Chapter 3 #2
My hands clench into fists as I stride down the corridor, my wolf snarling with unease.
I find Lucian in Astra’s lab, a small building he had constructed adjacent to the Queen’s private herb garden.
As I walk through the carefully tended rows of medicinal plants and rare specimens, I can’t help but marvel at how much has changed over the past several months.
The once-cold Crown Prince, my childhood friend who would barely acknowledge any woman—finding them annoying and clingy—built this entire garden to please his mate.
How the mighty have fallen.
When I enter the lab, Lucian is standing behind Astra, his hand resting casually on her shoulder as she sits on her work stool, grinding herbs with a mortar and pestle.
Luna, a sleek black cat, is stretched out in the chair that belonged to Lucian’s father, the previous king.
Astra and Lucian both look up when I enter.
“Zane’s awake,” I say without preamble.
Lucian straightens. “And?”
“His story’s clean. Says he was drunk, went for a walk, got jumped by three shifters.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Claims he was too intoxicated to fight back properly.”
Lucian studies me curiously. “You don’t believe him.”
“Would you? The man who consolidated power by eliminating his entire family line, taken down by a couple of rogues?” I shake my head. “He was already a general in the army before he took over the position as head of his family. Three shifters couldn’t take him down. Something’s off.”
Astra sets aside the mortar and pestle. “Has Selene woken up yet?”
“Yes, this morning.”
She gives me a smile, but it fades when I don’t return it. “What’s wrong?”
I hesitate, not sure how to explain what I witnessed without revealing that Selene is my fated mate. The complete absence of reaction, the way she looked at me like I was a stranger. “Her behavior was…odd.”
Astra’s eyes narrow, studying my face with that unsettling perception she has always had. “How would you know what her normal behavior looks like, Seth?”
Heat creeps up my neck. “She’s your friend. It’s natural that I’d keep an eye on the Queen’s companions.”
“Right.” She snorts, rolling her eyes. “I’m going to see her.” She rises from her stool, kisses Lucian on the cheek, and sweeps past me.
I watch her leave through the door and then look back at the King. “What if it’s a trap?”
“A trap?” Lucian picks up Luna and places her on his shoulder. He gestures for me to follow him as he, too, leaves the lab. “A trap for what?”
“I don’t know,” I mutter in frustration. “But the man creeps me out.”
“He was badly injured, Seth. If he had orchestrated the attack, he wouldn’t have had life-threatening wounds.”
I come to a halt, giving him an incredulous look. “You believe he really was taken down by three rogue shifters?”
Lucian looks over his shoulder at me, his eyes cool. “That’s what you’re here for. Investigate this matter and find out the truth.”
I sigh. “I’ll go back to the scene. Something’s not adding up.”
When we part ways, I head back to the area in the forest where the incident occurred.
The scene looks different in the daylight, less mysterious but somehow more troubling.
My team is still combing through every inch, but they’re finding nothing useful.
No scents, no tracks, no evidence that anyone other than Zane was ever here.
I’m crouched near where Selene found him when something catches my eye: a faint, red residue on some leaves, barely visible unless you’re looking for it.
“Genesis!” I call to one of the witches. “Come look at this.”
He jogs over and squats beside me. “What am I looking at?”
“This red powder. Can you identify it?”
He runs his fingers over the leaves before bringing them to his nose. His brow furrows. “I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s not natural, that much I can tell. But beyond that…” He shakes his head. “Sorry, Commander.”
I scan the area and spot more traces of the powder scattered around the clearing. “Bottle as much as you can find. Send it to Queen Astra. She might recognize it.”
“Yes, sir.”
I stand and survey the scene again, trying to piece together what happened here. The official story is that Zane was attacked, left for dead, and somehow survived until Selene found him. But nothing about that makes sense.
First, the timing. Zane claims he left the celebration around midnight, but Selene didn’t emerge from the forest until nearly three in the morning. What was he doing out here for three hours?
Second, the result. Why did his attackers leave him alive? If they were trying to send a message, it really isn’t clear what that message might be.
Third, the lack of evidence. If three shifters attack a man, there should be tracks, scents, signs of a struggle. Instead, we have nothing but Zane’s blood and some mysterious, red powder.
I walk the perimeter again, looking for anything my team might have missed. The ground here is soft enough to show tracks, but there are none. Not even Selene’s footprints, which should be here if she really found him like she claims.
“Commander?” One of my soldiers approaches. “We’ve covered every inch of the area. Other than the powder you found, there’s nothing.”
“What about the guest list from last night? Everyone accounted for?”
“Yes, sir. We’ve verified the whereabouts of every single person who attended. Those who left early were escorted by guards and arrived safely at their destinations. No one is unaccounted for.”
That’s what bothers me most. Palace security wasn’t breached. Every guest was monitored. So, who attacked Zane? And why does his story feel like a carefully constructed lie?
My wolf paces restlessly, still agitated from our encounter with Lord Radrick.
There’s something predatory about the man that sets me on edge.
Especially his behavior in the infirmary—the practiced humility, the way he spoke about Selene with such certitude.
Like he knows something the rest of us don’t.
Just thinking about it makes my teeth clench tightly.
The sun is setting by the time I give up on finding anything else here. My team packs up their equipment while I take one last look around the clearing. Then, we all head back to the palace.
The next day, the healers’ compound buzzes with its usual morning activity—apprentices hurrying between treatment rooms, senior healers moving efficiently from patient to patient, the soft hum of healing magic mixing with quiet conversations about treatments.
I scan the familiar chaos, searching for auburn hair and soft blue eyes, but Selene is nowhere to be seen.
“Excuse me,” I call to a passing apprentice. “Where is Selene?”
The young woman looks puzzled. “Selene? She was discharged this morning, Commander.”
My wolf paces restlessly as I approach several healers, asking if they’ve seen her, but each one shakes their head.
“Haven’t seen her since yesterday,” one says.
“Not sure where she’d be,” another adds.
I approach a senior healer who is examining a soldier’s wounded arm. “Excuse me, have you seen Selene today?”
The woman glances up briefly from her patient. “No, not since yesterday, Commander. You’d need to ask the master healer about her work schedule.”
Frustration builds in my chest with each negative response. I don’t understand this compulsion driving me forward, this need to see her that burns constantly. But I can’t seem to stop myself.
Finally, I knock on Master Healer Cordelia’s office door.
“Commander Rowan!” The elderly woman looks up from her ledger with surprise. “What brings you here?”
“I’m looking for Healer Selene. I need to ask her some follow-up questions about the forest incident.”
Cordelia sets down her pen, studying me with concern. “Ah. Well, nobody has seen her this morning, I’m afraid.”
My jaw tightens. “What do you mean, nobody’s seen her?”
“I’ve given that poor girl several days off to recover from such a massive drain of her healing abilities. What she did for Lord Zane nearly killed her.” Cordelia leans back in her chair. “She must be in her quarters, resting. Room forty-seven in the east wing.”
Relief floods through me, though I can’t explain why. “Thank you.”
As I turn to leave, her voice stops me. “Commander? She seemed different when she left the healers’ compound yesterday. Lighter somehow. I’ve never seen her so…relieved about anything.”
Her words stay with me as I make my way toward the residential quarters, my wolf growing more agitated with each step. Why did she look so relieved? What changed between our confrontation in the forest and her time in the infirmary?
“Seth!”
I turn to find my eldest sister Marina approaching, her long, dark hair braided in the elaborate style that marks her as the wife of a high-ranking noble. At thirty-five, she’s the most intimidating of my siblings, with sharp, green eyes that miss nothing.
“What are you doing skulking around the residential wing?” she demands.
“Looking for someone.”
Her eyebrows arch with interest. “Someone? A woman?”
I shrug, not trusting my voice.
Marina grins like a cat that has caught a mouse. “Oh, this is interesting. Who is she?”
“It’s not what you think.”
“Of course it isn’t.” She falls into step beside me. “You know, you need to settle down soon, Seth. Mother’s been asking about your marriage prospects, and I keep running out of excuses.”
My wolf snarls at the implication. “I’m not interested in settling down.”
Marina rolls her eyes. “You need to find a mate and have children. You’re running around like a loose cannon, and you’ve built a terrible reputation for yourself. The whispers about your conquests are starting to embarrass the family.”
“Mind your own business, Marina.”
Her palm connects with the back of my head in a sharp smack. “Be respectful when you speak to your elders, little brother.”
I rub my scalp, muttering, “Sorry.”