Nova's POV
The kitchen knife slipped and sliced my palm.
I bit my lip hard to keep from crying out, watching blood well up across my hand. Red drops fell onto the white cutting board, mixing with the leaves I'd been chopping. "Clumsy girl!" The head cook grabbed my hand and wrapped it roughly in a cloth. "That's the third time this week you've cut yourself. What's wrong with you?"
I wanted to explain that my hands wouldn't stop shaking. Ever since I'd seen Lady Seraphina in the palace yesterday, I couldn't think straight. I was terrified and had no way to tell anyone.
But I couldn't say any of that.
So I just nodded and mouthed "sorry."
The cook moaned. "Go wash up and then help serve dinner. And try not to bleed on the nobles, yeah?"
I rushed to the wash basin, my heart pounding. Tonight was the welcome dinner for Lady Seraphina and the other guests coming for the Winter Solstice Festival. Every important wolf in the Northern Territories would be there.
Including her.
The monster who killed my parents.
My hands shook worse as I wrapped a clean tape around the cut. What was I going to do? How could I warn King Thorne that a killer was sitting at his dinner table when I couldn't speak?
I could write a note, but who would believe a mute servant charging a noble lady with murder? They'd think I was crazy. Or worse, they'd ask how I knew about the Moonstone Kingdom's destruction unless I'd been there.
And if anyone learned I was Princess Nova Winterhart, the spell protecting my brothers would shatter. They'd die.
I was stuck with a secret that could save everyone or kill the people I loved most. "Stop standing there like a statue!" Another servant shoved a tray of wine cups into my hands. "The nobles are already settled. Move!"
I grabbed the tray and rushed toward the dining hall, my bandaged hand aching. The tray was heavy, and the crystal glasses clinked dangerously with each step. I had to focus. Had to be careful. Had I stepped into the dining hall and frozen.
The room was full of wolves dressed in nice clothes, laughing and talking. Candles sparked on the long tables, making shadows dance on the walls. At the far end, on a raised stage, sat the head table.
And there he was.
King Thorne.
The mate bond in my chest burst to life like someone had lit a fire under my ribs. Heat rushed through my body, making my skin tingle and my wolf whine inside my mind. The tray in my hands started to shake.
No, no, no. Not now. I couldn't lose control now.
I pushed my feet to move, walking slowly along the edge of the room toward the head table. Other workers rushed past me, but I felt like I was moving through honey, everything slow and thick and wrong.
Because he was there. Right there. And every step closer made the bond burn hotter. "Wine, girl!" A noble snapped his fingers at me.
I jumped and nearly dropped the tray. Carefully, I poured wine into his glass, focusing hard on not spilling. My hands wouldn't stop trembling. "Clumsy servants," the noble muttered to his friend. "The palace standards are slipping."
I moved to the next table, then the next, making my way closer to the front. Closer to him.
And closer to her.
Lady Seraphina sat beside King Thorne at the head table, looking beautiful and perfect. She wore a silver dress that sparkled like ice, and her white-blonde hair was arranged in an elaborate way. She touched Thorne's arm while she talked, laughing at something he said.
My gut twisted with jealousy and fear.
She was already working on him. Already weaving whatever dark magic or trickery she planned to use. And he had no idea.
I reached the head table, my heart pounding so hard I thought everyone must hear it. Captain Ryder sat on Thorne's other side, and he gave me a kind smile. "Thank you," he said as I poured his wine.
I nodded, grateful that someone was nice to me.
Then I moved to Lady Seraphina.
Up close, her perfume was overwhelming, that same smell from eight years ago. Winter roses and something chemical underneath. Something dark. My hand shook as I poured her wine.
She looked up at me, and her silver eyes locked onto mine.
Cold. Calculating. Ancient.
Recognition flashed across her face for just a second. Her eyes widened slightly, and her beautiful smile froze.
She knew.
Somehow, Lady Seraphina Frost knew exactly who I was.
The wine glass spilled, red liquid spilling across the white tablecloth. "Stupid girl!" Lady Seraphina jerked back, her dress splashed with wine. "Look what you've done!" "I apologize, my lady." Captain Ryder grabbed napkins, trying to clean up the mess. "The servant is usually more careful." "Obviously not careful enough," Lady Seraphina said coldly, her eyes never leaving mine. "She should be punished for such clumsiness." "It was a mistake," a deep voice said.
King Thorne.
I looked up, I couldn't help it, and met his ice-blue eyes.
Everything else went.
The eating hall. The nobles. Lady Seraphina. All of it faded away until there was only him and me and this connection that felt like lightning and starlight and fate all wrapped together.
The mate link snapped fully into place.
I felt it like a physical click in my chest, like puzzle pieces finally coming together. Golden light flashed between us. I could actually see it, shimmering in the air. His eyes widened in shock, his hand going to his heart.
He felt it too. "What..." he whispered, looking at me like he'd never seen me before.
The tray slipped from my numb fingers.
It fell in slow motion, crystal glasses falling through the air. They hit the marble floor with a tremendous crash, breaking into thousands of glittering pieces. Wine spilled everywhere like blood.
The entire eating hall went silent.
Everyone stared at me. Dozens of pairs of eyes, judging, angry, annoyed.
But I only saw his eyes. Only felt the link pulling me toward him like an invisible rope. "You," Thorne stood up slowly, never losing eye contact. "I know you. From the stairs. And the yard. You're the dumb servant."
I nodded, unable to move, unable to breathe. "What is your name?" he asked, his voice softer than I'd ever heard it.
I opened my mouth. Closed it. Pointed to my throat. My eyes filled with tears of frustration. "She cannot speak, Your Majesty," Captain Ryder said softly. "She's been mute since she came to the house eight years ago." "Eight years," Thorne repeated, still staring at me. He took a step closer, coming around the table. "Eight years you've been here, and I never..." "Your Majesty," Lady Seraphina's words cut through the moment like a knife. "The servant has caused quite a commotion. Perhaps she should be taken from the dinner." "No." Thorne's voice was firm. He moved closer to me, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his body. "Captain Ryder, bring me paper and a pen." "Sire?" "Now."
Ryder rushed off and returned moments later with writing tools. Thorne held them out to me. "Write your name," he ordered. But his eyes were gentle. Curious.
My hands shook so badly I could barely hold the pen. The cut on my palm throbbed. But I managed to write in careful letters: NOVA.
Thorne's breath caught. "Nova," he said, testing my name on his lips. "That's... beautiful."
The way he said it made my heart flip. "How old are you, Nova?"
I wrote: 24. Where did you come from before the palace?"
I paused. This was dangerous ground. I couldn't tell the truth, but I hated lying to him.
I wrote: I don't remember. I had an accident.
It wasn't entirely a lie. The destruction of my kingdom had been an accident for me. I'd just survived when I wasn't meant to.
Thorne studied me carefully, and I had the unpleasant feeling that he could see right through my half-truth. But before he could ask more questions, Lady Seraphina stood up. "Your Majesty, surely this can wait until after dinner? Our friends are waiting, and the food is getting cold."
She was right. Every lord in the room watched us with curious eyes. Some talked behind their hands. This was already causing too much attention.
Thorne seemed to realize it, too. He stepped back reluctantly. "Return to the kitchens, Nova. We'll speak more later."
I nodded and turned to run, desperate to escape all those staring eyes.
But as I reached the door, I heard Lady Seraphina's voice, pitched just loud enough for me to hear: "Such a strange girl. I wonder what she's hiding."
I ran.
Through the halls, down the stairs, past confused servants who called after me. I didn't stop until I reached the palace's back door, bursting out into the cold night air.
I needed to see my boys. Needed to tell them about Lady Seraphina. Needed to figure out what to do.
The Enchanted Woods loomed dark and strange ahead of me. I knew I wasn't allowed to leave the palace grounds, especially not at night. But I had to reach my boys.
I ran into the trees, following the known path. Branches scratched at my arms and face, but I didn't slow down. The forest was alive with sounds: owls hooting, small animals moving, and wind whispering through the leaves.
Finally, I reached our meeting spot, a small area with a frozen stream. "Orion!" I called out in my mind, using the special connection we shared. "Finn! Ash! I need you!"
Three massive winter wolves emerged from the darkness, their white fur glowing in the moonlight. My boys. They surrounded me, nuzzling me with their soft muzzles, worried whines rumbling in their chests.
I hugged Orion, the largest one, and felt tears sliding down my face. I pulled out the paper and pen I'd stolen from the kitchen and wrote quickly:
She's here. Lady Seraphina Frost. She's the one who destroyed our kingdom. She's in the house RIGHT NOW.
The wolves growled, their hackles rising.
I wrote more: And something happened tonight. The mate bonded with King Thorne it activated fully. He felt it. Everyone saw the golden light. What do I do?
Orion nudged my hand softly, then drew symbols in the dirt with his paw. After years together, I understood: TELL HIM.
I shook my head furiously and wrote: I can't! If I reveal who I am, you'll die!
But Finn pawed at the dirt, writing his own message: MAYBE WORTH IT. STOP HER. "No!" I said it out loud, not with my voice, but mouthing the word clearly. "I won't sacrifice you. I won't!"
A twig snapped behind me.
I spun around, my heart in my throat.
A figure stood at the edge of the opening, backlit by moonlight. "Well, well," said Lady Seraphina's cold voice. "Princess Nova Winterhart. I knew it was you the moment I saw those eyes. Your mother had the same eyes."
She stepped into the clearing, and I saw that her beautiful face had changed into something terrible. Her skin had a silver sheen, and her eyes glowed with dark magic.
My brothers growled and positioned themselves between the witch and me.
Lady Seraphina laughed. "Still protecting your evil brothers, I see. How sweet. Tell me, little princess, does your dear mate know who you really are? Does he know he's been living in a house built on your family's graves?"
I couldn't answer. Couldn't move. Terror froze me in place. "Here's what's going to happen," Seraphina said, raising her hand. Dark energy crackled around her fingers. "You're going to tell me where your mother hid the Crown of Winter. And if you don't..."
She looked at Orion. "I'll kill your brothers one by one until you do. Starting right now."