A week passed in a flash.
Life in the kingdom seed to settle once more. The halls were filled with warmth, laughter echoing through the corridors of the palace. After the grand celebration Alaric held for his son, joy returned to the vampires. There was pride, hope, especially among the elders who whispered about a bright future under the Prince’s na. For them, it was a mont of unity, a sign of legacy.
But for Ravenna, the days blurred together in quiet agony. Because not everything was back to normal.nBehind the walls of her chambers, Ravenna could feel the silence stretch longer each day. Alaric hadn’t been himself since she gave birth. In fact, he had been avoiding her like the plague.
He ca to their room late, when the moon hung high and cold, slipping into bed when she was already asleep. By dawn, he was gone again, his side of the bed still barely warm. When she tried to mind-link him, he cut the connection with the sa clipped excuse: I’m busy. We’ll talk later. But later never ca. Text ssages went unanswered. Calls were ignored. Even when she passed by him in the palace halls, he either looked away or acted like she wasn’t there. The distance between them wasn’t just physical, it was personal and intentional.
And Ravenna could already guess what the reason was. Alaric didn’t want to talk about Liam. That much was clear. Ever since she ntioned him that day, his behaviour drastically changed.
Ravenna’s heart twisted at the thought, but instead of drowning in that ache, she dressed with quiet resolve. She had heard Alaric was in the courtroom that morning, probably another council discussion she wasn’t invited to. Riven was with Nyx, peacefully asleep in her arms. So she had ti to get her answers.
Her heels echoed through the grand hallway as she approached the courtroom, her pace steady even though sothing inside her churned. She didn’t bother knocking. She pushed the doors open and stepped inside, her eyes scanning the room.
There they were, Alaric, Finn, Zander, and Luke, seated around the long table, mid-discussion. The air tensed the mont she walked in. Clearly, no one expected her to be there.
Without a word, Ravenna walked over to Alaric. Her voice was calm, composed—too composed. "I need to talk to you," she said calmly, though her insides were storming.
Alaric didn’t even look up. "We’re in the middle of sothing. I’ll talk to you after."
She stared at him, silent for a heartbeat. His reply disappointed her but she would not give him a chnace to avoid her again. Not until they talked things out. Then she turned to the others, her voice carrying clear authority. "The King has said you may leave. He’ll call you back later."
It was a lie. A bold one. And they all knew it.
With their heightened hearing, every vampire in that room, Lycan too, had heard Alaric’s refusal seconds ago. But none of them questioned her.
Zander stood first, giving her a look that said he understood exactly what this was. Luke followed. Finn, the last to leave, paused by the door and gave Ravenna a subtle wink before shutting it behind him.
She returned the gesture with a small smirk, just a flicker of light before turning back to face Alaric, her expression hardening.
"Was that needed?" Alaric asked coldly, not even trying to hide his irritation.
"Yes, it was," Ravenna said imdiately, voice firm. "Since my husband has decided to avoid , I’ve also decided to co look for him. Did you miss ? Hmm?"
He looked away. "What do you want, Ravenna?"
She folded her arms. "Oh, now it’s Ravenna not wife. Anyways, leave that. You already know what I want. "
"I don’t." Alaric said flatly, clearly not willing to listen to whatever she wanted to say.
She gave a sharp, humorless laugh. Today, she wouldn’t yield. "Then let ask you sothing. Why have you been avoiding ? You can’t even look at properly. Is it because you don’t want to talk about Liam?"
Alaric didn’t answer. He stared at the table instead, clenching his fists under it. Why was she forcing this topic onto him. Wasn’t he allowed to be a bit little selfish? Was the life they had here not enough for her?
Ravenna stepped closer, not shouting, not crying, just speaking the truth. "We are adults, Alaric. If you have an issue with sothing, say it. Am I not trustworthy enough for you to share your thoughts with ? Or are you only going to keep pushing away until I feel like a stranger in my own ho? Alaric... I want to know what’s gping on and why you’re being so indofferent whenever I ntion Liam."
Still, he didn’t say a word.
"It hurts," she added softly. "You hiding from —acting like I don’t exist. It’s fucking painful."
She paused then continued.
"Look," she said, voice steel again, "if you don’t want to save Liam, then fine. I’ll do it myself. You don’t have to do to da anything."
That statent finally got him moving.
Alaric stood up sharply. "No."
"Why not?" she asked, eyes narrowing.
His gaze flickered, almost uncertain. "Because I’m the King. And your husband."
She stared at him. "So?"
"That matters."
"To who?" she scoffed, crossing the space between them now, standing just a few inches from him. "If you’re using your title to command , then let remind you—I’m also the Queen. And your wife."
Her voice was low but sharp enough to cut.
"If talking about another man doesn’t sit well with you, then don’t involve yourself," she continued. "You don’t get to shut out and then dictate what I do. If you’re not going to help, then don’t try to stop ."
She turned, ready to walk away, but Alaric’s hand shot out and caught her wrist.
"Ravenna—"
She stopped, unmoving and did not say a word.
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