Chapter 5 - The Glass Fortress
The Capital of the North, Frostpeak, rose from the glacier like a jagged crown of crystal and obsidian. Massive stone walls guarded the outer perimeter, patrolled by elite Lycan guards whose golden eyes scanned the snowy horizon.
When Stellan’s procession arrived through the massive iron gates, whispers rippled through the courtyard. Servants and warriors alike stopped in their tracks, their jaws dropping as they saw their fierce, unyielding Alpha King carrying a human-sized girl with snow-white hair and crimson eyes.
Stellan carried Giselle past the grand foyer, ignoring the courtiers who bowed hurriedly in their wake. He brought her to the royal chambers—a sprawling suite warmed by a massive hearth fire, draped in rich furs of white wolf and black bear.
He set her down gently on the edge of a massive velvet bed. Servants scurried in at a wave of his hand, bearing bowls of steaming water, silk robes embroidered with silver frost-flowers, and trays of roasted meats and sweet berries.
"Eat, and let the maids tend to you," Stellan commanded softly, his voice softening whenever he addressed her. "I have unfinished business to attend to in the dungeons."
Giselle clutched the edge of the blanket. "What are you going to do?"
"Lord Sterling is waking up," Stellan said, a dangerous, razor-thin smile touching his lips. "And I want a word with him about the price he paid for my mate."
Before Giselle could answer, Stellan turned and strode out of the room, heavy oak doors slamming shut behind him.
Left alone with the handmaidens, Giselle allowed them to wash away three days of dirt and travel. As she slipped into the soft silk robes, she caught her reflection in the towering gilded mirror. The malnourished, terrified attic girl was gone. The soft candlelight caught the silver sheen of her hair and the striking, royal depth of her crimson eyes. She looked every bit a sovereign.
Meanwhile, deep in the frozen dungeons beneath Frostpeak, Lord Sterling hung suspended by his wrists from iron chains, shivering in his ruined silk garments.
Heavy footsteps echoed down the stone corridor. Stellan stepped into the torchlight, his golden eyes glowing in the dark.
May you like
"King... King Stellan," Sterling choked out, blood trickling from his nose. "I didn't know! If I had known she belonged to you—"
"You bought a queen as a parlor trick," Stellan interrupted, his voice a low, terrifying growl. "You traded with thieves. And now, the debt is due."
