Chapter 10 Ten
Lilith
Lilith couldn't sleep. The fire had long died, leaving only the faint scent of smoke clinging to her skin. Every creak in the manor sounded like a heartbeat that wasn’t hers.
Ryan had left her hours ago, but his presence lingered—quiet, disciplined, and dangerous. She could still feel the echo of his touch where he’d brushed a strand of hair from her face.
When footsteps sounded in the hall, her body went rigid. Heavy, certain. Not Ryan's. Travis.
The door opened before she could move. Travis filled the frame like a storm cloud, eyes blazing gold. "So," he said, voice rough with contempt, "the little wolf has learned to walk free."
Lilith stood slowly. "He left the door open."
Travis's laugh was low and bitter. "Of course he did. He always did like to play the savior."
He stepped closer, and the air tightened. "You think he’ll keep you safe from me?"
Lilith didn't reply, though her pulse betrayed her. Travis's gaze swept over her, assessing, predatory.
For a moment, she thought he would strike, but he only smirked. "Be careful, Lilith. Ice burns, too."
He left as suddenly as he’d come, the slam of the door echoing long after.
By morning, the cage was gone. In its place stood a wooden chair and a folded piece of clothing—black trousers, a loose shirt, and a note written in careful script.
"Dress. Come to the west wing. Do not speak to my brother."
Lilith stared at the note until the letters blurred. Obedience was still survival here, but curiosity tugged harder.
The west wing was silent when she reached it. High ceilings, walls draped in fading banners of the Radae crest. Ryan stood near a long table, the morning light cutting across his face.
"You came," he said. Not praise, not surprise—just observation.
Lilith didn't reply. Ryan motioned toward the window. "Look outside."
Beyond the glass, forest stretched endlessly—mist rising, wolves moving like shadows between the trees.
"That’s your world now," he said. "Whether you run or stay, it knows your scent."
A chill ran through her. "Are you warning me or imprisoning me?"
"Both," he said.
Silence settled between them, heavy but not hostile. Then, quietly, "My brother wants to hurt you. He thinks pain keeps loyalty. I think fear breaks it."
"Why tell me this?" she asked.
His jaw tightened. "Because you’re starting to look at him the way prey looks at fire."
"And how do I look at you?" she asked.
He met her eyes. "Like you don’t know if you should run or reach for me."
The honesty cut deep. Lilith turned away, trying to breathe through the confusion clawing up her throat.
As she left the room, Ryan's words lingered in her mind. She didn't know what to make of him, or what he wanted from her.
By dusk, the air outside turned violet. Lilith wandered the courtyard, tracing the stone patterns beneath her bare feet. For the first time since her capture, no one watched her.
When the wind shifted, she caught his scent—steel, smoke, and something colder. Ryan stood beneath the old ash tree, arms folded, eyes fixed on the horizon.
"Travis is gone," he said without turning. "He hunts tonight."
"And you?" she asked.
"I guard," he replied.
Lilith hesitated. "Guard me or guard from me?"
He looked at her then, truly looked, and something unspoken passed between them.
"I don’t know what you are, Lilith Greyson," he whispered, "but the house listens when you breathe."
Before she could reply, he turned and vanished into the shadows of the corridor, leaving her alone beneath the ash tree and the faint hum of the forest beyond the walls.
For the first time, she wasn’t sure who the real prisoner was.
Ryan watched her from the shadows, his eyes fixed on the way the fading light danced in her hair. He shouldn’t have let her out. The moment she stepped into the morning light, something shifted.
He turned away, his mind racing with thoughts of his brother and the danger that lurked within these walls. He knew he had to protect her, but from whom? Himself included?
The house seemed to grow darker, the shadows deepening as he walked away from the window. He knew he was playing with fire, but he couldn’t help himself. There was something about Lilith that drew him in, something that made him want to protect her, to keep her safe.
But at what cost? He knew his brother’s limits, and he knew that Lilith was pushing hers. He had to be careful, had to keep her safe, no matter what it took.
The darkness seemed to swallow him whole as he disappeared into the shadows, leaving Lilith to her thoughts beneath the ash tree.