Candice let out a long, quiet sigh as she stared out the carriage window, her fingers absently combing through Ash’s soft fur.
The small wolf was curled comfortably on her lap, eyes half closed, completely unaware of the heaviness weighing on her chest.
“What’s wrong?” lva asked gently. She sat across from Candice, watching her with concern.
Candice usually rode ahead on horseback with Osman, always alert and stubbornly independent. Choosing the carriage today was already unusual.
Candice’s shoulders lifted in a small shrug as she finally turned away from the window. “My stop is nearing...”
lva tilted her head. “And?”
Candice hesitated, then sighed again. “I don’t know. I understand Osman’s concern. And my father will definitely scold if I march with the Alpha King into a war against the House of Aetherion.” She paused, her grip tightening slightly on Ash. “But for so reason, I don’t want to just go ho and do nothing.”
lva said nothing, letting her continue.
“You know, my father and our house all felt it,” Candice went on, her voice lowering. “The darkness spreading from Velmora. Even before the Cross Clan took over, there were already whispers. They knew sothing was wrong. Everyone from our House knew.” Her brows knitted together in frustration. “And yet the other four Houses chose to stay still. Waiting. Watching. Pretending it isn’t their problem.”
Ash shifted slightly, sensing her agitation, and Candice softened her touch, stroking him
again.
“It’s like they’re all standing at the edge of a broken bridge,” she continued bitterly, “and instead of fixing it or turning back, they’re just waiting for it to collapse beneath them. And when it does, they’ll act surprised.”
lva nodded slowly. “You’re angry.”
“Yes,” Candice admitted. “And scared. But mostly angry.”
She leaned back against the carriage seat, staring at the ceiling for a mont. “Osman wants safe. I know that. He thinks separating now will protect from what’s coming.”
Her lips curved into a faint, humorless smile. “But what if staying behind is just another way of letting darkness win?”
lva folded her hands on her lap. “You feel responsible.”
Candice laughed softly. “Isn’t that ridiculous? I’m not a queen. I’m not a general. I don’t even have magic anymore.” She glanced down at Ash. “All I have is conviction.”
“That’s not nothing,” lva said quietly.
Candice looked at her, surprised.
lva t her gaze, her expression calm but firm. “Conviction is what makes people move when everyone else freezes. It’s what makes them choose discomfort over safety.”
Candice swallowed. “Osman won’t understand that.”
“Maybe not right away,” lva said. “But he will understand that this is who you are.”
Silence settled between them, broken only by the soft creak of the carriage wheels and Ash’s steady breathing.
“I don’t want to be brave just for the sake of being brave,” Candice said at last. “I just don’t want to look back one day and realize I did nothing when I could have done sothing.”
lva reached across the small space between them and placed a hand over Candice’s. “Whatever you choose, make sure it’s sothing you can live with. Not sothing chosen out of fear.”
Candice nodded slowly, then her smile widened. “I really like you. I feel like the two of us have so many things in common.”
lva chuckled and gave her a teasing look. “So,” she said, dragging the word playfully, “what’s really going on between you and Osman? For so reason, you two are always bickering. And honestly... you actually look good together. The way you look at each other says a lot.”
Candice shrugged, her expression turning thoughtful. “Well, we’re not really allowed to marry a shifter. My family wouldn’t support it.”
lva blinked, clearly confused, then pointed out, “But aren’t we all just ordinary humans now?”
Candice hesitated, lips pressing together as if she was weighing how much to say. “That’s true,” she admitted softly. “But old beliefs don’t disappear just because things change. So families still cling to what used to be, even when it no longer makes sense.”
lva sighed. “That sounds exhausting.”
“It is,” Candice replied with a small smile. “Especially when your heart doesn’t agree with the rules.”
lva studied her for a mont, then smiled warmly. “Well... rules have a way of breaking when they’re no longer ant to exist.”
Candice laughed quietly, though her eyes held a mix of hope and uncertainty. “You really have a point. And for so reason, I believe... although everything that happened was sudden and confusing... sohow it’s for the best. Being just an ordinary human, not relying on anything supernatural, is actually nice and—”
She stopped mid sentence when the carriage jolted and ca to an abrupt halt.
Her heart skipped.
“What’s wrong?” she murmured.
She carefully lifted Ash and placed the small wolf onto lva’s lap before pushing the carriage door open just enough to peer outside.
“Ambush!” soone shouted.
Candice’s heart slamd against her chest.
The carriage door flew open, and Osman appeared, already drawing his sword with his expression hardened and alert.
“Stay inside,” he commanded. “Both of you.”
Candice’s hands trembled as she nodded. Shouts echoed through the road as ard n poured out from behind rocks and trees, their clothes ragged, faces gaunt, eyes wild with desperation.
There were at least a dozen of them, wielding mismatched blades, clubs, and farming tools sharpened into crude weapons.
Bandits.
Or sothing close to it.
“Protect the King!” soone yelled.
Candice peeked through the small opening in the carriage curtain, her breath hitching when she saw Gavriel.
Even without his powers, the Alpha King moved with terrifying authority. He was already at the front, sword in hand, positioning his n with sharp, decisive commands.
“Form up!” Gavriel barked. “Shield the rear. Do not let anyone near the carriage.”
Rudy, Ben and Trudis imdiately moved to stand guard near Althea’s carriage, their bodies forming a living wall. Gavriel spared one sharp glance in that direction, making sure Althea’s carriage remained untouched, before turning back to the attackers.
Candice watched as he charged forward, his presence alone forcing several of the bandits to hesitate.
“Stand down!” Gavriel thundered. “Drop your weapons!”
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