasped together and he seems to be looking over at the Cursed Gulf. Seeing Alec with nothing holding him tied—seeing him free, sends a strange shiver down my spine. I feel an entirely different kind of fear at this moment. The fear of everything coming to an end. Lila’s tensed voice resonates within me, ‘My mate is lost. I don’t sense him. He’s a stranger.’ Wolfless and with a forgotten memory. That’s the fate written by the Moon Goddess for Alec Tawr of the Lunar Crest pack. Everything he was, everything he had made himself is gone. Just like that. Losing a person in this way—where you can see them, but know that they don't recognise you—is a pain I pr
[MAGNUS]The eerie silence of the Cursed Gulf hangs heavy today, just like it has been for a while now. The storms that once roared through these waters, swallowing ships whole, seem to have taken a hiatus. But it's the calm before the storm, I believe, the kind of chaos that'll break loose once my uncle Eldric sails back into Caelondor.I can't shake the thought that maybe one of those storms will take him down, sparing me the trouble of facing him, blood against blood. It hasn’t even been a full day since we got word of Kian's death, yet I can feel the shift in the air, like everyone's holding their breath, waiting for the dust to settle.They're all eyeing me up, sizing me for the crown they think is mine now that Kian's gone. But I can't bring myself to accept it, not yet at least. My mind keeps drifting to that chamber where Elara's talking with Alec. I want to know what's going on in there, but eavesdropping isn’t right, even if the temptation's there.Still, I'm keeping a close
[ELARA] Even though her face is shrouded with a gray veil, I can still feel her watching me with scrutiny. I know she’s weighing my decision on her scales—because it was certainly not guided by her. I don’t know how I got here. After telling the prince to send Alec away, I kept walking with no destination in mind. Merely straying from one floor to the one beneath, until I found myself here. Face to face with Goddess Luna’s idol. I can’t help but notice that it is oddly placed—not centered, not in a sophisticated corner, just planted along a side like some obstruction just after a turn. Anyone would be startled to come across it. I believe the placement has a good reason behind it—it is easier to not ignore her this way. Knowing she’s always there, keeping a close account of your decisions. It’s scary in a way. I’m certain it’s scarier when you can actually see her eyes, usually sapphire-eyed, staring right into the depth of your soul. I assume that this is not how they usual
[ELARA] “It’ll never stop bleeding,” Morgana repeats slowly, enunciating every word with a movement of her lips that seems to be casting a charm in itself. She gets to her feet and walks to me, swaying her hips as she tucks her black hair behind her ear. She appears cunningly beautiful for the first time. All this time I believed her to be mature—a woman who knew how to hide her intelligence. But now, in this moment, she shows a side of her that’s terrifyingly mesmerizing. When she stops, she’s just a few inches away, towering over me. I sense the unspoken challenge she presents. ‘How dare you try to stop me?’ she seems to scream silently at me. ‘How dare you keep me from getting what I want?’ “You feel powerful only because Magnus lets you use your power,” I tell her, holding my chin high and refusing to cower. “Soon he will realize he doesn’t need you. That you’re just a servant.”Her eyes narrow at my words and the corner of her lip twitches, but she shakes her head. “I don’t
[MAGNUS] This day has dragged on for too long. The thought weighs down on me as I walk behind Cedric to the council chamber. Occasionally, he turns behind to glance at me, and I can’t help but notice the flicker of unease in his eyes. What was he telling Elara? And why does he seem so unsettled? It was just last night that news of Kian’s death and Eldric’s sudden arrival reached me. Yet, in reality, Caelondor has been engulfed in mourning for merely a day. Time feels warped, as I've been thrust into a whirlwind of events. My mind is a tangled web of unanswered questions, each demanding attention. Has Alistair already initiated preparations for Alec’s departure? Why does Elara insist on sending him away? How did Alec lose his memories? Can I truly trust Morgana? What schemes does King Eldric, my uncle, have in motion? And what has triggered Elara’s abrupt change in demeanor? She didn’t need to kiss my cheek. I reach up instinctively to touch my face, momentarily lost in the memory.
[ELARA] "Mother, people are getting suspicious. I overheard a guard tell another that he thinks Magnus is dead," Ruelle voices out meekly to Lady Celia, who’s standing beside her with her hands clasped together. "It’s been three days, and no one has seen him." They’re both dressed in pale gray gowns held together by metallic wolf heads at the shoulders. Ruelle resembles her mother, albeit younger and, if I dare say, more beautiful. Beatrice told me that Celia was stripped of her title as ‘Princess’ when it was found that her husband, Magnus’ father, was guilty of treason against the kingdom of Caelondor. While her husband was sent to the guillotine, Celia was shamed for not stopping him from committing the crimes. Magnus was spared because he was only ten at the time, seemingly innocent and unaware of the scheme. I felt bad when I learned of it, as anyone else would. The horror of Magnus’ past hasn’t left my mind since. The image of him being a young boy and witnessing his father's