Chapter 59 More Clarification
Dahila’s POV
Zola’s cottage sat at the edge of the inner woods, hidden beneath climbing ivy and old oak branches that twisted like protective arms around the roof.
It was the only place in this territory that felt like mine.
She opened the door before I knocked.
“You look like someone who either killed a man,” Zola said dryly, stepping aside, “or is considering it.”
“I’m considering it,” I muttered, walking in.
“Good. That’s healthier than regret.”
I shot her a look, but she only grinned and shut the door behind me.
The cottage smelled of herbs and cedarwood. Warm. Safe. A sharp contrast to the palace’s cold stone corridors.
Zola studied me as I paced.
“Alright,” she said, folding her arms. “Start from the beginning. And don’t give me the edited version.”
I exhaled slowly.
“The rogue was paid. He knew exactly where I would be. He wasn’t told children would be present.”
Zola’s brows lifted. “So you were the target.”
“Or the bait,” I corrected bitterly. “Dagnoth thinks it could be leverage.”
She hummed. “Leverage makes more sense. You’re valuable.”
I stopped pacing. “To who?”
Zola gave me a look. “You really want me to answer that?”
I looked away.
“The Luna,” she said bluntly. “Or anyone who thinks removing you shifts power.”
I pressed my lips together. “Dagnoth went to her.”
“Of course he did.”
“She denied everything.”
“And?” Zola prompted.
“And he didn’t accuse her outright.”
Zola snorted softly. “He can’t. Not without proof. That would fracture the throne faster than any rogue.”
I sank into the chair by the hearth. “It feels like instead of reducing enemies, I’m creating more.”
Zola crouched in front of me. “Listen carefully, Dahila. You did not generate enemies. You exposed them.”
“That doesn’t make me safer.”
“No,” she admitted. “But it makes you informed.”
I rubbed my temples. “I am not safe there. My pups are not safe. Not with her watching them like that.”
Zola’s expression sharpened. “What do you mean ‘like that’?”
“The way she looks at Liam,” I whispered. “Not as a child. As a threat.”
Zola went very still.
“Then you’re right,” she said quietly. “You’re not safe.”
The words settled heavily in the air.
“What do I do?” I asked. “If I accuse her without proof, I become the problem. If I stay silent, I risk my children.”
Zola stood and began pacing now, fingers tapping her chin.
“We need a plan,” she muttered. “And not an emotional one. A strategic one.”
I gave a tired laugh. “You make it sound simple.”
“It isn’t. But it’s necessary.”
She stopped in front of me. “First—observe. Not react. The Luna expects you to lash out. Don’t.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“You were absolutely planning to,” she said flatly.
I rolled my eyes.
“Second,” she continued, “you need allies inside that palace. Quiet ones. Servants. Guards. Anyone loyal to Dagnoth but not blindly loyal to her.”
“I don’t know who to trust.”
“Then start small. Information first. Names later.”
I nodded slowly.
“And third,” she added, her gaze turning piercing, “you need clarity about Dagnoth.”
My chest tightened. “What about him?”
Zola crossed her arms. “Does he stand with you? Or does he stand with the throne?”
“He is the throne,” I said.
“That wasn’t my question.”
Silence stretched between us.
“He protects us,” I said finally.
“Because you are under his walls. Or because he chooses you?”
I swallowed.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
Zola’s voice softened slightly. “That uncertainty is dangerous.”
“I don’t want to turn him into an enemy,” I whispered.
Zola tilted her head. “Is that what you’re afraid of?”
I hesitated.
She narrowed her eyes. “Or are you afraid of something else?”
I looked down at my hands.
Her voice shifted, teasing now. “Ah. There it is.”
“Stop.”
“You’re developing feelings.”
“I am not.”
Zola gave me the most unimpressed stare I had ever seen.
“Dahila,” she said slowly, “I have known you since you tried to bite a healer for touching your injured arm. You don’t get flustered over men.”
“I am not flustered.”
“You absolutely are.”
Heat rose to my face.
“It’s just—” I began, then stopped.
“Just what?” she pressed.
“The way he looks at me sometimes,” I admitted reluctantly. “Like he sees through everything.”
Zola smirked. “That’s called being interested.”
“It’s not just that.” I shook my head. “His scent… when he’s close… it unsettles me.”
“In a bad way?”
“No,” I whispered.
Zola’s grin widened. “Ah.”
“And his eyes,” I continued despite myself. “When he’s angry, they darken. But when he’s calm… there’s something else there.”
“Careful,” Zola warned playfully. “You’re starting to sound poetic.”
“I hate you.”
“You love me.”
I sighed. “It’s not just attraction. It’s his presence. His aura. It pulls at me.”
Zola studied me carefully now, no longer teasing.
“Is it the bond?” she asked quietly.
“I don’t know.”
“Does he feel it too?”
“He avoids it.”
“Which means he feels it,” she said immediately.
I looked up. “You think so?”
“Men like Dagnoth don’t avoid things they don’t feel. They confront them. If he’s stepping around it, it matters.”
I leaned back in the chair, overwhelmed.
“I can’t afford to feel anything,” I said. “Not with the Luna watching. Not with enemies inside those walls.”
“Feelings aren’t weakness,” Zola said. “But acting on them without clarity is.”
“So what do I do?”
“Nothing,” she replied firmly. “You let him show his hand first.”
“And if he never does?”
“Then you protect your heart the same way you protect your pups.”
I exhaled slowly.
“Have you heard anything from Kael?” she asked suddenly.
My head snapped up. “No.”
“Nothing?”
“The last time Dagnoth mentioned him was about a council meeting. After that… silence.”
Zola frowned. “That’s unusual.”
“I know.”
“Kael doesn’t disappear quietly.”
A chill ran through me. “Do you think he’s involved?”
“I don’t think anything yet,” she said sharply. “But I don’t like gaps in information.”
Neither did I.
Zola walked to the window, staring out at the darkening woods.
“You need to keep your head high,” she said after a moment. “If his Luna sees fear, she’ll press harder.”
“I’m tired of pretending.”
“Then don’t pretend. Be calm. There’s a difference.”
I stood slowly. “And if she moves again?”
Zola turned, her eyes flashing. “Then we move smarter.”
A small smile tugged at my lips. “You sound confident.”
“I am,” she said. “Because I don’t fight fair.”
I laughed softly despite myself.
She stepped closer and squeezed my shoulders. “I’ll come to the palace soon. Quietly. I want to see her myself.”
“That could put you at risk.”
“Please,” she scoffed. “I’ve survived worse than a silk-wrapped snake.”
I shook my head, but warmth filled my chest.
“Promise me something,” she said seriously.
“What?”
“Don’t isolate yourself.”
I hesitated.
“People like dagnoth isolates when he’s under pressure,” she continued. “If you mirror that, you’ll both become blind.”
Her words struck deeper than she knew.
“I’ll try,” I said.
“No,” she corrected gently. “You will.”
I nodded.
As I turned to leave, she called after me.
“And Dahila?”
“Yes?”
“If he truly draws you in… don’t ignore it.”
I frowned. “You just told me not to act.”
“I said don’t act recklessly,” she corrected with a sly smile. “There’s a difference.”
I shook my head, stepping outside into the cool night air.
The palace loomed in the distance, tall and unyielding.
Enemies within its walls.
Questions without answers.
And a bond I could no longer pretend did not exist.
Zola was right about one thing.