Chapter 24

Elora’s POV

The throne room emptied in the blink of an eye. I just sat there, blinking, letting the noise melt into a dull ache between my ears. Eventually, I hauled myself upright. Dominic followed suit.

“I’ll check on Mira,” he muttered, not looking at my face, already halfway out the door.

Something bitter twisted in my chest, but I ignored it. I didn’t bother saying anything. Not even a look. Heaven knows I wasn't jealous or anything. I've just had enough to continue caring.

He left in a hurry, a big dramatic sweep of his cloak and all that. Gave the room a chill. Supposed to make things easier? I was not buying it.

Dante, though. He hung back near the doorway, arms folded, kinda giving off that loyal pack member persona, but somehow…less pathetic. He didn’t say a word, but something in the quiet, that patience, untangled me a little. My Luna’s robe dragged behind me as I shuffled over.

“Let’s leave the castle,” I mumbled when our shadows finally lined up.

He shot me a look, one eyebrow high. “You? Sneaking out? Will wonders never cease?”

I shot him a crooked grin. “Not sneaking, just… escaping. Need to breathe something that isn’t castle stagnation. Maybe even remember what sunlight feels like.”

He stared for a beat, then shrugged. “Sure. Let’s find that air.”

Outside, life was actually happening. Kids racing, traders shouting over closing stalls, thick wafts of meat and cinnamon bread rolling from windows, a welcome mat. The sun tilted low, and the whole village glowed gold, almost enough to bleach out the poison oozing through the castle walls.

Almost.

Side by side, and for the first time in days, I didn’t give a damn about stares or whispers. My lungs felt looser out here. Dante matched my stride, silent, steady.

“Wine,” I blurted, eyeing a cluster of crooked signs swinging over shop doors. “Palace stash is running on fumes. If we’re dragging the council back for another marathon, we need to bribe them with good stuff.”

His lips twitched. “So, emergency wine run? Say less.”

I snorted, chin tipped up all defiant. “Better than dragging you out for scandal-mongering, isn’t it?”

His laugh, quiet, honest, snapped something brittle inside me. Like, who knew ease still existed?

We walked into a tiny winery sandwiched between a bakery and a blacksmith’s. The air was thick with barrel-wood, grape skins, and centuries-old dust. The shopkeeper almost tripped over his own feet bowing when he saw me.

“Luna Elora, the honor, the honor!”...yeah, alright, let’s keep it moving.

I gave the bare minimum of a smile. “Palace stock, we need it restocked. Heavy on the reds, some whites, anything strong enough for warriors with more scars than manners. Bring samples.”

The shopkeeper scampered off, a streak of nerves and flour dust. Silence settled in.

Dante leaned back against a barrel, arms folded, staring at me like he was trying to read my mind. “You’re different out here.”

Eyebrow up. “Different how?”

“Lighter.” His voice had weight now, a drop lower, less joking. “Walls aren’t closing in on you out here. You can breathe.”

I looked away, dragged a finger over the scarred wood. “Maybe because out here, I’m not just the wife getting ghosted in her own house. Or Luna clawing for a scrap of respect.”

He didn’t answer, long enough that I had to look up. What did I see? Almost destroyed me. Just plain truth. No armor.

“Elora,” he said, my name suddenly feeling heavy, private. “Still want you. I always have.”

Time just... stopped. No village, no noises, just Dante and that impossible confession.

I let out a shaky breath, not knowing what to think. “Dante…”

He closed the distance, not touching, but close enough for me to feel his breath against mine. “You know what this is. You feel it as much as I do. We don’t go away just because you pretend we don’t exist.”

Heat, shame, want, it all crashed together. My voice seared through the air. “So what, Dante? You want me to just break my vows? Set fire to everything for… what? Is that what you think I am?”

His jaw flexed hard. “Dominic doesn’t give a damn, Elora. You saw it yourself. He’s already wrapped up with Mira. He’s never lifting a finger for you. So why keep bleeding for someone who won’t even look back?”

Pain, sharp. Knew it already, didn’t want to hear it. But there it was. My heart battered itself raw against my ribs.

“I’m married,” I hissed, like maybe if I said it hard enough it would stick. “That’s the truth. Maybe Dominic doesn’t give a damn, but I do. I’m not gonna crawl around behind his back, even for you.”

The silence that stretched said it all. Every second stretched, his chest moving in stuttered breaths. Then, out of nowhere, his voice slipped in, quiet, almost gentle.

“Then I’ll wait.”

I just stared, brain not catching up.

He leaned back an inch, not that his eyes let go of me. “I’ll wait till you’re sure. Till you want me, all in, without guilt strangling you. ’Cause whether you admit it or not, Elora, Dominic’s already signed off. He doesn’t love you. He won’t. But I...” His jaw clenched. Swallowed the rest. “I’m not gonna walk away. Not now. Not ever.”

Some part of me shook, fear, longing, hell if I could tell. His words should’ve pissed me off. Should’ve made me leave. But instead…I wanted them, and that’s what terrified me.

Then the shopkeeper blundered back, arms overloaded with bottles. Grinning way too hard for a guy who’d just walked into emotional landmines.

“Samples, Luna.”

I pasted on a ridiculous smile and tried to breathe. “Thanks.”

My hands rattled around the glass. Real smooth.

Meanwhile, Dante just watched me. Eyes hot, unblinking, like he’d already made the bet for both of us, and I was the prize.