Ch. 271..275: The Rogue is a Female Alpha chapter 271-275
Back Where 271
My horse galloped into my Kingdom, stopping at the Royal stable. I dismounted quickly and made for the hallways, but then I paused. The diary in my hand needed to be returned.
Retracing my steps, I turned toward the maids‘ quarters, where Anahita ruled over the women in my Kingdom.
A few of my people who’s not asleep bowed as I passed, but I responded with silence until I stood before the quarters. I did not step inside. I respected their privacy as females.
I waited quietly. Not even ten minutes had passed before Anahita came out, bowing her head in reverence.
“My King,” she said.
I stayed silent for a moment before asking,
“I will see Blue.”
“Of course. I will bring her…” She hadn’t finished speaking when the young, beautiful lady rushed out from within, as though she had been expecting me.
When she appeared, Anahita gave me a knowing glance, bowed again, and left us. Blue stood there, this young woman who had never once found fault in me.
I looked at her, my chest tightening the way it always did whenever I met her eyes, the very eyes of her mother. Guilt always made me turn away from all the good she offered.
I extended the diary. She received it quietly, asking gently,
“My King… are you okay?”
I gave no answer. The moment she accepted the book, I turned away, heading for my tower. But she surprised me, darting forward to block my path, clutching the diary to her chest.
“My King,” she called again, voice soft but insistent. “Are you okay? I am… concerned about. you. We all are.”
At that word ‘We‘ I glanced toward the quarters, catching sight of the women peeking from within. The likes of them, if a Kingdom fell, would be forced to fill a harem.
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I swallowed hard at the thought. My father had kept the Lycan Kingdom unshakable for The Kings before him as well. I would not let my people suffer under my reign.
years.
I looked back at Blue and There it was again. The warmth in her eyes. A warmth I knew I didn’t deserve. I bypassed her silently and walked into the hall, leaving her staring after my retreat.
When I reached the dining hall that led to the stairway of my tower, I froze. My two sisters were waiting for me.
“Serena,” I breathed, stepping forward to embrace her. But unexpectedly, she pushed me away, her fist slamming into my chest with such force I allowed myself to staggered back, surprised and confused.
I turned to Mearez and found her glaring as well. My stomach sank. Something had gone terribly wrong.
I turned sharply toward the Black Tower, reaching for the pulse of energy, but felt nothing. No trace of a demon. My brother.
“Where is my brother Hades?” My voice carried a warning edge as I stare t both of them.
“Guards of the Demon Realm came,” Mearez said quickly. “They said he is to be imprisoned by Father’s order, until he makes his decision, or until a new King is crowned.”
“Do you know about this?” Serena demanded.
I shared a glance between them before sighing tiredly. My gods. Of all times, why now?
I sank into a chair, exhaustion weighing me down. Why now, gods? Why take away my best confidant now?
“Lycannar?” Mearez’s voice pulled me back, and I looked up at them, nodding slowly.
“Yes. I knew about it.”
“And you didn’t tell us?” Serena’s voice cracked. “I thought we were your sisters. Truly your sisters.”
Before I could respond, Mearez muttered bitterly,
“Maybe because we aren’t. Hades and Lycannar shared a mother. We share neither.”
The fatigue burning inside me turned sharp with anger. My eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Say that again,” I warned coldly, “and I will tell him.”
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Her face paled. She swallowed hard and looked away, panic breaking through. She knew well Hades would never forgive such words. He would never accept us as anything but true siblings.
I leaned back, rubbing my temples, frustration clawing deeper. What had made Father change his mind so suddenly? I had thought he would allow Hades to stay until the next full moon.
I sighed shakily, looking back at my sisters. Their faces carried nothing but fear.
“He’ll be fine,” I said softly. “I’ll check on him after I put you both to bed.”
Neither of them moved. Instead, Mearez asked quietly,
“Is he really going to be fine?”
“I just said he will be,” I repeated.
“He’s going to prison,” Serena whispered harshly, her voice trembling. “How can you say he’ll be fine? And you kept it from us that he’s on death row?”
“Because I knew you both would panic,” I muttered, then tried to soothe the air between us. “I’ll check on him myself. Father won’t kill him until the date he set. My brother and I still have until the next full moon to find our mates and present them to Father.”
“And if you don’t?” Mearez asked.
The question dug into me like a blade. What if I didn’t find my mate? What if Hades didn’t either?
“That means,” I admitted lowly, “one of us will have to accept the bride Father has chosen and ascend the throne of the Demon Realm.”
Silence followed. Fear rippled through their faces.
I swallowed down my own dread, then pulled Mearez into my arms first.
“It will be fine. Don’t worry.” I kissed her hair, then pulled Serena close, brushing a strand from her face.
“Let’s get you both to bed. It’s late.”
They nodded quietly and left together, heading to their chambers.
Alone in the dining hall, I lingered. My heart pounded with a weight I couldn’t shake. I could feel it now. The danger creeping closer. As though the Moon Goddess herself had chosen this moment to test me, stripping me of every support, leaving me isolated.
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I sat on the chair, leaning back with my arms folded across my chest as I watched my sister, Mearez, prepare for bed.
It’s always been a sad story for healers, especially those born true. A true healer takes scars from others onto themselves, and she is no different.
Thanks to her, I have none despite all my years as a warrior. But her body, though elegant and beautiful, bears faint scars.
On her arm, where Varyn once slashed her, the wound closed but left a pale mark behind. A permanent reminder of her devotion and kind heart.
My eyes followed her as she slipped beneath the covers, drawing the blanket up to her chest. When she laid her head on the pillow, her gaze lifted back to mine. For a moment, there was only silence. She blinked, soft and serene.
She was beautiful. Gentle, warm. So beautiful it made my chest ache. And I loved her. I loved her so much.
“Is she okay?” she asked, her voice low and soft. I knew exactly who she meant. “Does she still love you?”
I nodded slowly.
“She’s conflicted on what to do, but it’s clear she still wants me.”
Relief softened her features, and she let out a quiet sigh. Then she smiled, sweet, pure.
“You both are made for each other,” she said, though her smile faltered as she murmured, “I just pray things end well. Well enough in the end. I don’t want this to… to turn into tragedy. Not your love story. Not you, Lycannar. You’ve suffered too much agony to be denied a happy ending.”
Her words struck something raw in me. I knew what she meant. It hurt to even imagine that tragedy might be waiting for me. Might be inevitable.
“That’s only if their love isn’t strong enough but it is.”
The voice came from the doorway. Serena. She walked into the chamber in her nightdress, the lamp glow tracing the curve of her hair. She moved to the bed, hesitant.
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“Can I stay here tonight?” she asked. “I can’t find peace alone these days.”
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Mearez made space for her, and Serena lay beside her. I watched them silently, the truth laying itself bare before me.
How far we’d come to this night. How much we had lost to forge a bond like this.
I swallowed, rose from the chair, and came closer. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I pulled the blanket more snugly around them.
“Tell my brother Hades I’ll be worried about him,” Serena whispered quietly.
I brushed my thumb against her cheek, my voice low, tender.
“He won’t like that. How about I tell him you both will stay strong until he returns?”
Silence lingered. Then both nodded in unison. I searched their eyes, then returned the nod with gentle conviction.
“Go to sleep now. I’ll stay until you do.”
To my presence, always the one to make them feel safe, they yielded quickly. Within moments, they were asleep.
I sighed softly, watching their faces relax, then reached out to snuff the lamp. Quietly, I slipped from the room, closing the door behind me.
***
I was dripping wet when I surfaced into the Demon Realm, water trailing down my clothes as I made my way first to my father’s chamber.
It felt like I had been expected; the Demon Elders were already gathered in the hall, and the King’s advisor, Salo, waited with them.
I passed through their stares, the heavy doors opening for me without a word. They closed behind me, sealing me in.
There he was, the Demon King, seated at the writing table, eyes bent over scrolls.
I dropped to my knees immediately in respect, but he didn’t look up. I remained that way until, at last, he beckoned me forward.
“Come. Sit.”
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I rose carefully, stepping closer. I hovered at the chair until his gaze finally lifted to me..
“Sit,” he repeated, firmer.
I obeyed, sitting quietly as he finished reading, then folded the scroll and set it aside.
“I’m running out of time, son,” he said, voice weary. “I can feel it. And I will not leave my kingdom in the hands of enemies.”
Slowly, my eyes lifted to his.
“I have ruled the Demons too harshly. Paid the maids nothing but crumbs. Let the guards starve while on duty. I indulged in wealth, listened to Salo’s advice that has brought me nothing but regret.”
He sighed, almost broken, before continuing.
“My word still stands. I will make no move until the third day of the next full moon. But for now…” His gaze hardened, pinning me. “You and your brother must be parted.”
“Father…”
“Together, the two of you…” His eyes burned as they locked on mine. “Together, you are formidable. Even against me, your father, the King. So I have only one solution.”
I felt my heart pound harder, even before he spoke the words.
“The great witch Ilythra will break the portal between the Lycan Kingdom and the Demon Realm. You and your brother will be severed, unable to reach each other, until the next full moon’s third day.”
I froze, staring.
“He will be sentenced to the Sky Prison, completely isolated, until the decision is made.”
The words made my shoulders sag. He had already chosen.
He pushed from the table, moving to his bed. I rose to help him, but he brushed me off with a sharp glare. The rightful source is find~novel~net
“Bring me your mate. Take the kingdom, if you care for me at all. Two powerful sons, yet neither will claim the throne? So much for being the great Demon King.”
He lowered himself onto the bed, his back to me, silent in dismissal.
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I lingered for a long moment, then bowed deeply before turning to leave. I pushed the heavy doors open, bypassing the stares of the Elders and Salo’s unreadable eyes, and started toward the Sky Prison.
That was when I felt it. A shift in the air, followed by a voice.
“So, you are the killer of her Queen.”
I froze.
The mention of my mother stopped me cold. Slowly, I turned.
Kiara Salo.
The one Hades would be forced to marry if his mate didn’t appear by the next full moon. The daughter of Salo. And the woman I had seen, seen in my visions slaughter my brother on their wedding night to seize the throne for herself.
She was beautiful, yes. But her heart was venom. I could feel it radiating from her.
She stepped closer and I avoided her gaze.
“Don’t you think it’s better to let your brother take the throne?” she asked smoothly, her eyes sharp. “You’ve taken everything from him. The love his father should have had only for him,
you
stole half of it. The throne he was meant to inherit, you reach for it, too. And his mother…” She sneered. “You killed her.”
The words struck a nerve so deep I almost snapped.
Slowly, I lifted my eyes to hers. She glared, her malice blazing, and for a fleeting moment I saw her death, clear as if it had already come.
“Hades must loathe you more than anyone,” she hissed. “For killing his mother. For making him grow without knowing a mother’s love. You don’t belong here. You don’t belong anywhere. You are cursed, condemned, and you will never know happiness.”
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The Sky Prison was different from the last underground prison where I had once met my brother. This place was stricter, harsher.
The last prison had at least allowed him drinks, but this time, when the massive black gate opened for me, the hefty gatekeeper in charge gave me only one sharp look. No special
treatment.
“Your cloak. Jewelry. Footwear. None of it goes in.” His voice was clipped.
I pulled off my cloak, unbuckled my boots, and removed the rings around my brows, the bracelet at my wrist, and the rest of the bands on my fingers. I left only two things. The ring
ankles. from my love, and the anklets around my
Placing the rest in the box meant for safekeeping, I turned back to find the gatekeeper eyeing what I had kept.
“It’s my engagement ring,” I said, hating that I had to explain myself. “And the anklets… they keep my beasts bound.”
At that, his eyes flickered in understanding. If the anklets came off, the entire Demon Realm would have to prepare to subdue a monster. He stepped aside, and I entered.
The Sky Prison held no common prisoners. Only royalty. And royals sentenced here rarely returned since it was a place of no return. Too cold. Too isolating. Even the strongest mind broke eventually.
I walked to the center of the vast hollow space and stared at the crystalline castle rising before
me.
From outside, it looked beautiful, almost radiant. But within those walls, I knew only madness lived. Royals condemned, some for eternity, left to rot in silence.
I waited there, expecting my brother to be brought out, but time dragged on. Concern gnawed at me. Was he hurt? Or… had they already killed him?
The sound of heavy shackles broke through the silence behind me.
Swallowing hard, I turned.
He came forward, wrists bound, ankles chained, every step a clatter of iron. Seeing him like
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that stirred something sharp in my chest. One thing I despised above all. My brother in chains.
When he reached me, I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move. I had told our sisters he was fine, but seeing him now, I realized I had lied to myself. He was not fine. Not even close.
“You met her?” he asked suddenly. The question stilled my heart. Even in chains, he smiled, his first thought still of me.
Kiara’s words echoed in my head. She had said my brother must hate me, for killing our mother. Was it true?
“I can tell you met her,” he murmured with a teasing smile, nudging me with a bound fist. “Did you make love to her?”
I gave a faint smile. He leaned in and hugged me before pulling back to rub my hair like he used to.
“I should have known you were a smooth talker.” He groaned, then asked with a wink, “How did you win her over?”
I punched him lightly, laughing. He made a show of collapsing, clutching his chest as though I had struck too hard, then sprawled on the ground, staring up at the sky until his smile faded.
The weight returned. Reality pressing down.
Exhaling heavily, I lay down beside him, both of us staring up at the endless dark sky.
For a long time, there was silence. Then his voice came, quiet.
“Father is ten thousand steps ahead of us, Apex. What will we do?”
“He’s going to break the portal between the Lycan Kingdom and here,” I said grimly. My brother turned his head toward me, stunned. “He believes separating us will force our decisions faster. That urgency will drive us to choose paths we’ve resisted.”
Hades let out a shaky breath.
“And my sisters?”
“They’re fine. Worried, but strong. They’ll hold until things are settled.” My voice was weary. “But I can’t shake this emptiness. If that portal closes… it will be worse.”
“You’ll be fine. You are a King.”
“I am your younger brother before I am a King. Without you… with no way to reach you…. I feel
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powerless.”
He sat up slowly, fixing his gaze on me.
“Sit up.” I obeyed, meeting his eyes. “Something else is troubling you?” he pressed.
I lowered my gaze, running my fingers through my hair.
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“I feel uneasy. Like something big is coming. And when it does… I’ll have no one beside me.”
“You have more power than anyone. Without you, I would have died five years ago. You saved us all the Abyss on that battlefield. Do you still doubt yourself?”
“I have too many limits, Brother,” I whispered.
“The Ashmeres? Is that what worries you?”
The name stopped me. My chest tightened. I shook my head slowly.
“They’re a threat… but maybe I’ve underestimated them.”
Silence. Then he said firmly,
“Don’t repeat my mistake five years ago, Apex. Do not underestimate any Ashmere. Especially one burning with vengeance.”
“Yeah.”
“Does anyone know your weaknesses?” he asked suddenly.
I froze, swallowing.
“My sisters. And… Zephyrine.” He thought on that, studying me. I shook my head, anticipating his doubt. “Zephyrine would never betray me like that.”
“Keep your gates shut,” Hades said at last, his tone low as a warning. “If you feel tension in the air, don’t ignore it. Keep your people inside the kingdom. And my sisters, if anything happens to them, Apex, I won’t forgive you. You know that.”
I nodded with a quiet sigh.
“No one will attack you blindly,” he continued. “Apex is a mystery. If I were Varyn Ashmere, if I hated you and wanted you dead… I wouldn’t strike rashly. I’d wait. I’d want to know your exact position first.”
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Listening attentively, then he sighed and asked,
“That… Luna who has a pup, what do you think of her?”
I raised a brow, surprised he was even asking.
“Don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love.”
“Love is a strong word, Apex. You know… she and I had a one night?”
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I nodded. I knew they had made love that night, when Zephyrine was spellbound with her ex.
“She is… sweet, and… I don’t want her to think I just had a night and left. Like… when she came and didn’t find me.”
I looked at my brother now, as he pulled off the ring from his finger and extended it to me.
“Give it to her if she ever comes by.”
Hearing this, I flicked my eyes to him, raising a brow, and he looked away as though I had caught him red–handed.
“You are in love, brother Hades,” I murmured, but he scoffed, trying to deny it.
“Nonsense. Haven’t you ever had a one night stand? It’s just…”
I waited, searching his eyes until his voice faltered. He looked at me and swallowed.
“It’s crazy, right? That I want a woman more than once?”
His question made me swallow. I reached for the ring from him and tucked it away before murmuring my answer.
“If falling in love means crazy, then yes. It is crazy to want a woman more than once.” I looked at him to ask, “So who’s going to marry the betrothed Father chose for us at the end of the next full moon?”
To that, he stared at me narrowly.
“Maybe you are willing to leave your woman for the demon throne. I am not ready to marry a
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crazy woman that will kill me. If Father doesn’t trust me with the woman I bring forward, then he doesn’t trust me to lead. So what’s the use of sitting on that throne?”
“It sounds like your situation is a bit better than mine. My woman is an Ashmere.”
“My own woman, if she ever wants to be, is a widow, and she has a pup. That’s never a problem for me, but I wonder if Father will ever want that.”
He shrugged, telling himself everything would be fine, but it never worked. Soon enough, his shoulders sagged with exhaustion. And right there, I looked at him still, my heart stirring with the words she had spoken. The same words the lady had said to me on my way here.
I watched my brother in silence, wondering if he was mad at me for murdering our mother at birth.
Am I… taking everything away from Hades? Even the love his father was supposed to give him?
Those were the thoughts swirling in my mind when I felt his gaze on me. I looked up to see him staring. Updates are released by f͟i͟n͟d͟n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟.net
“What’s wrong?” he asked. I shook my head slowly. “Keeping things from your big brother?”
I searched his eyes before lowering my gaze, frowning softly in curiosity.
“I’m sorry Mother died at my birth,” I murmured. “I killed her… and I will pay for that truth. Always.”
Silence fell heavy. The sky prison was already quiet, but now it was so weighted I could hear a pin drop.
“Someone spoke to you before you came here?” he asked, and I glanced at him briefly.
“Your betrothed. She said things… and it got to me.”
Words like that, about my mother, about me not belonging to any world, they always got to me. And Hades knew this.
“You must have hated me. For taking Mother away. For taking half the love Father was supposed to give you whole. Now I’m also considered an heir of this realm, which was supposed to be solely your right.” I looked at him and sighed. “You must hate me. Don’t you?”
“Thank
your stars I’m shackled. I’d strangle you to death already.” His words made me swallow.
“You were a baby when she died. How did you kill her? Did you bring a knife to her neck? Answer me.”
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“No.”
“Half of the love that was supposed to be fully mine? Your own father, the Lycan King, shrewd as he was, didn’t he love me more than he loved you?”
I swallowed, his words dragging me back through memory. He was right. My own father had cherished Hades more than me.
“And you talk about the throne of this kingdom? Isn’t it the same throne we’re both running from? Or wait… do you want it?”
I looked up at him narrowly, and he stared back before his tone softened, warm, brotherly, and startlingly firm.
“Mother was never happy here, little brother. But when she carried you in her belly… I had never seen her smile so much. She loved you. And when she gave birth to you… there was no regret in her face at her last moment. She was proud of you. Very, very proud of you. And I loved you too, at first sight. I love you, I love our sisters too, and I will die for all of you if need be. Don’t you dare let anyone, any needless talk, come between the bond we share. Because you are my brother. My younger brother. And I have no regrets that you were born.
We will meet again at the next full moon, little brother. And by then… we will smile.”
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Just like that, it settled above us. The full moon. It hung there, great and bright, before us all. The one that made him mad, ravaging, and cold.
My heart grew heavy. A wedding, they said, no, more like the first attack of war. More like the very first strike of something bitter, something evil. War.
It wasn’t sounding, but somehow I could already hear it drumming in my ears. The sound of war. The incoming storm above us all.
I lowered my gaze to see them. Ashmere warriors who don’t mount horses just for show. Now they were galloping their way toward Hue Pack. Carriages had also begun to file out, and I knew I would be summoned soon.
I moved away from the window and toward the chair before the mirror, settling into it as a cold chill ran down my spine.
Slowly, I looked up at my reflection, and just like that, my heart burned. Tears stung my eyes, and I dropped my gaze to swallow the bile.
If only I could reach Lycannar, tell him the path is rocky, warn him that the one we saved in blood and agony is rebelling, and that our paths should part.
If only I could inform him not to come at all to Hue Pack, to let me be handed over to Nyroth, maybe that would bring peace, and keep Varyn from ever thinking of attacking Lycans.
But the massive gate was triple–guarded. My bed chamber was now the focus of every watchful eye. If I moved a single bit, Varyn would be informed immediately.
Judging by the full moon above us, I knew I was at a disadvantage if I truly did not want to harm Lycannar. All I needed was to send a letter but to whom?
Not Isolde. She is loving, the gods blessed her, but her loyalty lies more with the Ashmeres than me. She would probably think I was brainwashed, too. I paused to think. Who could I send? Who…
I suddenly paused, and the answer came. Dessyn.
Dessyn had been confined in Varyn’s bed chamber and hadn’t stepped out.
Obediently, she had heeded my brother’s command, so Varyn wouldn’t suspect her too much.
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Besides, the fight would take place in Hue Pack. Ash Pack would be isolated, and Dessyn wouldn’t be going with us. Varyn wouldn’t risk her safety for anything.
Dessyn would help me send the letter.
I rushed to my writing desk, picking up my materials, and quickly penned a message expressing my urgency, my heartache, and the warning for him not to come.
I told him to stay in his kingdom, to take care of himself until I found a way to check on him. At the end, I stared at the letter for a while before adding that I loved him with all my heart.
I sealed the letter just as the sound of incoming footsteps reached me. I hurriedly hid it and straightened up as the door opened, and there he was. My brother.
Varyn.
After that night, we hadn’t spoken or even seen one another, and now here he was. His eyes moved over me, then his calculating gaze softened as he stepped forward to gently take my hand.
“Your carriage will be ready soon. You will be dressed in Hue Pack for the ceremony, little sister,” he said softly. I searched his face.
As much as I loved and understood his need to shed Lycannar’s blood, I still wished he wouldn’t. As much as I understood his thirst for vengeance, I prayed peace would reign.
“I will prepare,” I murmured, moving to bypass him, only for him to say,
“You’ve gone soft, Zephyr.”
I paused mid–step, turning to stare at him.
“His love… whatever he’s done to you has made you soft. You were supposed to lead the army right into his kingdom and kill them all, but that’s not what you’re doing.”
“Father didn’t teach me to kill innocent civilians in battle,” I muttered quietly. “He didn’t advise that we storm å kingdom filled with innocents and kill them just because of one man.”
“The man who is their king, and who must be slaughtered to restore balance,” he said tightly, taking a step closer. “You know my aunt Kostyra mentioned you and Apex are forbidden to be together because of a prophecy. I will save you from him, Zephyr. I will.”
Hearing that made me swallow. I didn’t respond. I turned and walked into my bath chamber to wash, waiting for him to leave at first, worried he would see the runes on my skin and fly into anger.
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When I heard the door close, I slowly undressed and cased into the water, sighing as it covered my chest, chilling me.
The runes around my body reminded me of him. They made me feel like he owned me. I looked down at the ring on my finger and set my jaw.
Moving quickly, I bathed and got out to get ready. I dressed before Isolde arrived, and when it came time for the engagement ring Lycannar had given me, I removed it, placed it in a box, and hid it away.
It didn’t take long before the door opened, and Isolde walked in to get me ready, but I was already prepared.
I slipped the letter under the fabric of my gown and headed out, guards flanking me immediately, security tight and heavy.
I arrived at Varyn’s door and knocked.
“She won’t be going to Hue Pack, my lady,” one guard said. I nodded.
“She is my best friend. I will have a word of farewell with her and then come out.”
Without waiting for a response, I pushed the door open and walked in, seeing Dessyn by the window.
She turned and, upon seeing me, rushed forward to hug me tightly, and right there, I felt relief. She would deliver the letter. I knew she would.