The manor was cloaked in gloom and silence. The butler and the servants could feel the heavy air, something had shifted. It was clear that the Duke and Luren were no
longer on good terms.
Velzra had been thrown into the dungeon, his fate uncertain.
Luren lay in his room, the walls still half-renovated and cold, but he couldn't bring
himself to sleep in Craige's room, not tonight.
The door creaked open. Luren quickly shut his eyes, pretending to sleep.
He felt the bed dip slightly, someone had sat beside him.
Craige leaned in and gently hugged him from behind. His body radiated warmth, almost
feverish.
"Happy birthday," he whispered, his voice low and tender.
Luren's heart clenched, his chest tightening as tears threatened to spill. He kept his eyes shut tightly. Craige carefully placed a small box near his pillow.
"Please sleep in my room," Craige pleaded softly, pressing a kiss to Luren's temple.
"I'll be leaving tonight… but please, don't leave… not until I come back."
When Craige quietly left the room, the silence shattered Luren's restraint. He burst into silent tears, his shoulders trembling.
Of course…today was his twentieth birthday. They were supposed to celebrate it… together.
He quickly sat up and rushed to the window, eyes searching.
"Why is he leaving… this late at night?" he whispered, pressing a hand against the cold
glass.
Below, Craige was already riding off on his horse, his silhouette slowly disappearing
into the darkness.
Luren returned to his bed, wiping his tears. With trembling fingers, he opened the box Craige had left behind.
Inside lay a shining necklace, delicate and beautiful. Its pendant was shaped like a small flower, formed by five rare, green-hued diamonds, each one glimmering softly like morning dew on emerald leaves. The stones were the exact same shade as Luren's eyes, pure, vivid, and quietly captivating.
He clutched the necklace tightly, tears falling once more, this time not from pain alone,
but from the ache of being loved in silence.
"Hey… did you cry all night?" Clara asked softly, her voice filled with concern as she
looked at Luren. His eyes were red and puffy, the evidence too clear to ignore.
Luren let out a quiet sigh, pretending to read the paper on his desk, but his eyes couldn't follow the words. His thoughts kept drifting, toward Craige. Where was he now? He hadn't returned since he left last night. The silence was deafening.
Clara gently reached for the paper in his hand. "Why don't you take a break today?"
she said, her tone tender. "You look like you're carrying the weight of the world."
The day passed, and Luren wandered the manor like a ghost. He pretended to work, but his thoughts were elsewhere, scattered and heavy. His eyes constantly drifted to
the entrance, hoping, aching for Craige to return… but he never did.
"You can rest now. I'll handle everything here," Axel said gently. They were in the
garden, where the new Glass Garden was slowly taking shape.
Luren nodded silently and walked over to the courtyard. The sun was beginning to sink
beneath the horizon, bathing the skies in gold and pink. Will he come home today? The question lingered in his heart, unanswered.
"The prisoner wants to speak with you," Rolen said, appearing suddenly from the
shadows.
Luren looked up, startled. "Why are you here? Where is Craige?"
"His Grace won't be coming home for a while," Rolen replied calmly.
"What?!" Luren's heart dropped. Is it because of him? he wondered bitterly. His fists clenched. "Why would he want to talk to me?" he murmured as he reluctantly followed Rolen down to the dungeon.
The air grew colder with each step, and the scent of damp stone and regret filled the
narrow corridor. In the dim light, Velzra sat on the cold dungeon floor, shackled and pale, but his eyes still burned with a heavy truth.
When they arrived, Velzra looked up slowly, as if the weight of what he was about to say
was crushing him.
"I'll be outside," Rolen said quietly, stepping back and closing the heavy iron door
behind him.
Luren's gaze pierced through the bars. What does he want now? What lies this time?
Velzra stood and gripped the metal bars with trembling hands. "I know what I did is
unforgivable…" he began, voice low and hoarse. "It's all my fault. The Duke was
unconscious the whole time. I… I gave them potions—potions to weaken him, to
force him to sleep…"
Luren's blood boiled. His voice broke as he shouted, eyes filled with rage and pain,
"While you ravaged him?!"
His words echoed through the dungeon like a slap, and the silence that followed was
suffocating.
Velzra bowed his head in shame.
"I just…wanted to get pregnant with the Duke's child. There's a myth… that if an omega bears a royal-blooded child, the child can be granted power, and my mark would
finally disappear. The Velgarith won't attack us if im not an omega anymore"
Luren's eyes widened in disbelief.
So that's what he wanted to do to Craige…
His stomach twisted painfully.
"I'm sorry," Velzra whispered, his voice breaking. "I never meant to ruin your
relationship. I fed the Duke a potion to trigger his rut early. I was planning to give him an antidote but I heard he wasn't here… His rut must have started by now."
Luren froze, heart pounding in his chest.
Craige… is in rut now?
His mind flashed back to last night, to the heat in Craige's skin, the way his breath
hitched…
That's why his body felt so hot. He's suffering... and I didn't even realize it.
"We will talk again!" Luren said as he turned and bolted for the exit.
"Rolen! Take me to Craige…"
They rode swiftly on horseback through the frosted plains until they reached Roan's
military camp. There, they changed to a sled pulled by a massive, silver-furred wolf. As the sled glided forward, they began their journey into the heart of the mountains. Snow had begun to fall steadily, winter had truly arrived. Towering peaks loomed around them, their jagged edges cloaked in white, while icy winds howled through the narrow passes. The world felt both breathtaking and merciless. Luren pulled his coat tighter, his breath misting in the air, eyes wide as he
took in the haunting beauty of the frozen wilderness ahead.
They arrived at a stone cabin, its door slightly ajar, creaking in the wind. The cold bit through the air as they stepped inside, the interior was dark and freezing, as if abandoned for days.
Luren's heart pounded with growing anxiety. His eyes scanned the shadows, panic
tightening in his chest.
"Where is Craige?" he whispered, his voice trembling with fear.