Chapter 8 – Lean
MARCIA’S PERSPECTIVE
The gates creaked open like they hadn’t been touched in years. Which, to be fair, they hadn’t.
My breath caught in my throat when I saw it—my estate.
It looked nothing like it had when I last saw it. No broken windows, no overgrown ivy, no sagging roof. The garden was blooming, hedges trimmed, the stone polished and pale under the amber sun.
Once, this place had heard my mother’s screams.
Now, it looked like a home again.
I stepped out of the carriage slowly, the wind teasing my hair, heart knocking against my ribs.
Clara’s gasp broke the silence. “My lady… do you live here?”
“I used to,” I murmured.
“It looks like a dream,” she whispered.
I turned towards the one person who could’ve made that dream possible.
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Dravic.
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He stood a few paces away, watching me like he wasn’t sure if I’d smile or fall apart.
“Did you do this?” I asked, trying hard to keep my voice steady.
The ghost of a smile took over his lips. “You deserve better than Silverlake, Lady Marcia Xendale.”
My heart fluttered.
Maybe it was his words, or maybe it was the title. I wasn’t getting used to it any time soon.
“Why?” I whispered.
Dravic raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to elaborate.
“Why do I deserve better?” I asked. “My father’s sacrifice for Prim? My brothers‘ for you?”
Dravic stepped forward, approaching me. I held my ground, even as my mind urged me to step back. “Because you’re an incredible woman, Mar. You are your mother’s daughter. And just as strong.”
My throat burned, so I turned away, closing my eyes.
Warmth spread through my chest. “I… I didn’t think I’d ever
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come back here,” I admitted softly. “The walls had started to echo with screams.”
He stepped beside me, placing a hand on the small of my back. “Then it’s time to make them boom with music, laughs and chatter.”
I opened my glassy eyes, glancing at him.
A smile played on his lips, the kind that would make any girl’s heart skip a beat.
But not mine.
I was a woman. A divorced orphan with a heart too broken. A heart that burned with vengeance now.
I walked ahead, fingers brushing the railing as I climbed the steps. The front doors opened without a sound, and the scent of roses followed me inside.
The grand hall was exactly as I remembered, only cleaner. Brighter. Clara disappeared with the guards to unpack, leaving me alone with Dravic.
“I missed this place,” he admitted, before glancing down at me. “And the people who lived here.”
I swallowed. “Me too.”
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“You remember you used to sit there and practice embroidery?” he asked, pointing to a corner.
I chuckled. “Of course. Mother would stand there for hours, holding her stick like a weapon, daring me to stop.”
Dravic grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “You hated it so much, you’d secretly throw out the needle every night. Your mother had to replace them a million times.”
I glanced at him, my eyes wide. “You knew about that?”
“Of course.” He laughed. “I saw you sneak out of your bedroom once. Wearing a peach night gown, your brown hair all over the place. Obviously, I had to follow you. Your face was so serious, like you were preparing for battle. And then you retrieved the needle, tossed it out the window, and smiled like you’d won the
war. I can never forget the look on your face that night.”
heeks flushed. “What… were you doing outside my ambers?”
Dravic hesitated. “I don’t remember. It was a long time back.”
My eyes narrowed slightly. He remembered my exact appearance, but not why he was in the hallway?
“Have you thought about what you’re gonna do next?” he asked, changing the subject.
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“I’ll hire staff,” I said. “Then train with Wizard Maxin. I’ll find the ones who did this to my family. Make them pay.”
He nodded slowly. “I’ve tried, Marcia. I looked. I chased every lead I could.”
“But you didn’t use magic,” I said. “Because it’s forbidden on wolves.”
“I didn’t have time to convince the king,” he admitted. “So I used what I could.”
“And it wasn’t enough.”
He fell silent, the air suddenly feeling too thick.
“I know what people say,” I added. “But it wasn’t a random attack. That night was planned. Carefully. Like someone wanted us all gone. Not just dead—erased.”
Dravic’s jaw clenched. “Then we’ll uncover the truth together.”
“Thank you for offering your help,” I said quietly.
“This is the least I could do, Mar. But I have to return to the front soon. Another border nation is stirring, and we can’t afford to be caught off guard.”
My heart sank. “When?”
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“Three days,” he said. “I’ll ride out with the western division. But I’ll leave a team here to help with the investigation. You won’t be alone.”
“I can handle it on my own, Dravic. Don’t worry.”
“But you shouldn’t have to.” He stepped closer, gentler now. “You don’t have to pretend to be strong all the time.”
“Who says I’m pretending?”
“Sometimes real strength is letting someone help carry the weight.” He touched my chest lightly. “In here.”
I bit my lip, and something in his eyes flickered. Something dark. His eyes turned black for just a second—then green again.
My breath caught as tingles erupted through my skin.
But I said nothing.
“I want you to know you can lean on me,” he said softly.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“You deserve a thousand new beginnings. Let this be the first.”
My heart warmed beneath his finger.
“Careful, Your Highness,” I muttered. “You’re sounding
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sentimental.”
He smirked. “Shh. Don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation.”
I laughed faintly. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
“And you, with me,” he said.
I looked down, but he tilted my chin up gently.
“No more tears,” he said, brushing one away.
“Good girl.”
I blushed, stepping back. “I should get to work.”
He didn’t follow, and I didn’t look back.
But I knew he was still watching me.
Just like he always had.
KAEL’S PERSPECTIVE
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The moment Marcia left, chaos ensued in the Silverlake pack house.
First, my mother collapsed at the breakfast table. Not
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dramatically, no flailing or screaming—just a quiet slump in her chair. One minute she was scolding the maid for spoiling her tea, the next her head flopped to the side, eyes fluttering shut. I caught her just before she hit the floor.
We summoned every physician in the area, but only the king’s personal healer managed to stabilise her. He’d checked her once before, at the time of my mating with Marcia. Now, he was surprised she’d lived so long, said someone had been caring for her religiously, keeping her alive.
My mother clutched my hand and whispered accusations between strained breaths.
“She had the medicine,” she hissed. “She kept it from me. girl wanted me gone. She was a snake, Kael!”
That
I didn’t correct her. Didn’t remind her that Marcia had always made sure every tincture was stocked for the past year. If she had wanted her dead, she would be.
The next day, Janet woke up the whole pack house throwing a tantrum in the hallway. Half her wardrobe had disappeared. She was convinced Marcia had taken it all out of spite.
“She ruined my closet! That girl is a thief!”
“Enough,” I said, tired of everything. Rejecting a mate wasn’t easy, it left a hollow in your chest. And everybody was hell–bent on making it harder. “She took what she brought.”
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B
Janet stared at me like I’d betrayed her, before storming off, stamping her feet as if to make a point.
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I hadn’t realised how bad things were until I saw the books. Not the pretentious daily reports, but the real ledgers. The ones Marcia had hidden away, likely to spare my pride.
We were bleeding dry. And had been, for a long time.
Suppliers were unpaid, trade agreements had been broken off. Staff were working on half their wages, only out of loyalty to her, not to us. The pack was hanging by threads she’d been weaving alone, while I fought alongside Eunice, falling in love with her.
Marcia had been the only thing holding us together.
But I couldn’t let it show. Pride was all I had left.
I could fix it. All I needed was time and unity, and a good distraction. And Eunice suggested just the right one: A grand wedding. Something to remind everyone who we were. Something to honour our love and our victory.
How could I refuse that?
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