The evening settled over the Nightshare castle like a velvet curtain, drawing shadows across its silver-stoned halls, and just like the night before, River found herself standing once more in front of the tall mirror in her bedroom.
Two omega maids fluttered around her like quiet moths, their hands skillful and sure as they helped her change into the delicate dinner gown that had been prepared for her. The fabric was deep forest green, a color that brought out the golden strands in her hair and the flush in her cheeks, but she barely saw herself in the mirror. Her mind was elsewhere, swirling like a storm. There was no privacy anymore. No corner of peace. Every breath was watched, every move measured, every glance dissected. This life... was a cage cloaked in silk.
And yet, somehow, she
