Sylra's POV
The throne room fell silent as my father rose from his seat, gripping the armrest to steady himself.
"In two weeks' time," he announced, his voice carrying despite its frailty, "Princess Sylra will be crowned heir to the Lycan throne. All pack alphas are hereby invited to attend the coronation ball and the ceremonial hunt that follows."
Murmurs rippled through the assembled court. I stood at my father's side, spine straight, expression carefully neutral, while inside my chest my heart hammered against my ribs.
Two weeks. Fourteen days to become ready for a crown I still wasn't sure I could carry.
After the court dispersed, my father summoned me to his private chambers. The walk there took twice as long as it should have—his steps were slow, labored, each breath rattling in his chest. Guards hovered nearby, ready to catch him if he fell.
He barely left these rooms anymore. The healers came and went with grim faces and hushed voices. Everyone knew the truth, even if no one dared speak it aloud.
"Close the door," he said once we were inside.
I obeyed, then turned to find him slumped in a chair by the fire, his crown removed, his face gray with exhaustion.
"The coronation must happen." His eyes met mine with fierce determination. "Whether you're ready or not. Whether the golden wolf has awakened or not."
"Father—"
"I won't survive another month, Sylra." The words fell between us with the weight of stones. "The healers think I don't know, but I feel it. My body is failing. The prophecy is draining whatever strength I have left."
I knelt beside his chair, taking his cold hand in mine. "Then we find a way to slow it. We find better healers, stronger magic—"
"There is no slowing it." His free hand cupped my cheek with trembling gentleness. "There is only ensuring you're protected when I'm gone. The coronation legitimizes your claim. After that, not even the council can challenge your right to rule."
I swallowed hard, nodding. "I understand."
"Good." He leaned back, closing his eyes. "Now go. Prepare. And Sylra? Don't let them see your fear."
The guest list arrived on my desk the following morning. I scanned the names with growing dread until I found the one I'd been searching for.
Lady Vela Dareth had accepted the invitation on behalf of Blackmaw Pack. She would attend with Alpha Rovan, Lady Neressa, and Lady Elene of Redfang.
I was still staring at the parchment when Caelen entered my study without knocking.
"You've seen it," he said. Not a question.
"She's walking into our home." I set down the list. "After the death warrant. After the assassins."
"She wants to watch you fail." Caelen crossed to the window, his jaw tight. "Or she wants to finish what the assassins started."
"Then we'll be ready." I rose from my desk, meeting his gaze. "I won't hide from them. Not anymore."
Something shifted in his expression. He turned from the window, studying me with an intensity that made my skin warm.
"You've changed," he said quietly. "Since we started training."
"You changed me."
"No." He shook his head slowly. "I just showed you what was already there."
Our eyes held. The distance between us felt thinner than it had in days, worn down by shared battles and unspoken truths.
"Rovan said something to me," I heard myself say. "About the way you look at me."
Caelen went very still. Every muscle in his body seemed to lock into place. "What did he say?"
"That you look at me the way I used to look at him."
Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. I watched his face for any crack in the mask, any sign of the man I'd glimpsed in the courtyard that night.
"He's wrong," Caelen said finally.
"Is he?"
His hands curled into fists at his sides. "It's the only answer I can give." Something raw flickered in his gray eyes before he buried it. "Please, Sylra. Don't ask questions I can't answer. Not now."
I wanted to push. I wanted to grab him and shake him until the walls crumbled and he told me the truth.
Instead, I nodded. "Not now."
He turned and left without another word.
The night before the ball, I found myself on the battlements, watching the sun sink toward the horizon in a blaze of crimson and gold. The wind carried the scent of pine and snow, and somewhere below, servants rushed to complete final preparations for tomorrow's festivities.
I heard his footsteps before I saw him. Caelen emerged from the tower stairwell and crossed to stand beside me at the wall. Neither of us spoke.
His shoulder brushed mine. The contact sent warmth spreading through my chest.
Neither of us moved away.
"How are you feeling?" he asked after a long moment. "Truthfully."
I considered lying. Considered giving him the brave answer, the strong answer, the answer a princess should give on the eve of her coronation.
"Terrified," I said instead.
He didn't offer false reassurances. He didn't tell me everything would be fine. He simply stood beside me, solid and steady, as the last light faded from the sky.
"Whatever happens tomorrow," he said quietly, "I'll be there."
"I know." I watched the first stars emerge from the darkness. "It's your duty—"
"No."
The word stopped my breath. Caelen turned to face me, and when I met his eyes, the mask was gone. Completely, utterly gone. What remained was raw and unguarded—pain and longing and something fierce that made my pulse stutter.
"I'm there because I want to be." His voice was rough, stripped of its usual control. "Because when I imagine tomorrow, I can't imagine being anywhere else. Because you asked me not to disappear, and I couldn't even if I tried."
My heart pounded against my ribs. "Caelen—"
"Don't." He stepped back, rebuilding his walls with visible effort. "Don't say anything. I've already said too much."
He turned toward the stairs, and for a moment I thought he would leave without another word. But at the threshold, he paused.
"Get some sleep, Princess." His voice was steady again, professional. "Tomorrow, you face your enemies. You'll need your strength."
The door closed behind him.
I stood alone on the battlements, the night wind cold against my flushed cheeks, his words echoing in the darkness.
I'm there because I want to be.