“Things have been… complicated since you left,” he said after a long pause.
“What do you mean?” I asked, my eyes narrowing.
Kaelen hesitated, his gaze flicking toward the village ahead. “You’ll see.”
That was all he said, and the rest of the walk was filled with heavy silence.
As we entered the village, the familiar sights and sounds of Stormveil Hollow greeted me—the crackling of fires, the murmured conversations of the pack members, the distant howl of wolves in the night. But beneath the surface, I could sense the shift.
I made my way through the village, exchanging nods and polite greetings with those I passed, but my focus was on Draven. I needed to see him. I needed to know that everything was as it should be.
Kaelen walked with me in silence, his presence steady and unwavering. As we neared Draven’s quarters, I could feel my heart racing in my chest. I had imagined this moment a thousand times—the look in his eyes when he saw me, the way he would pull me into his arms, the way everything would feel right again.
But as I approached the door, I stopped.
Voices. Two of them.
I hesitated, my enhanced hearing picking up the low murmurs from inside the room. One voice was unmistakable—Draven’s deep, familiar tone. But the other…
A chill ran down my spine.
It was Ravenna.
I crouched in the dark corner of the great hall, hidden behind the thick stone pillars. My heart pounded so loudly in my chest I was sure it would give me away, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. Not yet.
Draven stood by the window, his broad shoulders turned away from me. I had longed to see him for two years. Two years I had spent thinking of nothing but our reunion, the future we’d build together as mates. I thought that when I came back, he would be there waiting for me, arms open, the love we once shared still burning strong.
I was a fool.
“You worry too much, Draven,” Ravenna’s voice slithered through the air like venom. I’d recognize that tone anywhere, the one that had always hidden her true intentions behind sweet words. “She’ll never know. Zerra’s too focused on her noble duties to even suspect.”
My stomach twisted. She—I knew that was me. But what could they be talking about?
Draven let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his dark hair, and the weight of it settled in my chest.
“She’ll find out sooner or later,” he muttered, his voice low. “Zerra’s no fool.”