Chapter 224 CHAPTER 224
The dining hall felt different that evening.
Not quieter, not emptier - just… unfamiliar in its calm.
For the first time in what felt like weeks, the four of them sat at the same table, the long stretch of polished wood no longer a place of rushed meals and half-finished conversations, but something steadier. Something almost whole again.
The soft glow of candlelight flickered against the walls, casting warm shadows that danced gently across their faces, and for a brief moment, it felt like the world beyond those doors had paused. The chaos, the fear, the questions that had followed Lisa’s near abduction—they lingered, yes, but they did not dominate the space the way they had before.
Ethan leaned back slightly in his chair, his gaze moving from one face to another, as though quietly confirming that they were all truly there.
“It’s strange,” he said after a moment, his voice thoughtful. “We’ve all been under the same roof, but it feels like we haven’t really been together.”
His words settled softly over the table.
“So much has been happening,” he continued. “One thing after another. It’s like we’ve all been moving… but not stopping long enough to actually see each other.”
Across from him, Lisa nodded slightly, her fingers resting lightly against the edge of her plate.
“It has been like that,” she agreed quietly.
There was a pause—gentle, not heavy—before she lifted her gaze, her eyes moving between Ethan and Liam.
“How are you?” she asked.
The question was simple.
But it carried something deeper.
Ethan blinked slightly, caught off guard.
“Me?” he asked.
Lisa nodded, her expression soft but steady.
“Everyone has been worried about me,” she said. “And I know you’ve all been doing everything you can to find out who did it. But…” she hesitated briefly, then continued, “no one has really asked how you are doing.”
Her gaze shifted between them again.
“You and Liam are the ones carrying most of this,” she added. “And I just… wanted to know.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Ethan let out a quiet breath, something almost like a small, humbled smile touching his lips.
“I’m alright,” he said. “Better, actually.”
His eyes flickered briefly toward Isabel, who sat beside him.
“I’ve had people reminding me not to get lost in my own head,” he added, the faintest warmth threading through his tone.
Isabel smiled softly, lowering her gaze slightly, but the small exchange did not go unnoticed.
Today she seemed quiet, like she was in a world of her own. Like she still hadn’t gotten over feeling like a guest. She was trying to go back to her old self after clearing things with Ethan only to overhear Liam talking to Lisa about her.
She had not asked.
She had kept it to herself – thinking.
Wondering whether she truly belonged in Mooncrest.
And nobody seemed to notice her silence.
Beside Lisa, Liam reached out, his hand finding hers beneath the table, his fingers closing gently around them.
“You don’t have to worry about me,” he said quietly. “This is what I do. Pressure doesn’t scare me.”
There was a small pause before he added, his voice softer now,
“As long as you’re safe, that’s enough for me.”
Lisa’s fingers curled slightly around his, the gesture small but filled with understanding.
Across the table, Ethan watched the exchange, something thoughtful passing through his expression before he spoke again.
“What about Sebastian, did you talk things out?” he asked.
The shift in topic was gentle, but deliberate.
Lisa looked up, not surprised by the question.
“Yes,” she said.
Ethan leaned forward slightly, his interest clear but not intrusive.
“And?” he asked.
Lisa exhaled softly, her shoulders relaxing just a fraction.
“We cleared a lot of things,” she said. “Not everything… but enough.”
Her gaze drifted briefly, as though recalling the conversation.
“He apologized,” she continued. “And not just because of Sarah. He admitted that some of it… was just him.”
Ethan nodded slowly, his expression unreadable but attentive.
“And the bond?” he asked.
Lisa shook her head slightly.
“It’s still there,” she said. “For now.”
A brief silence followed, thoughtful rather than tense.
“Liam is helping him,” she added after a moment.
That caught Ethan’s attention.
Lisa’s lips curved faintly.
“With Kael,” she said. “They’re going to try and… reconnect him with his wolf.”
Ethan’s brows lifted slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before settling into something more contemplative.
“That’s… good,” he said slowly. “Better than I expected, actually.”
There was a quiet acceptance in his tone, the kind that spoke of a king who could set aside personal feelings for the sake of balance.
But that softness did not last long.
His expression shifted, the weight of responsibility returning as naturally as breath.
“Even so,” he said, his voice firming slightly, “we can’t ignore what’s happening right now.”
“I’ve been thinking,” he continued, his gaze moving between Lisa and Isabel. “Until we find out who is behind all this… it might be better if the two of you stay within the palace.”
Lisa frowned slightly.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I mean homeschooling,” Ethan said plainly. “I can arrange for tutors to come here. You won’t have to go to Lunaris until things settle down.”
The words landed heavier than anything that had been said that evening.
Lisa straightened slightly, her fingers pulling back from Liam’s.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” she said.
Ethan’s gaze sharpened just a fraction.
“Lisa…”
“No,” she said gently, but firmly. “I understand why you’re saying that, but hiding here isn’t going to solve anything.”
Her voice did not rise.
But it carried conviction.
“I don’t want to go back to that,” she continued, her eyes steady now. “Back in Silverpine, everyone else got to go to school, to be around people, to live normally… and I stayed behind.”
A faint shadow crossed her expression.
“It was suffocating,” she admitted. “Studying alone, being alone… it didn’t feel like living.”
The words settled into the space between them.
“I don’t want that again,” she added. “Not when I’ve finally found a place I enjoy. Lunaris… it matters to me.”
She paused briefly, then continued, her tone softening just slightly.
“Most of the people there are good,” she said. “I’m not going to let one or two people make me run away and hide like they’ve won.”
Silence followed.
Ethan studied her, his jaw tightening slightly—not in anger, but in conflict.
Before he could respond, Liam spoke.
“I agree with you,” he said, his voice calm.
Lisa turned slightly, surprised.
But Liam’s gaze had already shifted to Ethan.
“Your concern is valid,” he continued. “Keeping them here would be safer.”
Then he paused.
“But Lisa is right too.”
That earned him Ethan’s full attention.
“Fear shouldn’t dictate everything,” Liam added. “And isolating them might do more harm than good.”
There was a brief moment where something unspoken passed between the two men—understanding, tension, responsibility.
“I can adjust the security,” Liam continued. “We go back to how it was before. I’ll personally oversee it. Different guards, tighter rotations. No gaps.”
His tone was steady.
Reliable.
“I won’t let anything happen to them.”
There was no hesitation in his voice.
But beneath that certainty, something else lingered—quiet, restrained, unseen by the others.
A flicker of doubt.
A whisper of instinct.
It did not have a name.
Not yet.
But it was there.
Ethan exhaled slowly, running a hand lightly across his jaw as he considered the weight of both sides.
Finally, he nodded.
“Alright,” he said. “We’ll do it your way. How about you Isa? You’ve been quiet.”
Isabel’s shoulders eased slightly, relief softening her expression.
“I agree with Lisa,” she said quietly. “I don’t think we should stop going.”
Her voice wasn’t loud.
But it was steady.
Ethan glanced at her, then nodded once more.
“Then it’s settled,” he said.