Queen Elise
The room felt too still.
The faint crackle of the fireplace did nothing to soften the sharp scent of medicine and fear that clung to the air.
Caleb lay motionless on the bed, pale and trembling, his chest rising in uneven intervals as the healers worked quietly around him.
I stood at the edge of the room, fingers pressed tightly together, watching every rise and fall of his chest like it was the only thing anchoring me to the earth.
How did it come to this?
How had one single night, one single bond turned into a slow unraveling of both our lives?
I had seen wolves die before. I had seen mates lose each other and crumble under the weight of that loss. But to see him like this… a man so full of life, so strong and certain only a few hours ago… it tore something deep insi
