"Blue, are you okay? You've barely said a word," Dasia asked again as they rode through the night. Her voice was gentle, but the worry behind it was clear. She understood, at least in part, what Blue must be going through.
Seeing your mates with another woman could destroy anyone, sometimes the pain alone was enough to kill.
But Blue rode in silence, her face calm and unreadable. She'd mastered the art of cloaking the storm inside.
"How much further to Winter's Keep?" she finally asked.
"Not far now. Just two more nights."
Blue nodded and said nothing more. But Dasia could sense the fever still lingering in her, the way her skin burned beneath the fabric of her dress. Too stubborn to admit it, of course. Always too proud.
That smile on Draven's face when he saw her standing there, gutted, broken, watching them fuck another woman, it clawed at her soul. It wouldn't leave her alone. Even after she caught them, they didn't stop. Not for a second.
Dasia had to drag her away from that hellish sight. Blue had collapsed in her arms, sobbing not for love, not even heartbreak, but for the shame. The disrespect. The cruelty they'd shown without hesitation.
They'd humiliated her without a word. And she knew it wasn't just about sex. No… it was about power. The Albenians had always been their favorite target, and now they had her to torment.
When the pack gathered later that evening to begin their journey again, the triplets hadn't even glanced in her direction. Not once. That silence cut deeper than any insult.
---
The morning air was biting. Their pace had slowed, exhaustion settling over the pack. The forest and mountains stretched endlessly ahead, so for now, they made camp. Tents were pitched, food fires lit.
Blue stood off to the side, watching as her own tent was set up, not among the servants, at least. Small mercies.
The triplets moved around the camp, barking orders, issuing commands like kings on a battlefield. Her gaze found Draven. The same hands that had almost choked the life out of her just days ago. When his eyes met hers, he growled and turned away without a word.
The fury still burned in her chest. One day, she promised herself, she'd feel nothing. That would be the day she was free.
Once her tent was ready, she went straight in and collapsed, tears soaking her pillow as sleep pulled her under. The dream came again. More vivid. More terrifying. Her breath caught as she woke, heart hammering.
Her witch side, once numb, dormant was stirring. Kraven used to say it was strange, how her powers never emerged. He'd had his since they were children. Maybe… just maybe… the dreams were a sign.
Later, the sun high in the sky, her feet carried her to the smaller kitchen tent where meals were prepared.
"You shouldn't be here," said the elder woman tending the pots.
"I only want to help," Blue replied, soft but firm.
The woman scoffed. "And what would a princess with hands like those know about a kitchen? Give someone a makeover?"
Laughter erupted from the others. Blue's face burned in shame.
"I know my way around food," she said, fighting to keep her voice steady.
"Even if you do, I'd never let you cook for my people. Wolf."
The words struck deep. Blue opened her mouth to respond, but someone cut in.
"Enough, Alzera. Back to work."
A tall, lean man with a hard body and striking face stepped forward. His tone held quiet authority.
"I think it's best the cooks handle the meals, Your Grace. This way."
He led her out, calm and respectful. She studied him. She'd seen him before—always beside the triplets, especially Draven. Their Beta. But this was their first real interaction.
"I'm Dax," he offered.
"Blue Sara."
"We all know who you are."
"Of course you do," she muttered. "But I doubt you have the right version of me in mind."
He gave her a look. "I hope we get to meet her one day."
She wanted to argue, but he was already walking away.
Blue stepped back into her tent and froze.
Someone was standing near the table, back turned, her long black cloak brushing the floor. She was humming softly.
"Who are you?" Blue demanded,
The woman turned slowly, and Blue's heart dropped.
Lucia.
The same woman she had seen writhing beneath her mates, moaning their names like a chant, while they used her body in the woods like it was theirs to break.
Blue saw red.
"What the hell are you doing in here? Leave!" Her voice turned sharp, threatening.
Lucia smiled sweetly, as though she were greeting an old friend. "Tsk. You're quick to forget, princess. This isn't Albenia. You have no right to give orders."
Her arrogance, her calm, the smugness in her eyes—it made Blue's blood boil.
"I said get out," Blue snapped.
Lucia turned her back again, walking slowly toward the firepit at the edge of the tent. She ran her fingers across the rim, letting them hover above the crackling flames like she enjoyed the heat.
"You're angry about a little fun in the woods?" she said casually, dragging her nails across the wooden edge. "Come now, the lords only need me for their pleasure. You have them all to yourself, don't you?"
Her words twisted like a knife.
Blue moved to grab her arm, only to push her away from the fire, but Lucia spun fast, catching her wrist in a tight grip. In one swift motion, she jerked Blue's hand and slammed it toward the flames.
Heat flared instantly.
"Let go of me!" Blue gasped, struggling, trying to twist free.
Lucia smirked—and with a sudden cry, shoved her own hand into the edge of the firepit, pressing the skin close enough to burn. The smell of scorched flesh filled the tent in seconds.
Then she screamed loudly. High-pitched. Perfectly timed.
She staggered back, clutching her wrist. "She burned me!" she wailed. "She grabbed my hand and forced it into the fire!"
Blue stared in horror, breath stolen from her lungs. "What? No—I didn't touch you! You did that yourself!"
Lucia's sobs grew louder, dramatic. "Help! Someone help me! The princess, she attacked me!"
Footsteps thundered outside. Voices rose.
And then they burst in.
The triplets.
Draven's face twisted with fury the second he saw Lucia's scorched skin. Kael's jaw tightened. Laziel didn't even blink.
"She did this?" Draven asked, eyes already locked on Blue.
"She tried to make me leave, then forced my hand into the flames!" Lucia whimpered, trembling now, eyes glossy with tears.
"She's lying!" Blue shouted, stepping back. "She grabbed me. She's the one who—"
"Silence," snapped, voice like ice.
Draven stepped closer to Lucia, inspecting the burn, then turned to Blue with a glare so sharp it could've cut steel.
"What kind of savage burns a defenseless woman?"
"I didn't burn her!" Blue yelled, voice shaking. "She set herself on fire! This was all planned—she came in here to provoke me!"
"You've caused nothing but trouble since you got here," Laziel said coldly.
The words slammed into her harder than any strike.
She searched their faces, desperate for even one of them to see her. To see the truth.
But they were already looking away.
"Tonight, you eat nothing," Draven said. "And tomorrow, You'll be cleaning the horses."
Blue opened her mouth in disbelief. "You're punishing me? For this?! You don't even care what actually happened?"
But they were already gone. Just like that.
The pack outside had gathered to witness it all. Dozens of eyes on her, whispering, judging. Some laughed under their breath.
She stood alone in the center of the tent, the stink of burnt flesh still hanging in the air, and something inside her, something soft, something human, died a little more.
Her mates. Her so-called husbands. Had chosen the enemy. Had humiliated her again.
She didn't cry this time, she didn't scream.
She stood there, head held high, fists tight at her sides.
And for the first time, she felt it settle fully in her chest— hate. Cold and deep. Not pain, not heartbreak. Just hate.