<i>Zephyrine </i>
<b>23 </b>
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I stood staring at the well–made bed, my heart clenching with emotion. Varyn’s chamber. I had avoided it since my return, treating it like a gue, but today I could not resist.
The maids had tended it faithfully in his absence, but this evening, I had chosen to do it myself.
After lighting the candles, I stepped back, admiring the warm glow they cast. Goosebumps prickled my skin as though his presence lingered here already. Soon, he would be back, resting in this very bed, healing from everything.
Lowering my gaze, I turned toward the exit where my maids waited. Blue and Isolde caught my eyes, so I beckoned them along with the other three and walked into my own chamber.
“I’m going out,” I said simply, reaching for my saddlebag, which Blue rushed forward to carry. “I won’t return until tomorrow.”
“Mydy,” Isolde spoke first, her tone brimming with concern. “Will you be alright?”
<b>I </b>swallowed hard at her sincerity.
“I’ll be with Lycannar. Nothing bad will happen to me under his watch.” I smiled gently at her. “So you don’t need to worry, do you?”
She shook her head, returning my smile though it was tinged with sadness.
“I’ve seen him, mydy. No one alive can keep you safer than him.”
A lump rose in my throat. To trust Lycannar this much still amazed me. I bit my lip to steady myself, then turned to the task ahead. Without hesitation, I moved for the exit.
Blue followed with my saddlebag until we reached my horse, where Jurrek already waited.
“You’re ready,” he said.
I nodded, though my eyes faltered.
“I trust you,” he added firmly. “You and Lycannar are the right pair for this. Neither of you will weigh the other down.”
His faith in me cracked something inside. Slowly, I stepped forward and embraced him
:
tightly. Jurrek Bane. Loyal to the bone. My brother’s closest friend. My sworn beta.
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“Princess Mearez will arrive tonight,” I murmured. “She’ll tend to Varyn when we bring him back.”
He nodded, but I caught his hand and fixed my gaze on his.
“She’s a Blood. Nothing must happen to her while in my pack. The cost will be greater than we
can bear.”
“She’s the woman I want, Zephyr,” Jurrek said, lowering his voice. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep her safe until you return.”
Relief loosened my chest. I sighed softly and added,
“The Dusks will be here as well. They’ll ride with her.”
“Then I’ll receive them all,” he assured.
Pulling away, I nced at Blue. She had already fastened the saddlebag and stood back, ready to see me off. But leaving her felt strangely difficult. I reached for her hand, giving it a soft
squeeze.
“Be cautious. Be safe. If you need anything at all, go to my beta. Do you
understand?”
She nodded, and I smiled. Turning back, I was about to mount when she stepped forward hurriedly.
“Mydy.”
I paused, meeting her eyes, and what I saw in them made me swallow hard. Worry. Fear. Uncertainty.
“You’lle back, won’t you?”
I pinned my gaze on hers and asked gently,
“Do you trust Lycannar to keep me safe?”
“With my life,” she replied without hesitation.
That was enough. I mounted with ease, settling into the saddle as memories struck me. Thest time I rode, it was into ckwater. Now I was riding back there again, but not alone. This time, a warlord would clear the path.
15:44 Mon<b>, </b>Sep 15
<b>23 </b>
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I looked once more at Jurrek, then noticed the stares of my pack members, no doubt wondering where their Alpha was headed yet again. Without waiting, I galloped out through the gates.
The ride was swift, the sky darkening by the time I entered White Packnds. Just ahead, a carriage halted.
Nyroth of Hue Pack.
I stopped my horse as he stumbled out, almost tripping in his haste to reach me.
“Zeph, get down. We need to talk.”
Curious, I dismounted and faced him.
“Zeph,” he said, grasping my hand desperately. “Please. Whatever you’re nning, stop. <i>Go </i>to the Council, apologize. Sometimes you just need to bow your head, let go of pride and vengeance, and let peace reign. Please, Zeph, I beg you…”
His words tumbled out in a rush, but they slid in through one ear and vanished out the other. He wanted me to beg. My first love wanted me to crawl. My real love wanted me to fight.
“Lycannar will be here soon, Nyroth,” I said softly, pulling my hand free. “You should leave before he arrives. I would hate for him to misunderstand.”
I turned, reins in hand, but he caught my wrist, jaw clenching as if restraining himself. <fnd481> ?????? ???? find?novel</fnd481>
“You’ve only known him for months. You’ve known me for years, Zeph. Will you really choose him over me, the man the Moon Goddess herself abandoned?”
The insult cut, but it steeled me.
“What have you done for me, Nyroth?”
The question struck him silent.
“Since the day we were bound, five years ago, what have you ever done for me?”
“I thought you were a rogue. You never opened up…‘
“Lycannar also believed I was a rogue,” I cut him off. “And yet he worships me. In three months, he erased the misery you gave me in five years. He taught me what it means to be truly loved. Our bond is more than lust, more than need. It is beyond that. And you call him abandoned?”
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I shook my head at his ignorance.
“You forget who Lycannar is. He carries the blood of the goddess. The Moon Goddess we worship is his foremother. Even if he were to die today, may she forbid it, I would live the rest of my life happily as his widow.”
With that, I turned and walked into White Pack, leaving him behind, stunned, shattered, and powerless.