Luna Hana dips her head in acknowledgement. Her voice is barely more than a whisper when she speaks. “Thank you, Alpha. Luna. Your presence means a great deal.”
“We’ll hold a private dinner tonight,” Hana continues. “Only family and the Alpha Primes and their mates, to honor Parrin’s memory. The funeral will take place tomorrow, at noon.”
I nod, but my grip on Kassira tightens.
“Amira will show you to your room,” she adds.
Amira offers a small smile — too practiced to be real — and turns to lead the way.
Kass doesn’t speak, but I feel the pulse of irritation through our bond. She hates this as much as I do. But what can we say? We can’t very well argue with a grieving widow. So we follow.
Amira stops in front of a door and turns toward us, just as I feel that now-familiar ripple of warning roll up my spine.Instinctively, I tighten my grip on Kassira’s waist, pulling her flush against me.
“I’m sorry, Ven,” Amira begins, her voice too soft, too careful. “My mother hasn’t been thinking clearly since it happened. I’ll ask the staff to prepare a second room. For your mate,” she adds, smiling — though the way her teeth grind around the word ‘mate’ makes it feel more like a curse.
A deep growl coils in my throat, barely contained.
The implication laced in her words nearly pushes me past the edge — that somehow I didn’t accept my mate, that she doesn’t have a place beside me. As if the bond is still up for debate. And the way she says my name — Ven— with the intimacy of a claim she has no right to anymore, especially after I already made everything clear to her? That is unacceptable.
“Amira,” I say, voice low and laced with steel. “You’ve studied court etiquette long enough to know that I am to be addressed by my title. Especially in front of my mate.” I let the words settle, sharp and cold. “No matter what passed between us, you will show Kassira the respect she’s due. She is your Luna. She outranks you in every way. I’ll let this slide once, out of respect for your grief. But there won’t be a second time. And one room is enough for us.”
Her smile crumbles. Her lips tremble. But I feel nothing.
Beside me, Kass straightens. I can feel the satisfaction humming through her, even before she speaks.
“I don’t care what you thought you had with my mate,” Kassira says coolly. “It’s over. And if you keep testing me, I’ll personally see to your punishment. Funeral or no funeral.”
Amira’s eyes flare. “You don’t have the power to order anything,” she snaps. “You’re not even marked. You would know that — if you’d taken the time to actually study the palace rules. Only the King can give commands.”
Kass lets out a slow sigh, like she’s scolding a child. Her eyes lift to mine, glinting with amusement as she blinks sweetly. “My love,” she says, sugar-sweet, “if I wanted to order someone’s punishment… I could, couldn’t I?”
My love.
Where the hell did that come from? I like it. A lot. Too much.
I lean down, brushing a kiss to her lips. Soft. Possessive. “You can order anything you want, my beautiful mate.”
She turns back to Amira with a bright, victorious smile. “Perfect. Glad we cleared that up.” She flicks her hand in a casual, dismissive wave. “You can go now. We can open a door on our own.”
She opens it without waiting for an answer, steps inside, and I follow — without so much as a glance back.
I don’t need to see Amira’s expression. I can feel it.
But more than that… Something is off. Her father just died, and yet she’s playing games? Trying to push boundaries with Kass? It doesn’t sit right with me.
The moment we step into the dining hall, I already want to turn around and leave. The room is full — Alpha Primes withtheir Lunas, Betas, heirs, and gods know who else — all dressed to impress and ready to talk my ear off. I can feel their gazes shift in our direction as we enter. Some curious, some calculating. Most of them won’t be able to resist the chance to pitch a new alliance, a trade route, or some other half-baked plan.
Sin is already doing what he does best — working the room, slipping between clusters of conversation. As instructed, he’s listening for anything out of place.
I take a slow, deep breath to steady myself.
Beside me, Kass chuckles, her voice low and amused. “Are the kingly duties already too much for you tonight, Your Majesty?”
I glance sideways at her and grin. “I thought I was ‘your love’. No take-backs now. You made it official.”
She opens her mouth to probably bite my head off, but before she can get a word out, I spot my uncle stepping in — cutting off Alpha Gradin just before he can corner us. He does it casually, but I know him too well not to catch the deliberate shift in his path.
“Nephew,” he greets with a nod.
