Chapter 96

Victor's POV

Sitting in that damned hall, my jaw was clenched so tightly I thought I might crack a tooth.

I could feel Elara beside me as my father’s voice kept droning on, each word pounding against my skull like a hammer.

“This alliance means everything,” he stated sweetly. “Nightbreeze and Nightshade have been too long at odds. A marriage between our families will heal old wounds.”

I didn’t look at him because if I did, I would lose what little control I had left. My hands curled into fists under the table, the bruises on my ribs throbbing with every breath. They were a reminder of what he had done, how he had pushed me into the wall, how he had threatened that if I didn’t end things with Selene, he would make sure I regretted it.

Thirty days. That was all I had asked her for. Thirty days to prove I wasn’t the same coward who had let Camilla manipulate me. But now it all felt like some sick game, and I was the biggest fool at the table.

“Victor,” my father drawled, leaning back i