carried across 92

92 Fraud 

Sera 

The heavy oak door of the den clicked shut. 

The loud, roaring noise of the Great Hall vanished instantly The sudden silence in the room left a faint ringing in my ears I stood near the center of the floor, staring at the dark wood of the door. The adrenaline that had kept my spine straight during breakfast finally started to drain out of my system 

Fenris walked past me. He didn’t say a word. He went straight to the large stone hearth, picked up a thick iron poker, and jabbed at the dying embers. He threw two heavy logs onto the grate. The fire caught, casting a sharp, flickering orange light across the stone walls. 

He set the iron poker down. He turned around and leaned his lower back against the stone mantle. He crossed his massive arms over his chest and looked at me. 

“Your mother is a witch,” Fenris said. 

His voice was calm. It wasn’t an accusation. It was a simple statement of fact, delivered with a trace of genuine surprise. 

“She prefers the term healer,” I replied, my voice sounding incredibly thin in the large room. 

“She melted a man’s face off and glued it to my guard,” Fenris pointed out bluntly. “That is not healing.” 

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I crossed my arms over my chest, mirroring his stance, but I felt entirely exposed. “She did what I told her to do.” 

Fenris tilted his head slightly. His pale grey eyes studied my face. He looked at the tension in my shoulders. He looked at the way my fingers dug into the wool of my sleeves. 

“When did you think of the process?” Fenris asked. 

“What do you mean?” 

“You looked at Kael bleeding out on the stone floor,” Fenris said, his voice dropping into a lower, quieter register. “He was drowning in his own fluid. The room was chaotic. Yvara was panicking. The healer was panicking. You stood there for ten seconds, and you built an entire coup in your head. You pieced the magic, the guard, and the cover-up together instantly.” 

I felt my chest tighten. I didn’t know how to read his tone. Was he impressed, or was he terrified of me? 

“I grew up in the South, Fenris,” I said, my voice turning defensive. My heart beat faster against my ribs. “I watched Kane navigate assassination attempts and council betrayals for three years. I learned how to survive. If Kael lived, he would have killed you. I did what I had to do.” 

I took a step backward. “Are you angry? Do you think I overstepped my boundary?” 

Fenris didn’t answer. He pushed off the stone mantle. 

1/3 

+25 Bonus 

He crossed the room in three long strides. He didn’t stop until he was standing directly in front of me, completely erasing the physical distance between us. The sheer size of him blocked out the firelight. I had to tilt my head back just to look at his face. 

He reached out. His large, calloused hand cupped the side of my jaw His thumb brushed over the dark purple bruise fading on my cheekbone 

He leaned down and pressed his mouth directly against mine. 

It wasn’t a rushed kiss. It wasn’t violent or demanding. It was incredibly deep, slow, and affectionate He parted my lips with his own. His tongue slid into my mouth, tasting like dark ale and heat. The rough stubble on his jaw scraped against my skin. He slid his other hand around my waist, pulling my body completely flush against his solid chest. 

I let out a soft breath against his mouth. My hands moved up his chest, gripping the thick wool of his tunic. I kissed him back, letting the heavy, grounding weight of his body anchor me. 

Fenris slowly pulled his mouth away. He kept his hand on my jaw. He looked directly into my eyes. 

“You never have to hide from me, Sera,” Fenris said. His voice was a low, steady rumble. “Never.” 

I frowned slightly, confused by the sudden declaration. “I am not hiding anything.” 

“You hide your mind,” Fenris corrected him. “You expect me to judge you for surviving. I made it clear on the very first day that I do not judge survival.” 

“The first day?” 

Fenris gave a single nod. He didn’t drop his hand from my face. “Do you remember when I stood in front of you and took my clothes off?” 

The memory flashed instantly in my mind. The damp pine. The dust. His massive, scarred body standing completely naked in the center of the small room, his heavy cock resting against his thighs. 

“I remember,” I said. My voice dropped to a whisper. 

“In Ironmaw tradition, a male wolf goes naked before his mate,” Fenris explained softly. “It is not always a demand for sex. It is a physical demonstration of trust. You expose your throat, your scars, and your most vulnerable parts. It proves you carry no hidden weapons. It proves you submit your strength to her.” 

I stared at him. The revelation completely shifted my memory of that day. I had been terrified. I thought he was preparing to force himself on me as payment for saving my life. But he did say ‘It is not always a demand for sex’ so it could still be.. 

“So which was it? Were… were you really being vulnerable.” 

“I wanted your compliance,” Fenris confessed, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw again. “I knew you were terrified of me. I knew you expected me to be a monster. I didn’t know how to speak your southern language, Sera. I didn’t know how to comfort a princess. So I spoke my language. I showed you exactly what I was, and I trusted you not to run.” 

2/3 

ho 

E 

712 

12 

4 

insert prt sc 

P