Loretta walked through the palace corridors with a quiet satisfaction she could not quite hide.
The morning had barely begun, yet she already carried sothing far more interesting than gossip. The image of Kael standing outside Selena’s chamber had replayed in her mind the entire walk, each mory sharpening the small details she had noticed in his expression.
He had tried to hide it.
But she had seen the crack.
And if there was a crack between Kael and Selena, even a small one, Loretta intended to poke more.
The look on Kael’s face had stayed with her.
It had not been obvious, and that was precisely why it mattered.
Kael had controlled himself well enough that most people would have seen nothing unusual in the brief exchange they shared outside Selena’s chamber.
Yet Loretta had always been attentive to the smallest details when it ca to people, especially n, and she had noticed the faint tightening along his jaw when she ntioned Selena’s na and the flicker of irritation that crossed his expression when she reminded him that Selena was promised to Silas.
And if there was even the smallest fracture between Kael and Selena, Loretta intended to widen it.
By the ti she reached the wing where Silas resided, the excitent building in her chest had grown warm and sharp, like a secret she could barely contain. She paused outside his door just long enough to smooth the sleeve of her dress and gather herself before knocking.
Silas’s voice answered from within after a mont.
"Co in."
Loretta opened the door and stepped inside his chamber.
Silas stood near the tall window at the far end of the room, looking out across the training grounds below where the first light of morning had begun to touch the weapons yard.
Steel glinted softly as the sun caught the edges of spears and armor, and the quiet order of the place suited him in a way that felt almost deliberate.
There had always been sothing about Silas that felt structured and composed, as though every movent he made had been considered before it happened.
Even now he stood with his hands loosely clasped behind his back, his posture calm and steady in a way that suggested he rarely allowed the world to catch him unprepared.
Loretta allowed herself a small smile as she closed the door behind her and walked further into the room.
"There you are," she said lightly.
Silas turned to face her, his expression composed and unreadable in the pale morning light. Most people would have mistaken that calm for indifference, yet Loretta knew better than to assu he was ever truly unaware of what happened around him.
"What is it?" he asked.
Loretta did not rush her answer. She moved a few steps closer and allowed the anticipation in her voice to grow before she spoke again.
"I have sothing interesting to tell you."
Silas regarded her quietly for a mont, allowing the silence to stretch in the way he often did when he wanted soone else to reveal more than they intended.
"What happened?" he asked at last.
Loretta lowered her voice slightly, even though the chamber door was closed and there was no real chance anyone could overhear them.
"I saw one of the rogue brothers leaving Selena’s room this morning."
The words settled in the room between them.
Silas did not react imdiately, and the absence of surprise on his face made it impossible to guess what he was thinking as he absorbed the information.
"Which of the brothers?" he asked calmly.
Loretta’s smile deepened.
"Kael."
Silas shifted slightly and stepped away from the window, reaching for the glass resting on the nearby table as though the movent itself required no urgency.
He lifted it in his hand without drinking, his attention returning to her with quiet focus.
"What was he doing there?"
"He said he was retrieving sothing from her room," Loretta replied.
Silas’s fingers adjusted around the glass as he considered that answer.
"And?"
"I stopped him to ask what he was doing that early in Selena’s room,"
Silas’s gaze sharpened just slightly.
"What did he say?"
Loretta tilted her head, rembering the brief tension in the corridor.
"He tried to remain calm," she said, "but he was angry in a way he clearly did not want to show."
"And why would he be angry?"
"Because I reminded him that Selena is engaged to you."
Silas’s jaw tightened faintly, though the change was subtle enough that it would have escaped most people’s notice.
"And how did he respond?"
"He did not deny anything," Loretta said. "He simply did not like hearing it."
Silas studied her expression as if weighing the aning behind her words.
"I believe he cares for her more deeply than he intends," she added.
Silas remained silent for a mont before speaking again.
"Explain."
Loretta folded her hands loosely together as she continued.
"When I ntioned Selena belonging to you, he looked as though the idea offended him personally. He controlled himself quickly, but the reaction was there."
Silas considered this quietly before asking another question.
"And Selena?"
Loretta allowed a thoughtful pause before answering.
"She was calm," she said. "Too calm."
Silas frowned slightly.
"She did not seem surprised that he had been there, and she did not react the way most won would have if they were caught in that situation. It felt as though they both understood sothing that neither of them wished to say aloud."
Silas turned his face toward the window again, the light outlining his profile as he considered her observation.
"She is unpredictable these days," he said quietly.
Loretta nodded in agreent.
"Yes, she is."
A thoughtful silence settled between them for several monts before Loretta spoke again.
"I believe the rogues are becoming attached to her."
Silas’s expression remained thoughtful.
"That could beco a problem," he said.
Loretta smiled faintly.
"Or it could beco useful."
Silas glanced back at her.
"You think there is tension between them."
"Yes," Loretta replied with growing enthusiasm. "Especially with Kael."
Silas’s fingers tapped lightly against the table as though he were considering the possibilities that information created.
"If there is tension between them," he said slowly, "then it can be used to our advantage."
Loretta nodded eagerly.
"I can watch them closely and see what else I notice."
"You will," Silas replied.
He stepped closer now, his voice calm but firm.
"We also need a reason to send the brothers away from the packhouse."
Loretta imdiately understood his aning.
"They rarely leave Selena alone," she said.
"Then we give them sothing that requires their attention elsewhere."
"A distraction," Loretta said quietly.
"Yes."
Excitent flickered through her again.
"And breakfast?" she asked.
Silas t her gaze.
"You will make a scene."
Loretta smiled.
"Sothing small," she suggested.
"Just enough to create doubt."
"Exactly."
Silas studied her expression for a mont before speaking again.
"You seem very eager to see Selena embarrassed."
Loretta did not bother hiding the sharpness in her voice when she replied.
"She does not deserve what she has."
Silas said nothing.
"She walks through this palace as if the future already belongs to her," Loretta continued, irritation rising beneath her words. "As if she is already Luna when she has done nothing to earn it."
Silas watched her carefully.
"She has no wolf," Loretta added quietly, bitterness creeping into her tone. "No real strength and no real claim, yet everyone still treats her as though she matters."
Silas finally spoke again.
"You almost sound jealous."
Loretta lifted her chin without hesitation.
"Anyone in my position would be. Selena was born with everything. I lost everything before I was even old enough to understand what family ant. The late king took in and called his daughter, but I was always second to his precious Selena. Now that he is gone, the only thing I want is to beco the Luna of this pack."
Silas regarded her thoughtfully.
"Being Luna is more than a title. More than jealousy"
"I know that," she replied quickly.
"Do you?"
Loretta stepped closer.
"I am willing to learn whatever is necessary."
Silas watched her for a long mont before she spoke again.
"Do I get a reward?"
Silas raised an eyebrow.
"For what?"
"For bringing you useful information."
His lips curved slightly as he reached out and pulled her toward him without warning.
The kiss he gave her was brief but firm, leaving Loretta breathless when he pulled away.
"I cannot wait," she said softly.
"For what?" Silas asked.
"For the day I beco your Luna."
Silas held her gaze.
"That will not happen unless we succeed."
Loretta smiled eagerly.
"Then we will. We must. I’d rather die than watch her beco the Luna."
Silas nodded once.
"Then work."
Loretta stepped back, excitent burning through her as she moved toward the door.
"I should go to breakfast," she said.
"Yes."
She paused before leaving and looked back at him with a small, satisfied smile.
"I think Selena will not enjoy this morning."
Silas’s expression remained calm.
"That is the intention."
Loretta left the chamber with anticipation warming her chest as she walked back into the quiet corridor.
Soon the calm inside the palace would begin to crack.
And when it did, she intended to be standing exactly where she had always wanted to be.
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