Chapter 125 CHAPTER 125
Isabel opened the bedroom door slowly, turning the handle with care, easing it inward inch by inch as though the door itself might betray her if she moved too fast. The room was dark, lit only by the faint glow of moonlight slipping through the tall windows and laying silver shadows across the floor. Lisa was already asleep, curled on her side, one arm tucked beneath her pillow, her breathing slow and even. For a moment, Isabel simply stood there and watched her, relieved that at least one of them had managed to rest.
She slipped inside and closed the door behind her as softly as she could.
Still, Lisa stirred.
Her brows knit faintly, and then her eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first, before settling on Isabel’s silhouette near the door.
“Where have you been?” Lisa asked quietly, her voice thick with sleep. “It’s late.”
Isabel froze, then sighed softly when she realized there was no point pretending. She crossed the room, lowering herself onto her bed. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said. “I thought you were out cold.”
“I was waiting for you,” Lisa murmured, pushing herself up on one elbow. “I fell asleep without meaning to.”
Guilt pinched at Isabel’s chest. “I went to check on Ethan,” she admitted. “The staff were worried. He hasn’t been eating, barely sleeping.”
That was enough to pull Lisa fully awake. She sat up, the covers falling to her lap. “Ethan?” Her voice softened. “I should have gone to see him. I know he’s been… carrying a lot. Ever since the ritual.”
She shook her head, frustration and regret flickering across her face. “Every time I look for him, he’s in the library or locked away in his study. I just assumed he needed space, but now I feel awful.”
Isabel studied her for a moment before answering. “He’s the same,” she said gently. “Exhausted. Stubborn. Still digging through books like his life depends on it. But he hasn’t given up.”
Lisa exhaled slowly, staring down at her hands. “I hate that he’s doing this alone.”
“I think he doesn’t know how to do it any other way,” Isabel said. Then, almost as an afterthought, she added, “I hope Celestine and Nolan have brought some good news with them.”
Lisa’s head snapped up. “Celestine and Nolan? What are you talking about?”
“They arrived in the palace earlier tonight,” Isabel nodded. “Ethan was walking me back from the library when they came in. They’re holding a meeting in the study as we speak. Liam was summoned as well.”
Before Lisa could respond, Celia’s voice slipped into her mind, gentle but urgent.
“There’s something else you should know.”
Lisa stilled, closing her eyes briefly as she listened.
“I found you asleep,” Celia continued, “and I didn’t want to wake you. But when I went to the Wolf Realm… Kane was there. He didn’t stay long. Liam summoned him back suddenly. Said something important had come up.”
Lisa opened her eyes slowly.
“That explains it,” she murmured aloud.
Isabel frowned. “Explains what?”
“Kane being called back,” Lisa said slowly, the thought settling heavier in her chest. “If Celestine and Nolan are here, then whatever happened tonight must be connected.”
She looked at Isabel again, her brows knitting. “But why wasn’t I called? Do you think they found something worrying and that’s why they left me out of the meeting?”
Isabel shook her head gently. “I don’t think so,” she said. “If it were bad, Ethan would never have kept you out. Maybe it wasn’t that serious. Or maybe they knew you were asleep and didn’t want to disturb you.”
Lisa didn’t look convinced. She swung her legs closer to the edge of the bed, her shoulders tightening. “Still… I don’t buy it. If Nolan and Celestine came all the way from the city at night, then it must be important. And if they called Liam, then I should have been called too. I’m closer to the study than he is. I’m already in the palace.”
Her voice dropped, the worry finally spilling over. “What if they found out that what happened to me and Celia could happen again? What if that separation wasn’t a one-time thing?”
She swallowed hard. “What if it was just the beginning? What if it keeps happening until one day it doesn’t reverse anymore?”
Her eyes glistened. “I can’t live without her, Isabel. I’ve had Celia for as long as I can remember. She’s my sister. She’s my best friend. If they think we’re going to be separated again – permanently…”
“Lisa,” Isabel said quickly, moving closer. “You’re overthinking this.”
“No, I’m not,” Lisa insisted, shaking her head. “There has to be a reason they didn’t want me there.”
“Or,” Isabel said carefully, “maybe you weren’t needed in that meeting. Maybe it had everything to do with Ethan as king and Liam as commander. Maybe it wasn’t about the ritual at all.”
Lisa stared at the floor for a moment, then whispered, “I still don’t believe that.”
Without thinking, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood.
Isabel reached out quickly, catching her wrist. “Lisa….no.”
Lisa turned. “Why wasn’t I called?”
“You can’t go down there like that,” Isabel said, glancing pointedly at her nightgown.
Lisa looked down as if only now realizing what she was wearing. Before she could argue, Isabel grabbed a long jacket from the chair and draped it over her shoulders, tugging it closed and fastening the buttons with brisk efficiency.
“There,” Isabel said. “Now you can go.”
Lisa gave her a grateful look and slipped out into the hallway.
She didn’t have to go far.
At the top of the stairs, she saw them emerging from the study - Ethan first, then Celestine and Nolan, and finally Liam. The meeting had clearly just ended. Their voices were low, their expressions charged with something Lisa couldn’t quite name.
“Wait,” she called.
All of them turned.
Lisa hurried down the steps, the hem of her jacket brushing her ankles. “Why wasn’t I invited?” she asked, her voice calm but edged with something sharper beneath it. “And don’t say there wasn’t a meeting. Celia and Isabel already told me.”
Ethan smiled faintly, that familiar knowing curve of his lips. “Nothing ever gets past you two.”
“So?” Lisa pressed. “Did you find something?”
“We did,” Ethan said. “Quite a lot, actually.”
Her gaze flicked to Liam. He wasn’t smiling. His shoulders were tense, his jaw set, his eyes distant in a way that made her heart tighten.
“What kind of something?” she asked quietly.
Ethan glanced between them, then stepped back slightly. “I’ll let him tell you,” he said lightly. “He’s your boyfriend. Seems only fair.”
Lisa took Liam’s hand. It was warm, but his grip was distracted, almost uncertain.
“Is something wrong?” she asked softly. “Why does my brother look excited and you look like you’ve been given the weight of the world?”
Liam exhaled. “I’m still trying to understand it myself,” he admitted. “Let’s… go somewhere quieter.”
They didn’t speak as they walked.
The garden was hushed at this hour, moonlight catching on stone paths and trimmed hedges, the night air cool against their skin. They settled on a bench near the fountain, the sound of water murmuring softly beside them.
Lisa turned toward him fully then.
She didn’t ask him to explain. She didn’t push.
She just looked at him.
And in that look, Liam felt it - the confusion, the disbelief, the burden he hadn’t even known how to name until tonight. He was a commander. He was trained to carry responsibility, to make decisions that shaped lives. But this was different. This wasn’t a title he could refuse or a mission he could plan his way through.
This was something woven into him.
When he was done speaking, Lisa reached up, cupping his face with both hands. Her thumbs brushed gently along his cheekbones, grounding, steady.
She kissed his forehead, slow and tender, then drew him closer until his head rested against her shoulder.
“I can see it,” she murmured. “How heavy it feels.”
Liam let himself lean into her. Just for a moment.
“I don’t know how to be what they think I am,” he said quietly.
Lisa’s arms wrapped around him, firm and reassuring. “You don’t have to know right now,” she said. “You don’t have to be anything tonight.”
“We don’t have to rush,” she said gently. “If it’s true, then we’ll face it together. When you’re ready. Not before.”
Silence settled between them, not empty, but full.
Liam shifted slightly, lifting his head to look at her. His eyes were still clouded with uncertainty, but something softer had taken root there too.
“Thank you,” he said quietly. “For not pushing. For understanding… even when I don’t.”
Lisa smiled, resting her forehead against his. “You’ve carried me through enough storms,” she whispered. “Let me hold you through this one.”
They exchanged a silent moment holding onto each other, but in that silence, carried a thousand unspoken words.