Chapter 31 The Storm Beneath The Skin
Sana stood at the palace balcony, her fingers resting on the cool stone as she stared at the clouds rolling in from the north. But they weren’t clouds—at least not ordinary ones.
They were shaped like claws.
Burning at the edges.
Whispering her name.
> “It’s not just the sky that’s changing,” she whispered. “It’s him.”
Behind her, the door opened. She didn’t need to turn. She felt the air shift.
Hatim.
But this wasn’t the same Hatim who once kissed her veil with closed eyes.
This Hatim was tense. Eyes glowing faintly gold. Power crackling beneath his skin like trapped lightning.
> “Where were you?” his voice was calm—but too calm. Like the silence before thunder.
Sana turned slowly. “In the archives. With Meher. Studying the Akhira prophecies.”
Hatim's jaw clenched. “You should’ve told me.”
> “You were meeting the Oracle,” she said, a little sharper than she meant.
Silence.
He stepped forward, eyes narrowing. “So… you followed me?”
“I didn’t follow you,” she said. “I sensed something. A rift. You were glowing again. Like fire.”
Hatim turned away, pacing.
> “So what if I was?” he muttered. “My magic is growing. I’m not hiding it.”
She stepped closer.
> “I’m not afraid of your magic, Hatim. I’m afraid of losing you in it.”
His shoulders stiffened.
“I am still me.”
> “Are you?” she asked, quietly. “Because the man I married didn’t lash out at servants or snap at guards. He didn’t scare people just by standing near them.”
Hatim turned, eyes golden now.
> “And the girl I married didn’t lie to me about the letters she’s getting.”
Sana’s breath caught.
“You read them?”
“I felt them,” he said. “Shadow magic leaves a trace.”
> “I didn’t want to worry you—”
“You’re my wife, Sana,” he growled. “You don’t get to protect me from danger. That’s my job.”
The silence between them sparked like fire meeting dry wood.
Then she said it.
> “You said we’d face things together. But you’ve started building walls again.”
Hatim's fists clenched.
> “Maybe I’m doing it to keep you safe!”
“Or maybe you’re doing it to protect yourself,” she shot back. “Because deep down, you still think I’m not enough.”
He looked stunned for a second. And then:
> “Don’t you ever say that again.”
His voice was cold. Final. Hurt.
Sana stepped back.
They didn’t speak after that.
---
That evening, Roshni smirked behind her fan at the news.
> “So the perfect couple has cracks already?”
A maid dared to nod. “They argued in the corridor, Your Majesty. Loudly.”
Roshni hummed. “Good. Let the crown wobble.”
---
Later, Sana sat in the garden under the moonlight. Alone.
The silver glow on her fingers flickered like an uncertain flame.
And for the first time since her wedding… she cried again.
> “I don’t want to lose him,” she whispered.
Behind the trees, someone watched.
Meher.
But also…
Another shadow.
The Oracle.
> “They must break,” she murmured to the wind. “So they may rise.”
---
Back in their chamber, Hatim stared at the empty bed.
He touched the mangalsutra chain on her pillow.
His hands were shaking.
His magic was humming too loud.
> “She thinks I doubt her?” he said to the silence. “She has no idea how much of me is already hers.”
He punched the wall.
It cracked. The stone cracked.
But his heart hurt more.
---
?? Author’s Note:
Okay wow… this one hurt. ?? Chapter 31 went there. We got our first REAL fight post-wedding, and ngl… it was spicy and sad. We saw possessive Hatim. Vulnerable Sana. The Oracle lurking. AND the foreshadowing??? brUH.
But don't worry—storms make the roots grow deeper. ??