Shocked, all three of them stare at me now.
“What?” Seth’s voice cracks on the word.
I stand slowly, my legs steadier now even though my hands are still trembling. “I’ll do it. I want to know what his plan was. What he wanted from me.” I look directly at Lucian.
“Selene, no—” Seth starts, but I shake my head.
“He manipulated me,” I say, my voice growing stronger with each word, “and he’s part of the Umbra Council. I don’t know if he decided to use me because of my ties to Astra or for some other reason, but I need to know. Astra is not only my friend but also myqueen. If Zane is trying to go after her, I want to protect her.” My hands are in fists at my sides as I raise my chin. “And if that means pretending for a little while that nothing has changed, then that’s what I’ll do.”
“This is insane,” Seth growls. “You have no idea what you’re agreeing to—”
“You can’t stop me, Seth,” I say tightly. “This is my decision alone.” I meet his furious gaze without flinching. “You’re the one who kept harping about how weak I am. Shouldn’t you be pleased I’m doing something useful?”
He winces, and I feel the hurt resonate within him. I refuse to feel guilty.
“I didn’t mean it like that, Selene,” he says huskily, pleadingly. “I’m sorry for what I said before. Don’t do this. You don’t know Zane. He’s dangerous and—”
“It’s my life and my decision.”
“Lucian, stop her!” Astra says desperately.
“It’s her choice. She can say no.”
Seth looks at him, and I feel the anger in his heart. “You would willingly put my mate in danger, Lucian? Is that what our years of friendship have amounted to?”
Lucian’s jaw hardens. “I’m not offering her up as a sacrifice, Seth. She will be protected.”
“Enough! This is my choice!” I snap.
The room falls silent for a moment, heavy with tension. The mate bond thrums with Seth’s fear and fury.
“She’s right,” Astra says quietly, sounding defeated as her hand finds my shoulder. “This should be her choice.”
Lucian nods slowly. “With full protections. Guards watching at all times. The moment anything seems off, we pull her out.”
“And I’m one of those guards,” Seth says, as if stating an incontrovertible fact. “She doesn’t go anywhere without me nearby.”
I want to protest, to tell him I don’t need him hovering over me. But the look in his eyes—raw fear mixed with determination—stops the words in my throat.
“She’s mine now,” Seth adds, his tone razor-sharp with possession. “Whatever Zane was planning, he’s too late.”
“Fine,” I agree. “But we have to be smart. Careful. And the second we have our answers, it ends.”
“Agreed,” Lucian says, that one word carrying the weight of a royal vow.
I nod, but I’m scared. Because Zane manipulated me once, made me believe his lies, and almost succeeded in whatever twisted plan he had. And now, I’m going to pretend nothing has changed. I just hope I’m strong enough to see it through.
At least this time, it’s my choice.
Chapter Nine
Seth
The heavy,oak doors of Lucian’s office close behind us with a decisive thud, and I move before I can think better of it. My hand closes around Selene’s wrist, spinning her to face me as I back her against the corridor wall.
“Why are you really doing this?” The question comes out harsher than I intend, desperation bleeding through my anger. “If you want to punish me for the things I’ve said, there are better ways. Ways that don’t put you in danger.”
Her blue eyes flash. “This isn’t about you, Seth.”
