Chapter53: An unexpected visitor

KELLY THOMPSON'S POV  The sharp rap on the oak door of my study pulled me from the parchment sprawled before me, a list of herbs and incantations I was revising for our healers. The royal guard on the other side bowed deeply, his face etched with urgency. "My Queen, an unexpected visitor demands your audience in the waiting room." Surprise lanced through me, a cold sliver of unease. Visitors were seldom unexpected in this stronghold of stone and silver-the heart of the South pack's might. With a nod that set my cloak swirling, I rose, leaving behind the scent of ink and parchment. I strode through the hushed corridors, the echo of my boots whispering secrets to ancient walls. The royal palace was alive with silent watchers, and I felt the weight of unseen eyes appraising my every move. As the double doors to the waiting room creaked open, a familiar figure stood bathed in the dim light filtering through the stained glass. It was him-Paul Biansky, a ghost from the North, a past I though