Chapter 142 CHAPTER 142
Dinner at the palace that night was quieter than usual.
The long table glowed under soft candlelight, the clink of cutlery subdued, careful.
Isabel noticed it immediately.
She tapped her spoon lightly against the edge of her plate, the soft sound cutting through the silence.
“I refuse to let this turn into a funeral dinner.”
Lisa looked up, startled. Ethan’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t speak.
Isabel leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “I know it’s been hard,” she said quietly. “I know everything feels heavy right now. Liam almost losing Kane. Finding out he’s the Warden. The missing boys….” Her voice faltered for just a second before she steadied it again. “Turning up dead.”
The word sat between them.
“I’m not saying it shouldn’t bother us,” she went on. “It should. What the witches are doing is sick. It should keep us up at night.” She looked from Ethan to Lisa, eyes sharp but gentle. “But this - this is dinner. This is where we’re supposed to eat. Talk. Breathe. And the two of you haven’t even said a word to each other since we sat down.”
Lisa opened her mouth, then closed it again.
“It bothers me,” Isabel continued, more softly now. “Because we’re sitting at the same table, but it feels like we’re miles apart. Like we’re each eating alone.”
Ethan exhaled slowly. “You’re right,” he said. “I didn’t even realize it.”
Isabel nodded. “That’s exactly my point.” She straightened a little. “Just for tonight, let’s not talk about witches. Or spells. Or missing boys. Not because they don’t matter - but because we can’t fix everything in one evening.”
She gave a small, hopeful smile. “Let’s talk about something good. Something that actually happened today. Something that reminds us that good things still exist.”
Her gaze flicked to Ethan. “It’s been a long time since the three of us sat down like this. You’re always buried in the library. Lisa’s always somewhere. And now that we’re here, we can’t even talk?”
She shook her head gently. “That doesn’t feel right.”
Lisa studied her for a moment, then nodded.
“Alright,” she said. “You’re right.”
Isabel’s shoulders relaxed, just a little.
“Good,” she said. “Now….” her eyes lit up as she turned to Lisa, “tell me about the Wolf Realm. The real one. The one you walked into.”
Lisa studied her for a moment, then shook her head. “Nothing passes by you huh?”
“Nothing.” Isabel’s eyes lit up. “Now—Spill it. I need to hear everything.”
Something in Lisa softened. The tension in her shoulders eased, replaced by wonder.
“It was… unreal,” she said quietly. “I’ve been there before, but never like that - I walked to another realm!” Her eyes lit up with excitement. “It was magical!”
Isabel listened, amused, “Yes, it was magical – that much we know. But how was it really? Use your words Lisa!”
Ethan looked at the two of them and smiled. They were more like siblings than friends.
“For the first time,” Lisa continued, “Celia and I weren’t sharing one body. We stood side by side. Two halves of the same soul - finally separate.”
She laughed softly. Isabel clapped her hands together. “See? That’s what I mean. That’s worth celebrating.”
Ethan watched her closely, something thoughtful in his eyes. “You have a way of doing that,” he said. “Pulling joy out of people even when it shouldn’t exist.”
Isabel grinned. “Someone has to.”
He smiled openly then. “Ever since you arrived, this palace feels different. Liam may be the one who balances realms. But you…” he gestured gently “…. you balance people.”
Isabel blinked, caught off guard. “That’s… very kind of you.”
“I mean it,” Ethan said. “The goddess must have known what was coming. That’s why she sent you here.”
Isabel laughed. “Purpose, then.”
Ethan gestured subtly to a nearby servant. Two wrapped packages were placed on the table.
Isabel frowned. “What’s this?”
“You didn’t think we’d forget,” Ethan said gently.
Isabel frowned, confused. “Forget what?”
Lisa smiled, a softer expression settling on her face. “School,” she said. “Your semester starts soon.”
Isabel opened her mouth, then closed it again, unsure.
Lisa went on, her voice warm. “You know, It’s as Ethan said, you have a way of lifting moods without even trying.” She tilted her head slightly. “You’re the most positive person I know. You remind us to breathe when everything feels like it’s closing in.”
Isabel looked down at her hands, suddenly very still.
“And sometimes,” Lisa added quietly, “we might seem busy. Or distracted. Or like the world has pulled us in too many directions.” She met Isabel’s eyes. “But we wouldn’t forget you. Or the things that matter to you.”
Ethan gestured toward the neatly wrapped packages. “You’re going back to school soon. We thought it deserved to be marked - not just with essentials, but with intention.”
Lisa laughed softly. “We may not have done the shopping ourselves,” she admitted. “Things have been… chaotic. But we made sure you’d have what you need.”
For a heartbeat, Isabel didn’t move.
Then she stood so suddenly her chair scraped against the floor.
She crossed the space between them in two quick steps and wrapped her arms tightly around Lisa. The embrace was full and desperate, the kind that came from someone who hadn’t realized how much she needed it until that exact moment.
“Thank you,” Isabel whispered, her voice breaking. “Thank you so much.” She held on tighter. “You’re the best sister anyone could ever ask for. How did I get so lucky?”
Lisa hugged her back just as fiercely, one hand cradling the back of her head. “You don’t have to thank me,” she murmured. “You’re family.”
The warmth of it - of being seen, remembered, cared for - spilled over.
Still holding onto that feeling, Isabel turned without thinking and threw her arms around Ethan too.
He stiffened in surprise, eyes widening just a fraction before he let out a startled laugh.
Realization hit her all at once.
“Oh...!” Isabel pulled back, mortified. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…. I just…”
Ethan waved it off, still smiling. “You’re the first person to hug the king without asking permission.”
Isabel winced. “Am I in trouble?”
“On the contrary,” he said, amused and oddly touched. “I think I like it.”
Lisa watched them, smiling softly, feeling the room settle into something warmer - something real. She sat again, hands resting on the packages - then slowly, her excitement dimmed. Her smile faltered, gaze drifting somewhere far away.
Lisa noticed immediately. “You don’t like them?”
“No,” Isabel said quickly. “I love them. Really. It’s just…”
Ethan leaned forward. “Then tell us. You’re family.”
Isabel hesitated, fingers tightening slightly. “I had a thought,” she admitted. “A stupid one. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I didn’t know how you’d react.”
“Nothing is too late,” Ethan said gently. “I’m the king. Reversing things is sort of my job.”
She smiled faintly, then sighed. “I’m human. Living here. Surrounded by magic, history, things I don’t understand - but probably should.” She swallowed. “I’m going back to a human school soon. And that’s fine. But what if I never really learn about the world I’m living in?”
Lisa’s attention sharpened.
“I’ve been reading,” Isabel continued. “In the palace library. About werewolves. About magic. And I thought - what if I didn’t go back to the human school just yet?” She rushed on. “What if I went with Lisa? To Lunaris?”
Ethan didn’t answer right away.
He leaned back in his chair, studying Isabel with an expression that was no longer amused or indulgent - only careful.
“You know Lunaris isn’t a normal school,” he said finally.
Isabel nodded. “I know.”
“I don’t think going to Lunaris would be a good idea. There are no human standards there,” Ethan continued. “No safety nets built for someone like you.” His voice stayed calm, but there was weight behind it. “You would be the weakest person on that campus. Not intellectually - physically.”
She didn’t flinch.
“Even the youngest child there,” he went on, “one barely past learning control, could overpower you without trying. And it wouldn’t be one or two students. It would be hundreds. Wolves from different packs, different regions. Some of them have never lived near humans at all.”
Lisa shifted slightly, watching Isabel’s face.
“And you wouldn’t be with Lisa all the time,” Ethan added. “You’d be in different classes with different schedules. Bodyguards aren’t allowed inside classrooms.” His jaw tightened. “There are places teachers can’t follow you. Bathrooms. Changing areas. Corridors between wings.”
Isabel stayed silent, listening.
“I’m not trying to frighten you,” Ethan said more quietly. “But I need you to understand the reality. Even if I speak to the staff - even if everyone knows who you are - you will still be vulnerable.”
She drew in a slow breath.
“If you ask me,” Isabel said gently, “it was never a good idea for me to come and live here in the first place.”
Ethan looked at her sharply.
“And yet,” she continued, “I came. I found my place. I found purpose. And somehow… it worked.”
She met his gaze steadily. “You can’t tell me something won’t work unless we try it and it fails.”
Ethan exhaled through his nose. “Your optimism won’t protect you there.”
Isabel smiled faintly. “It has worked for me so far.”
For a moment, he said nothing. Then a quiet chuckle escaped him.
“There’s no winning with you, is there?”
She smiled back. “Not easily.”
He shook his head, half-resigned, half-impressed. “Even if I considered it,” he said, “the semester already began weeks ago.”
Isabel didn’t look away. “I’m a fast learner.
Ethan exhaled, thoughtful. “I’ll speak to the council and the principal, but I’m not promising anything.”
She nodded, hope flickering in her eyes. “Thank you.”
As the dinner wound down, Lisa watched Isabel quietly. Inside her mind, Celia stirred.
“She’s always has her way with him,” Celia murmured. “He can never resist her demands.”
Lisa smiled softly.
“It’s interesting watching the two of them together.”