Chapter 64
Liana’s POV
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“I said I’ll handle it,” I repeated to the maid. I didn’t want Alaric to send maids that will take care of me. I didn’t need his help. I didn’t want his sympathy. I want revenge on Amira and Max but no, I have to do his bidding first. That’s if I don’t die first for a man who doesn’t care about me.
He can go fuck himself for almost care.
I ranted to myself, pissed that I would have to leave this early with Amira.
Brielle was dead. Why? We don’t know. Life is just so complicated now and I am setting foot into enemies zone.
I angrily tugged at the lace while the maid shuffled on her feet beside me.
I was halfway through tugging on my
fitted riding trousers when the maid walked closer with the coat I’d left hanging by the window. She handed it to me without a word, her eyes darting away, and I didn’t blame her.
The castle felt heavier today. was it because I was leaving?
I pulled the sleeves on, flexing my fingers before grabbing the gloves off the table.
“Do I still get that mare who hates me?” I asked flatly, mostly to fill the silence.
The maid hesitated. “You were assigned a new one.”
“Oh.”
I frowned.
She blinked at me. “Would you like her changed?”
I shrugged. “No. Keep her. L.. prefer the mare, actually.”
A small pause.
“We have a bond,” I added, and then sighed. “In a way.”
The maid nodded and quietly left again.
I was adjusting the strap of my boot when a knock sounded.
! already knew who it was.
I didn’t answer. She would go away if I didn’t.
The door opened anyway,
Amira stepped in, dressed in pale traveling robes that were just a bit too pristine for a mission like this. Her hair was braided back tightly, eyes sharper than usual.
“Are you ready?” she asked, voice cool and effortless,
I stood, smoothing down the front of my tunic. “Do you need to rehearse that again?”
“What?”
“The act, I said calmly. “You’ve gotten better, I’ll give you that.”
She smiled. “So bitter this early in the morning. It’s going to be a long ride.”
I clenched my fists and then forced them open. “You could still stay.”
Amira tilted her head. “Why would I? The King assigned me to this.”
I studied her face. “And you didn’t whisper anything in his ear to make that happen?”
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Chapter 64
“I didn’t have to,” she said, walking farther in. “You seem to forget, dear sister-”
“We’re not sisters.”
“Right,” she breathed, rolling her eyes dramatically. “You’re the chosen one now. The real blood. You wear that badge so easily.”
“I didn’t ask for this,” I snapped.
“You didn’t have to.”
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I turned away from her and reached for my cloak. My hands trembled slightly as I pulled the clasp over my shoulder. Her presence had a way of always making me feel smaller, no matter how far I’d come.
“You should rest before we leave,” I muttered.
Amira snorted. “Please. I’m not the one who’s going to break down halfway through the journey.”
I didn’t reply.
I couldn’t.
Because deep down, I wasn’t sure she was wrong.
She turned to the mirror on the far wall, adjusting one of her earrings as if this were a party.
“You know,” she said lightly, “you used to cry whenever I left the house. You’d sit by the door and wait. Pathetic, really.”
1 bit down hard on the inside of my cheek. “And you used to pretend to care.”
She laughed. “Well, we all wore masks, didn’t we?”
I moved to the door, my hand already on the handle. “Let’s just get this over with.”
But she wasn’t done.
“You know what I’m most curious about?” Amira asked, voice softer now, behind me. “What happens when you realize Alaric only wanted you because he was cursed. Because he needed a Luna, not you.”
I stiffened, my jaw tightening.
“You think you’ve changed,” she whispered. “But deep down, you’re still that omega girl kneeling in the dirt, begging someone–anyone -to love her.
I forced a smile and turned around. “Jealousy isn’t a nice shade of colour on you
Amira blinked, caught off guard for just a second. Then she smiled again. “You’re going to need thicker skin where we’re going.”
“I’m not afraid,” I said quietly, “but you should be.”
She arched a brow. “Is that a threat?”
“It’s a warning.” I turned back to the door. “Let’s go. Before I say something that’ll make you cry.”
She let out a small laugh behind me, but I didn’t wait. I stepped into the hall, letting the door swing shut behind us.
The walk to the courtyard was heavy with silence, the kind that made you hear your own thoughts louder than you wanted to. The guards ahead barely glanced our way, and even the morning sun seemed too dim.
Our horses were already being prepared. Mine–the chestnut mare–stood near the stable gates, eyes flicking toward me like she remembered every awkward ride we’d ever shared.
I approached her, quietly brushing a hand down her neck. She didn’t bite me this time. Progress.
“She looks pleased,” Amíra said dryly behind me. “Maybe she knows you’re finally leaving.”
“I thought you liked being the center of attention,” I murmured, adjusting the saddle.
“Oh, I do” She ran a hand over her own horse’s side. “But I’m more curious about what happens when you fail”
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Chapter 64
I ignored her, mounting with a sharp breath. The mare shifted beneath me but didn’t throw me off. Another victory.
Alaric hadn’t come to see us off. Not even Knox. Maybe that was for the best. I didn’t need goodbyes–I needed clarity. I needed a goal.
I glanced once more toward the castle, at the stone spires and the cold, watchful windows.
I hadn’t realized until now how much I wanted to stay.
Not for comfort.
Wot for safety.
But because something here had started to feel like mine.
That was the danger.
And that was why I couldn’t look back.
“Let’s go,” I said, nudging the mare forward.
And without another word, we rode out–me and the woman who had destroyed me.
The road ahead was long, and the path uncertain.
But for once, I didn’t feel small. I didn’t feel helpless.
I felt ready.
At least… I hoped I was.
The gates creaked open ahead of us, groaning like the walls were reluctant to let me go. Morning mist clung low to the ground, curling around the hooves of our horses as we moved past the outer courtyard. The guards flanked us, a quiet, armored escort that made every footstep sound heavier.
Amira sat tall in her saddle beside me, her robes pristine and her chin high, like she wasn’t heading into uncertain, dangerous territory but simply off to tea. She hadn’t spoken since we mounted. Probably basking in whatever smug satisfaction she was riding on.
I didn’t give her the satisfaction of a glance.
The castle loomed behind us, towering and cold, but I felt eyes. Watching.
When I looked up, I saw him.
Knox.
He stood on the ramparts, arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable. The wind tugged at his coat, silver hair ruffling slightly.
I lifted a hand and waved.
He didn’t wave back.
But his gaze followed us. Like he was memorizing the shape of our backs as we rode away, Like he wasn’t sure we’d return.
I looked away before I could overthink it.
The road curved, and the castle began to vanish behind the trees and fog. And then-
Come back to me.
The voice slid through my head Bike silk Deep. Familiar.
Alaric
I turned sharply in my saddle, breath catching
But he wasn’t there.
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Chapter 64
Only mist and walls. Only stone and silence.
1 frowned, gripping the reins tighter. Had I imagined it? Maybe I wanted him to say that, Maybe it was wishful thinking, bleeding into the morning chill
Or maybe—
“You look like you saw a ghost,” Amira said, voice sweet as rot.
I blinked and faced forward again. “Wrong. I’m riding with one.”
She laughed. “Still trying to be sharp, even on your last ride, I admire that.”
I didn’t answer,
Because anything I said would make it real.
And if that voice–if that plea–was real, then I didn’t want her to know he’d said it.
I didn’t want her to know I might still care.
Sol
rode in silence, the fog swallowing the castle behind us. And the words stayed with me.
Come back to me.
But he hadn’t come to say it himself.
So maybe it wasn’t real at all.
And maybe… it never had been.
AD
