Chapter 12
Liana’s POV
I tried to saddle the horse. It wasn’t good for my shoulder.
“Why would you say that!” Alaric asked, watching me with his arms crossed.
I huffed, adjusting the saddle straps with difficulty. “Because,” I gritted out, struggling against the stubborn leather, got whipped for months and my shoulders still feel like they’re made of glass.”
Alaric’s expression darkened. I wasn’t sure why I said it so bluntly, but the words were already out.
His jaw clenched, and he stepped forward, brushing me aside easily. “Move.”
I raised an eyebrow as he started fixing the saddle himself. “You’re a king. Shouldn’t you have servants for this?”
He smirked, tightening the straps with practiced ease. “You’d be surprised what I can do with my hands.”
The way he said it, the slight curve of his lips–it sent a spark down my spine. My face heated, and I turned away quickly, pretending to admire the other horses.
He finished saddling Nyx and turned back to me. “Come here”
1 hesitated before stepping closer. “I haven’t ridden in years.”
He tilted his head. “Years, huh?”
“I was a child,” I clarified. “And I fell. Hard.”
Alaric
ric chuckled. “So you’re saying I should prepare for you to embarrass yourself?”
I narrowed my eyes.
“I’ll have you know I’m very capable.”
He smirked but didn’t say anything. Instead, he reached for my waist. Before I could react, his hands were on me, lifting me effortlessly onto the horse’s back.
I sucked in a breath, my hands gripping the reins too tightly. His touch lingered for just a second longer than necessary before he stepped back
“There,” he said. “Try not to fall”
I exhaled shakily. “No promises.”
He mounted his own horse, making it look infuriatingly effortless, and guided us out of the stable.
The palace grounds stretched wide, open fields bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. The air smelled of earth and hay, fresh and clean. For a moment, the weight of rumors, whispers, and expectations faded away
Alaric rode beside me, his posture relaxed, but his eyes remained watchful. “How does it feel?”
I adjusted my grip on the reins. “Not terrible.”
He chuckled. “High praise.”
We rode in silence for a while, the steady rhythm of the horses‘ hooves against the dirt calming my frayed nerves. It was strange–this moment felt normal. Almost peaceful.
Then Alaric slowed his horse, turning toward a narrow, overgrown path leading into the trees.
“Come,” he said, nudging Nyx forward.
Theutated. “Where are we going?“
“There’s something I want to show you”
I followed, the sound of leaves crunching beneath the horses‘ hooves filling the quiet. The trees
thickened around us, the golden light
9:20 AM
Chapter 12:
dimming as we moved deeper into the forest.
Eventually, the path opened up into a small clearing, and my breath caught in my throat,
At the center stood what looked like the ruins of an old temple, half–buried in ivy and moss. Ancient stone pillars rose toward the sky, cracked with age but still standing strong. The carvings along the walls were intricate, depicting wolves, the moon, and symbols I couldn’t decipher.
“What is this place!” I asked, dismounting carefully.
Alaric followed suit, his gaze flickering toward the ruins. “A relic from before the Lycans ruled. Few know about it.”
1 stepped forward, my fingers brushing over the stone carvings. “It’s beautiful.”
He nodded, watching me closely. “I thought you might like it”
I looked at him, surprised. “Why?”
Alaric hesitated, then exhaled. “Because you like things that grow. Things that survive despite everything”
I swallowed, my throat tightening. “And this place survived?”
He nodded. “Like you.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Instead, I turned back to the carvings, running my fingers over the worn stone.
Something caught my eye–a set of strange markings at the base of one of the pillars. The shapes were unfamiliar, unlike the other symbols.
“Alaric.” I called. “What is this?”
He stepped closer, his brows drawing together. “I don’t know.”
I knelt, brushing away the dirt. As more of the carvings were revealed, my heart pounded.
“Can you read it?” I asked.
Alanc crouched beside me, studying the symbols with narrowed eyes. “Some of iL
“What does it say?”
He hesitated before murmuring. “Beware the cursed king.”
A chill ran down my spine.
I looked at him, but his expression was unreadable. His fingers hovered over the inscription, his jaw tight.
“Do you think.“I swallowed. “Do you think it means you?”
Alaric didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stood, brushing the dirt off his hands. “We should go.”
I frowned. “Alaric-”
“It’s just an old warning,” he said, cutting me off. “Nothing more.”
But something in his voice told me he didn’t believe that.
He turned back toward the horses, but I lingered a moment longer, staring at the words carved into stone.
Beware the cursed king-
I chdn’t know what it meant.
But I had a feeling I was about to find out.
A gust of wind rustled through the trees, sending a
achill down my
my spine. The air inside the ruins felt different now–heavier, charges with something I couldn’t quite name. I traced the worn carvings once more before reluctantly standing and turning toward Alaric
Chapter 12
He was already on his horse, his posture tense, his eyes unreadable as he watched me.
“Come,” he said simply
I hesitated, glancing back at the inscription one last time before mounting my horse.
The ride back was silent.
The playful, teasing atmosphere from earlier had vanished, replaced by something colder. 1 stole glances at Alaric as we rode, but his expression remained impassive, his grip on the reins tight.
Something about that warning unsettled him.
And if something unsettled him, I knew I should be afraid.
By the time we reached the palace, the sky had darkened, the first stars beginning to do the night. The stable hands took our horses without a word, and I dismounted stiffly, my muscles aching from the ride.
Alaric barely looked at me as he turned to leave.
“Alanc” Talled after hum
He stopped but didn’t
tum around.
I hesitated, then asked the only thing that had been on my mind since we left the ruins. “That warning do you think it’s true?”
AD
