<i>Zephyrine </i>


    My carriage was ready at night just as my brother had promised, and I arrived out there in the open only to attract eyes and attention with my presence.


    I stood under the dark sky, dressed in a long flowing gown and a fur cloak with the crest of my powerful pack.


    Guards followed, too heavily, but I knew I had no choice. My brother might get suspicious if I appeared without them. I stared silently into the night, and gently I felt her gaze. Dessyn’s.


    Slowly, I turned towards the window of Varyn’s bedchamber and saw her standing there, her eyes fixed on me.


    Somehow, I could feel her depression and desperation, but before we could connect ormunicate, he appeared right behind her dominant, possessive.


    Varyn.


    In seconds, Dessyn lowered her gaze just as my brother’s hands circled her neck.


    His palm tightened in a possessive grip before he kissed her lips, more like a warning than affection. Then he hugged her, forcing her back into his chest while his eyes pinned themselves on me.


    His look was clear, like a warning, like an order for me to put Lycannar right in his ce. He was entrusting me with a mission, one I could not afford to fail.


    I turned away and was about to get into the carriage when another approaching carriage caught my eyes. The crest of Hue Pack carved on its frame.


    A frown spread across my face as the carriage stopped and Nyroth stepped out. My brow arched in utter disbelief, and before I could process it, an Ash Pack messenger came riding in.


    In that moment, I realized why Nyroth was here. No one would have summoned him except my brother, Varyn.


    Swallowing hard as Nyroth was ushered into the hall, I climbed into my carriage with Blue, and the ride back to the Lycan Kingdom began, my heart aching all the while.


    Blue still attended to me like a maid, though I didn’t want her service, yet she insisted.


    <b>I </b>leaned in my seat, resting my head quietly, but sleep would note. No peace had found me ever since I learned the truth.


    The ride was long, but atst my carriage reached the massive gates of the Lycan Kingdom. And I swear, I felt it. The uneasiness. The ache. The pain. And the warmth that only his presence could bring. <fnf171> Get full chapters from Find[?]ovel</fnf171>


    The gigantic gate opened, and my carriage wheeled inside with the guards of my pack following. Blue alighted carefully, but I remained still, my gaze fixed on nothing, wondering how to hold myself together, how to face this.


    “Mydy,” Blue’s voice pulled me back, and I looked at her outstretched palm. For a moment, <b>I </b>just stared. Then, tenderly, I took it, allowing her to help me down.


    And there I stood, under the night sky of the Lycan Kingdom, captivated by the intense gaze of the king himself.


    From the tower corridor, he stared down at me, and I looked back. In silence, our eyes locked, until I forced myself to lower my gaze and move toward the hall.


    Blue followed closely behind as we entered the dining hall, the same one that held beautiful memories. None bitter.


    His sisters emerged soon after. They must have seen me arrive.


    “Zephyrine…” Princess Mearez called softly. Our eyes met, and I felt like crying, but I swallowed the sobs and tried to stay strong. That was when footsteps echoed.


    Him. Descending the stairs, step by step. Lycannar Blood.


    He stopped a few steps away. I could not bring myself to look into his eyes. Instead, I stared at the empty space between us, silence stretching painfully.


    Then Hades entered too, leaning against the wall, silent as ever.


    Atst, I choked back the bile and reached for the ring I hade to return. Quietly, I set it on the table and turned to leave. But I should have known he would not let me go so easily.


    In a sh, the air shifted. One moment he was across the hall, the next, he blocked my path.


    “Zephyrine…” His voice called, that tone breaking my heart.


    “I came to return the ring. I will take my leave now,” I murmured, refusing to meet his eyes. But he caught my wrist and pulled me back into him.


    In his arms, I went numb. Completely numb.


    “Zephyrine…” he whispered, but I couldn’t respond. Not like this. Tears welled in my eyes <b>as </b>I tried to pull away, but his hand rose gently to my chin, forcing my gaze to his.


    There, I stared into his blurry eyes through my tears.


    “Zephyrine…”


    “Why didn’t side.


    you tell me?” The words slipped from me quietly, exhaustedly. His hand fell to his


    I took a step back, wiping my tears, and asked again.


    “Why didn’t you tell me?”


    He only watched me, silent, his eyes soft in a way they never were for anyone else. And I broke.


    The sob tore from me as I pushed him, raining punches against his chest. He didn’t fight back. He took it all, until I shoved him again and red through my tears.


    “Why didn’t you tell me?!” I snapped.


    He swallowed hard, his gaze heavy with apology.


    “I was scared.”


    The word sounded foreign from his lips. Iughed bitterly, brokenly.


    “Scared? You? The great Apex Blood, scared of me? A woman you never loved, a woman you slept with, ate with, bathed with, and still lied to?!”


    “I didn’t lie to you, Zephyrine,” he said softly.


    I struck his chest again and again until exhaustion overtook me. My body sank, but he caught me, held me up. I pushed him off, rejecting his touch, ring through the blur.


    “Do you have any idea what is going on out there?” I demanded. “Do you even know what the werewolves are saying about Apex Blood?! Do you, Lycannar, have any idea?”


    I looked away, biting my lower lip at the cruel twist of politics. Then I faced him again.


    “The Imperium Council twisted the truth and diverted attention. Ka and those council members were ten steps ahead of me because you kept the truth hidden. If you had told me, I would’ve been prepared. But no! Now they’ve made you, the Lycannar Blood, the true viin.


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    They call you names <b>I </b>can’t even defend you against, because you weren’t honest with me.” My voice shook. “It’s over between us, Lycannar. My brother will never let me marry you. My kind hates your kind. And I can’t forgive you for hiding such a truth from me.”


    I turned for the exit, but once more, his hand caught my wrist. I froze, my breath hitching as he held my gaze onest time.


    “In two nights,” he said quietly, “I will be at the tavern where we had our first outing. I will wait for you.”


    My chest clenched at his words, but I said nothing. Without another nce, I bypassed him, mounted one of the guards‘ horses, and left.


    I abandoned the carriage he had gifted me. I abandoned Blue. And under the night sky, I galloped back to Ash Pack, my heart breaking with every beat.