CHAPTER 5: WHISPERS OF BLOOD

Aurelia had never known true silence until now. The kind that wasn't merely an absence of sound but a presence of something else; heavy, suffocating, crawling over her skin like an unseen mist. The sun was beginning to set beyond the mountains, painting the sky in streaks of burnt orange and crimson. She sat by the window in her chamber, legs curled beneath her, watching as the light dimmed and the shadows stretched longer, swallowing the world inch by inch.

The castle never truly slept. Somewhere, footsteps echoed along the stone corridors, the clatter of armor, the faint rustle of silk skirts. But none of that reached her where she sat. It had been days since the village fair incident, and though her father's fury had simmered, the restrictions placed upon her hadn't lifted. The new personal guard shadowed her every step. Lucien, as he'd introduced himself, though his face remained hidden beneath the heavy silver helmet. She hadn't seen his face again since the night he saved her, but his presence was impossible to ignore. Silent, watchful, always a few paces behind.

Rumors had begun to swirl within the palace walls. Servants whispered of villages burned in the night, of crimson-eyed shadows lurking beyond the forests. Vampires, they said. Bold, merciless, attacking in small bands, leaving nothing but bloodied earth and missing kin. The fear seeped into the castle like a slow, rising tide. Aurelia could feel it even now, pressing against her chest. It wasn't just the rumors. It was the way the nobles spoke of them at supper, the way her stepmothers exchanged cruel, knowing glances when the conversation turned to the beasts of the night. Especially tonight.

A royal dinner had been arranged for the high lords and ladies of the realm. The long, grand table was alight with candelabras, polished silver, and platters of delicacies she barely touched. Her father, King Edric, sat at the head, his broad shoulders tense, his crown gleaming. Her brothers laughed and drank, their future kingdoms secure, their voices filling the hall. Her two older sisters spoke softly with their husbands, discussing upcoming births and estate affairs. And then there was her.

Aurelia, the last-born, the illegitimate child of a mistress long dead. An empty seat always beside her mother's old chair. The absence felt sharper tonight. One of the king's wives, Lady Velena, leaned in with a mocking smile. "Such a pity," she purred, voice dripping like poisoned honey. "Another castle ball, and no mother to guide you through it. Poor little dove, all alone."

Aurelia's fingers clenched around the stem of her goblet. The wine threatened to spill. No one came to her defense. Her father said nothing, busy with court talk. The laughter of her brothers was suddenly too loud. Her throat tightened, and she excused herself, rising quickly from the table. She didn't wait for permission. No one stopped her.

Back in her chambers, the sobs came hot and fast. She pressed a hand against her mouth to stifle them. Elen, her personal maid, arrived moments later, face crumpled with concern. "Oh, my lady," she murmured, gathering Aurelia in her arms like a child. "Don't listen to them. They're jealous, cruel-hearted women."

Aurelia shook her head against Elen's shoulder. "It's always going to be like this. I don't belong here."

Before Elen could reply, a firm voice came from the doorway. "I'll take it from here."

Lucien stood there, clad in dark armor, helmet obscuring his face as always. The flickering candlelight made his figure look almost otherworldly. Elen hesitated, then nodded, brushing Aurelia's hair from her damp cheeks before leaving the room quietly.

He crossed the chamber in a few strides, his presence filling the space. "Come," he said simply.

Aurelia looked up, startled. "Where?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he extended a gloved hand. For reasons she couldn't name, she took it.

He led her through the empty halls, through a narrow passage she hadn't known existed. A servant's door opened onto the palace gardens, now cloaked in darkness. Crickets sang, and the scent of night-blooming flowers clung to the air. He guided her to a hill behind the orchard where the sky opened wide above them.

"Sit," he murmured.

She did, wrapping her arms around her knees. For a while, neither of them spoke. The stars blinked overhead like tiny watchful eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked finally.

"I thought you could use a night where no one whispered behind your back."

It wasn't the answer she expected. She glanced at him. "You're not like the others."

He didn't deny it.

After a long, heavy pause, he said, "The stars are always constant. No matter what you are or where you belong. They never turn their backs."

Aurelia let out a small, surprised laugh, not because it was particularly clever, but because it was unexpectedly kind. He turned to look at her then, and though she couldn't see his eyes, she felt them.

In that moment, something strange and quiet unfurled between them.

Aurelia didn't realize how long they sat there until the wind turned colder. Lucien rose first. "You should get back before the palace notices you're gone."

She sighed but stood as well. "Thank you… for this."

He inclined his head. "Don't thank me yet."

They walked back in silence, but the air between them had shifted, no longer that of a knight and his charge. Something older, heavier, waiting to be named.

And in the distance, the wolves howled.