LOGINDarius’ POVI had not moved from my desk in a long time as I continued drinking.The candle beside me had burned low.. too low, its wax was pooling like a quiet accusation, while the room smelled of old parchment, smoke, and hot whiskey. My fingers tightened around the cup as I replayed the night again and again.. each moment felt like a blade and each word a wound that refused to close.The seers’ voices echoed first. “Blood seeks blood. Bond seeks bond.”Then Fael’s laughter that sounded sharp and poisonous as he said, “I poured my seed into her.”I shut my eyes tightly as my jaw tightened.Then Seraphine’s voice… shaking, furious, broken. “You are doing this because he isn’t your son.”I swallowed hard and took another drink, the whiskey burning all the way down still It did nothing to dull the noise in my head..I had literally dined with my enemy and sat across from him.I had listened, endured and still smiled.. just for her and the boy.And still, I was the villain in her eye
Seraphine’s POVI didn’t remember walking back to my chambers.The only thing I knew was that my feet carried me there while my heart lagged behind, torn open and bleeding quietly in my chest.The door closed behind me with a dull thud, and that was all it took..I broke.I pressed my back to the wood and slid down until I was seated on the cold stone floor, my hands covering my mouth as a sob tore out of me.. raw, humiliating and unstoppable.How?...How…How had I done this?How had I managed to hurt the one person who had never once treated me like an inconvenience… or a burden… or a mistake?Darius.The only man who had ever looked at me like I was actually something worth protecting rather than something to be used or endured and discarded when no longer useful.And I had made him angry.No.. worse.I had disappointed him in the most hurtful way possible.Tears streamed freely now as the memory replayed in brutal clarity my voice was sharp, reckless and soul cutting. The way I h
Seraphine’s POVThe moment the door to Darius’s chamber slammed shut, the room seemed to shrink.The air was thick, no it was stuffy and heavy with unsaid words, unresolved fury, and a tension so sharp it scraped against my skin. The torches quietly flickered along the stone walls, casting restless shadows that danced like they knew something terrible was about to happen.I turned on him immediately.“Darius!! What.. what the hell was that?” I demanded, my voice shaking despite my effort to sound composed. “What game are you playing, Darius?”Kade didn’t wait for him to answer either.“I’m also confused as to why you let Fael dine with us,” Kade said sharply, arms crossed. “You let him sit at our table, drink our wine, insult our Luna, and threaten your household.. and now you’re letting him sleep under the same roof? What are you cooking?”Darius removed his cloak very calmly as though neither of us had spoken.I stepped closer.“Say something.. Do you have any idea what you’re doin
Fael’s POVShock hit me first.It arrogantly slammed into my chest so hard that for a few seconds I completely forgot how to breathe.Then came embarrassment.. It was hot, humiliating and burning beneath my skin as every eye in the hall seemed to weigh me, judge me, strip me bare. And finally.. anger followed in a savage and unrelenting way, it roared through my veins like a bloody wildfire.I stared at Seraphine but she wouldn’t look at me.Her chin was lifted, her spine straight, and her eyes turned away as though I were nothing more than a stain she refused to acknowledge. That dismissal hurt my pride more than the swords at my throat ever could.Then I turned slowly toward Darius.He was calm. Gods, he was infuriatingly calm.. and was now leaning back in his chair as though this were nothing more than a tedious interruption to his peaceful quiet day.“Are we clear on that.. boy?” he asked lazily.My jaw tightened and the hall was silent again, the kind of silence that pressed
Darius’ POVFear they say is a fascinating thing.I watched it drain Fael’s face slowly and beautifully, as if reality itself had reached up and wrapped cold fingers around his throat. The arrogance that had carried him into my pack.. the smug tilt of his chin, the careless confidence had sweetly crumbled piece by piece. His eyes flicked from the guards to Sera, then back again, his breath coming too fast, too shallow.Good.The guards stood unmoving, swords still raised, awaiting only one word.Her word.And now only the goddess could help him, he finally understood that.Through the mind link, Kade’s voice cut in sharply.‘You’d really let her do it?’Then he paused. Then, heavier: You know killing him would mean war.I didn’t look away from Fael as I answered.If war comes, I replied calmly, we will stand by her side.There was silence on the link.Then Kade exhaled slowly. You’re serious.I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.Sera was standing tall now, shoulders s
Seraphine’s POV“Oh.. Oh wow” Fael laughed and then clapped his hands as he stared at me.The sound was sharp and mocking. It sliced through the hall and scraped against my skin like cold rusted iron.“ohh.. I see what this is now,” he said, “I see it very clearly.”My stomach tightened.He took a slow step forward, his eyes never leaving mine.“I see that sleeping with my dear uncle has finally gotten to your head,” he continued, amusement lacing every word. “You were always like this.. always hungry for petty power. You begged me, remember? You begged me to make you Luna publicly. So honestly I am not even the least shocked.”I felt Darius go still, his wine suspended in air and his mouth paused mid chew and Fael smiled wider.“I suppose you finally got what you wanted.” His gaze flicked to Darius, then back to me. “And honestly? I don’t mind how you warm his bed but defending his beta as well? Now that’s a shocker or tell me do you also warm his bed?.”The whole hall inhaled sharp







