Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Kieran
I sit in the shadows of Daciana’s quarters, watching her sleep. The room is lit by a single candle, which casts flickering light across her pale face. She looks smaller somehow, curled on her side beneath the thin blanket, her breathing shallow and uneven.
She’s growing fragile. Day by day, I watch her fade, and it tears something vital inside me.
Her brow furrows suddenly, lips parting on a silent gasp. Her fingers curl into the sheets, knuckles white. I recognize the signs immediately. A nightmare taking hold, pulling her into whatever darkness haunts her sleep.
I lean forward, extending my hand toward her.
Magic flows from my fingertips, gentle as moonlight, wrapping around her consciousness like a protective cocoon.
It’s an ability few possess, this capacity to touch another’s dreams, to soothe the troubled waters of their mind.
I learned it years ago, practiced it in secret, never imagining I’d use it like this.
For her.
The tension bleeds from her features. Her breathing evens out, deepens. Her hand uncurls, relaxing against the mattress. The nightmare retreats, banished by my intervention, and she settles back into peaceful sleep.
I should leave. I have no business being here, in her private quarters in the dead of night. If anyone found me, the scandal alone would be devastating. But I can’t bring myself to go. Not when she’s like this. Not when I know what Seth has done to her.
The candlelight plays across her features, and my chest tightens with an ache I’ve tried so hard to suppress.
She’s beautiful. Not in the polished way of court ladies or the delicate way of protected nobles.
Hers is a fierce beauty, hard-won and battle-tested, and it strikes me deep inside every time I look at her.
I’ve seen the intense determination in her gaze when she faces down danger.
The quiet strength she carries like armor.
She’s different now. More quiet, more reserved.
But around her friends whom she trusts, I’ve seen her smile unguarded.
It’s the same when she laughs. The sound pierces me, my wolf desperate to get to her, to make her see us, recognize us.
But I suppress him. My heart has been through so much grief that the scars no longer heal.
I want her to be happy now. I want her to be safe, and I want to watch over her from the shadows for the remainder of our lives.
My hand moves of its own accord, fingertips brushing her cheek with a gentleness that surprises me. Her skin is cool, and the dark circles beneath her eyes speak of exhaustion that still plagues her.
The gesture feels ancient. Natural. As if I’ve touched her face like this a thousand times before.
“I will protect you this time,” I murmur, the words barely a breath in the quiet room. “I swear it, Daciana. I won’t fail you again.”
I mean every word. But she doesn’t stir, lost in whatever peaceful dreams my magic has granted her.
My wolf stirs beneath my skin, snarling his agreement. Protect. Defend. Destroy anyone who threatens what is ours.
I pull my hand back and rise from the chair. “Artisem,” I call softly.
He materializes from the doorway where he has been keeping watch, his expression carefully neutral. He’s one of the few who know the truth. Who has served my family long enough to understand.
“Arrange an audience with King Lucian,” I say, my voice hard as stone. “Tell him I require both him and Commander Seth to be present.”
Artisem’s eyes widen. “Kieran, perhaps we should—”
“Now,” I growl.
He bows and disappears without another word.
I look back at Daciana one more time. In sleep, with her guard down, I can almost see past the walls she has built. The vulnerability she hides so carefully, the softness beneath the soldier’s facade.
I wonder if her kisses still taste the same. Like wildflowers and summer storms and something I can’t name. Something that feels like coming home.
The ache in my chest intensifies, spreading through my ribs like roots taking hold.
This isn’t just desire, though the gods know I still want her with an intensity that frightens me.
This is something deeper. Something that inserts itself in the spaces between heartbeats and refuses to be dislodged.
I remember the way she looked at me two weeks ago, when I insisted she keep the attack secret. The flash of conflict in her eyes, loyalty warring with duty. She chose me. Even knowing it could cost her, she chose me.
And Seth punished her for it.
My hands curl into fists, claws pricking the skin of my palms. The wolf inside me demands blood, demands retribution. But I force the urge down, channeling it into something colder and more dangerous than rage.
Within the hour, I’m striding through the palace corridors toward Lucian’s private study. The halls are quiet at this time of night, lit by enchanted sconces that cast everything in shades of amber. Guards nod as I pass, recognizing me, not daring to question a foreign alpha’s business.
The study doors open before I reach them. Lucian sits behind his desk, still dressed despite the late hour. He looks tired but alert, eyes sharp as blades. Seth stands to his right, arms crossed, his expression carved from granite.
“Alpha Kieran.” Lucian gestures to a chair with false courtesy. “This is quite urgent, I’m told. Please, sit.”
I remain standing, feet planted, shoulders squared. “This won’t take long.”
Seth’s eyes narrow fractionally. He knows. He must know why I’m here.
“I’ve come to deliver a warning,” I say, and my voice could freeze fire. “If your Commander continues to torture my—”
The word catches in my throat. Mate. The truth I’ve hidden, the bond I’ve denied, hovering on the edge of exposure.
“If he continues this treatment of Daciana,” I continue, forcing the words to be steady, “or if he sends her to her death through his negligence, my pack will withdraw our support. We’ll leave the capital immediately and revoke our offer to help you find the necromancer who harmed both your mate and his. ”
The temperature in the room plummets. Lucian goes very still, his expression shifting from casual interest to sharp focus.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand. Daciana was injured, yes, but tortured?
What are you talking about? I’ve only heard she was hurt in an attack.
I’ve been too busy with official duties to find out more. ”
My eyes cut to Seth. He stiffens.
“You don’t know?” I ask, my voice quiet but dangerous. “Your Commander has been ruthlessly working a soldier under his command.”
“Ruthlessly?” Lucian looks at Seth, confused.
Seth’s jaw tightens. “Daciana concealed the details of an attack on Alpha Kieran two weeks ago. She was punished. I made her do night rounds.”
Lucian goes still. “You made her do night rounds while she’s one of the Queen’s guards?”
“It’s up to me how to discipline my people,” Seth says.
“Daciana is not your people,” Lucian retorts, his voice sharp. “She is Astra’s people. She may be under your command, but her punishments have to be discussed with the Queen first. How did you expect Daciana to be alert while protecting Astra when she was working all the time?”
Seth is silent for a moment. “Hiding such information could have put our relationship with the delegates at risk—”
“I asked Daciana not to tell anyone,” I cut him off, my words cold and precise. “There are those who wish to eradicate my pack because we are the purest and most ancient form of hybrids. I knew I had enemies. I didn’t want anyone to know I was injured. If one person knew, others surely would.”
I step closer to Seth, letting him see the wolf in my eyes. “It was your punishment that caused Daciana to be injured. How would you answer to me if she were killed?”
Lucian looks at me with unveiled interest. “Why would we be answerable to you if anything were to happen to Daciana?”
I hold his stare, my jaw tight. The silence becomes deafening.
Then, Lucian and Seth exchange a look. Some unspoken understanding passes between them.
“Alpha Kieran,” the King asks quietly, “is Daciana your fated mate?”
My heart stutters. The question hangs in the air, demanding an answer I’m not ready to give.
“That’s a private matter,” I say through gritted teeth. “But if anything happens to her, my pack will no longer help the Wolf Kingdom, come what may.”
I turn toward the door, but Lucian stops me from walking out. “Kieran, wait.”
I pause but don’t look back at him.
“It’s clear that Daciana is important to you,” he says carefully.
“I’ve given my warning,” I say coldly, and then I leave before either of them can say anything else.
Artisem falls into step beside me in the corridor, his expression worried. “Was that wise?” he asks quietly. “You never planned to reveal your connection to her.”
I think of Daciana’s pale face, her trembling hands, the dark circles under her eyes. In the span of a few months, she has been attacked repeatedly, almost dying each time. I’ve nearly lost her over and over again.
“I thought she was safe here,” I say, more to myself than to Artisem. “In the capital. Under royal protection.” My hands shake with suppressed rage. With a fear I can’t quite name. “But is she?” I whisper. “Or am I watching her slowly be destroyed?”
Artisem doesn’t answer. He doesn’t need to.
We both know the truth.
I walk through the dimly lit corridors, my mind racing with everything that just transpired in Lucian’s study. The weight of my secret presses against my chest like a stone.
“Artisem,” I say, keeping my voice low, “arrange for some good food for Daciana. Make sure it’s nourishing. Broths, fresh bread, fruits. Have it delivered to her chambers discreetly.”
He nods, understanding immediately. “Of course. Anything else?”
“Yes. I need Aaron and Ferin. We’re going into the woods.”
“Now?”
“Now,” I confirm. “Have them meet me at the eastern gate in ten minutes.”