Lianna: The wind howled through the trees, a cold, merciless force that cut against my skin like the sharp edge of a blade. My cloak billowed behind me as my horse tore through the forest, hooves pounding against the damp earth in a relentless rhythm. The scent of pine and wet soil filled my lungs, but it did nothing to ground me. If felt rage burning through my veins like wildfire. Edward. My grip tightened around the reins, leather biting into my palms. The memory of his laughter at dinner clawed at my mind, an nagging image that refused to fade. The way his lips had curled into a slow, deliberate smile when he spoke to Freya. "That color suits you." I gritted my teeth. I wanted to fucking kill him. A laugh broke from my lips, sharp and bitter. No, I wasn’t jealous. I wasn’t. This wasn’t about her. It wasn’t about the way he looked at her, or the way she fluttered her lashes as if she were some delicate fucking thing. It was about me. It was a
Freya: I hadn’t expected things to go this smoothly. I had done nothing—absolutely nothing—but somehow, the pieces were falling right into place. Edward had gone from barely tolerating my presence to smiling at me. At first, I thought it was just an act, maybe a ploy to see if I had something to do with the outbreak, but no. His concern had been real. His gaze had softened, his voice had lost its usual edge. Anyone would call me delusional for thinking Edward would ever look at his brother's wife or stray away from that bitch, Lianna. The way he looked at me now... it was different. Maybe even better than the way he looked at Lianna. Anyone else might call me delusional, but I had watched him all day. I had seen the way he ignored her, the way his attention lingered on me just a little longer than necessary. And Lianna? Oh, the way it had messed with her. It was delicious. The flicker of anger behind her eyes, the way her shoulders tensed whenever Edward so
Edward: Pain had a way of creeping into the bones, settling deep where no amount of resolve could shake it off. Lianna’s words echoed in my mind, gnawing at the edges of my restraint. Pretend to care about Freya. That was the plan she had proposed, the grand strategy to keep Freya close, to manipulate her into revealing whatever secrets she was hiding. But that wasn’t what fucking hurt. What hurt was that after everything I had confessed to Lianna, all the moments I had laid my heart bare, all she had ever given me in return was nothing. No reassurance. No admission that she felt something. Just cold strategy. The anger had festered, seeping into my veins like poison. If that’s what Lianna wanted, then fine. I would pretend. I would give her exactly what she asked for. I would entertain Freya, smile at her, hold out chairs, offer compliments that meant nothing. Maybe then, Lianna would understand. Maybe she’d finally see what it felt like to be discarde
Freya: The moment I stepped into my chambers, I let out a long, exasperated sigh. The fabric of my dress clung to my skin uncomfortably. I needed to change, to wash off everything that had made today insufferable—Edward’s indifference, Freya's looming shadow over my ambitions, the irritation clawing at my skin like an insect I couldn’t swat away. I stripped out of my gown, letting it pool onto the floor before walking toward the mirror. My reflection stared back at me—golden curls perfectly in place, lips painted the color of ripe berries, eyes sharp, calculating. Beautiful. Desirable. And yet, completely powerless. For now. I pulled on a deep green velvet cloak, fastening it at my throat, and slid into a simpler dress—something fitting for where I was going. My fingers twitched as I laced up my boots. I was getting tired of this routine, of descending into the filth of the dungeons just to see a man who no longer served a purpose in my life. Soon, I wouldn’t h
Lianna: The coolness of the balm seeped into my skin, dulling the persistent ache in my knee. Ingrid’s fingers worked in slow, circular motions, as she massaged. The minty scent of menthol filled the air, mixing with the faint fragrance of chamomile from the tea she had made earlier. It was almost comforting. “You know,” Ingrid muttered, her voice tight with irritation, “Edward has actually gone too far this time.” I let out a short, humorless laugh, tilting my head back against the cushioned chair. “Has he? Wow. What an astonishing revelation.” My tone dripped with mock surprise. “You mean imprisoning his own brother and letting his new pet, Freya, prance around like she owns the place wasn’t the epitome of rational leadership?” Ingrid huffed. “I mean it, Lianna. I’ve held my tongue, but now I’m angry.” “Good,” I murmured, shutting my eyes. “Hold onto that anger. Nurture it. Let it grow. Maybe then you’ll finally stop expecting anything remotely decent from hi
Lianna: I woke up feeling… strange. The kind of strange that settled in my bones, wrapping around my chest. Lying there, staring at the golden drapes swaying slightly from the morning breeze, I sighed, dragging a hand down my face. There was nothing left to do. Freya had found a cure. Or rather, she had revealed it at the most opportune moment—right when Edward needed someone to swoop in and save the day. Right when the people were desperate for a hero. I didn’t doubt, not even for a second, that she had known it all along. She had played her hand perfectly, orchestrating every move like a master manipulator. First, Alistair had been murdered. Then Ethan had been framed. And now, as if to tie everything together with a pretty little bow, Freya had become the kingdom’s savior. I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat. It was a clever strategy. Effective. And now, with Ethan no longer useful to her ambitions, I knew exactly where she would set her s
Lianna: The moment we stepped away from Freya, Edward turned to me, amusement crinkling his eyes. “Am I in trouble?” I didn’t answer. I didn’t even look at him. Instead, I quickened my pace. Fucking hell, I eas so angry. So irritated at the fact that he thought this amusing enough. If I didn't have an ounce of respect for him, I would have hit him across the fuckin face. See maybe that would snap him out of whatever spell Freya put on him. By the time we reached my chambers, I pushed open the door and let it slam behind us. Edward barely had time to process before I whirled around, arms folding tightly across my chest. “What exactly do you think you’re doing?” He exhaled, raking a hand through his hair, that lazy, infuriating expression still on his face. “I was just thanking Freya for her help. She found the cure, Lianna.” “And sitting by the fountain with her like you were having a romantic rendezvous was the right way to do that, yeah?” “Oh, c'mon Lianna
Lianna: The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. Edward hadn’t said a word since my outburst. He just stood there, his gaze locked onto me like he was trying to decipher some impossible puzzle. I scoffed, shaking my head as I turned away. “If you’re just going to stand there and say nothing, then I shouldn’t have said anything at all.” Before I could take another step, he was on me. A firm arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest. His warmth seeped into me, but I refused to relax. He buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply before pressing a lingering kiss to my temple. “That’s not true,” he murmured, his voice thick, almost hoarse. “I’m speechless, Lianna. Fucking speechless.” He tightened his grip, as though afraid I’d slip away. “I didn’t expect to hear those words from you. I fucking didn’t.” His confession made my stomach flip, but I refused to let him off the hook so easily. Fighting the shiver running down m
Lianna: The morning light was shy, barely bleeding through the velvet curtains when I cracked my eyes open. I didn’t need a clock to know what day it was. My chest already felt like it was caving in. The air hung heavy, saturated with that stale chill that often preceded sorrow. A mourning fog rolled outside our window like some prophetic omen, brushing ghostlike tendrils across the glass. Edward hadn’t moved beside me. His breath rose and fell in shallow waves, his hand still loosely curled around mine like he feared I’d disappear in my sleep. I shifted slowly, brushing a thumb over his knuckles. We were going to banish his brother. I sat up and pulled the duvet around me, the fabric swishing softly against my bare skin. My toes hit the floor with a shiver, the marble tiles beneath me as merciless as the decisions we had to make today. My robe hung at the edge of the armchair, still draped from the night before. I sl
Freya: The night felt too loud for how quiet it was. Crickets whined in the grass like tiny, angry violins, and the wind kept slipping through the cracked wooden shutters, brushing cool air against my bare arms like an unwelcome ghost. I was lying in the dark, staring at the ceiling like it held the answers I’d been chasing in circles. My bed creaked with the slightest shift, the old mattress groaning beneath the weight of my body. I shouldn't have come back here. I shouldn’t have returned to this house. I shouldn’t have ever listened to her. My chest ached. That tight, slow burn of regret that started somewhere beneath my ribs and dragged itself up to my throat like it had claws. I reached up and rubbed the heel of my palm against my eyes, trying to stop the tears that had already found their way to my pillow. My face was warm, wet. I could taste salt. My breath shuddered on the exhale. “I didn’t want this,” I whispered into the room, voice barely audible over
Edward: The eggs Tarantino made were, as he warned me, an absolute disaster. But the bread was warm, and it was good enough to make me forget about the burnt rubber taste of the eggs. We ate in silence, only the scraping of silverware and the occasional sip of coffee filling the air. My mind wasn’t exactly on the food anyway; it was stuck on the conversation we’d had earlier. Tarantino was right, of course. Everything happens for a reason. I could hear the words repeating in my head, like a stubborn echo bouncing off the walls. But as much as I wanted to believe him, that sentiment did nothing to ease the weight in my chest. Nothing could change the fact that I was sending my brother into exile, to a life without the Pack, without me, without any of the privileges that came with being a royal. But I couldn’t just let the sorrow flood over me, not in front of Tarantino. Not in front of the only person who still seemed to see me for more than just my title. So I swallowe
Edward: The drive was long, and Harvey wouldn’t stop humming that off-key tune under his breath like he was trying to win some invisible award for irritation. I didn’t say anything because well, silence stretching between us felt safer than opening my mouth and letting all the tangled thoughts spill out. My jaw ached from clenching it too tight. My nails had dug half-moons into my palm by the time we pulled into the small, quiet Pack territory that felt like the world had forgotten it. “I remember this place being a dusty excuse of a town,” I muttered, eyes flicking over the paved roads and fresh buildings. “Now look at it. They have actual sidewalks. I should’ve sent Ethan here for humility training.” Harvey chuckled but didn’t comment. Smart choice. It’d been years since I last came here. I was just a boy, clinging to my father’s hand while he laughed and pointed at the bakery with the awful scones and the house with the broken weather vane that somehow never got
Lianna: The palace had never been this quiet. Not even during the former Alpha's father’s funeral, when the halls were draped in black silk and everyone spoke in whispers like mourning had a volume limit. No. This silence was different. It hung in the air like a mist, curling around the columns, sliding under doors, seeping into my skin like cold. I sat on the balcony, elbows on the marble balustrade, chin resting against the back of my hand. My eyes drifted somewhere beyond the courtyard, past the rustling hedges and the guards stationed like statues, to a place I couldn’t name. The sky was pale and slow today, the clouds dragging their feet like even they couldn’t be bothered to hurry. A soft breeze combed through my hair, lifting strands across my face, and I didn’t bother to tuck them behind my ear. Ingrid was beside me, her legs propped up on the ornate table, scrolling through her phone like it held the cure to this numbness
Ethan: The moment Edward’s footsteps faded from the dungeon, I felt my chest constrict. I was alone. And not in the usual way where I sought solitude; this time, I felt like I was suffocating. I collapsed to my knees, the cold, damp floor seeping through the thin fabric of my clothes, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. My tears came in torrents, hot and bitter, an unforgiving reminder of everything I had lost, everything I had thrown away. There was no one left to blame but myself. I didn’t even care how pathetic I looked at this moment. All I wanted was the sting of reality to fade, even if only for a second so I could catch a sense of monetary relief. The memories of my life before all this pain before Freya, before Lianna, before the twisted path I had walked flashed through my mind like a parade of ghosts. I remembered how everything had been so simple back then. It was supposed to be me and Lianna, always. We had a bond, a bond that nothing could break, or so
Edward: The echo of my boots against the marble hallway was all I could hear as I stepped out of the study, my hand still clenched from how tightly I’d been gripping the edge of the desk moments ago. My jaw ached from how tightly I was clenching it, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Not now. I told myself I wasn’t going to interfere. I promised Lianna I wouldn’t. But promises made in the eye of a storm rarely stand when the wind changes. And gods, it changed. The moment the elders started screaming over each other like a pack of senile hounds, all clamoring for blood, I had to shut them up. I didn’t even remember raising my voice until the silence hit. Until they all turned to me, and I, like a damn fool, spoke the decree. Now my baby brother would be banished to the Drekavac Hollow, and somehow, my voice had sealed it. The air grew colder the deeper I went, but I barely noticed. My fingers brushed the stone walls out of
Edward: My journey from the courtroom to my study was a tumultuous one. I fought back tears I hadn't shed in years. Hell, I fought the urge to turn on my feed and go back to the court to change my mind over what I had said concerning Ethan, but that was futile. The judgement had been made and as bad as it made me feel, I had to be rational. I had to embrace reality and see Ethan for who he really was beyond my brother. I slammed the door behind me harder than I meant to. The sound echoed off the tall bookshelves like a gavel dropped by the gods. I’d always found comfort in this room. In its silence and its order, but today it felt more like a cage than a sanctuary. I could easily just step back out and take a walk or even go horse riding, but I knew it wasn't going to take away that terrible misery that was keeping me company right now. Which meant running away from whatever I was feeling wasn't the cure to my pain. I ran a hand through my hair, pacing a
Lianna: The air in the hall was suffocating, tight, pressing against every corner of my skin like the heat of a blacksmith's forge. The walls of the courtroom seemed to close in the moment I stepped in, hand in hand with Edward. I could feel his grip tighten slightly, almost imperceptibly, as our eyes fell on the man seated at the center of the gathering. Ethan. His gaze landed on us and didn’t waver. But I saw it. That subtle shift in his posture. The way his spine straightened, like the presence of our united front had finally forced him to understand that his days of immunity were over. Good. I wanted him to feel that fear. I wanted him to sit with it. We took our seats as murmurs spread through the chamber. Some voices were hushed, others hissed outright with emotion. The elders looked especially tense. Some wwr already whispering amongst themselves, robes rustling as they fidgeted, eyes darting between one another. An elder rose. He was tall and lean, his