Chapter 49

Ember

My presence is requested before I can settle in my office the next morning. A junior guard knocks once, tense in the doorway, and hands me the parchment without a word. He turns and leaves before I can ask anything.

I recognize the royal seal immediately.

The King has summoned me.

I read the message twice. There’s no mention of what the meeting is about, but I know. It’s about what happened at the ball.

My pulse begins to race. I take a breath, but it does nothing to slow it. When I arrive, two guards step aside without speaking.

I’m ushered into a formal chamber. The Queen is already seated beside the King, her face unreadable. The King’s posture is stiff, and he does not look pleased.

I bow as instructed. “Your Majesties.”

The King doesn’t invite me to rise. He studies me in silence.

“You caused quite the disturbance last night,” he says eventually. “A guard abandoning her post, kneeling in the center of the ballroom floor like some wet-nurse.”

My jaw tightens. I keep my eyes on the floor.

“You are the first woman ever allowed to serve in the royal guard, and this is how you use your position? Causing scenes in front of visiting nobles? Terrifying pregnant women into early labor?”

“I did not abandon my post,” I say, voice controlled. “I acted to secure the guest’s safety and minimize further disruption.”

The Queen speaks,. “And yet there was disruption. Guests were alarmed. The incident became the talk of the ball. Our anniversary celebration turned into a spectacle.” Her tone is eerily calm, she doesn't shout. She doesn’t need to.

The King’s harsh gaze locks onto me. “You may wear that uniform, but it seems the guard’s discipline does not suit your nature. We cannot have our events turned into theaters of emotion and chaos. You are a guard, not a midwife.”

I brace for the next words. The rebuke is coming. The punishment.

Then the side door opens.

Prince Kaine enters without hesitation, his steps loud on the stone. He bows only briefly.

“Father. Stepmother.”

The Queen gives a slight nod. The King looks displeased.

“You were not summoned,” the King says coldly.

“I came because I knew what this was.”

“And what, exactly, do you think this is?” the Queen asks.

“You’re looking for someone to blame,” Prince Kaine replies. “And Ember is a convenient target.”

“She caused the scene,” the King snaps.

“She managed it. The woman was already going into labor. Ember kept her calm, cleared space, and protected the guests. She acted with composure and precision. No other guard moved as quickly. None of them even understood what was happening.”

“She shouldn’t have been in the center of the room at all,” the Queen says. “It drew attention.”

“So would letting the woman collapse in panic without help, or letting the two nobles, that you didn’t even notice thanks to Ember, duke it out.”

The King stands. “She made a mockery of that uniform.”

“She honored it.”

“Enough,” the King growls. “Since you dare to speak against me, you will carry out her punishment.”

Prince Kaine does not speak.

“You will use your Alpha power,” the King says. “She embarrassed this court. She will learn her place.”

Prince Kaine looks at me. Then back at his father. “No.”

The Queen’s eyes narrow. “You’re refusing a direct order?”

“I will not use my Alpha power on a guard who acted with integrity.”

The King steps forward. “Do you understand what you’re saying?”

“Yes,” Kaine says. “I do.”

The silence that follows is icy.

The Queen’s voice cuts through it. “You may go, Ember.”

I bow stiffly and exit each step measured. I don’t look back, but I feel the weight of their disapproval trailing after me.

The air outside the chamber feels colder, like the walls themselves carry echoes of the King's judgment. I don’t let myself stop moving until I’ve closed my office door behind me.

Back in my office, I throw myself into work. I reorganize logs, reassign junior guard schedules, and write a detailed incident report from memory. It helps. Keeping my hands busy forces the echo of the King’s voice out of my head.

Nara is angry at the King’s handling of the situation. “He didn’t even ask for your side.”

I try to ignore her. I have more important things to think about. Like how Prince Kaine took up for me.

A knock pulls me from my thoughts. I open the door to find the woman from the ball standing there, holding her baby in her arms.

She’s wearing a clean blue dress, and despite the sleeplessness in her eyes, she stands with confidence. There’s strength in the set of her jaw, a quiet kind of defiance.

“Can I come in?” she asks.

I step aside. “Of course.”

She enters and sits without waiting to be invited. Her ease surprises me, but I don’t mind.

“I never properly thanked you,” she says. “Last night, I was terrified, but you didn’t flinch. You stayed.”

“I almost didn’t,” I admit quietly. “But I’m glad you and the baby are safe.”

“She’s strong,” the woman says, stroking the child’s head. “Like the woman who delivered her.”

We sit for a moment in silence.

“I’m Lyria,” she says. “Daughter of Lord Wenton.”

“You’re his heir?”

“I am,” she says. “And I intend to remain so. With or without a mate.”

I raise my eyebrows. “That isn’t something most people here would approve of.”

“I’m not most people.” Her expression doesn’t change. “I’m not giving up my place just because I had a child on my own. I am my father’s only child and my daughter is not something to be ashamed of.”

I sit up straighter. “Good.”

Lyria smiles. “You’re not like them either. I can see it.”

“I’m not trying to be.”

“Good,” she repeats. “More of us should stop pretending.”

We talk a while longer. She asks about guard life, about how I train, and I ask about her estate and her plans for the future. She’s clever and direct. I like her immediately.

When she leaves, I feel steadier than I have all morning. I linger at the door a moment after she’s gone, then return to my desk.

I return to my reports, but my mind drifts again. I think of Prince Kaine standing between me and his father. Refusing to use his power against me. He didn’t have to come to my aide, but he did.

He’s not like the rest of them.

There was something in his voice when he spoke. Like he was used to arguing with his parents. He didn't look surprised by the King's anger, only tired of it.

He could’ve turned away. Let them punish me and remained neutral, but he didn’t.

He’s not like the others.

Nara?

“Yes?”

Why do you think he chose to defend me?

“Because you belong to him.”

I exhale slowly. He’s engaged to Bianca.

“He doesn’t need to be.”

He doesn’t know about the mark, and I’m not going to tell him.

“You sure?”

I have to be. If I tell him, everything changes. Even if he wants me I’ll be expected to give up everything I have worked so hard for. I’ll become someone I’m not and I can’t risk that. If he rejects me… I’ll lose you.

Nara is quiet for a long time.

I press my pen to the page and keep working. For now, the only thing I can control is the task in front of me.