Chapter 14

Selena stopped outside the iron door. Two Bloodfang guards stepped aside as Lucienne unlocked the cell. The heavy door creaked open, revealing Seraphine sitting quietly by the narrow window. She looked up and smiled faintly.

Selena stepped inside alone. “Too late for what?” Seraphine tilted her head. “For the truth.” She laughed bitterly. “Do you really think I’m the one pulling every string? I was only a piece on someone else’s board.” Selena’s heart skipped. “Who are they?” Seraphine slowly looked away. “If I tell you… they’ll kill me.”

“You’ve already destroyed my life,” Selena whispered. “At least tell me why.” Seraphine closed her eyes. “Because I hated you. Every time Mother looked at you, every time Lucienne chose you, every time Darius defended you… it felt like everything meant for me was slipping away.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “But I never wanted this to become murder.”

Selena stood silently for a long moment. “Who gave you the vial?” Seraphine hesitated. “I never saw their faces. They always wore black cloaks. They knew everything about us. They knew how to make me angry… and they promised Lucienne would become mine.” She laughed at herself. “I was foolish enough to believe them.”

Lucienne listened from outside the cell, every word tightening the knot in his chest. Darius arrived at the corridor just in time to hear Seraphine continue. “They wanted the kingdom divided. They said if I helped turn everyone against you, the rest would happen on its own.”

Selena stepped closer to the bars. “Do you know where they are?” Seraphine slowly shook her head. “No… but I know someone inside this palace still works for them.” Selena frowned. “Who?” Before Seraphine could answer, her eyes suddenly widened in terror.

An arrow shot through the narrow prison window.

“Seraphine!” Selena screamed.

Lucienne burst into the cell just as the arrow buried itself deep into Seraphine’s shoulder instead of her heart. The guards rushed to the window, but the attacker had already disappeared into the darkness. Lucienne snapped the arrow in half before noticing a small piece of parchment tied beneath its feathers.

He unfolded it.

Only one sentence was written across it.

“Traitors deserve silence.”

Seraphine’s breathing became uneven. She grabbed Selena’s wrist with surprising strength. “They’re listening…” she whispered. “Don’t trust…” Her voice broke as another fit of coughing overtook her. Blood stained her lips before she could finish.

“The healer!” Lucienne shouted. “Now!”

Chaos erupted inside the tower. While the guards carried Seraphine toward the infirmary, Selena noticed something glittering beneath the prison bed. She bent down and quietly picked it up before anyone else saw.

It was a black ring engraved with the same silver wolf symbol that had appeared on the stolen cloth.

She slipped it into her sleeve, she wondered why she kept seeing evidences she couldn’t prove.

She left the tower with lucienne after making sure the healer was already treating seraphine.

That night, Lucienne refused to let Selena out of his sight. As servants finished moving her belongings into his chambers, he stood beside the window watching warriors double the palace guards. “Whoever attacked Seraphine wanted to stop her from talking,” he said quietly. “Which means she was finally telling the truth.”

Selena slowly removed the black ring from her sleeve and placed it on the table. “I found this in her cell.” Lucienne picked it up, his expression darkening immediately. Lucienne turned the black ring over in his hand, his thumb brushing the faded engraving. “My father wore a ring exactly like this the night he disappeared,” he said quietly. “I remember because he took it off before leaving and told me never to touch it.” His eyes met Selena’s. “The next morning… he was gone. We never found him.”

Selena stared at the ring, her fingers tightening around the edge of the table. “Then this isn’t just connected to Seraphine.” Lucienne slowly shook his head. “No. Whatever we’re fighting started long before either of us was born.” The thought settled heavily between them.

The room fell silent. Outside, the palace had finally grown quiet, but neither of them could forget the arrow that had almost killed Seraphine. Lucienne slipped the ring into a small wooden box and locked it away. “We’ll deal with this tomorrow.” He looked at Selena. “Tonight, you need to rest.”

She glanced at the large bed in the middle of the room before looking back at him awkwardly. “There’s only one bed.” A faint smile tugged at Lucienne’s lips. “I noticed.” Selena folded her arms. “I’ll sleep on the couch.” Lucienne immediately shook his head. “You’re not sleeping on a couch in my room.”

“And you’re expecting me to share a bed with you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. Lucienne stepped closer, amusement flickering in his eyes. “We’re mates, Selena.” She looked away, trying to hide the blush creeping onto her face. “That doesn’t make this any less embarrassing.”

He chuckled softly. “Fine.” Without another word, he picked up a blanket and started spreading it across the couch. Selena watched him in surprise. “What are you doing?” “Sleeping here.” He shrugged. “You need a proper bed more than I do.”

Selena walked over and gently pulled the blanket from his hands. “You’ll wake up with a sore back.” Lucienne smiled. “I’ll survive.” She held his gaze for a long moment before quietly saying, “The bed is big enough… if you don’t mind sharing.” For the first time that night, Lucienne looked caught off guard.

Neither of them spoke as they climbed into opposite sides of the bed. A careful distance remained between them, almost as though both were afraid to cross it. The only sound was the rain beginning to fall outside the windows.

After several minutes, Selena whispered into the darkness, “Are you still awake?” Lucienne smiled without opening his eyes. “I was wondering when you’d ask.” She let out a small laugh. “Everything changed so quickly.” Her voice softened. “A few days ago you barely trusted me. Now we’re sleeping in the same room.”

Lucienne turned onto his side to face her. “I can’t change what I did.” His voice was low. “But I’ll spend every day proving I deserve another chance.” Selena looked into his eyes, searching for the doubt that had hurt her so many times before. She found only sincerity.

Slowly, she reached for his hand beneath the blanket. “Don’t break that promise.” Their fingers intertwined naturally, as though they had always belonged together. The mate bond pulsed warmly between them, quiet and comforting.

Lucienne lifted his free hand and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “You look beautiful when you stop carrying the weight of the world.” Selena smiled shyly. “You’re terrible at compliments.” “I know.” He smiled back. “I’m still learning.”

She moved a little closer without realizing it. Their foreheads almost touched. Neither of them looked away. “Lucienne…” she whispered. “Hmm?” “Kiss me… because you want to. Not because the bond tells you to.”

He didn’t answer with words.

His hand gently cupped her cheek as he closed the distance between them. His lips met hers in a slow, lingering kiss, filled with tenderness instead of urgency. Selena’s eyes fluttered shut as she kissed him back, every wall around her heart slowly beginning to crumble. The kiss lasted for some minutes, when they finally pulled apart, they rested their foreheads together, smiling without saying a word.