<i>Zephyrine </i>


    It’s unusually quiet tonight as I stood at the window, my gaze falling down to <b>see </b>he has already gotten them ready. The great white horse Lycannar had given to me.


    The white carriage Lycannar had presented as well. Both of them, gifts he offered me after our first night together as lovers.


    I turned away and swallowed hard. That wasn’t the only present he gave me that night.


    After we made love, he had introduced me to his family, gifted me a horse and carriage, and entrusted me with a personal maid who loved and cherished me. But now… now I must return them all.


    My eyes slowly roamed around my bed chamber and fell on the robe hung up against the wall. That white great robe with the Lycan crest, made to fit me perfectly.


    And finally, those rings. The rings that once made me one of the happiest women alive. I swallowed down the bile in my throat just as the sound of approaching footsteps reached me.


    I turned slowly as the door opened and Blue stepped in. Her head bowed before me, then she straightened, looking at me with that innocent humility that always pierced through me. My heart ached knowing she was about to be sent away.


    But I was quick to blink back tears. I lowered my gaze to my fingers and slipped off the two rings Lycannar had given me. The first as a gift, the second when he proposed marriage.


    I ced them carefully into the chest I had prepared. Then I walked to the robe, pulled it down from its rack, folded it neatly, and ced it in the chest as well.


    Atst, I looked at them one final time, my chest tight with grief. Shakily, I closed the lid and shivered in silence. Silence, and nothing but silence.


    He had told me once not to forget the good times we shared. He had told me he loved me. It… it was almost as though he had known this moment woulde. As though he knew the truth, and never told me.


    I bit my lower lip and turned toward Blue, unable to meet her eyes.


    “A guard will escort you on your journey back to the Lycan Kingdom. Take the chest with you. The horse will follow. Ride in the carriage. Give them all back to your King and remain there.” My voice cracked, but I forced the words. Without waiting for her response, I climbed onto the


    bed and pulled the nket over myself.


    But I had to pause because she didn’t move. She stood there, frozen. That made me lift my gaze and see her staring at me with that same expression that only deepened my guilt.


    “Mydy…” she whispered, stepping forward before dropping to her knees before me. I turned my face away, trembling.


    “Mydy?”


    “Go, Blue. You’ve served me enough. Just go.”


    Silence fell between us. No response. It rattled me more than words would have. Then she spoke again, her voice breaking.


    “Mydy?”


    I bit down on my lip as I turned to her, my own lips trembling. I shattered before her, and she broke into tears. Shaking her head, she whispered through sobs,


    “I don’t want to go. Don’t send me away.”


    Her plea tore me apart.


    “Lycannar kept secrets from me. You’re one of his people. You share his blood. He is your king. When I see you… I see him. That’s why you have to go.”


    “Are


    you sure, mydy?” she asked softly, her eyes searching mine. “Are you sure you’re sending me away just because I remind you of him?”


    “What?” I whispered.


    “Are you


    certain that if I leave, you’ll be able to forget him?” Her words struck like lightning. Goosebumps rose on my skin. “You love him. No matter what they say, you will never forget him. Even if you return his gifts, even if I leave, you will always…”


    “Who said I wanted to forget him?” I snapped, my voice shaking as tears spilled freely. “He is the love of my life and I love him. I was honest with him, open to him. And what did I get in return?”


    “Mydy…”


    “You will leave tonight,” I forced out, choking on my own sobs. “And you return here. Do you understand me?”


    will stay


    there. Do not


    She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she reached for my hand and caressed it gently.


    “Mydy… there is something you should know. My king… he isn’t always himself. Sometimes, he…<b>‘ </b>


    The door suddenly flung open, and my brother stormed in with two guards. They seized Blue


    at once.


    “Mydy!” she cried; struggling as they pinned her.


    “Throw her out of the pack!” Varyn’smand thundered through the chamber.


    Horror crashed over me.


    “Let her go,” I murmured weakly, almost to myself. But the sight of them forcing her down so harshly made my blood run cold. “Let her go!”


    My voice snapped loud, and the guards faltered, hesitating at once. I shook violently, stunned at the horror rising in my heart. This is what I feared. Werewolves venting their hatred for Lycannar onto the Lycans themselves.


    Slowly, I turned to my brother. He had given that order, and I knew he was the one feeding them with hate. I swallowed hard as I held his gaze.


    “She will walk on her own, Varyn. No one touches her.”


    It was a challenge, and the tension between us sparked like fire. Atst, he gave a curt nod and gestured to the guards. They released her and backed away, bowing before leaving the chamber.


    My lips trembled as Varyn’s gaze burned into me, heavy and knowing.


    Leave, Blue. Now,” I whispered, dismissive, knowing his patience was thin.


    She hesitated, as expected, but finally obeyed. Her sobs faded with the sound of her steps, until the chest scraped away and the echo of the massive Ash Pack gate opening filled the night. Then came the sound of hooves and wheels.


    Fear gripped me. Emptiness swallowed me whole. Sadness sat heavily in my heart, and though I tried to gulp it down, I failed. The tears spilled silently, then broke into sobs, until pain itself shredded out of me.


    My brother walked up, pulled me into his arms, and I buried my face in his chest, crying all my sorrow out. But the more I let out, the heavier the pain became. <fn8d57> This content belongs to F?nd-Novel</fn8d57>