“Am I?”
“Like someone who’s getting regularly—”
“Don’t finish that sentence.” Heat floods my cheeks.
She laughs loudly, unrepentantly. “Fine. But you look happy. It’s nice.”
Happy. The word sits strangely in my chest. After weeks of nightmares and Zane’s manipulation and the Umbra Council, I’d forgotten what happiness felt like.
We find Astra exactly where she said she’d be—elbow-deep in soil, her hair tied back in a messy knot. Luna lounges on a nearby bench, tail flicking lazily.
“Finally,” Astra says without looking up. “I need your opinion on something.”
I move to her side and peer at the seedlings she’s examining. “What am I looking at?”
“Moonvine. Rare, finicky, and supposedly impossible to grow outside its native habitat.” She brushes dirt from her fingers. “But I think I’ve figured out the trick.”
Daciana takes a seat on the bench beside Luna, who immediately demands attention. “You two and your plants. I’ll never understand it.”
“That’s because you have no patience,” Astra shoots back, but there’s affection in her voice.
The morning unfolds like this—easy conversation, gentle teasing, the kind of companionship that soothes the rawness in my chest. No one mentions the Council meeting. No one brings up Zane or the gossip or the reputation I shredded in that chamber.
We’re just…us.
By evening, I’m back in Seth’s quarters, curled in the armchair with a book I’m not really reading. My mind keeps drifting to the nightmares that wake me most nights, to the red mist and Zane’s voice echoing through my dreams.
The door opens. Seth steps in, and I know immediately thatsomething is weighing on him. His shoulders carry tension, and his jaw is tight.
“Why are you so busy lately?” The question slips out before I can stop it.
He looks at me, surprise flickering across his face. “Delegation coming to the capital. I’m handling security arrangements.”
I set the book aside, watching him move through the room. “What kind of delegation?”
“Snow Mountain Pack.” He pours himself a drink, the amber liquid shimmering in the lamplight. “Their new alpha is making a formal visit.”
“Snow Mountain?” I frown, searching my memory. “I’ve never heard of them. I thought there were only nine packs in the kingdom.”
“Ten, actually.” Glass in hand, Seth crosses to where I’m sitting. “But this particular pack doesn’t mingle with the others. They’re…unique.”
Something in his tone makes my wolf perk up with interest. “Unique how?”
He settles on the arm of my chair, and I can feel the warmth radiating off him. “They practice the ancient magic.”
My breath catches. “Ancient magic? But that’s—”
“Supposed to be lost. Forbidden. Dangerous.” His fingers find my hair, threading through the strands in a gesture that has become familiar. “They reside in the mountains. Keep to themselves mostly.”
“But practicing magic openly…” I trail off, understanding dawning.
“…will stir the waters with the Umbra Council,” he finishes for me. “The purist faction, especially. They’ll see it as a threat to everything they believe in.”
My mind is spinning with questions. Ancient magic. A whole pack that still practices the old ways. “I want to meet them.”
“You will.” His hand slides down to cup my jaw, tilting my face toward his. “But right now, I don’t want to talk about delegations.”
“Seth—”
