ra’s POV

    I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

    Thorne?

    What the hell was he doing here?

    :.

    5 bvouchers /b

    How had he crossed that damned misted forest? There was no way he should have made it. And why was bhe /balone? Wasn’t he supposed to have soldiers, an army with him? It felt like the world was spinning, my thoughts crashing into each other at a million miles per hour. I couldn’t make sense of any of it.

    And Dorian…

    He must have known. He had to. But why? Why would he invite Thorne? The thought alone made my head throb. Dorian had done everything to keep us apart. How was this even possible?

    “Werewolf!”

    The shout broke my chaotic thoughts, and I snapped back to the present. An elder jumped to his feet, baring his fangs in a gesture of panic.

    “What is a werewolf doing here?” someone screamed, their voice thick with fear.

    “The Werewolf King!” another voice yelled, shaking with disbelief. “How did he cross the forest? Where are the guards? Why wasn’t anyone alerted?!”

    The calm atmosphere in the room shattered into a frantic uproar, the noise swirling around me like a storm.

    “Everyone, calm down!” Dorian’s voice cut through the chaos. He raised his hand, demanding silence, and the room slowly hushed.

    “I invited King Thorne here.” His tone was firm, clear.

    “Unbelievable!” Elder Medline leapt to his feet, his face twisted in anger. “A werewolf, on our sacred ground?”

    Dorian’s voice remained steady, unshaken. “We’ve always spoken of coexistence, haven’t o let today mark the beginning. King Thorne means no harm. He’s here to offer his best wishes to me and my Queen. Right, King Thorne?”

    Thorne didn’t respond. His eyes locked onto me, cold fury burning in them, his fists clenched at his sides.

    I could feel the tension in the room thickening, my chest tightening as a storm of emotions brewed within me. I was frozen, stuck in ce.

    “Rx,” Dorian said, his hand lightly brushing my arm. “I invited him. And now, I’ll let you speak to him. You’ve already chosen your ce by my side, haven’t you?”

    0:15 bSun/bb, /bbSep /bb14 /bbN /b

    I didn’t want to hear it. I couldn’t. I pushed his hand away with more force than I intended band /bbrushed /bbtoward /bthe aisle, my heart hammering in my chest.

    Thorne.

    The man I loved.

    The father of my child.

    Was he here to take me away?

    Please, let him take me away.

    But just as I reached the end of the path, Thorne turned away, walking briskly toward the mountain broad/b.

    “No!” I cried out, my voice breaking. “Thorne!”

    I stumbled, almost falling, but I picked myself up, refusing to stop. I had to reach him.

    “Thorne!” I screamed, running faster.

    I grabbed his arm, tugging him to a halt. “Stop!” I gasped, fighting for air, tears already streaming down my face.

    He turned to face me, his eyes shing with something sharp, something unreadable. “Why bother chasing me, ra?”

    His words hit me like a p, and for a moment, I couldn’t even speak.

    “You’re here. So take me away. That wedding…it wasn’t real! I’ve been waiting for you. I always have. Take me away, Thorne. Please.”

    His face contorted in pain, and he hissed through clenched teeth. “LIE!”

    The raw anger in his voice left me breathless.

    “I saw you marry him, ra,” he snarled, his voice shaking with fury. “I watched you smile at him. You let him kiss you. You called yourself his Queen. You did it willingly. And the child… I heard about it. It’s his. It’s his, isn’t it?b” /b

    My heart stopped.

    His words cut deep, shattering everything I’d hoped for.

    “No…No, Thorne, you’re wrong!” I wanted to scream, but the words didn’te. The truth was right there on the tip of my tongue, but my mouth refused to move.

    “Liar,” he spat, his voice broken. “You chose him. You lied to me. You let me believe…all this time, I believed I had a chance, but you-” He turned away, fists clenched in rage. “You’re already having his child. What the hell do you want from me now? Why chase me?”

    b8:15 /bbSun/bb, /bbSep /bb14 /bbN /b

    I couldn’t breathe.

    This was it. He didn’t believe me.

    “I…I can’t say it,” I whispered, my voice trembling with horror. “I can’t-”

    “You don’t have to,” Thorne cut me off, hisugh cold and bitter. “I get it now. The father of your child is Dorian. Why would you bother with me, ra? We’ve been lying to each other for so long, haven’t we? Was bit /bpity sex in the vineyard? Was it all just a mistake?”

    I choked back a sob, but the words wouldn’te. I had to tell him. I needed to.

    Then it hit me. That damn vow I made to Dorian in the hospital room.

    The Moon Goddess… My throat closed up.

    I remembered the oath. The vow I had sworn that I’d never reveal this secret.

    My body shook violently as I realized the price of that promise. I couldn’t tell him. Not now. Not ever.

    “Thorne…” Tears streamed down my face as I reached for him again, but my voice was barely a whisper. “Please, trust me…”

    He stepped back, a hollow look in his eyes. “Trust you? After everything? You swore to him. To Dorian. You made your choice.”

    “No! It’s not like that!” I cried, my chest tight with grief. “I love you! I always have!”

    But he didn’t listen. He shoved me away, and my heart shattered. “Enough. Enough of the lies, ra. Go back to your King. Be his Queen. And never–nevere near me again.”

    I copsed onto the cold ground, my wedding gown sweeping around me like a shroud.

    The world spun, and my breath caught in my throat as the reality of what he’d said hit me like a freight train.

    “Goodbye, ra.” His voice was thick with emotion, but there was finality there, too. “From now on, you’re my enemy. I don’t want to see you again.”

    And with that, he walked away, leaving me broken, weeping at his feet.

    Later that night, I didn’t show up at the dinner party. I couldn’t face anyone–not after what had just happened. Dorian would be furious, but he wouldn’t care. He never cared about my feelings.

    I locked myself in my room, refusing to see anyone, to speak to anyone. The days blurred into weeks, and I grew more distant with each passing hour. I didn’t care about ruling or leading. All I wanted was to disappear.

    But I couldn’t.

    Because of the child.

    The child that I couldn’t tell anyone about. The child I carried inside me, growing day by day.

    8:15 Sun, Sep 14 bN /b

    Boucherg

    And sometimes, in the stillness of the night, I wondered–would my child look like Thorne? Would they have his eyes? His smile?

    I feared it. And I hoped for it, all at the same time. But it didn’t matter. The elders would never ept it. They would never ept what I had done.

    But that wasn’t all I had to worry about. I could feel the storm brewing. Medline had already sent word. The time wasing. And with it, my first real test.

    A

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