<i>Lycannar </i>


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    It was as though she had been waiting for me to rock her to sleep. As though she hadn’t rested for days, and the moment her head came to lie on my arm, sleep imed her instantly.


    Her warm breath fanned across my chest, and I stared up at the ceiling in silence. She felt so right in my arms, and I couldn’t wish for anything else but the rest of her life with me.


    But then again, the rest of her life? Would it be a long one? One thatsted beyond these fragile seconds?


    Because during dinner I had seen her eyes. When I arrived and found her in tears, I noticed it. Beneath that strength and power of hers was a breaking soul. That frustration, that misery… it shattered me. She was barely holding on, and I could feel it.


    I sighed softly when she stirred. Looking down, I found her still, trusting me enough to lower every guard and close her eyes. She trusted me. So much.


    I looked away at the nk space. I hade for three reasons. First, to seek Zephyrine’s forgiveness which I had aplished. Second, to deliver Blue’s paycheck which I had done. Andstly, to face Jurrek Bane and ask what he truly intended for my sister.


    Remaining still, I could sense his energy from the east wing. He was there in this pack, awake. I could feel it in his breath, in his pulse of energy.


    I looked back at Zephyrine again and carefully eased her off my arm. Gently, without shaking her. Without waking her. Atst, I seeded. Putting on my boots, I slipped out silently.


    Through the halls I bypassed the guards without sound, until finally I stepped into the night sky.


    A night in Ash Pack was… different. Not peaceful. Not at all. The air was heavy with something holy. The sacred remains of ancestors who had bled for thisnd, this pack.


    I swallowed hard against the overwhelming force of it and followed Jurrek’s energy until I found him, just leaving the night guards after giving orders.


    He turned, paused when he saw me, surprise shing in his eyes before he walked closer and bowed.


    “Your Majesty. I didn’t know you were here,” he said. But I didn’t answer. I was too focused on his eyes, breaking past the shields he kept there, stripping away the sorrow he tried to bury.


    15:57 <b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>11 </b>


    <i>47 </i>


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    And then I saw it. Clear as day. A sight that clenched my heart and raised goosebumps along my skin.


    “You love my sister,” I murmured softly. It wasn’t a question. It was fact.


    He set his jaw, realizing I had pierced through his fa?ade. His armor crumbled, his shields fell, and it was allid bare. So much that I had to look away, swallowing hard.


    At home, we had told Mearez I will arranged something with Jurrek Bane. But it was a lie. My brother Hades and I… we lied.


    I wasn’t here to make arrangements. I was here to tell him the truth. The bitter, naked, ugly truth.


    “You are right. I want her,” Jurrek’s voice broke through. I turned back, fixing my eyes on him. “She’s beautiful. Gentle. Kind. She won’t do more than hold my hand, but she’s so pure, and I… I want her. She said unless you give your agreement, she won’t be mine. So I ask. What can I do to earn your agreement?”


    I stared at him for <i>a </i>long time. Atst, I nodded and sighed.


    “To love is simple; to ept is the true test.” My voice softened as I locked onto his eyes. “She is a victim of multiple rapes. Can you still love her?”


    Silence. Dead, heavy silence. It seemed even the background noises faded away. Jurrek looked at me in pure awe, and I understood. No one could hear that and not be shaken.


    “Since childhood, until I decided enough was enough. I failed to protect them properly, and I won’t let any mane into their lives to remind them of the past. Of the trauma.” I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “I know you long for her. I can see it, feel it. And I understand if you pull away now, after hearing her dark past. All I ask is that you stay clear of my sister when next you meet. Don’t lie. Don’t egg her on if you won’t be able to shoulder her problems and her pain. If you walk away, we will have no problem. Do you understand?” <fnb6a6> ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???????s, ????s? ??s?? findnovel</fnb6a6>


    He said nothing, and I pressed no further. I turned, making my way back toward Zephyrine’s chambers only to freeze at the sharp scream the moment the door opened for me.


    I rushed in.


    There she was on the bed, sweating, trembling from a nightmare.


    Her eyes darted around in a fear I had never seen in her before. The moment theynded on me, she bolted from the bed and into my arms.


    My heart went still as I gathered her against me, holding her close while the maids quietly


    :


    <b>47 </b>


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    closed the door.


    I carried her back to the bed, my brows furrowed in awe.


    “Zephyrine?” I whispered, but she shook her head, clinging tighter, unwilling to let me go. held her, patting her back gently.


    I


    “I couldn’t find peace, Lycan. I can’t find peace after that battle five years ago,” she whispered, trembling as she pulled back to meet my eyes. “I can’t sleep peacefully in my own bed since that battle. It’s as though the gods are punishing me. As though they won’t let me rest until I set everything right. Until everything is right, Lycan. What will I do?”


    Her eyes, desperate and broken, crushed me.


    I swallowed the lump rising in my throat, then drew her down with me, pressing her against my chest.


    “Don’t worry for tonight. Take a deep breath and rest. I’m here. I’m here.”


    <b>15:57 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>11 </b>