bChapter /b252

Thorne’s POV

I wiped the blood trickling from the corner of my mouth, tasting iron.

5 vauchets

The sting from the cut on my lip only made it worse, but it wasn’t the pain that had my mind spiraling. No, it was the rage brewing inside me, a storm I couldn’t control. I could feel the eyes of everyone around me, their stunned silence heavier than any words.

Cael, the fool, had crossed a line.

I couldn’t believe he was still standing there, looking at me as if I wasn’t about to snap. The crowd, equally frozen, was murmuring in disbelief. One voice broke through, loud and shaking:

“Alpha Gael! That’s… that’s the King, for Moon Goddess’s sake!”

King. Right. The title that had brought me more misery than I could handle.

I was supposed to be the one in charge now. I had the power, the strength, the title. But right now, none of it felt like enough. Cael wasn’t afraid–he stood there, fists clenched, his jaw tight. His words cut through the tension like a de.

“So what if he’s the King? I’m not gonna stand here and watch him ruin my daughter’s birthday. Not anymore.”

The crowd shifted uneasily, their gazes flitting from me to him. Not one of them had the guts to speak up, not like Cael.

Cael’s eyes narrowed as he took in the room. His voice, ice–cold, carried as he looked around.

“Are you all just gonna stand there? There’s cake and wine in the other corner. Go. Now.”

The hint was clear, and within seconds, the room began to empty, scattering like startled rabbits. But I didn’t care. I didn’t want to be here anymore, either.

Cael walked up to me, his movements purposeful. He offered his hand. Hesitation hung in the air before I took it, my body stiff and unwilling. I stood up, straightened my back, but the words that followed were anything butforting.

“You’re screwed, you know that?” Cael’s voice dropped, full of venom.

I couldn’t stop the bitterugh that escaped me. “And what, you think I don’t know?”

He gritted his teeth, ring at me. “You just threw a man into a wall. For nothing. People saw it. You can’t keep acting this way.”

“Why not?” My voice was hoarse, raw. “What the hell else am I supposed to do? People talk about me. They’re talking about me now.”

b12:47 /bbThu/bb, /bbSep /bb18 /bb| /b

5 vouchers

Cael rolled his eyes. “There’s always gonna be gossip, Thorne. But that’s not the problem here. Look at you! You’re agitated, angry, reckless–do you even see what you’re doing to yourself?b” /b

His words hit harder than they should have. I didn’t want to hear them, but I couldn’t turn them off. My bchest /bfelt tight, suffocating.

“You’re the King, Thorne. But if you keep acting like this, how do you expect anyone to follow you?” Cael’s voice was low, serious. “People look to you for strength, but right now, you look like a madman.”

I blinked, staring at him as the weight of his words sunk in. His words weren’t new, but they stung just the

same.

“I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore,” I muttered. “This Kingship–it was supposed to mean something, to get ra back. But now? It feels like nothing but a burden.”

Cael’s expression softened. He stepped forward, cing a hand on my shoulder. “I get it. I do. I lost my sister, Thorne. But we can’t hold on to the past forever. ra made her choice. And you… You’ve gotta let her go.”

He stopped, his voice lowering even further. “Have you thought about finding a Queen?”

I froze, my gaze hardening. “What?”

Cael sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “The elders, they’ve been talking. They think a Queen might help. Help you heal. They sent me to bring it up.”

I snorted, shaking my head. “It’s none of their damn business.”

“Come on,” Cael pressed, “They just want what’s best for you. Love–new love–can help heal wounds faster than you think. I’m not saying you should rece ra-”

I cut him off, the words sharp. “Don’t you dare. She’s not receable.”

I turned away from him, shaking my head. I couldn’t listen to this anymore. “I’m done here.”

“Wait, Thorne!” Cael’s voice followed me, but I didn’t stop. “I’m not finished. You haven’t even met my daughter yet-”

But I didn’t care. My mind was too far gone, and the moment my feet hit the crowd, I didn’t look back.

I hade here, hoping the evening would bring some peace, some normalcy. I wanted to congratte Vessa, see the newborns, and feel a part of something good. But instead, all it did was remind me of how far gone I was.

I didn’t stay another minute.

I shifted into my wolf, my paws mming into the earth beneath me as I sprinted out into the night. The wind bit against my fur, but it did nothing to cool the fire raging in my chest. I ran, harder, faster, pushing my body to the limit, but no matter how fast I went, the pain inside me only got worse.

By the time I reached the Direstone Pack’s packhouse, it was dawn. My lungs burned, my muscles ached, but it was nothingpared to the ache in my chest.

b12:49 /bbThu/bb, /bbSep /bb18 /b

I walked into my room, but I wasn’t alone.

A woman was there.

byouchard /b

A Woinan. Half–dressed, sprawled out on my bed, staring at a picture on my nightstand. A picture of me and

ra.

She heard me and jumped up, her eyes wide. “M–My King!”

I didn’t say anything, just stared at her. She seemed panicked, fumbling with her words. “They told me you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.”

I stepped out of the shadows, my gaze icy. “Who gave you permission to be in here?”

Her voice faltered, but she stood her ground. “The elders… They asked me toe.”

I didn’t give her a chance to say more. “Out.”

Her face twisted in confusion, but I didn’t care. “But my King-”

I bared my fangs. The sharp glint of them caught the light, making her freeze. “Out”

She scrambled to her feet, rushing toward the door. But before she left, she turned back, her voice weak but persistent. “Are you still in love with her? ra?”

I was done.

I stepped forward, a de in my hand, the sharp edge gleaming in the light. “I’m not in love with her. She’s made herself my enemy.”

The de stopped just an inch from her throat. Her eyes went wide with fear.

“But here’s the thing,” I growled, “You’re lucky. I won’t kill you. But the next woman they send won’t be so lucky. Got it?”

She nodded hastily, and I watched her flee my room.

I grabbed the picture from my nightstand and stared at it, the ghost of a life I couldn’t have anymore. The picture of me and ra.

And then, without a second thought, I tossed it into the trash.

They were right, all of them. ra would nevere back.

And I hated her for it. Hated her more than anything.

If we crossed paths again, I wouldn’t hold back.

I’d make sure she paid for what she did.

8 yearster

b14.47 /bτα bδεμ /bbτο /b

5 Yousherp

ra stepped out of the woods, the fresh air filling her lungs. She tilted her head up to the sky, taking in the difference. It wasn’t like the castle. The sky here seemed clearer. Brighter.

It felt like freedom.

For the first time in eight years, she had left the woods behind.

“Queen ra!” a soldier approached, saluting her.

She didn’t waste time. “Any sign of Prince Judith?”

The soldier nodded, his expression grim. “We found traces heading north. It’s possible he’s entered the werewolf world.”

A chill ran through ra. She nodded sharply. “Then we need to move quickly. We can’t lose him.”

“Yes, My Queen.”

Judith had run away after school the night before. No one knew why or where he was going. The news had left her worried, but the thought that he might have crossed into the werewolf world terrified her.

Because if Judith met the wrong people…

Cael, Vessa…

And Thorne.

Her heart clenched. Judith’s true father.

And that, above all, terrified her.

AD

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