Chapter 139- The Morning After Tarria’s Return
Lexy
The morning sun hadn’t yet pierced the horizon, but I was already awake. I rose before the alarm, my mind refusing to grant me the mercy of sleep any longer. Determination burned low in my chest like a quiet flame, stoked by everything Tarria had revealed. Adrian’s ambition, his willingness to manipulate bloodlines and loyalties just to crown a weapon he could control—it made my blood simmer. But now that Tarria was back, now that we had the truth, it was finally my move.
I slipped out of bed without waking CJ. His arm instinctively reached for me in sleep, but I pressed a kiss to his temple and pulled the covers higher over him. He had been my rock through the chaos, but this morning, I needed to move fast, sharp, and alone for a little while.
I couldn’t help but think about what the scouts told me last night. The scouts couldn’t catch Kael or Tarria’s father but were able to take everyone else they found in the place Tarria was held. 3 scout warriors were left tracking Kael and Tarria’s father.
Pulling on my robe, I walked down the hall, the sound of my bare feet against the polished stone echoing through the early silence. I made my way toward the war room but stopped first in the healing quarters. Dr. Bennet was just finishing her examination of Tarria.
“She’s recovering well,” she said softly, as if the morning demanded gentleness. “Physically, she’ll be fine with rest and light movement. But what she went through…” She paused, glancing through the slightly cracked door where Tarria lay, her eyes closed, breathing steadily but troubled.
“I know,” I murmured. “I’ll be careful with her. Just keep me posted.”
Tarria had endured more than she should have ever had to. Her father’s betrayal. The twisted plan to use her as a symbol of duality—light and darkness, manipulated for power. Adrian was trying to fracture our unity from within by turning someone close into a rival. But he underestimated Tarria’s loyalty. And mine.
I moved on to the war room. Inside, the table was covered in maps and scattered parchments. Markings of territories, alliances, potential movements. The scout captains taking over for Tarria would arrive in an hour, and the conference starts at 9am and I wanted a clear path forward before then.
The door creaked open behind me.
“I knew you’d be here,” CJ said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he leaned against the doorway. He was shirtless, his hair still damped from a quick shower, and yet he looked every bit like the king he was.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I replied.
He walked toward me, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. “You don’t have to carry this alone.”
“I know,” I whispered, covering his hands with mine. “But I need to make the first move while Adrian still thinks he has Tarria hidden. We have the advantage now.”
CJ nodded. “So, what’s the plan?”
“I want to take what we know about his strategy and turn it against him. He wants to crown Tarria as a pawn, a puppet queen with enough mythos to control both light and dark factions. That means he’s banking on the legend being more powerful than actual leadership. We need to dismantle that illusion.”
“How?” he asked.
“We let him think he has the upper hand. We sign the alliance with everyone but him. We will set up a meeting with the leaders we trust and the packs we work with already. We will let them know what might be coming our way if we can’t stop him now. We will keep Tarria hidden and set a ceremony by the end of the week to celebrate the alliance and we will expose him then. We just have to find a way to keep him here until then.”
CJ’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “But if we do that, we need to protect Tarria too.”
I turned to face him fully. “Exactly. We bring her to the light and show Adrian that through strength, not symbolism things can be accomplished. Let them see who she really is. Not a figurehead, not a prophecy. A warrior. Our warrior. One who chose loyalty when no one would’ve blamed her for running.”
CJ nodded in approval. “Then we get the alliance on our side?”
“Yes. But first, I will meet with the scout captain. We’ll need to start intercepting Adrian’s messengers and patrols. Cut off his communications, limit his influence.”
I walked over to the far shelf and pulled out the sealed envelope from Tarria’s rescue team—intelligence gathered during their return.
CJ’s expression hardened as he scanned the paper. “I think there is more to what was found.”
“And that’s why we need to move quick,” I said. “We strike small, then hard. Discredit his plan publicly but weaken him quietly first. I want him cornered, isolated. Let his allies start doubting. Let him start scrambling.”
A knock came at the door.
“Come in,” I called.
Tarria entered, walking slowly but with a warrior’s posture. She was dressed in fresh clothes and had her hair tied back, her eyes sharp despite the shadow’s underneath.
“I figured you’d be here,” she said, mirroring CJ’s earlier words. “I want in. I’m ready.”
I smiled softly. “You should be resting.”
She tilted her head. “No rest until Adrian’s done.”
Something in her voice made me pause. It wasn’t anger—it was resolve. Purpose. Her trauma hadn’t broken her; it had reforged her. This wasn’t a victim asking for justice. This was a warrior ready to reclaim her story.
“Then let’s start,” I said. “We’ll gather the inner circle in an hour. You’ll work from the shadows. You’ll get to speak out at the end of the week. But only what we choose to reveal.”
Tarria nodded. “I trust you.”
And she meant it. Even after what was done to her. Even after her own blood tried to use her.
CJ poured a cup of warm tea and handed it to her, then one to me. The three of us stood in that war room—queen, king, and warrior—an unspoken alliance stronger than any prophecy. Adrian wanted to crown a symbol. But symbols don’t win wars.
People do.
And we were ready.
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