Chapter 55
Lila
The scent of pine and damp earth hit me the moment I stepped from the carriage. Nightfall Pack always smelled earthy. And like wet stone and forgotten promises thanks to my father.
The estate loomed quiet and gray under a sky streaked with morning haze. It looked the same, but didn’t feel the same. Not anymore.
I moved quickly through the entry hall, past the servant who didn’t offer to take my coat. My boots echoed against the stone as I made my way toward the infirmary wing.
The air there was still, tinged with bitterroot tea and antiseptic. It felt like a place trying too hard to pretend it wasn’t full of dying. I hated that my mother was here.
She lay beneath layers of wool, her skin pale against the pillows. My mother’s hair had thinned more than I remembered. Her breathing was shallow but even, and one hand rested lightly over her chest like she was holding herself in.
“She’s been like for a few days,” said Sasha, the caregiver, standing off to the side. Her eyes were rimmed red, but her voice was composed.
“Why didn’t anyone send for me sooner?” I asked, crossing the room and sinking to the edge of the bed. I brushed a lock of hair from temple.
my
mother’s
“I did,” Sasha said gently. “I’ve been too exhausted to mind link, so I sent a note. You were granted leave as soon as it was possible, weren’t you?”
1 I nodded, but guilt scraped at the inside of my throat. The palace, the selection, Damon–it all felt so far away now. But being here brought my reasons into focus.
“I thought the treatment was helping,” I whispered.
“It was,” Sasha said. Her mouth tightened. “But there was a delay. A disruption in the delivery of her medication. She went nearly a week without the correct dosage.”
I turned to her sharply. “What kind of disruption?”
Sasha hesitated. “That’s not something I can speak to. Pack orders.”
I stood, heat rising in my chest. “You said once that my wolf might be… suppressed. You said it like it wasn’t natural. What did you mean?”
She looked away. “I’m not the right person to explain that.”
“But you know something.”
She clasped her hands. “I know you were stronger as a child. I know your healing is slower than it should be. And I know that your father’s influence reaches into places it shouldn’t.”
That landed like a slap.
I stared down at my mother, watching the rise and fall of her chest. “I won’t let him take her from me.”
“I hope not,” Sasha said softly. “But you’ll have to be smarter than him to stop it.”
I turned toward the door. “Then I guess it’s time I stopped playing the obedient bastard daughter.”
And this time, I meant it,
I found my father in his study, as usual. The doors were open, fire crackling low in the hearth, the scent of aged parchment and cigar smoke thick in the air. He didn’t look up when I entered–just continued writing, pen scratching across paper.
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Chapter 55
“You cut off her medicine.”
He didn’t flinch. “Good morning to you, too, daughter.”
I stepped farther inside, ignoring the burn of old obedience in my spine. “Don’t deflect. She was stable, and then she wasn’t. What changed”
Henry finally looked at me, eyes dark and unbothered. “I warned you what would happen if you failed to produce results.”
I stared at him, stunned that he actually followed through on his,threat. “She’s not leverage.”
“She’s everything to you,” he said, voice calm. “Her condition is a reminder. To you, to me, to them. Power isn’t gifted, Lila. It’s taken. And you had a chance to get a seat at the table–now you’re slipping off it.”
My fingers curled into fists. “You would let her die just to punish me?”
“I would let a great many things die to keep this Pack on top,” he said evenly. “Including illusions of usefulness. You’re only back now because you’re scared.”
“No,” I said, breath sharp. “I’m back because I care about her. And because I’m done letting you play puppeteer with my life.”
His eyes narrowed. “Careful.”
“No.” My voice cracked like thunder in the quiet study. “You should be careful. Because I’m not a child anymore. And I’m not scared of you.”
A beat of silence. Then, slowly, Henry set down his pen and leaned back in his chair, studying me like I was a newly discovered creature.
“You’re finally showing teeth,” he murmured. “Is that what the palace did to you? Or was it him?”
“Don’t,” I said sharply.
“You’re soft on him.” He smirked. “That’s a shame but could be beneficial if he feels the same.”
I stepped forward until I was across the desk from him. “What’s shameful is forcing your own daughter into a den of rabid wolves and then punishing her for not becoming one.”
“You want to protect your mother?” Henry asked, voice colder now. “Give me something.”
“I’ll endorse your petition,” I said. “The King is giving you a chance. I’ll support your bid for that damn council seat even though you’ll blow it.” I yanked Damon’s letter from my pocket and threw it on the desk.
His brows lifted as he carefully read the words that were meant only for me. He was actually impressed. “And?”
“And that’s all.”
Henry tilted his head. “You think that’s enough?”
“It will be,” I said. “But I won’t lie to him anymore. I won’t manipulate him or use myself to buy your way into power. I’ll speak to him as Lila, as me; and if
that doesn’t work, it won’t it’s on you.”
“And the selection?” he asked quietly.
“I won’t win it,” I said. “I won’t stay.”
Henry’s mouth tightened. “You’d throw away a crown? All that power?”
“I’d throw away a thousand crowns before I became the kind of Luna you want me to be.”
The silence between us stretched, thick as molasses. Then, to my surprise, he laughed. Not loudly, but dark and humorless.
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Chapter 55
“I thought you’d always be the quiet one,” he said. “The shadow behind Elena. But now… now you finally sound more like me.”
“Never,” I said, voice shaking.
He stood slowly, walking around the desk. I didn’t back down, even when he stood inches from me.
“Fine,” he said at last. “Your mother’s care will resume immediately. But if you fail me again, there won’t be a second reprieve.”
“Noted,” I said, stepping past him.
“Elena should be careful,” he added. “You’re finally learning how to fight back.”
I stopped at the door. Glanced over my shoulder. “She should be very careful.” I didn’t wait for his response. I left the study with my head high, pulse thundering in my throat.
I found Elena standing at the top of the stairs, watching me. Her arms were crossed, a faint frown drawn between her brows.
“You yelled at him,” she said. “I didn’t know you had it in you, bastard.”
I looked her dead in the eye. “There’s a lot about me you never bothered to know.”
She blinked. Then–surprisingly–nodded once, as if seeing me clearly for the first time.
I turned away and made for the infirmary, my boots echoing along the hallway. For the first time in years, I wasn’t walking in Elena’s shadow.
I was walking ahead of my own.
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