Chapter 3 - Shadows of the Outer Wall
That night, the castle was cloaked in a heavy, freezing fog. Senna sat by the narrow window of her assigned chamber, looking out over the jagged peaks of Ithinar. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, casting long, menacing shadows across the courtyard.
A soft knock broke the silence.
She didn't reach for a weapon; she had learned long ago that weapons only betray you when you hesitate. Opening the door, she found Aldric standing there, stripped of his royal cloak, wearing a simple linen shirt open at the collar.
"You aren't sleeping," Aldric observed, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.
"Neither are you," Senna replied, turning back to the window. "The guards at the gate were restless tonight. Something is moving in the lower forests."
Aldric walked up beside her, his gaze fixing on the dark horizon. "Rogue packs. They smell weakness in Ithinar because of the council's division. They think they can challenge my rule by attacking our trade routes."
"Or they know about the mate bond," Senna said quietly, glancing sideways at him. "They think breaking the human Luna will break the Alpha King."
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Aldric turned sharply, his hand coming up to gently cup her uninjured shoulder. The heat of his touch sent a sudden, violent shiver down her spine. "They can try. But they will find that breaking stone is harder than they think."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Aldric," she whispered, her heart hammering against her ribs—not from fear, but from the terrifying realization of how easily she was beginning to trust him.
