VALERIA

She turns her back and finally leaves, abandoning me completely alone, staring into nothingness and lost in thought over her words.

I got up before nightfall; I didn’t want to be left alone so close to that eerie forest.

I was hanging large white sheets on the clotheslines, needing to climb onto a small stool to reach the rope and secure them with wooden pegs.

The cold breeze blew, making the sheets billow while also clearing my mind.

I lowered my head to search for more pegs in the apron I wore, and when I lifted it again—I saw him.

On the other side of the sheet, the massive shadow of a lycan stood silently, and I knew very well it was him.

The wind howled through the trees, like a sorrowful wail echoing from the forest.

I stayed still for a few seconds, staring at that terrifying and powerful presence, knowing that the King was watching me too from the other side.

He had every reason to be angry, as he had made perfectly clear. I had no right to touch the precious belonging