“Yes, Your Majesty.” The guard bows and leaves quickly.
Lucian turns his attention back to us, and there’s a knowing look in his gaze as he addresses me. “Given what happened overnight—the sleepwalking incident—we need to understand what this powder does and how it’s affecting you.”
I stiffen. Seth told him. Of course he did.
“This is getting too dangerous.” Seth’s voice cuts through the room sharply. His hand on my back now feels almost possessive. “I’m pulling Selene out of it. No more meetings with Zane. No more playing along with his games.”
“Seth—” I start, but he doesn’t let me finish.
“I won’t risk my mate.” His eyes blaze as he looks at Lucian. “Not for this. Not for anything.”
“I agree,” Astra says immediately, her voice firm despite the worry and confusion etched across her features. She turns toLucian. “What’s happening to Selene? Sleepwalking? And the powder? What has Zane done to her?”
“I’ll explain later,” Lucian says quietly, but his attention is focused entirely on Seth now.
A heavy silence falls over the room once more. Lucian studies Seth with an intensity that makes me uncomfortable, his expression unreadable. Finally, he speaks, his voice measured and calm.
“We wait.”
“What?” Seth is burning with fury.
“We wait,” Lucian repeats, leaning back against his desk with deceptive casualness. “First, we figure out exactly what Zane is planning and what he has already done to Selene. Then, we act.”
Seth takes a step forward, his hands clenching into fists. “You can’t be serious—”
“You’re not thinking clearly.” Lucian’s voice doesn’t rise, but the commanding tone in it stops Seth cold. “I understand. She’s your mate. Your instinct is to protect her at all costs.” His eyes soften fractionally. “But if there’s magic involved—and everything points to that—then there’s a very good chance that pulling Selene out now will cause Zane to accelerate his plans. Whatever they are.”
“Then we deal with that when it happens,” Seth snarls.
“And risk walking into something we don’t understand?” Lucian’s voice hardens. “The sleepwalking proves he has some kind of hold on her. The mating bond between you two clearly isn’t deterring whatever magic he’s using.”
I feel Seth’s fury through our bond, feel the way his wolf rages against Lucian’s reasoning even as his mind recognizes the truth behind it.
“We need information,” the King continues, his tone gentler now. “We need to understand the magic, how to counter it, and what Zane’s ultimate goal is. The warlocks can help with that. But if we tip our hand now—if Zane knows we’re onto him—we lose any advantage we have.”
“Some advantage,” Seth mutters bitterly, but the fight has gone out of his voice.
“I know it’s hard.” Lucian’s eyes move between Seth and me. “But we’re close to answers. Let the warlocks examine Selene. Let them analyze the powder. Give us a few more days to understand what we’re dealing with before we make any moves.”
Seth’s hand finds mine and grips it tight enough that it starts to hurt. I can feel the war raging inside him—the desperate need to keep me safe battling against the cold logic of Lucian’s words.
“Fine.” The word comes out of Seth sounding strangled. “But the moment—the second—I think she’s in real danger, I’m pulling her out. King or no king.”
Lucian’s lips curve into the hint of a smile. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
As we move toward the door, Seth’s hand slides to intertwine his fingers with mine properly, his thumb stroking my knuckles in a gesture that’s both soothing and possessive.
“Stay with me,” he murmurs, low enough that only I can hear. “Don’t go anywhere without me.”
“I wasn’t planning to,” I whisper back, and I mean it.
He gazes at me with protective fury, but his touch remains gentle.
“Good girl,” he breathes, and despite the fear curling in my stomach, despite Zane’s shadow hanging over everything, the praise makes warmth bloom in my chest.
Because whatever comes next, whatever magic Zane has woven around me, I’m not facing it alone.
Not anymore.
