Chapter 54

Raven

I woke to an empty bed.

Neil’s warmth was gone, replaced by the faint chill of the early morning air. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as my heart sank. The spot where he had lain beside me was cold now, his scent already fading. All that remained was a pile of modern clothes folded neatly on the chair by the window and a scrap of paper resting on top.

I reached for the paper and snatched it up. The note was brief, but I recognized Neil’s handwriting immediately.

“Meet me tonight. The southern gate. Midnight. Do not be seen.”

I nodded to myself and tossed the note in the fire, then tucked the modern clothes under my mattress just in case any nosy servants started to poke around while I was gone.

After that, I dressed quickly and headed for the dining hall.

Breakfast was already in full swing when I arrived. Ember, Castor, and Eric sat together near the far end of the long wooden table, their heads bent close as they whispered to one another. The tension in the room was palpable, even among the other Lycans scattered throughout the hall. Conversations were hushed, the usual boisterous laughter conspicuously absent.

News of Hannah’s death had spread, it seemed.

Trying my best to keep my face impassive, I made my way to their table and slid into the empty seat beside Ember. She glanced at me, her eyes narrowing slightly, but she said nothing. Eric, on the other hand, leaned back in his chair with a low whistle.

“Well, well,” he drawled, keeping his voice low, “look who decided to grace us with her presence. You missed training this morning.”

“Shut up,” I muttered, reaching for the platter of bread in the center of the table. My appetite was nonexistent, but I tore off a piece anyway, if only to keep my hands busy.

“We were about to come looking for you,” Castor whispered. He forced a tight smile as if we were just discussing the weather, but his eyes looked strained. “We were worried that you had been—”

“Hush,” Ember cut in sharply, silencing the burly guard with a glare. “Not here.”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry as I glanced around the hall. More than a few pairs of eyes were on us, some curious, others suspicious. No doubt word had spread that Ember and I had been ‘sparring’ in my room yesterday. Right before Hannah’s body was discovered in the woods.

“They’re talking about us,” I said quietly, keeping my gaze fixed on the table.

“Of course they are,” Ember replied in a low voice. “The guards heard the fight and my claim that we had just been sparring can only go so far. They are bound to suspect something.”

“But they still think it was a suicide,” Castor added quietly. “For now.”

I couldn’t bring myself to respond. My fingers tightened around the piece of bread, crumbling it into bits as I stared down at my plate.

Before anyone could say more, the heavy wooden doors at the far end of the hall creaked open. The room fell silent as the Lycan Queen stepped inside.

Her presence was commanding, dressed in a deep blue gown that shimmered like water in the morning light. She moved gracefully, her head held high. But as others stood and bowed to her, she didn’t look at them. She was heading straight for me.

“Lady Serena,” she said, stopping a few paces away from me. “A word, if you please. I’d like to discuss those tinctures you gave me.”

The blood drained from my face, knowing instantly that this had nothing to do with the sleep tinctures I’d made for the Queen all those weeks ago. I glanced at Ember, who gave me a small, almost imperceptible nod. Swallowing hard, I rose from my seat and followed the Queen out of the hall.

She led me through a series of winding corridors, her footsteps echoing softly against the stone walls. We didn’t speak, and the silence stretched on until we finally reached what I could only assume were her private quarters.

The room was lavish but tasteful. A small table sat near the window, a teapot and two teacups waiting. The Queen gestured for me to sit, and I obeyed, perching stiffly on the edge of the chair.

She poured the tea herself, the soft clink of the cup the only sound as she worked. She picked up a sugar cube with a pair of tongs and glanced at me with a raised eyebrow. I quickly shook my head, and she handed me the tea sans sweetener.

“You have been busy,” she finally said as she took her seat.

I froze, the cup halfway to my lips. “I—I’m not sure what you mean, Your Majesty.”

The corner of her mouth quirked upward in a faint, almost amused smile. “Do not insult me with feigned ignorance, child. I know what happened to Hannah.”

My heart plummeted. The tea in my hands trembled, threatening to spill over the rim. “I—”

“Relax,” she said, cutting me off with a wave of her hand. “If I intended to punish you, you would already be in chains.”

That did little to calm me, but I forced myself to take a small sip of tea, if only to buy myself a moment to think.

The Queen leaned back in her chair, studying me with an unreadable expression on her face. “Hannah was a problem,” she said simply. “A problem that has now been resolved.”

I stared at her, unsure of how to respond. She reached into the folds of her gown and produced a small, ivory-handled knife, setting it on the table between us.

“This,” she said, her voice low, “is yours now.”

I blinked, my gaze darting between the knife and the Queen. “I don’t understand.”

“Hannah was too ambitious for her own good,” she explained matter-of-factly. “She sought to seduce Neil, to position herself as Queen. I have no doubt that she would have stopped at nothing to achieve her goals.”

Her gaze hardened as she looked at me. “But you stopped her. And for that, I am grateful.”

I hesitated, my fingers curling around the edge of the table. “So… you’re not angry?”

“Angry?” She let out a soft laugh. “No, my dear. Quite the opposite.”

She leaned forward slightly, her piercing gaze locking onto mine. “Neil is the most capable of my children, the one who will bring strength and unity to our people. I will do whatever it takes to ensure his success.”

I swallowed hard, considering. “But Neil isn’t your son,” I said slowly, recalling what I had heard at the family banquet when I’d first arrived.

“No,” she agreed, her lips curving into a faint smile. “But Neil is part of a prophecy. An illegitimate son destined to unite the Lycans and Werewolves, to bring an end to the war.”

I must have looked a little confused, because the Queen sighed and continued, “Many years ago, my husband—the Lycan King—took another lover. I was angry at first, I’ll admit. But I soon learned about the prophecy, and I knew what Neil would grow to become—what amazing things he would do for our people. So I took him in as my own, and in time, I did grow to love him as my own as well.”

She paused, her gaze turning thoughtful. “But Neil was not the only one mentioned in the prophecy. His Luna was mentioned, too—a beautiful Lycan woman with strange healing abilities. She would stand by his side, wielding this very knife, and together, they would end the war between the Werewolf and Lycan worlds.”

My mind raced as I looked down at the beautiful knife, its blade so white and pure that it was pearlescent in the sunlight. Was she implying…?

But I wasn’t a Lycan. And surely she didn’t know a thing about the tears-healing-the-horse incident. It hadn’t even happened again. I wasn’t sure if it could happen again.

“Your herbal skills are remarkable,” she continued, producing a small brown bottle from her pocket next. It was the bottle I’d given to her containing the sleep tincture. And it was empty, indicating that she had gratefully used every last drop. “And I suspect there is more to you than meets the eye,” she finished.

There it was. So she thought that my herbal skills were the ‘healing powers’ from prophecy.

Her words echoed in my mind as she rose from her seat and gestured toward the door, silently indicating for me to leave even though I’d hardly sipped my tea. “Stay by his side, Serena,” she said coolly. “Protect him. And hold onto this knife. I dare say you may need it sooner than you think.”

I stood on shaky legs, unable to speak. As I stepped into the corridor, I stared down at the ivory knife clutched tightly in my hand.

I wasn’t a Lycan. I couldn’t possibly be the Luna from prophecy.

Could I?