The next day, I got up a bit earlier than usual — not by choice, but because of a knock.
Sharp. Annoying.
"Co in," I said weakly, still half-asleep.
A guard stepped inside. "The King requests your audience. In five hours."
Then he turned and left like he hadn’t just ruined what was left of my morning.
I groaned and let my head fall back against the pillow. "Seriously? He couldn’t wait four more hours to send soone?"
What kind of.... ugh.
I rubbed my eyes, blinked at the ceiling, and tried to will myself back to sleep.
Didn’t work.
The silence stretched and twisted in that irritating way that made it impossible to settle.
So I got up, threw on sothing simple, and decided to stroll a bit just to pass ti.
Big mistake.
Because as soon as I turned the corner near the east corridor, I bumped into soone.
Lucas.
Of course.
I hadn’t seen him in forever. Not since...
My eyes narrowed slightly.
What a way for my mood to be ruined so early in the morning.
He looked the sa. Infuriatingly calm. That lazy smirk resting on his lips like it belonged there.
He raised a brow. "You’re up early."
"Don’t start," I muttered.
Lucas folded his arms. "Didn’t even say good morning."
I rolled my eyes and kept walking.
He followed, of course.
"So," he said casually, "still pretending you don’t enjoy my company?"
"I don’t have to pretend."
He chuckled behind . "Ouch."
"Seems you want to take a stroll," Lucas said, falling into step beside . "Let’s go together, Athena."
"Do I even have a choice?" I grumbled.
"Not really," he said cheerfully.
We walked through the stone halls, sunlight creeping in through the high windows. I kept my pace steady, but he matched easily.
"How’s the palace so far?" he asked. "I think we’ll soon be sent on another mission together."
I groaned. "Ugh. Why you? Why not anyone else..."
He clicked his tongue, feigning offense. "Would you prefer to go with Cassius?"
"Yes."
That made him stop.
Just for a second.
He looked at , long and hard, then smiled—slow, mischievous.
"Then I’ll have to make sure you never get your wish answered."
My lips twitched before I could stop them.
We wandered aimlessly for a while, our footsteps echoing through the quieter wings. The tension between us never fully faded, but it had softened into sothing tolerable. Even... comfortable. In a weird way.
Eventually, we ended up in one of the dining halls, quiet this early, only a few others scattered around eating.
We took a seat. Bread. Smoked at. Bitter tea. The usual.
Lucas was mid-sentence, teasing about sothing I already forgot, when the snarl split through the air like lightning.
Everyone froze.
Across the room, a young soldier — barely older than a boy — stood shaking, his tray fallen to the floor. His eyes had shifted fully gold, his hands trembling, claws half-ford and twitching. He looked like he was trying to hold sothing back.
But he was losing.
Soone moved too fast.
A servant scread.
And then it happened — the boy lunged.
Straight for one of the warriors sitting closest.
Lucas didn’t wait.
He moved like shadow and silver, no wasted motion. One clean strike — a dagger straight to the heart. The feral boy collapsed mid-air, a gasp leaving his lips before he hit the ground.
Silence fell.
For a mont, no one breathed.
Then the room started moving again — guards rushing in, servants whispering, the buzz of panic rising.
I looked at the body.
Still.
Bloody.
Barely a wolf anymore.
Lucas stood there, calm. Blade still in his hand.
Then he turned to , eyes unreadable.
"Breakfast is always more exciting with you," he said quietly.
I stared at the boy’s body — no, not a boy anymore. A corpse. The blood was already spreading beneath him, seeping into the polished stone floor.
My heart thudded a little too loudly in my chest.
"What just happened?" I whispered.
Lucas turned to , calm as ever, like he hadn’t just killed soone over breakfast.
"He lost control," he said. "It happens."
I looked at him. "Why did you kill him just like that?"
His expression didn’t change. "He was going to hurt soone."
"We could’ve just... suppressed him. Held him down. Anything."
Lucas cleaned his blade with the corner of a linen napkin, his voice casual. "Suppression doesn’t work when the mind’s already gone. He was too far gone."
I looked at the boy again — his face frozen mid-snarl, eyes wide, glassy.
My stomach turned.
Lucas noticed the shift in my face. "You’ve killed before, haven’t you?"
"Yes," I said quietly. "But not like that."
"Then maybe you’ve been lucky."
I didn’t answer.
I pushed my tray away. The food had lost its taste. The room was still buzzing with tension, guards shouting orders, dragging the body away like it was nothing.
I stood up. "I need so air."
Lucas didn’t stop .
Didn’t say a word.
But I felt his eyes on my back as I walked out.
And for so reason...
That made it worse.
I didn’t stop walking until I reached my quarters.
The second the door shut behind , I exhaled—long and slow.
My mind wouldn’t quiet.
Lucas’s behavior just now... it resembled that night. The night Cassius had his episode. The uncontrolled shifting. The eyes. The loss of control.
Is it all happening because the Moon Goddess is weakened?
The thought tightened sothing in my chest.
I needed to ask Cassius. Clearly. No more hints. No more vague silences.
But I forced myself to sit.
Later, I told myself. After I see the King.
Maybe then... the rest would start to make sense.
Maybe.
I leaned back, closed my eyes, and waited for the five hours to pass.
And for the next crack in my world to open.
The hour ca faster than I expected.
I got up, changed into sothing cleaner, tied my hair back, and left my quarters.
The palace halls were quieter now. That eerie sort of calm that settles after sothing violent has passed — too silent, too still. My boots echoed faintly against the floor as I made my way toward the King’s private wing.
Then, just as I turned the last corner—
Lucas.
Of course.
He stood with his arms folded, leaning lazily against the wall like he’d been waiting. His expression unreadable.
I slowed my steps. "Following again?"
He pushed off the wall, falling into step beside . "Coincidence. Apparently we’re both summoned."
I didn’t respond.
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