Page 79 of A Reign of Malice
The moment is quiet but charged, like the stillness of midnight.
Clara and I move deeper into the room. My gaze sweeps over the two of them, assessing, searching. But I don’t see hesitation in either of their eyes. Only fire.
Still, the guilt gnaws at me.
“I don’t expect you to join us tonight,” I say, my voice soft. “You or your mates. You’ve already done more than anyone could’ve asked. If you want to sit this out, no one would blame you. I can go?—”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Isla snaps, her eyes narrowing into lethal slits. “Are you seriously giving us an out? As if we haven’t earned the right to stand by your side?”
I open my mouth to argue, but she doesn’t let me get a word in.
“No. You listen to me now.” Isla pushes to her feet, moving toward me with the grace of a queen and the force of a storm. She grips my shoulders, steadfast and unyielding. “We were all in this the moment your kingdom started to fall. And maybe we didn’t come soon enough, but we’re here now. And we’re not going anywhere.”
Her words slam into me with the force of truth, of loyalty you can’t demand, only earn.
She holds my gaze, unwavering. “Our kingdoms were never meant to be divided.Weare Lunara. And when one of us suffers, the rest of us bleed.”
Estee moves in right behind Isla, reaching for my hand. And before I know it, I’m wrapped in the arms of two women whose strength has carried kingdoms. Now, they’re lending that force to me. Not in strategy or titles, but in something far more powerful.
Sisterhood.
Yet, something’s missing.
I reach back without thinking twice, my fingers curling around Clara’s wrist and tugging her into the embrace. Because titles don’t matter in moments like this. Alpha Queen or not, Clara has stood at my side through every trial, every heartache, every impossible decision. She’s fought for me, challenged me, and never once let me fall. She belongs in this circle—always.
She lets out a soft breath of surprise but doesn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around us too.
“I don’t say this enough,” I murmur, my voice rough withemotion. “But thank you. I needed this. I know what I’m fighting for, but sometimes knowing I don’t have to do it alone is the difference between breaking and bending.”
“You’ve never been alone,” Clara says gently, her voice steady and sure.
I smile, pressing my forehead briefly against her shoulder. “You’re right. But I’ve done a damn good job of pretending otherwise.”
Clara lets out a short laugh. “Please. Like I would’ve ever let you get away with that for long.”
Gods, that woman.
“So,” Estee says as we pull back, though none of us move far. Her brows lift and there’s a spark of steel in her eyes. “What now?”
I glance down at myself. The hem of my gown is torn and stained with dirt and ash. A symbol of the day’s battles. A reminder of the chaos to come.
“Now?” I straighten, meeting their gazes. “Now I find myself something more appropriate to wear and prepare to make myself a target.”
“You mean,” Clara says with a gleam in her eye, “we need warrior garb.”
“Hell yes, we do.” Isla grins, turning toward the hall. “Where do we even find something like that around here?”
“I don’t know,” Clara calls, already halfway out the door, “but I’m going to find out.”
I shake my head with a huff of laughter. “You don’t have to do everything, Clara?—”
“Sloane. Don’t.” Her smile is as sweet as fresh-picked fruit on a sweltering day. “This is what I do. And serving you? It’s been one of the greatest honors of my life. Don’t ever take that from me.”
My throat tightens, and I manage a small, choked laugh as I nod. “As you wish.”
She disappears into the corridor, her light footsteps fading down the stone hall, and I wonder, not for the first time, how I ever would have gotten by without her by my side.
“You’re lucky to have her,” Estee says quietly, and there’s a wistful softness in her voice. “Leaving Isla when I went to Selaris…it nearly broke me. But she found her person to lean on, and I found mine. It doesn’t take away from the love we have for each other, but it sure helps keep the world from feeling so heavy.”
