Chapter 26: Lady Sera
Dawn arrived over Silvermoor like a bruise, low grey clouds pressing against the palace towers, the air heavy with the metallic scent of rain that refused to fall. Seren slept fitfully on the wide bed, curled beneath thick furs, one hand pressed to the faint bruise blooming at her temple. The bond between her and the three alphas hummed softly. Steady now but still edged with last night's terror.
Aeron sat motionless in the high-backed chair nearest the window, elbows on his knees, staring at the shuttered panes as though he could see through stone and iron to whatever waited beyond. Kael leaned against the wall beside the door. Arms crossed, eyes never closing, every muscle coiled like a trap ready to spring. Theron paced the length of the room in slow, deliberate circuits, stopping every few minutes to brush a stray lock of hair from Seren's face or tug the furs higher around her shoulders.
None of them had really slept.
