Chapter 154: Walk
He smiled. "Just walk with me," he said, and gestured toward the open gate where nearly a dozen guards awaited them. Overkill much?
As they stepped out of the palace, Ava instinctively placed a protective hand on her stomach. It had become second nature. She wasn’t even showing yet, but that didn’t stop the mother-bear instincts from kicking in every time someone coughed within ten feet of her.
Outside, the sun was brighter. The kingdom stretched before her.
Ava’s brows furrowed. Nothing about this land felt like home. It wasn’t just unfamiliar, it felt wrong!
Her gaze drifted to the horizon, searching for something she could name. And suddenly, like sunlight cracking through fog, memories trickled in. Not of this place, but of another. Somewhere with towering stone walls and green hills. Somewhere loud. A fortress housing a castle. A home.
She remembered the feeling of belonging there. She remembered being one of them. She did remember leaving the Crimson Pack for the Silver Pack. But that part of the memory was hazy. She remembered why she left but couldn’t remember how or with who. That blankness made her nervous.
Herod’s voice broke through her thoughts. "This used to be a jewel. I want it to be again."
Ava turned to him, studying his profile. He looked determined.
How did she get to the North? That question looped through Ava’s mind. One minute she was... somewhere—warm? Familiar? And the next, she was here. No one had answers. At least, none they wanted to share. And Herod—dear, mysterious, Herod—was the king of unshared information.
Not that she blamed him. Well, not entirely. He looked like a man who hadn’t slept properly since the dawn of civilization. His sharp jawline was tensed and his eyes carried enough sadness to sink a battleship.
"Centuries ago," Herod began, "my ancestor united these lands under one king... with the help of a great woman."