But the constant sharp, piercing pain inside my chest is proof of her lies. And my mate didn’t even reject me. Not yet, at least.
I press my palm against my chest, trying to breathe through the agony of being near him but suffering his hate. The pressure inside me keeps building up and one day I'm sure it will explode.
I have to stay here for the next year. A whole year. It's a long time to stay when he hates me this much already. But I promised the Luna Queen I’d help her with her old magic research. Until she knows all she needs to. I owe it to her — she could have easily asked the King to kill me. Instead, she protected me and gave me a place here. And I desperately need my own answers about the sigil that Galla put on me, too. I have a chance to find the truth in the Royal Archives. To finally know what she did to me.
Dammit. Why did I have to have a mate? Only a third of witches, at most, have one. After everything I went through — after everything Galla put me through — the gods could have at least granted me this one small mercy of not suffering like this. Not having to feel this pain.
I splash some water over my face, trying to keep myself together. It was sweet what the King did for the Queen tonight. Exactly the type of thing I will never have. But having to be so close to my mate all night, it broke another piece of me. Every time he turned those green, hateful eyes my way, it felt like he was driving his sword straight through my heart.
I pat my face with a soft towel and leave the restroom. I’ve been in here long enough. I need to get myself together.
But I don’t make it two steps when strong arms pin me to the wall. And those green eyes that have been following me all night are now locked on me. Closer. Hotter. Still hateful. Still angry. Still breaking me in half.
“What the fuck are you still doing here,” he hisses, voice furious.
I try to wiggle out of his hold, but he won’t budge. “It has nothing to do with you. Please let me go,” I whisper.
“It has everything to do with me,” he snarls. “Do you think that if you hang around here, throwing yourself in my space like some slut, I might accept you? It will never happen. You might have fooled Kass and Draven, but you can’t fool me.”
My throat closes up. My body is shivering now, the pain inside me flaring to impossible heights. “What are you talking about?” I ask him, my voice soft and quiet.
“I’m talking about the fact that you’re just as rotten as your mother and sister. The only reason you helped us was because you saw the end coming and wanted to save your ass,” he growls.
The hatred in his voice makes me shiver harder. I feel a tear rolling down my cheek.
He steps back suddenly, like I burned him.
“Stop the act,” he says, voice cold. “I can smell the deceit and death hanging off you. Your tears are just as fake as the rest of you.” He leans forward, voice getting even colder. “Leave the palace or you’ll end up dead.”
With those parting words, he turns around and leaves me alone in the dark hallway, drowning in misery and pain.
Epilogue 2
Kassira
“I’m going to kick his royal ass,” I mutter under my breath, storming down the corridor — the one that finally got patched up after Sin’s dragon blew a hole clean through it over three months ago. Mental note — kick the Beta’s ass, too. He needs to stop brooding and claim his damn mate already.
But first — my mate.
I shove open the Council War Room doors without knocking. Nine pairs of eyes snap to me in stunned silence.
“Draven,” I growl.
His eyes flash with amusement. He probably thinks I sound like an angry kitten. Cute. Let’s see how cute I am when I claw his pretty face off.
“Out,” he commands, voice clipped. The Council scatters in less than two seconds. Impressive.
Sin saunters past me, casual confidence in every step.
“Don’t maim him too bad,” he drawls with a smirk. “We still need to finish the meeting.”
“You’re next, wonder boy,” I snap, shooting daggers at him.
His eyes go comically wide, and without another word, he bolts. Levi trails behind him, calm and composed.
“Luna,” Levi greets with a respectful nod.
“Gamma,” I purr, syrup-sweet. He’s a good egg. Doesn’t deserve my wrath — yet.
