Chapter 2

I stayed in the healing hall for the rest of the day, but Viktor never returned.

The next morning, I arranged my own discharge.

As I passed a private healing chamber, a scene inside stopped me cold.

Kael and Father were both with Maren.

One was feeding her fruit while the other searched the crystal screen for her favorite comedy.

Viktor stood beside her chief healer, discussing her treatment with a serious expression.

When Maren pointed to a box of sweets, Viktor opened it and gently fed her one.

The warmth of the scene felt like a blade twisting in my chest.

They looked like a real family. I was the outsider who had never belonged.

I remembered when Maren and I had both been confined to the healers' den with lung fever as children.

Father and Kael had stayed by her bedside day and night, treating her like the only pup in the world.

I had been left alone in a cold room. No one checked on me, and my throat grew so dry that my lips cracked and bled.

I only got water when a healer happened to pass by.

There had been too many moments like that to count.

It wasn't until I married Viktor that I learned what it felt like to be cared for.

He gave me the finest things and remembered every little detail.

I'd truly believed I was the only one in his heart. But watching him feed Maren so tenderly broke me all over again.

I wiped my tears and went home.

Then I contacted my former mentor and accepted the ten-year placement at Starfall Ridge, a hidden sanctuary closed to outsiders.

Once I signed the contract, I wouldn't be allowed to leave or return to the outside world for ten years.

My mentor arranged my departure for three days later.

"You should say a proper goodbye to your family," he advised. "Once you enter Starfall Ridge, no one can visit without the sanctuary's permission. It's a long time to be away."

As soon as I ended the call, Viktor walked in and slipped an arm around my waist.

"Who were you making arrangements with?"

"I had tickets for a Moon Court performance. I couldn't go while I was in the healing hall, so I canceled them."

"Why didn't you tell me you'd been discharged? I should have come to get you."

Before I could answer, Maren walked in without knocking.

"Lyra, why didn't you tell Viktor you were leaving? When we found your room empty, he panicked. He thought an enemy pack had taken you."

She glanced at Viktor.

"You know how many wolves want to hurt an Alpha. He was terrified something had happened to you."

I looked at her.

Maren had always known how to twist things until I seemed selfish and unreasonable. She had been doing it since we were children.

Now she was trying it again.

Viktor quickly explained, "Maren's still weak. Her healer recommended a quiet place to recover. Our castle is surrounded by forest and has clean air, so I invited her to stay for a while."

Maren gave me a smug smile. "Sorry for getting in the way of your time alone together."

She was waiting for me to lose my temper so she could play the victim and accuse me of jealousy.

It had always been her favorite game.

But I kept my face calm.

"You can stay as long as you like."

Maren paused, clearly surprised by my reaction.

The next day, Viktor busied himself arranging Maren's room, carefully instructing the servants about every detail, especially her meals and which herbs she could take.

He knew her preferences just as well as he knew mine.

I closed my eyes, feeling foolish. How had I taken so long to see how much attention he gave her?

That night, I went to our room early and packed what I would need for my journey.

I was about to lie down when Viktor came in with a glass of water and a bottle of calcium tablets.

"Take one before bed," he said. "You don't want leg cramps in the middle of the night. You need your strength for the pup."