The Wolf's Queen Vows

Chapter 17: Power thirst

It was dimly lit when Aveloria reached the hallway leading to her chambers. The servants were already retiring, their footsteps fading into silence. She was only a few steps from her chamber door when someone called her name.

"Aveloria."

She turned. It was her younger brother, Evander, standing halfway down the hall. He looked casual in his night tunic, his hair tousled as though he’d been lying down before deciding to find her.

"I thought you’d forgotten us again," he said, walking toward her. His tone was teasing, but his eyes weren’t.

"Forgotten you?" she asked, forcing a smile. "I wouldn’t do that."

"You missed our hangout."

The guilt hit her immediately. Their weekly sibling gathering, a small thing they’d done since childhood, was eating together in the garden or playing board games after dinner. She’d promised to be there this time.

"I’m sorry," she said honestly. "It completely slipped my mind."

He studied her. "Are you okay? You’ve been...off lately."

"I’m fine."

"Fine usually means the opposite," he said gently. "You can talk to me if something’s wrong."

Her chest tightened. There were a hundred things wrong, things she couldn’t begin to explain. The mates, the prophecy, the weight of being the Heiress. And the fear that her past death was circling back around her again.

She reached out, touching his arm lightly. "Really, Evander. I have a lot on my mind. But I’ll make it up to you and the others. I promise."

He sighed, then nodded. "Alright. Just...don’t shut us out, okay?" frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

"I won’t," she said softly. "Goodnight."

He gave her a small, lingering look before returning to his wing. She stood there until he disappeared around the corner.

Then she exhaled, turned toward her door, and pushed it open.

Inside her room, the maids had already dimmed the lamps. Aveloria didn’t bother to call on anyone to make a change. She moved toward the wardrobe and pulled out a plain cloak and a black dress, something simple enough for what she was about to do.

As she changed, her heart started to race, though she couldn’t tell if it was nerves or something else. Then, deep inside her mind, she heard her wolf.

It wasn’t a full voice; it was more like an instinctive stir, a low hum of awareness that ran through her blood.

He’s close.

Her breath caught. "Don’t start," she whispered.

The wolf inside her responded with a low growl of excitement, a sound that made her chest tighten in frustration.

"Stop," she said sharply, pressing a hand against her heart. "You don’t get to want this."

The pull was still there, that familiar ache that came whenever she thought of Marek. It wasn’t kind, how strong it still was after everything he’d done in her past life. But she wasn’t the same woman anymore; this time, she wouldn’t make the same mistake.

Tonight, she would end it.

She threw on her cloak, slipped out of her chambers, and descended the back stairs.

Marek’s home was one of the grandest in the capital, though not as large as the palace. His father, Elder Eldric, was one of the most powerful men in the kingdom, second only to the King himself. The stone walls of their estate gleamed under the moonlight, and two guards stood at the gate, bowing when they saw her.

"Heiress," one of them greeted. "The young master is inside."

She nodded once and walked in. The moment she entered the courtyard, raised voices came from the study hall, two male tones, sharp and cutting.

She slowed and moved closer, pausing near the doorway just before stepping in.

"You think I don’t see through you, boy?" Elder Eldric’s voice was hard and cold. "You speak of love, but I see the truth. You want her throne."

"That’s not true," Marek’s voice shot back. "You think everything is a transaction. You don’t understand what I feel."

"What you feel is irrelevant," Eldric snapped. "The Heiress must be guided. Controlled. And if she chooses you, our family will finally hold the influence we deserve. This is bigger than you, Marek."

"I don’t want to marry her for power!"

"Then what? For her name? Her face? Don’t be foolish. You don’t get to play the romantic when the fate of clans depends on this union!"

There was a sharp thud, a fist against the table.

"I won’t use her," Marek said through clenched teeth.

Eldric went silent for a brief moment. His tone when he spoke again was colder. "You sound like a child. You think love will save you from what’s coming? Love won’t mean anything when the rogues rise and the prophecy unfolds. Strategy will."

"That’s enough."

The voice came from the doorway: Aveloria’s. Both men turned immediately.

Eldric’s expression shifted in an instant, from anger to forced warmth. "Heiress," he said, inclining his head. "We weren’t expecting you."

"I can see that," she said, walking inside. "I didn’t mean to intrude."

"Not at all," Eldric said smoothly. "We were only...discussing business matters."

"Of course," she said, not believing him for a second.

Her eyes shifted to Marek. His expression was a mixture of surprise and relief. The tension in his shoulders eased as soon as he saw her.

"I came to see you," she said to him.

Eldric smiled, too faintly. "Then I’ll leave you two to talk."

He left the room without another word, though the silence he left behind was heavier than before.

When they were alone, Marek ran a hand through his hair and let out a long breath. "You have terrible timing."

"I seem to be good at that lately," she said quietly.

He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. "I didn’t expect you to come here."

"I didn’t expect to either," she admitted.

"Then why did you?"

She hesitated. The words to reject you sat bitterly on her tongue, but when she looked at him, the way his face softened when he looked at her, the slight tremor in his hand as he tried to compose himself, the words died.

Instead, she said, "I needed to see you."

Something in his expression changed. His usual confidence melted into something smaller, more fragile.

He moved closer. "You shouldn’t have heard that argument."

"I did," she said plainly. "And you meant every word?"

"I did."

For a long moment, they just stood there, facing each other. The silence wasn’t comfortable, but it wasn’t cold either.

"I don’t want power, Aveloria," he said quietly. "Not like my father. I want—" He stopped, looking away for a second. "I just want a chance to prove I can be better than the other men."

She didn’t reply.

He turned back to her, his voice lower now. "I know I’ve done things I can’t take back. I know I’ve hurt you, even if I don’t remember how or why. But when I’m near you, it feels like I’m being pulled toward something I don’t understand. Like there’s a memory hiding inside me that I can’t reach."

Her chest tightened. He didn’t know what he was saying, didn’t know that he had betrayed her once, in another life.

"I don’t want you to feel guilty," she said. "I just want peace."

He took a step closer. "Then let me help you find it," he said.

"Marek—"

"I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m asking for a chance," he said. His hand lifted slightly, as if he wanted to touch her but was afraid to. "I swear, I’ll love you if you let me."

Their bond flared again, and that magnetic pull made her heart beat faster even as her mind screamed no. She could feel his heartbeat through the bond, sense the truth in his words, and, for a second, almost believe it.

Then she stepped back. "You don’t understand what you’re asking."

"Then explain it to me."

"I can’t."

He looked at her for a long time, searching her face for something he couldn’t find. Then he nodded slowly, pain flickering through his eyes. "You’re afraid of me."

"I’m careful."

"Same thing, sometimes," he said quietly. freewebnøvel.coɱ

She looked down, unable to meet his gaze.

"I’ll wait," he said finally. "For however long it takes."

She wanted to tell him not to. He was wasting his time, but the words wouldn’t come out.

"I should go," she said instead.

He didn’t stop her this time. "Alright."

When she reached the door, he called after her. "Aveloria."

She turned slightly.

"I meant what I said," he told her. "You don’t owe me anything, but I’ll keep proving I’m not my father. No matter how long it takes."

She gave a slight nod, then left before her resolve could break again.

When she returned, the palace was quieter. The guards saluted her as she walked past, but she barely noticed. Her mind was spinning, thinking of how his voice had trembled, the truth she saw in his eyes, and the cruel pull of the mate bond that refused to let her break free.

She reached her chambers and opened the door, ready to collapse into bed.

Something on the floor caught her eye—a small parchment lying just beyond the threshold.

She frowned, bending to pick it up. The paper was thick and rough, and the edges were slightly burnt. Carved into the surface were small symbols, ancient wolf runes that no one used anymore.

She squinted at them, tracing one with her fingertip. The symbols beamed under her touch. She couldn’t read them, but she could feel a warning in them. Or a call.

Her wolf stirred again inside her, uneasy this time.

"What does it mean?" she whispered.

The voice in her head did not answer, only a low growl that sounded almost like fear.

Aveloria folded the note carefully and placed it inside her drawer. Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding.

Whatever the message said, she had the sinking feeling it wasn’t meant for anyone else — only her.