redith.
After dinner, I walked back to my bedroom alone, the corridors quiet under the glow of sconces burning low against the stone walls.
My feet felt heavy, the ache in my muscles dull but persistent from the morning’s combat training.
Yet it wasn’t the training that troubled most. It was Draven.
I closed the door behind . Crossing the room, I sat on the edge of my bed. I let my shoulders fall, my gaze unfocused on the rug at my feet.
All day, I’d felt it: sothing different in him. Sothing I couldn’t na.
"Valmora?" I called inwardly, my voice quiet but direct.
She answered almost imdiately, her presence curling in the back of my mind like warm smoke. "Yes."
"I want to talk about Draven," I began, my voice a little unsteady despite trying to sound calm. "He barely looked in the eyes all day. It felt... cold. Distant. Like there was a wall between us I couldn’t cross."
Valmora stayed silent, so I kept going, words tumbling out.
"And during the combat lesson this morning... he was stricter. His commands were sharper. And then he told Dennis not to co watch anymore," I whispered, my brows knitting. "Why would he do that? Why this sudden distance?"
There was a pause, as if even Valmora had to asure her words carefully.
"redith, if you cherish your life... and want to live longer," she finally said, "then do not go to Draven’s room for so ti."
The words struck like a slap.
"What?" My voice ca out sharper, eyes widening as I shifted on the bed. "What do you an by that, Valmora? Are you saying Draven is a threat to ?"
Another beat of silence followed, heavier now.
"Sotis," Valmora said, her tone quieter but no less firm, "you must learn to listen without demanding reasons for everything. Focus on your combat training. That is what matters now. Not irrelevant questions."
"But—" I stopped myself, swallowing hard.
Unsatisfied wasn’t enough to describe how I felt. Frustration clawed at from the inside.
Draven wasn’t just anyone. He was my husband. My mate. And lately, there had been softness. Laughter shared in small monts. A tenderness I had almost allowed myself to trust.
And now Valmora wanted to step away from that? Without knowing why? And she had been the one who asked to tell Draven to train in combat.
I pressed my hand against my chest, feeling the quickened beat of my heart. "How can I not ask questions when there are so many reasons to?" I whispered aloud, though I knew she could hear .
But Valmora’s presence withdrew, folding into silence, giving nothing.
Frustration burned hotter.
"Answer !" I hissed under my breath. "You’re the one who told to ask Draven to train in combat! If he’s that dangerous, why send to him?"
Nothing.
I wanted to threaten her. To force her to answer. But what could I possibly threaten my own wolf with? My mind ca up blank, leaving more helpless than before.
I let out a shaky exhale, my shoulders slumping.
The silence felt thick enough to choke on. My thoughts swirled, dark and restless.
Could Draven truly harm ? Would he?
The idea felt absurd. And yet...
My chest tightened painfully as I rembered his eyes this morning—how they never quite settled on . And the way his voice sounded... controlled. Like he was holding sothing back.
I rubbed my palms against my knees, trying to steady myself. And then, another thought struck , sharp as a blade:
Draven never told where he was last night.
A frown tugged at my lips. I stood up and walked to my door, opened it, and stepped out.
The corridor outside was hushed, the flickering light painting shadows on the walls.
I walked straight to Draven’s door before I could stop my feet. Then, I lifted my hand, fingers curling into a fist to knock—
"Return to your room, redith," Valmora’s voice sliced through my mind, low and cold. "Or did you not understand the warning I gave you?"
My breath caught.
For a mont, my hand hovered there, inches from the polished wood. Then, slowly, I lowered it.
A sigh slipped past my lips, long and heavy, as if carrying the weight of all my unanswered questions.
When I closed my door again, the room felt stiflingly quiet. My thoughts ran in circles, my pulse refusing to slow even after I lay back on the bed.
I shifted restlessly, pulling the covers higher, then pushing them away when they felt too warm.
In the end, I sat up against the headboard, drew my knees to my chest, and pressed my forehead lightly against them.
"Valmora?" I called, my voice quieter now, but insistent.
"Won’t you go to sleep?" she answered, her tone almost weary.
"I want to talk about what Draven told earlier about the vampires," I whispered. My throat felt tight, as though even saying the word vampire might draw one to .
I told her everything Draven had told about the vampires, and then I asked her if she knew about them... the vampires.
Valmora was silent for a mont, then her voice ca, calm and matter-of-fact:
"Those things have existed for centuries, redith. Serena and I killed hundreds of them back in our ti. And soon, you and I will be killing so as well as soon as we regain our powers."
My breath caught. My heart thudded painfully against my ribs.
What in the moon was she talking about?
Is she insane?
I pressed further, words tumbling out, sharp with disbelief: "Do you even know what a vampire is? Draven said they’re faster than werewolves—deadly, almost impossible to kill. And you’re talking like it’s nothing."
I think there is sothing seriously wrong with my wolf. Does she think Serena and I are the sa?
This ti, Valmora’s voice ca, low but edged with sothing that almost sounded like amusent:
"I know exactly what a vampire is. But they do not know who I am, redith. So, good for them."
For a heartbeat, my mind simply stalled, unable to process it.
My jaw dropped slightly, mouth parted in shock. Her arrogance and delusion were ones I could not comprehend.
When did I get here?
"Good for them?" I repeated in disbelief. "Valmora, are you listening to yourself? They’re monsters! They tear hearts out! They almost killed Dennis!"
Valmora’s presence felt still, quiet in my mind as though she had already said all she ant to say.
"Don’t ignore !" I hissed, clutching the edge of the blanket until my knuckles whitened. "You can’t just say sothing like that and then go silent!"
But no answer ca.
My heart pounded faster, frustration burning in my chest. "Valmora!" I tried again, voice sharper now, tinged with anger.
Nothing.
It was as if she had turned her back on , folding herself deeper into the dark corners of my mind.
I swallowed, my throat dry.
She had said we would kill them, once we regained our power.
But what power? This is the second ti she has ntioned it.
And how could she speak so lightly of sothing that had even Draven on edge?
Was she trying to get killed?
Restless, I lay back down, eyes open in the dim light of my bedroom. My thoughts refused to settle. Each ti they quieted, Valmora’s words echoed again:
They do not know who I am...
And for the first ti since I’d t her, my own wolf frightened a little.
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