--Midnight Cry

I stood outside the throne room for a hour before I was told, that the King and Jack had been called away urgently.

And so, I went home. And I went to bed even before Jack came home.

But screams tore through the night.

I jolted upright, heart hammering against my ribs.

Jack was already at the window, shirtless, the torchlight below carving shadows across his back. His stillness was predatory.

"What's happening?" I scrambled toward him, the silk sheets tangling around my legs.

He blocked the window, a solid wall of muscle. "Go back to sleep."

"Jack—"

"Pack dispute. I'll handle it."

But the shouts were knives scraping stone.

Council's orders!

Bring him out!

I grabbed his arm, the warmth of his skin a shock. "Tell me!"

He turned. In the flickering gloom, his expression wasn't anger. It was resignation. Like he was expecting whatever that was happening downstairs.