Chapter 90

**Arsen POV**

Aelin lay beside me, finally at rest. Her breathing had slowed, deepened, and her face held a rare peace that I hadn’t seen in days. The darkness of the room softened her features, casting a gentle glow over her closed eyes, the slight parting of her lips. She looked so vulnerable, so fragile—yet she was stronger than she knew. More than anyone ever gave her credit for, maybe even herself.

But tonight, as I watched her, something gnawed at the back of my mind. It was subtle, faint, barely noticeable unless I focused on it and of course I would focus if she, herself was worried.

Her scent.

It was there, familiar and calming as always, yet lighter somehow, like a faint echo of what it used to be. It wasn’t gone, just… muted. Hollow. And no matter how I tried to convince myself that it could be explained away by the stress, the exhaustion, and the endless fear that Ascian’s threats had put her through, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was at play.

I inhaled slowly, letting her scent fill my lungs, as if searching for an answer hidden in its fading warmth. It still carried the notes of earth and spice that had always marked her presence, but they were almost washed out, as if a shadow had passed over them. It unsettled me, the way a storm hovers before breaking.

Maybe it was all in my head. Maybe I was letting her fears seep into me, twisting the mate bond until I saw problems that weren’t there. But then again, her heat had disappeared—something that shouldn’t have happened unless there was a reason.

Aelin shifted in her sleep, her hand slipping into mine, her fingers curling instinctively around mine. I squeezed her hand gently, taking in the rise and fall of her chest, the way her lips parted slightly with each breath. She seemed so calm, so untroubled right now, and it tore at me to think that whatever Ascian had done might be lurking just beneath the surface.

It couldn’t be pregnancy. If she were carrying anyone else’s child, even a trace of another’s influence, I’d know. The mate bond would have screamed it to me, no matter how many cloaks Ascian’s magic tried to throw over it. I could feel every pulse of Aelin’s emotions, every flicker of her anxiety or joy through our bond. And if there were something foreign between us, I would feel that too, wouldn’t I?

Still, I couldn’t deny the gnawing feeling that something had shifted. It wasn’t drastic; if I hadn’t been paying such close attention, I might have missed it entirely. But it was there—a silence, a quiet absence in the part of her scent that usually reached out to me so naturally, so powerfully. The last time I’d noticed anything like this was during her heat, when her scent had flared up, wild and untamed, calling to me. And now, that calling had vanished.

I let my gaze travel over her, memorizing every detail. The way her lashes lay against her cheeks, dark against her pale skin. The softness of her mouth, the way she relaxed so completely when she was with me. She looked peaceful. Safe.

But she hadn’t felt safe in so long. And I could see the toll it was taking, the shadows beneath her eyes that hadn’t been there before. Ascian’s presence still lingered, like a poison spreading through her thoughts, her fears. I hated him for it, for the way he’d twisted her sense of security, for the way he’d left her doubting herself. Doubting us.

I closed my eyes, taking a steadying breath, focusing on the bond, feeling its gentle pulse between us. It was still there, a quiet hum of reassurance. But there was something else, something just beyond my reach. A quiet unease, like an itch I couldn’t scratch.

I wondered if I was overthinking it. I’d heard of stress causing disruptions in heat cycles, especially when trauma was involved. I’d seen it happen to others. But it didn’t make it any easier to accept that something might be wrong with her. Not when I knew what Aelin feared the most—being unable to have a future, a family, together. She hadn’t spoken the words, but I felt her heartbreak, her dread.

I brushed a strand of hair from her face, my fingers lingering on her skin, soft and warm. Aelin shifted, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Even in sleep, she trusted me. That trust was something precious, something I would protect no matter the cost.

And yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more I should be doing. That I needed to act, to find answers for her, for us. The thought of Ascian’s magic still lingering in her, twisting her future, infuriated me. But I had to keep it together, had to focus. Tomorrow, we’d find someone who could confirm what was going on. If there was any trace of magic still in her, any residue of Ascian’s influence, I’d make sure it was torn away.

For now, though, I had to stay calm. I had to be strong, even as I felt the weight of my own worries pressing down. Aelin needed me to be steady, to be the one thing she could lean on in the face of all her doubts.

I took her hand, intertwining our fingers, my thumb tracing slow, reassuring circles over her knuckles. She sighed, her face softening, and I felt a surge of protectiveness swell inside me. Whatever Ascian had done, whatever remnants he’d left, we’d face it together. And I would not let him take her from me, in any way, no matter what shadows he tried to cast over us.

For tonight, I would keep watch. I would hold her close, breathing in her scent, memorizing the warmth of her skin, the steady beat of her heart. And tomorrow, we’d find the answers we needed.