Ethan's POV
The ride back to Silverfang was quiet, but the silence wasn't peaceful—
it was suffocating.
Lucas's words still echoed through my mind.
Louis Ysgramor.
A united southern dynasty.
A force powerful enough to consume the West whole.
And Soraya…
The thought of her being hunted—by Louis, by rogue factions, by whoever commanded Thorn—twisted something deep inside me. Fear. Rage. Desperation.
If any of them found her first…
No.
I wouldn't let my mind go there.
The convoy rolled through the Silverfang gates, past guards stiffening at attention. The moment the tires touched the courtyard stone, palace staff rushed forward—not out of habit, but fear.
Whispers chased my steps.
"The King has returned."
"Something must have happened."
"Did he find clues about the invaders?"
I ignored all of it.
My mind was already drifting to one place—the west wing.
Her wing.
My daughter, Nora.
I'd missed her morning visit because of the trip to Nightshade.
