Chapter 92 CHAPTER 92
The morning sun spread a warm, gentle glow over the palace grounds, soft enough to feel soothing yet bright enough to chase away the shadows clinging to Lisa’s thoughts. She stood in front of her mirror, adjusting the soft riding outfit laid out earlier that morning - cream trousers, a fitted lavender shirt, and boots that felt far too elegant to ever touch dirt. Isabel had nearly screamed when she saw the clothes, insisting they made Lisa look “every bit the princess she truly was.”
Lisa had laughed, though a shy warmth had bloomed in her chest when she realized the outfit was a gift from Liam… delivered to her door with a handwritten note asking her to meet him at the stables.
She had never owned something like this. Never needed it. But now, staring at her reflection, she felt a flutter of excitement unlike anything she’d known growing up in Silverpine.
A soft knock at the door made her turn.
Isabel barged in with a grin. “I’m just here to confirm that you still look perfect.”
Lisa tried not to smile. “Isabel, stop.”
“I will not,” Isabel said, tossing her hair dramatically. “You’re going on a horse ride with your boyfriend. That requires at least three full inspections.”
Lisa nearly choked. “He’s not… Isabel!”
“You’re literally dating,” Isabel said, waving a dismissive hand. “Half the castle knows. The guards are already taking bets on when the wedding is likely to take place.”
Lisa covered her face with both hands. “Isabel, please….”
“Fine, fine,” Isabel laughed, pulling her into a hug. “Go. Have fun. For once.”
Lisa nodded, her cheeks warm, her heart fluttering, and hurried out before Isabel embarrassed her even more.
The palace stables were bathed in morning light, beams slipping between wooden slats, dust particles dancing like tiny sparks in the air. Liam stood near the entrance, brushing the coat of a magnificent white horse. Another horse - a sleek brown - stood saddled beside him.
When he turned and saw her approaching, his face softened in a way that made her breath catch.
“You look amazing,” he said, almost under his breath, as though the words escaped before he could censor them.
Lisa tried very hard not to melt. “So do you.”
Liam stepped aside so she could see the white horse fully. “This one is yours.”
Lisa blinked. “Mine?”
He nodded. “Your parents bought her for you when you were a baby. She’s been kept here all these years. She’s never accepted a single rider, no matter who tried. The grooms call her the Princess’s Horse.”
Lisa approached slowly. The horse watched her with dark, intelligent eyes, and then - unexpectedly - lowered its head toward her, nudging gently against her palm. Lisa gasped softly as warmth spread through her fingers.
“She remembers you,” Liam murmured. “In her own way.”
Lisa stroked the horse’s neck, feeling something tender and unfamiliar swelling in her chest. “She’s beautiful.”
“So are you,” Liam said quietly.
Her cheeks flushed, but the moment was too soft, too natural, to feel embarrassing. The world simply felt gentler when he spoke like that.
Liam cleared his throat and gestured toward the brown horse. “We’ll start simple. I’ll ride behind you on mine, and tomorrow, if you’re ready, I’ll teach you how to ride your own.”
Lisa nodded, a fluttering excitement inside her. Liam guided her to mount the brown horse first, his hands steady on her waist as he helped her into the saddle. When he climbed up behind her, her breath instantly caught - his chest warm at her back, his arm reaching around to take the reins, the proximity making her pulse quicken.
“Ready?” he asked softly, his breath brushing her ear.
She nodded, barely trusting her voice.
They began slow, moving through the vast palace grounds. The rhythm of the horse beneath them, the soft thump of hooves against earth, and the scent of pine drifting on the wind wrapped around them in a cocoon of stillness. Lisa leaned slightly back without meaning to, settling against him, and Liam didn’t move away. His arm simply tightened protectively around her.
They rode farther, toward the untouched part of the grounds where wildflowers bloomed in clusters and trees stood tall like sentinels guarding a secret part of the world.
After some time, Liam guided the horse to a gentle stop. He dismounted first, then helped her down, his hands lingering at her waist longer than necessary.
“We’ll walk from here,” he said softly.
She followed him along a narrow path, and soon the trees parted to reveal a breath-taking sight - a small, clear-blue river winding gently between mossy stones, a waterfall cascading from a cluster of rocks into a crystal pool. Light reflected off the water in soft dapples of silver and gold, dancing across the grassy banks.
Lisa’s breath caught. “Liam… this is beautiful.”
He smiled, watching her more than the scenery. “It’s one of my favourite places. I wanted to show it to you.”
Her heart swelled at the simplicity of his words, at the quiet intimacy they carried. She stepped closer to the water, crouching to trail her fingers across the cool surface.
“Can you swim?” Liam asked behind her.
She shook her head. “No. I never learned.”
He gave her a teasing smile. “Then today’s your first lesson.”
Before she could protest, he nudged her gently into the shallow end of the pool. She let out a startled laugh as the water splashed up her legs and soaked the lower half of her outfit.
“Liam!” she gasped.
He stepped in after her, smirking playfully. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She flicked water at him. He flicked back. And suddenly the two of them were laughing, splashing, moving through the water like carefree children. For the first time in a long time, Lisa felt light. Not just happy, but free.
Her clothes clung to her now, outlining her silhouette, and for a moment Liam simply stared - quietly, reverently - as though memorizing her. She looked back, breath stilling, the laughter fading into something softer.
And then it hit her.
Heat.
A wave of it, sharp, unwanted, overwhelming, crashed through her chest like a sudden storm. It wasn’t hers. It didn’t belong to this moment, to Liam, to the softness between them.
It came through the bond.
Sebastian.
And Sarah.
Somewhere far away, somewhere in the woods of Silverpine, their intimacy rippled through the broken connection, seeping uninvited into Lisa’s heart.
She gasped softly, her fingers curling involuntarily.
“Lisa?” Liam’s voice shifted, sensing the abrupt change.
She stepped forward impulsively, grabbed his face in her hands, and kissed him. Harder than before. Deeper. More urgently. Her lips moved against his with a hunger that wasn’t hers, and Liam responded instinctively - but within a few seconds, he pulled back gently, hands steady on her arms.
“Lisa… wait,” he murmured, breath uneven. “Something’s wrong.”
She blinked, breath trembling, heat fading and shame washing in to replace it.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “That wasn’t… I didn’t mean to. It wasn’t me. Sebastian - he must be doing something with Sarah. The bond - it pushed through again.”
Understanding dawned across his features, soft and troubled. “Lisa,” he said gently, brushing her damp hair from her face, “you don’t have to apologize. Not to me. But we need to talk to Priestess Celestine. We need to find a way to separate what’s yours from what’s his.”
Lisa nodded, guilt still twisting inside her, but Liam cupped her cheek, forcing her eyes to meet his.
“Listen to me,” he murmured. “I care about you. Not the bond. Not the confusion. Just you.”
Her chest tightened with emotion she couldn’t name.
Inside her mind, Celia suddenly stirred.
“Lisa,” she said with an urgent tone, “I need to go to the wolf realm. Are you comfortable being with Liam alone?”
“Yes,” Lisa whispered silently. “I’m safe with him.”
“Good. I’ll return soon.”
Celia drifted away, and suddenly the quiet inside Lisa’s mind felt strange - empty but peaceful.
Lisa looked back at Liam. “I still feel bad,” she admitted. “I didn’t want our moment to be ruined by… him.”
Liam’s lips curved into a slow, warm smile. “Then erase it.”
She blinked. “Erase what?”
He leaned closer, lowering his voice in a soft, teasing whisper. “Erase the kiss that wasn’t yours.”
A flutter ran through her stomach.
She rose onto her toes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “How about that?”
He shook his head with a smile. “Not completely erased.”
She kissed him again, longer this time, her fingers lightly curling into the fabric of his shirt. “Now?”
He brushed his forehead against hers, whispering, “Almost.”
And then, without hesitation, she kissed him deeply - slow, warm, intentional. Not rushed, not hungry, not borrowed through the bond. Just her. Just him. Just the soft sound of water falling behind them and the sunlight glimmering across the pool.
When they finally pulled away, both breathless, Liam whispered, “Now it’s erased.”
Lisa smiled, heart full, the bond’s shadow fading in the warmth of something real.
Something entirely hers.