Chapter 3

Lyra stood in the doorway in a pale dress, looking as though she had only happened to be passing by. The moment she saw Cassian, her eyes lit up.

“What a surprise. I thought you’d be busy today.”

Her gaze dropped to the rings on the table, and she lifted a hand to her mouth with a smile.

“You’re picking out vow rings? Did I walk in at a bad time?”

I frowned but said nothing.

Cassian was already on his feet, walking toward her.

“What are you doing here?”

Lyra smiled, almost shy. “I was just passing by. I didn’t expect to run into you.” Then she turned to me. “Sorry, Serena. Am I interrupting?”

She said that, but she had already come over to stand beside us.

The attendant set out another tray of rings. Lyra looked down and brightened at once.

“This one with the tide pattern is beautiful. It would be perfect for a coastside bonding ceremony.”

My fingers went still.

Cassian followed her gaze and nodded. “It is nice.”

I kept my voice even. “I don’t like it.”

Lyra froze, then quickly looked flustered.

“Sorry. I was only making a suggestion. Serena, please don’t take it the wrong way.”

Cassian frowned at me.

“She was only making a suggestion. Why are you reacting like this?”

I looked at the ring on the table and suddenly felt tired.

“It’s my vow ring.”

“I’m allowed to say I don’t like it.”

The room fell silent.

Lyra bit her lip, and her eyes reddened almost instantly.

“Forget it. I should go. I don’t want to upset either of you.”

Cassian caught her wrist at once.

“You don’t have to leave.”

Then he turned to me, irritation already creeping into his voice.

“Serena, do you have to keep doing this? Lyra meant well.”

“She helped with the ceremony design the other day too. If you don’t appreciate it, fine. But why do you have to make everything about attacking her?”

I looked at him.

“Attacking her?”

He had clearly run out of patience.

“You’ve been upset ever since I changed the location. Then it was the ceremony design. Now it’s the vow rings. What exactly do you want?”

Lyra tugged lightly at his sleeve and leaned closer.

“Cassian, don’t…”

But the more she tried to calm him, the more determined he seemed to say it all.

“Don’t stop me. I’m tired of this.”

“Serena, you’re about to become my Luna. Can’t you be a little more mature? Does every single thing have to go your way?”

“The location, the decorations, the vow rings. What’s so wrong with listening to someone else’s opinion? Why do you have to control every part of it?”

I looked at him and, for a moment, I couldn’t speak.

So that was how he saw it.

When I held on to the things that were supposed to be ours, I was selfish. When Lyra said she liked something, that was an opinion worth hearing.

The attendants all lowered their heads. No one said a word.

I felt the last of my strength drain out of me.

Too many memories came rushing back at once.

Every time Lyra said she wasn’t feeling well, Cassian went to her immediately. He left our dinners because she said she was scared to be alone. When I had a high fever and messaged him all night, all he said was, “Drink some hot water,” because he was with Lyra, watching the tide.

When I asked him to watch the moonrise over the snowfield with me, he said, “You can see that any day. Stop being dramatic.”

But when Lyra casually said she wanted the sea, he changed our bonding site for her.

I looked at the two of them and almost laughed.

All these years, all the grace and restraint I had forced myself to keep, and in the end, all it had done was make things easier for them.

I rose slowly.

“You two can keep choosing.”

Cassian looked startled.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

I didn’t answer. I turned and walked out.

Behind me, I heard him mutter under his breath, impatient and dismissive all at once.

“She’s just too emotional lately. She’ll calm down after the ceremony.”

How generous of him. Even now, he was still willing to excuse my behavior for me.

When I got home, Cassian sent me a voice message.

“Serena, stop this.”

“I’ve got enough on my plate already. The ceremony, the territory, you, Lyra. I’m dealing with all of it. Can’t you be a little more understanding?”

“We’re about to bond. I need you to stop acting like this.”

He sounded slightly drunk and kept talking. I stopped listening. If he thought I was a burden, then I would stop being one.

The day before the ceremony, Cassian finally called.

“Serena, you checked the ceremony schedule for tomorrow, right?”

I was packing for the trip to the snowfield. Even I was surprised by how calm I sounded.

“Yes. I checked everything.”

He was clearly relieved.

“Good.”

“I’ll come get you tomorrow.”

I answered lightly.

The next morning, I put on my ceremonial robe. I did not wear the crown he had later picked out for me.

Just as I heard a car outside, my phone rang.

Cassian sounded rushed.

“Serena, Lyra got hurt. I’m taking her to the healing house, so I can’t come pick you up.”

“Just go to the bonding grounds first. It’s only the ceremony. I’ll come after.”

I answered calmly.

“All right.”

He paused, as though my tone had caught him off guard.

“You’re… not angry?”

“No. Take care of what you need to.”

When the call ended, Cassian let out a breath.

In the passenger seat, Lyra’s eyes were red.

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I ruined your plan to go get Serena…”

Cassian took her hand and tried to comfort her.

“Don’t think like that. You’re hurt. Of course I’m not going to leave you alone.”

And still, something in him wouldn’t settle. Serena was too quiet, but he told himself he was overthinking it.

Maybe she had finally accepted it.

Once the bonding was over, he would make it right.

By the time he reached the coastside bonding grounds, nearly all of the Blackthorn guests had arrived.

But the grounds were in chaos.

Only half the moon lamps on the main platform were lit. The vow rings had not arrived. The blessing garlands were in the wrong places. Worst of all, not a single person from Serena’s pack was there.

Cassian’s expression changed at once.

“What happened?”

The person in charge rushed over in a panic.

“My lord, no one from the Moonvale pack showed up. Half the arrangements don’t match the list Lady Serena confirmed. We can’t reach any of her people.”

Cassian felt his stomach drop.

He called me at once.

It rang for a long time before I answered.

His voice was tight, edged with anger.

“Serena, where are you? The whole ceremony is falling apart. Why aren’t you here yet?”

And I sat in the car on the road to the snowfield, watching the snow drift past the window.

“I’ve been here all along.”