Elis
I sat at the long mahogany dining table, the glow of the candlelight casting shadows across the room. The clatter of silver against porcelain echoed faintly as Eunice set my dinner, yet my thoughts were elsewhere, just beyond the walls, where Lily lay sleeping in the chamber beside mine.
Eunice moved quietly, graceful as always, pouring me wine with hands that had once held me as a boy. She had been more than a servant, she had been my compass, my shield, my mother when I had none. And tonight, her eyes lingered on me with the same fierce tenderness.
"She's the one, isn't she?" Eunice finally said, her voice low and deliberate. "The one who sent the emissaries… those so-called healers who dared to walk into Marlick's palace and carry you away."
I paused, setting down my fork, my lips twitching into a small smile. "Those weren't mere emissaries. They were Lily's team. Her doing. Her courage."
Eunice's brows lifted, her tone equal parts disbelief and admiration. "To think… a young girl outwitted Marlick's court and spirited you away. That was no gamble, that was brilliance."
I leaned back, watching her eyes study me as though seeing me anew. "Yes," I murmured. "That's Lily. She has a fire that cannot be dimmed… not even by kings and curses."
She drew closer, folding her hands before her. "And you…" her voice trembled just slightly, "...you are finally free. Truly free of it."
Her words struck me deep, and I exhaled a long breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I placed a hand over my chest. "The curse is gone, Eunice. For the first time in my life, I feel… whole. Tika is no longer bound. He soars where he pleases, unshackled. And I…" I paused, my throat tightening, "...I am no longer half a man chained to shadows."
Eunice's eyes glistened with unspoken emotion. She had carried the weight of my torment as much as I had.
"What does it mean now, Elis?" she asked softly. "For you? For her? For the kingdom?"
I stared at the dark wine swirling in my goblet, then lifted my gaze to meet hers. "It means hope, Eunice. For me… it means I can finally live and not just rule. For Lily, it means I can stand beside her not as a cursed king, but as a man worthy of her. And for the kingdom…" I let a faint smile curve my lips. "It means they will no longer live in fear of my downfall. It means dawn is finally possible."
For a moment, silence hung between us, heavy but not burdensome. She studied me long and hard, then whispered, "You speak like a man reborn."
I leaned forward, my voice low, resolute. "Because I am, Eunice. And I will never squander this second chance."
***
I pushed open the chamber door quietly, Eunice just behind me. The soft glow of the lanterns made the room feel like a sanctuary. There she was—Lily—curled upon the bed, her breathing even, her face untouched by the weight of all she had borne for me.
I took my seat at her side, my fingers brushing through her long, silken hair. Three days… yet she looked as though sleep was only embracing her more deeply, refusing to let her go.
Eunice hovered at the foot of the bed, her brows furrowed. "It's been three days, Elis," she said, her voice edged with worry. "Isn't that far too long for a simple rest?"
I did not look away from Lily. "Her body needed this, Eunice. She carried my pain, and broke my curse. That kind of burden is not without cost."
Eunice stepped closer, laying her palm gently on Lily's forehead, then her cheek. Her expression hardened slightly. "Her temperature is steady, her skin warm… but Elis, are you absolutely certain she is fine? She lies too still."
I drew a breath, forcing calm into my words though my chest tightened. "She is fine. I feel it; she's strong. She only pushed herself beyond her limit… because of me. She saved me, Eunice. She saved this kingdom."
My voice dropped, raw and unguarded as I looked down at Lily. "I owe her my life. More than that, I owe her my face, my dignity, my crown. Had she not come… I would have been nothing but a tale of shame."
For a moment there was silence. Then I heard Eunice's soft chuckle, warm but full of meaning. "Nothing would make me happier than to see the two of you bound, Elis. Married."
The word lingered in the air like a prophecy. I lifted my gaze to her, startled by how easily she spoke the thought that had burned in me silently. My hand stayed in Lily's hair, stroking gently. "Married…" I repeated, tasting it with wonder and a little fear. My heart ached at the thought—but it also beat stronger.
Eunice gave me a knowing smile. "It is the only ending that makes sense. She has already proven she is yours."
I said nothing. But my silence was an answer all on its own.
***
I stood by the window, the night air cool against my face as I looked back at the bed. Lily lay still, her chest rising and falling with a steady rhythm that both comforted and unsettled me. Three days now. Three days without her voice, her smile, her fire.
The chamber door creaked, and Douglas entered with Eunice ushering him in. His eyes went instantly to the bed.
"She still hasn't woken?" he asked, his voice tight with worry.
"Not yet," I answered, my gaze fixed on her.
Douglas stepped closer, studying her as though willing her to stir. "She was… more than exceptional out there," he muttered at last. His tone carried awe, disbelief. "Who would have thought that the little maid who first walked these halls, then a healer, would rise into… this?" He glanced at me, shaking his head. "Tell me, my king, what do we even call her? A grand witch? Goddess? Selkie? I can't even decide. I'm still in awe."
Despite the heaviness pressing on me, I found myself smiling. I turned from the window and joined him. "I'm in awe as well, Douglas. And yet, when I look at her now… I still see the same girl I fell in love with. My mate." The word left me in a whisper, but it struck true.
Douglas smiled faintly, but his posture shifted; he straightened, his expression turning grave. "New whispers have risen in the palace."
I narrowed my eyes. "Whispers?"
"Zeena again," he said darkly.
My jaw tightened. "What is it this time?"
He hesitated. That hesitation told me enough before he even spoke.
"She claims Lily is a witch," he admitted. "Says she's seen her casting spells, that she even vanished from the palace once without leaving through the main gates. She's already stirred a few of the bad Alphas… and they're beginning to agitate for Lily to be tried under the new anti-witch laws. And for you, my king, to be punished for harboring her."
Silence stretched. I stood very still, my hands clenching at my sides. Finally, I spoke, low and certain. "But you and I know the truth, Douglas."
"Yes," he said immediately. "We do. But the council will not rest on our truth alone. We must address them, and we must put Zeena in her place. For good."
I drew a breath, my mind already racing ahead, then shook my head. "I will address the council. And I'll do much more than that. But not yet. Not until Lily wakes." I turned to look at her again, so peaceful in her sleep. "For now… she is my priority."
Douglas nodded. He didn't argue. He understood. He always had.
As he turned to leave, I found myself calling him back. "Douglas." He stopped, facing me. "I want to thank you," I said. The words felt heavy on my tongue, but they needed to be said. "For standing by me through everything. For guarding me when I was unconscious. For your loyalty. I don't know how to repay you."
His eyes softened. "You don't owe me anything, my king. I was only doing my duty." Then he faced me fully, his voice rough with memory. "If anything, I owe you, Elis. If you hadn't saved me back then, when we were just pups, cornered by those rogue wolves, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be alive, wouldn't be part of this kingdom. Do you think I've forgotten that?"
His words caught me off guard, and before I could reply, he pressed on, his voice thickening with conviction.
"This war against Zal, Elis… fighting it with you, standing beside you, I saw more clearly than ever what you've carried. How hard you've fought, how much you've bled, even under that curse Zal shackled you with." He stepped closer, placed a firm hand on my shoulder. "I'm proud of you, my king. No one…no one…could rule our united packs better than you."
I swallowed hard, my throat tight. Words failed me, so I lifted my hand and placed it on his shoulder in return, patting it once. A gesture of brotherhood. Of comradeship. Of gratitude I couldn't yet voice. For a moment, we just stood there—two wolves who had survived the fire together.
After Douglas left, he room had grown quiet again. Only the steady rhythm of Lily's breathing filled the air. I sat close to her, my hand brushing against her hair as I watched her chest rise and fall.
I thought back to why I had ever taken Zeena into my life. It had never been about love. It had never even been companionship. She had been a political chain, forged by her father's hand and clasped around my neck in the name of alliance. I had endured it because the kingdom needed stability… because I had thought duty was enough to silence my heart. But my heart had known better. It had waited for her. Lily.
And now that she had returned to me, everything I had once thought unshakable felt so fragile. Zeena had never been my mate—never my queen. She had been a shadow I carried because I feared war, because I feared betrayal. Yet look at her now. She had betrayed herself, betrayed me, and betrayed this kingdom by associating herself with Jose and Zal. Then she had dared to brand Lily a witch. In her arrogance, she had handed me the very weapon I needed to sever her from my life.
I had evidence—enough to shatter her image as a future Luna, enough to show her father the rot he had tried to force into my house. Once, I had wondered how I might free myself from her without bringing ruin to the kingdom. Now I saw that fate had answered for me. Zeena's schemes would be her undoing, and I would not shield her from the blade of truth.
My gaze had fallen back to Lily, soft and radiant even in slumber. She had saved me, body and soul. She was my mate, my queen, the one destined to walk beside me. No more chains. No more shadows.
It ended with Zeena. And it began with Lily.