|| Lilac’s POV ||

The morning light filtered through the sheer curtains of Alaric's study, painting golden stripes across the hardwood floor. I stood by the window, watching the distant figures of warriors training in the courtyard below, their shouts muffled through the glass. My fingers traced idle patterns on the sill, my mind racing with questions that had haunted me for the entire night. Alaric came back late and was gone when I woke up. Finally I found him here.

Alaric ...