Page 21

Five sets of eyes turn to me. The focus of so many Alphas makes my skin prickle and itch, but I ignore it, refusing to back down.

I can’t.

I won’t.

“You aren’t telling the truth,” I say, sitting straighter even though I want to curl into the world’s smallest ball and disappear. “You—you—you can’t just say something happened without proof and accuse me of lying when you don’t like my answers. I did not lie. I did not manipulate Caelan. I didn’t manipulate anyone. I never would have led Caelan into a dangerous situation. Especially not on purpose.”

Daxen groans, shaking his head as he mutters, “Not this shit again.”

Soren levels him with a glare. “Maybe you’ve heard this before, but I haven’t. And I’d rather hear it from her than from you.”

His eyes soften when he turns back to me. He inclines his head, encouraging me to continue.

I can tell he’s wary of what’s coming, but I can handle wariness. Especially when, unlike everyone else, he actually seems willing to listen.

The realization that for once, someone’s actually going to listen strengthens me.

“My father is evil,” I tell him, seeing no reason to sugarcoat it. “He’s working with the Severed. I don’t know why or on what, but he’s been meeting with one of them for months. Caelan came to my house one night doing some kind of…” I pause, trying to remember what he called it.

“Recon,” Dax finishes for me with a sigh. “He was on a recon mission after we discovered her father’s involvement with the Severed.”

I nod. My fingers find their way to my shirt, clenching and twisting the fabric in a fruitless attempt to soothe my anxiety.

“Caelan came to my room while I was sleeping. I woke up, and when I saw him, I just… I knew we were connected. Instantly. It—It’s hard to explain. It felt like….”

I frown, trying to find a way to explain something that feels impossible to put into words.

“I spent my whole life without a home. Not four walls and a roof, but… the things that make a home. Safety. Love. Belonging. A certainty deep in your soul that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

My lips curl as I remember the way my soul had shifted, realigning itself with Caelan’s as something inside of me clicked into place.

“Then, all of a sudden, the home I spent every moment of every day wishing for… it was right there. Right in front of me. And it was mine. It was mine, and it had been waiting and wishing for me for just as long. Longer, in fact. And for the first time in my life I felt like I could actually breathe because finally… finally… I was safe.”

When I glance up, everyone’s eyes are focused on me. My cheeks heat with embarrassment, but when I gather the courage to look at Soren, his eyes are bright with unshed tears.

He swallows thickly and whispers, “Go on.”

So I do. I tell him about our conversation. About that first kiss. About how confused I was and how Caelan reassured me, promising that we’d figure this out together.

I told him about the questions he asked. About my father, the Severed, and Alexander. How I’d told him everything I knew, even offered to help however I could… not even questioning the bone-deep loyalty I already felt.

“When he left that night, he promised to come back. To take me away from my father. He told me he’d come back in three nights.”

I don’t realize I’m crying until the first tears fall, splashing when they land on my clasped hands in my lap.

“When that night finally came, something felt off. Later, I realized that there were no guards. No patrols. On top of it, I was restless. It felt like something was coming. Something bad.”

“I decided to go out on the balcony, hoping he’d arrive the way he’d left the last time. I planned to wait up for him. Convince him to leave and come back a different night. I don’t know what happened, but I think… I think I fell asleep.”

Hot shame crawls up my neck, the sticky sense of guilt eating me alive for what must be the hundredth time since that night and refuses to show any mercy.

“When I woke, I knew right away I’d missed my chance. I don’t know how it’s possible, but I knew almost immediately that he was already there. I could feel him. In my chest. Could feel his location in the house—leaving Father’s wing, headed toward mine.”

I brace myself, take a deep breath, and lift my eyes to Gavran. I make myself meet his amber gaze before moving my own to Daxen, then Vae. I need them to see me right now. I need them to hear me. To understand.

This is the first time I’ve actually told my story out loud to anyone. The first time they’ve given me the chance. So not only is my explanation for Soren, it’s for them, too.

“There is a Bond—a bright, thick thread of silver—connecting me to Caelan. The night we met, a pool of silver appeared in… in my soul. It felt alive, like endless liquid starlight that swirled, thrashed, and pulsed. Every day it grew larger… until the night he came back. That’s when it changed.”