LOGINRavena's POV
I slowly set down my tea cup, my hands suddenly unsteady. "I am listening, Your Majesty."
She took a deep breath, her fingers tracing the rim of her own cup. "You have served this kingdom with distinction. Your bravery on the battlefield is unmatched. Your loyalty is beyond question. You have proven yourself time and time again."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," I replied, confused. "But I sense there is more you wish to say."
"There is," she n
Ravena's POV With Erik finally past the worst of it, sleeping more soundly every night and speaking a little more every day, I let myself breathe for the first time in weeks. The house was quiet in the way it had not been quiet in a very long time. Liora had taken Celeste under her wing while she healed. The guards had settled back into their normal rotations. The wedding was four days away and the air around the compound had a strange tension.
Lucien's POV Alice glared at me. "I am going to become Evander's second wife one day," she said. "I still need Princess Liora's help to make that happen."I looked at her for a moment, sure I had misheard."Say that again.""You heard me," she shrugged, and there was a confiden
Lucien's POV The answer was yes. I understood completely. I had understood completely for longer than I wanted to admit, and understanding had not been enough to make me do the right thing at the right moment. That was the torment of being the kind of man I was. Clear enough to see the damage. Not strong enough, at the crucial moments, to stop causing it.I picked up the IOU from the desk one more time and looked at Astrid's signature then I went to her room.
Lucien's POV I had been staring at the same report for twenty minutes without reading a single word of it.That was where I was when the knock came. Sitting behind my desk in a study that had not felt like mine for longer than I could honestly account for, pretending to work, pretending the house around me was not in the state it was in."Come in," I said.
Ravena's POV When the gate was closing, I heard the scrape of something on the ground half a second before I realized what it was.Suddenly Celeste was in front of me.She had moved without thinking and threw herself sideways before the rock had even left Astrid's hand. And the rock hit her square across the cheekbone with a sound that turned my stomach. She let out a short, sharp sound and staggered, her hand flying to her face."Seize her," I immediately ordered, and my voice came out in a register I didn't entirely recognize. The kind of voice that doesn't need to be raised to be obeyed. "Bring her inside. Now."The guards moved before I even finished speaking.Astrid had not run. She was still standing in the road, her arm extended from the throw, her expression shifting through several things very quickly. Boldness first. Then the realization of what she had just done. Then, as the guards reached her and she felt their grip close around her arms and understood that I was not sen
Ravena's POV "You did not care enough to find out," I spat. "That is the same thing."I let that sit for a moment before I crouched down in front of her so we were at the same level, and I looked her directly in the face."And on top of everything," I whispered, "you let your jealousy consume you. For years. Constantly targeting me. Constantly pushing at me over Lucien, as though that man was the center of everythi
Ravena's POVLucien's face twisted with confusion and anger. "What do you mean? She is my mate. We are in love!"His words struck me like a physical blow.I had no feelings for him anymore. I knew that. I had moved on. I had let go.But hearing him say those words, hearing him declare his love for
Ravena's POVI didn't wait for Lucien's answer. I quickly turned away from him, my chest tight with emotions I couldn't name.Pain. Anger. Grief. They were all tangled together, a knot I could not untie.I looked at Kael instead. He was watching me with something that looked almost like understandi
Ravena's POVBefore I could answer or even process the weight of Kael's question, Lucien exploded."You are nothing but a traitor!" he snarled, taking another step forward with his fists clenched. "Who do you think you are to take Astrid?”Kael turned to look at him, and the expression on his face
Ravena's POVEvander turned to look at me, his expression calm. Too calm for someone surrounded by potential enemies."Everything is under control," he said quietly."Under control?" I repeated in shock. "We are surrounded!""I know," he said simply. Then he raised his voice, addressing the warrior







