DRAVEN'S POV.
The echo of her laughter still clung to the walls long after I left my chambers. I wasn't sure what irritated me more…the sound itself, or the fact that it hadn't irritated me at all.
"Human," I muttered under my breath as I crossed the corridor, the word tasting strange on my tongue. "Trouble wrapped in skin."
I found Zayn waiting outside the council room, leaning against the stone archway like he had nothing better to do. He straightened the moment he saw me, though his grin gave away his usual carelessness.
"Your Majesty," he said, mock-solemn. "I see the little human hasn't bitten you yet."
"Not yet," I said dryly. "But give her time."
He chuckled. "So she's still alive. That's good news. For now."
"For now," I echoed. I walked past him into the council chamber, the heavy doors shutting with a muted thud behind us.
The room was quiet except for the faint crackle of the fire. I didn't bother sitting in the grand chair at the head of the table. I didn't feel like a king, just a man who'd lost control of something he never should have allowed near him.
Zayn followed, his boots soft against the marble. "We can't hide her forever, Draven. The Queen Mother isn't blind."
"I know."
"Then what's the plan?" He asked.
I turned to face him. "We keep her in my quarters. No one enters without my permission."
Zayn blinked. "Your…quarters? You mean the same place where—"
"Yes."
He whistled low. "You're braver than I thought. Or more foolish."
I glared at him, but he only shrugged. "I'm serious," he went on. "If your mother finds out, she'll flay her alive. You know how she feels about outsiders, especially humans."
I clenched my jaw. "That's why she won't find out."
Zayn's grin faded. "Draven, you're playing with fire."
"Fire," I said, turning toward the window, "is something I've lived with all my life."
He didn't argue, but I could feel his stare at my back, the concern of a man who knew me too well.
Outside, the sky was gray, heavy with snow. The mountains stretched endlessly, sharp and ancient, and somewhere below them was that fragile human village drowning in its own misery. I had seen it with my own eyes. Watched the water rise. Watched her beg me to take her back. I didn't understand why I had said yes.
"She begged," Zayn said, as if reading my thoughts. "But you could've refused. You've refused far more desperate pleas before."
"I know."
"So why her?"
I didn't answer. Not right away. Because I didn't know.
Ever since that night…the night the wolves chased her into the woods, when she stumbled into my arms, trembling and wide-eyed, I hadn't been myself. The curse that had ruled my life for over a decade should have killed her the moment our skin met. But it didn't. It didn't even stir.
For ten years, every woman who brushed against me had fallen lifeless. A punishment from the Moon Goddess for the sins I couldn't erase.
And yet, that fragile human had touched me…and lived.
"Maybe the curse has weakened," Zayn offered, trying to fill the silence. "Maybe it's gone."
"No," I said sharply. "Curses like mine don't fade."
"Then how do you explain it?"
I turned away from the window, staring into the flames. The fire danced over the black stone hearth, flickering gold across my hands.
"I can't," I admitted quietly. "And that bothers me."
Zayn studied me. "You've been different since you met her."
"I know."
"She's getting under your skin." He said.
"She's human." I retorted.
"So what?" He crossed his arms. "You think the goddess cares whether it's human or wolf who tests you?"
My temper flared. "Watch your tongue, Zayn."
He inclined his head, though his smirk returned. "Just saying what you're thinking."
I hated that he was right. Ever since she came back to the castle, I'd been…restless. My mind wandered in ways it hadn't for years. I caught myself thinking about the way she looked when she laughed—light-hearted, unburdened by the weight of death and duty. The way she stared at everything like it was new. The way she made the air around her feel different. She didn't belong here. And yet, somehow, this place felt less like a tomb when she was near.
"You're quiet," Zayn said after a while. "That's dangerous."
"I'm thinking."
"About her?"
I gave him a hard look. "About the situation."
"Sure," he said, unconvinced.
I ignored him. "Has my mother asked any questions?"
"Only to the council," he said. "She's furious you didn't execute the girl. Thinks you're losing control."
"She's not wrong," I muttered.
He blinked. "You admit it?"
"She's not wrong to worry," I clarified. "A curse like mine doesn't forgive mistakes. If I slip…" I trailed off, the image of Selin collapsing in my arms flashing before my eyes. I clenched my fists. "I can't risk that."
Zayn leaned back against the table. "You could send her away again."
"She'd just find her way back."
He snorted. "You say that like you wouldn't let her."
I shot him a glare sharp enough to silence him. But deep down, I knew he was right again. Something in me had changed. It wasn't affection, at least, that's what I told myself. It was curiosity. Obsession, maybe. I needed to know why she had survived. What she was. How she could touch death and not crumble under it. But the thought of testing the curse terrified me more than I'd ever admit.
"She's not ordinary," I said at last. "There's something about her."
"You think she's a witch?"
"No. I'd sense that." I exhaled, my breath fogging faintly in the cold air. "But she's not normal either."
Zayn nodded slowly. "So what now?"
I looked toward the fire again. "We keep her hidden. Until I figure this out."
"And if the Queen Mother finds her?"
"She won't."
"You can't be sure."
"I can."
He raised his brows. "Confident as always."
I turned my gaze toward him, cold and certain. "If she finds the girl…she'll have to go through me first."
Zayn whistled softly. "You really are losing your mind."
"Maybe," I said. "But if madness keeps her alive, I'll take it."
We stood there in silence for a moment, the crackle of fire filling the space between us. Outside, the wind howled through the mountains like a warning.
Zayn finally spoke again. "You think the goddess is watching?"
"She always is."
"Then maybe she sent the girl for a reason."
I looked up at him. "Or maybe she sent her to finish what the curse started."
Zayn gave a half-smile. "You really should learn optimism, my king."
"Optimism doesn't keep people alive."
"No," he said quietly. "But neither does fear."
I didn't reply. He was right again, damn him.
As he left, I lingered by the fire, letting the heat bite at my palms. In the silence, I could almost hear her voice echoing faintly down the halls…soft, curious, and alive. And for reasons I couldn't explain, that sound steadied me more than it should have.
Because even though she was human…even though she was fragile and foolish and infuriatingly fearless, she'd touched me once, and death hadn't come. If the curse hadn't claimed her then…maybe the goddess was testing me again.
Maybe the real punishment wasn't killing everything I touched.
Maybe it was wanting something I never could.