VERA’S POV

“Lucien!”

He charged like a storm, fists clenched, eyes burning crimson. Caelen hadn’t even recovered from the punch before Lucien was lunging again.

I stepped between them, shoving Lucien backward with both hands, hard enough to make him stumble.

“What the hell are you doing?” I snapped, chest heaving.

He pointed past me at Caelen, his voice loud enough to draw stares. “Tell him to stop staring at my wife like she’s already his.”

The world froze.

The chatter around the conclave courtyard silenced like someone had flipped a switch.

Wife.

Gasps echoed.

I felt the weight of every eye snap toward me.

My stomach dropped, then twisted into a slow, coiled knot of fury.

I turned to the guards. “Get him out of here.”

Two of them immediately stepped forward and grabbed Lucien’s arms.

“Don’t touch me,” he barked, struggling against them, but I raised my hand, and they didn’t hesitate. They dragged him through the corridor, past the stunned conclave onlookers, and toward the outer gates.

Just then, my father stepped out from the grand entrance of the palace, frowning.

“What’s going on?” King Aldric asked, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.

I turned to him, head held high. “Nothing, Father. He was just leaving.”

He looked past me at Lucien being escorted, his ancient eyes narrowing. “The Lord of Shadowmere?”

“Yes.”

“I see.” His expression darkened. “Perhaps it’s time we discussed territorial boundaries.”

I turned to the guard. “Make sure he doesn’t come back without royal permission.”

The guards nodded.

The crowd slowly dispersed, whispers buzzing like wasps.

I glanced at Caelen.

He hadn’t moved from where he was standing, and he was still watching me with those dark, unreadable eyes.

His voice came low. “You were his wife?”

I took a breath and looked him in the eye.

“Not anymore.”

I led him away from the courtyard, needing air, needing quiet. The crowd’s energy clung to me like smoke, heavy and suffocating.

We stopped near the far edge of the training grounds, where moonlight spilled across the empty field.

Caelen didn’t speak at first. He just stood beside me, hands tucked behind his back, his jaw tight.

Then—

“What did you mean? Not anymore?”

I looked down at my hands. They were shaking slightly, though I wished they weren’t.

“I meant what I said,” I replied. “I’m no longer his bride. I broke the blood bond.”

Caelen turned to face me fully. “Why?”

My laugh was bitter, quiet. “You don’t want that story.”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”

I looked at him. The steadiness in his expression made it hard to hide behind silence.

So I told him.

I told him about Shadowmere.

About how Lucien’s mother and sister had treated me like dirt the moment I stepped foot onto coven territory. How they mocked me for being a weak human. For being bond-chosen by a connection they never respected. How Lucien did nothing. Said nothing. Not once.

“They called me a pretender,” I said, voice low. “Said I wasn’t worthy of their bloodline. That I was too human, too weak, too… ordinary.”

Caelen’s fists clenched at his sides.

“And Lucien?”

“He stood there. Silent. Like I was invisible.”

I told him about the lonely nights, the cold silences, the public humiliation when Lucien announced he was taking another mate without even bothering to end our bond properly.

“He took Celene as his second mate,” I said, voice growing steadier with anger. “And I was expected to smile. To stand beside him like my heart wasn’t being crushed.”

“Second mate?” Caelen’s voice was sharp. “That’s not… that’s not how blood bonds work.”

“No, normally it’s not like this. But when he wants to, the Lord of Shadowmere makes his own rules.”

His jaw worked. “What did you do?”

“I left. I broke the bond. It nearly killed me, but I did it.”

He didn’t speak for a long time.

Then, finally—”Do you still love him?”

The question sliced through me.

My lips parted.

Nothing came out.

I turned away.

“I don’t want to talk about that.”

“But it matters,” he said, stepping closer. “You might not think it does, but it does. For you. For me.”

“For you?” I asked, spinning back toward him, confused and defensive. “Why do you care about what I feel for Lucien?”

He hesitated.

Then his eyes met mine, sharp, direct, and unblinking.

“Because if you’re not still in love with him…”

He stepped closer, and my pulse jumped.

“I want you to know that I’m interested in you, Vera.”

I froze.

Everything in me stilled.

My jaw dropped.

I stared at him, utterly stunned.

“You—what?”

His voice was calm, sure. “You heard me.”