Sera's POV
My forehead stops burning by morning, but the memory of silver eyes in the mirror haunts me.
Seven days pass like a nightmare I can't wake up from.
Seven days of eating breakfast alone in my huge, empty chambers. Seven days of wandering corridors where servants bow but won't meet my eyes. Seven days of being married to a ghost.
I never see Kael. Not once.
On the third day, I force myself to attend dinner in the Great Hall. Maybe he'll be there. Maybe we can at least pretend to be married in front of his court.
But his chair at the high table stays empty.
I sit alone, eating in silence while hundreds of nobles whisper and stare. Lady Morgana holds court at a nearby table, her voice loud enough for me to hear every word.
The King can't even stand to look at her, she laughs. Poor broken little omega. No wonder he avoids his own wife.
The nobles around her snicker. Some glance at me to see if I'm listening.
I keep my face blank and continue eating, even though the food tastes like dirt.
This becomes my routine. Wake up alone. Eat alone. Wander the Keep alone. Go to bed alone.
I'm invisible.
On the fourth day, I find the library by accident while trying to map out the endless corridors. It's massive, with shelves reaching three stories high and more books than I've ever seen.
Finally, something interesting.
I spend hours reading about the Seven Kingdoms, their histories, their wars. An elderly man with white hair and kind eyes appears beside me while I'm deep in a book about ancient wolf bloodlines.
That's a dangerous topic, he says gently.
I jump, nearly dropping the book. I'm sorry, I didn't know I wasn't supposed to
I didn't say you couldn't read it. He smiles. I'm Elder Thorne, keeper of the archives. You're curious. That's good. Curiosity keeps us alive.
Does it? I ask bitterly. Because it feels like nothing will keep me alive in this place.
Thorne's expression turns thoughtful. You're the Queen. That alone gives you more protection than you realize.
I'm a Queen nobody wants. There's a difference.
Perhaps. He pulls another book from a nearby shelf and hands it to me. But perhaps you're more than anyone realizes. Including yourself.
The book's title makes my skin prickle: Moon Blessed: The Lost Bloodlines.
Why are you showing me this? I ask.
Because you asked the right questions by reading that other book. Thorne's eyes sparkle with secrets. And because that mark on your forehead, the one you're hiding with your hair, tells me you need to read it.
My hand flies to my forehead. I've been keeping my hair down to cover the strange silver mark that appeared after the old woman touched me. How did he notice?
But before I can ask, Thorne walks away, disappearing between the shelves like smoke.
I take the book back to my chambers and read until my eyes hurt.
The Moon blessed were an ancient bloodline of wolves with magic tied to the moon itself. They were powerful, rare, and equal to Alpha Kings. But three generations ago, they disappeared. Some say they were murdered. Others say they went into hiding.
The book shows a drawing of a Moon blessed woman. She has a silver mark on her forehead, exactly like mine.
My hands shake as I slam the book shut.
This is impossible. I'm broken. I can't even shift into a wolf. I can't be Moon Blessed.
Can I?
That night, I can't sleep. Again. The mark on my forehead tingles. My skin feels like it's buzzing with energy I don't understand. I keep remembering the old woman's words: You think you're broken, but you're just sleeping.
I give up on sleep and leave my chambers, wandering the dark corridors. Maybe walking will clear my head.
I turn a corner and slam into something solid.
Strong hands grip my arms, steadying me. I look up and my breath catches.
Kael.
He's here. Real. Close enough to touch for the first time since the wedding.
He towers over me, all power and danger in the darkness. His storm-gray eyes lock onto mine, and something passes between us. Something electric.
His nostrils flare like he's scenting me. His grip on my arms tightens, almost painful.
What are you doing wandering at night? His voice is deep, cold, and sends shivers down my spine.
I couldn't sleep. I refuse to look away, refuse to be weak. In my prison.
Something flashes in his eyes. This is a palace, not a prison.
Is there a difference when you can't leave? The words come out sharper than I intended. When your husband won't even look at you for seven days?
His jaw clenches. I've been busy.
Too busy to eat dinner? To sleep in your own Keep? Or just too busy to acknowledge that you have a wife?
You're alive, aren't you? Kael says coldly. You're fed, clothed, protected. What more do you want?
I want to know why you married me if you can't stand the sight of me!
The words hang in the air between us. Kael's eyes narrow dangerously.
Go back to your chambers, he orders.
That's not an answer.
It's an order.
I'm your wife, not your soldier, I say, surprised by my own bravery. My heart pounds but I don't back down.
Kael's expression turns dark. Dangerous. He leans close, so close I can feel his breath on my face.
You're whatever I say you are, he says softly, and somehow that's more terrifying than if he'd yelled. Don't forget that.
He releases me and walks away, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.
I stand there shaking. Not from fear.
From anger. From the strange electricity still tingling where his hands touched me. From something I can't name that makes my heart race and my skin burn.
I touch my arms where he gripped me. The tingling intensifies.
Then I hear it.
A whisper in my mind, clear as a bell: He smells it on you. The power waking up. That's why he stays away. He's afraid.
I spin around, but the corridor is empty.
When I look down at my hands, they're glowing faintly silver in the darkness.
And from somewhere deep in the Keep, I hear a wolf howl.
But it's not a normal howl.
It sounds like a warning.
Like something is coming.