The Princess's Revenge Chapter 141

Valencia’s POV

I buried my face in my hands.

"I can still hear the screams. I can still smell the burning. It's all I see when I close my eyes."

Delphine moved closer and wrapped both arms around me.

"Listen to me, Valencia. Listen."

I shook my head but she held me tighter.

"You are not a murderer. You are not a monster."

"But I killed them—"

"You saved Alpha Logan's life," Delphine said firmly. "You did what you had to do to survive. Both of you would have died if you hadn't transformed."

"But the innocent people—"

"Elton did this," Delphine interrupted. "Not you. Elton set the trap. Elton tried to kill you. Elton started this whole thing by poisoning Alpha King Winston and framing Soren."

Her voice grew stronger.

"War has costs, Valencia. Terrible costs. People die who don't deserve it. That's the horror of war. But you didn't start this war. You were trying to stop it."

I pulled back to look at her. Her sandy blonde hair fell around her face. Her dark eyes were intense.

"You think I'm not responsible?"

"I think you're a person who made an impossible choice in an impossible situation," Delphine said. "You could let Logan die, or you could call on the dragon's power to save him. You chose to save the man you love. That doesn't make you a monster." She took both my hands in hers.

"Valencia, you are my best friend. I know your heart. You're kind and gentle. You care about people. You hate violence. The fact that you're sitting here crying about those deaths proves you're not a monster. A real monster wouldn't care."

I wanted to believe her. I wanted to so badly.

She squeezed my hands. "You're not alone in this, Valencia. You have people who care about you. People who will stand by you no matter what."

A fresh wave of tears came, but this time they felt different. Not just grief and guilt, but also gratitude.

"Thank you," I managed to say. "Thank you for not being afraid of me."

"Afraid of you?" Delphine smiled gently. "Valencia, I watched a giant red dragon shift back you. Yes, it was terrifying. But do you know what I thought?"

I shook my head.

"I thought, of course she's a dragon. Of course Valencia has this incredible power inside her. She's always been special. Now everyone can see it."

That made me cry harder. Delphine just held me, letting me sob into her shoulder.

"I've got you," she murmured. "I'm here. You're safe."

We sat like that for a long time. Eventually my tears dried up. I felt empty but calmer.

Delphine pulled back and looked at me. "Better?"

"A little," I admitted.

"Good. Now eat something. Please."

I picked up the bread and forced myself to take a bite. It tasted like ash in my mouth, but I chewed and swallowed.

Delphine watched me eat, her expression protective.

"How long until Alpha Logan wakes up?" she asked.

"I don't know. Dr. Vance said the next twenty-four hours will tell us more."

"He'll wake up," Delphine said confidently. "He's too stubborn to die."

That almost made me smile.

"He is stubborn."

"And he has you waiting for him," Delphine added. "That's a powerful reason to come back."

I finished the bread and some cheese. My stomach felt unsettled, but the food helped a little.

"Thank you, Delphine. For everything."

"That's what friends do," she said. She stood up. "I'll let you rest more. But if you need anything, anything at all, just call for me."

"I will."

After she left, I lay back down. My body was exhausted but my mind wouldn't stop racing.

I dozed on and off throughout the afternoon, but I couldn't really sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flames and heard screams.

By evening, I couldn't stand lying in bed anymore. I got up and dressed slowly. My shoulder ached but the wound wasn't serious.

I thought about going to the stone house to see Logan, but something stopped me. Maybe I was afraid of what I'd see. Afraid of how broken he looked.

Instead, I left my room and wandered through the castle halls.

It was late. Most people were in their quarters or in the great hall for dinner. The corridors were quiet and shadowy.

I found myself climbing the stairs toward the upper levels. I didn't have a destination in mind. I just needed to move, to think, to process everything.

At a landing halfway up, I found someone already there.

Kai stood looking out a narrow window at the darkening sky.

We both stopped, surprised to see each other.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then I said quietly, "You can't sleep either?"

Kai turned to face me fully. He nodded.

Another silence. I leaned against the stone wall, suddenly tired again.

"You probably think I'm a monster," I said. The words came out before I could stop them. "Turning into a brutal dragon."

Kai was quiet for a long moment. His expression was hard to read in the dim light.

"I don't remember fifteen years ago," he said finally. His voice was calm and measured. "I don't remember our parents. I don't remember Moonfall Ridge Pack. I don't remember you."

That hurt to hear, but I stayed quiet.

"Soren told me about the day he found me," Kai continued. "The whole village was burning. Bodies everywhere. Most people died in the attack."

He looked directly at me.

"Soren said sometimes surviving costs something. I survived, but my memory died. I lost who I was before that day."

Kai paused.

"You and Alpha Logan survived King's Fang, but the castle was destroyed. People died who probably didn't deserve it. That's the cost of surviving."

I stared at him, shocked that he was trying to comfort me in his own strange way.

"I don't know how to comfort people," Kai admitted. His tone didn't change, still flat and calm. "I'm not good at emotions. But I know that being alive is what matters most. You saved Alpha Logan. You saved yourself. Those are the most important things."

Something in my chest loosened. His words were simple and direct, but they carried weight precisely because of that simplicity. He turned to continue up the stairs.

"Kai, wait."

He stopped but didn't turn around.

"Thank you," I said. "That helped more than you know."

He stood still for a moment, then nodded once. He continued climbing the stairs, disappearing into the shadows above.

I stayed on the landing for a while, looking out the window at the stars beginning to appear.

Kai was right. Logan and I were alive. We'd survived an impossible situation. Yes, the cost had been terrible. Yes, innocent people had died.

But we were alive.

And as long as we were alive, we could find a way to make things right. We could stop Elton. We could prevent more death.

I took a deep breath and headed back down the stairs toward my room.