She was nearly at the door when she paused, as though something had just occurred to her. "Oh, one more thing. Caelan transferred this property into my name. I hear you're fond of the simple borderland life, so by all means, keep living here. Just remember, it's my territory now. My rules."
My whole body went rigid. When Caelan burned down our den, he told me he bought this place for me. Told me I could fill the grounds with moonflower bushes and herb gardens.
He never intended to give me anything. Not from the very beginning.
"Sable."
I called after her, my voice scraped hollow.
"Miss Ashveil, have you ever heard of Princess Seraphina Silvercrest?"
Sable froze for a beat. "What, are you going to tell me that reclusive princess has something to do with you?"
I forced a bitter smile. "I heard the Pack Princess adores moonfire flares. If we could make her smile and convince her to attend your mating ceremony, wouldn't that bring honor to the occasion?"
Sable eyed me with suspicion. "How would a worthless wretch like you know what the Pack Princess likes?"
"Believe it or don't. If it turns out to be false, it's no loss to you either way, Miss Ashveil."
After Sable left, I curled into the corner of the bed, my body burning with fever, my lower abdomen seized with stabbing pain. No one came. My wolf lay somewhere deep inside me, too weak to even whimper, just a faint tremor of warmth that kept guttering like a candle in wind.
Looking back now, meeting Caelan Blackthorn was the single greatest regret of my life.
Through the haze of unconsciousness, I caught a blurred glimpse of moonfire flares drifting past the window, their silver and violet light bleeding through the dark.
Only then did I let out a breath and smile.
Long ago, my father and I had made a pact: whenever moonfire flares were lit, it meant I was in danger, and someone would come to take me away.
At some point, Caelan appeared. He sat at the edge of my bed for a long time. I could smell him before I saw him, that charred oak and bitter iron, and something in my chest flinched away from it.
When he saw me open my eyes, he touched my forehead. "The fever's broken. Come on, sit up and have some porridge."
I struggled upright. "Sable came. She forced an entire bowl of that concentrated wolfsbane tincture down my throat. Did you know?"
Caelan's expression faltered for a moment. He lowered his gaze. "I knew."
"You knew?"