VERA’S POV

“Release her,” Lucien demanded, his voice carrying the authority of someone used to being obeyed. His eyes, those familiar dark eyes I’d spent years trying to forget, locked on the guards holding my wrists. “Now.”

The pressure on my arms vanished immediately. I stepped back, rubbing circulation back into my hands, aware of how every person in the room was watching us.

“You have no authority here,” Alrik snapped, stepping forward with his hand on the hilt of his silver dagger. “This is Conclave territory.”

Lucien’s lips curved into a dangerous smile. “And yet, here I am.”

My father raised his hand, silencing the growing murmurs. “You claim to know who’s responsible for this attack, Lucien? Speak, then.”

I watched Lucien carefully. “I’ve been tracking suspicious activity along the western territories for weeks,” Lucien said, stepping further into the room. He pulled a crumpled map from inside his jacket, unfolding it on the table beside Caelen’s bed. “Three nights ago, I intercepted a conversation about an assassination planned during the Conclave Hunt.”

“And you didn’t think to warn anyone?” I demanded, unable to keep the accusation from my voice.

His eyes met mine, something flickering in their depths that I couldn’t read. “I tried. My messenger never reached you. Found him drained dry a mile from your gates.”

A chill ran down my spine. Father leaned forward, examining the map where Lucien had marked several locations with red ink.

“These camps,” Father said, pointing to the markings. “You’re certain?”

“I’ve seen them myself,” Lucien replied. “Mercenaries, mostly. Some rogue vampires. All heavily armed and organized.”

“Convenient,” Alrik interjected, his voice dripping with skepticism. “You appear out of nowhere, just in time to witness a plot against the Blood Princess?”

Lucien’s face hardened. “I never left these lands, Alrik. Just because you didn’t see me doesn’t mean I wasn’t watching.”

The implication hung heavy in the air. I felt heat rise to my cheeks, whether from anger or something else, I couldn’t say.

“If what you say is true,” my father said slowly, “why target Vera now? Why during the Conclave Hunt?”

“Because there’s nothing like a dead heir to destabilize a kingdom,” Lucien answered grimly. He pulled something else from his jacket—a silver medallion on a chain, its surface etched with a symbol I recognized immediately.

My breath caught. “The Shadow Covenant.”

“A faction that doesn’t want to see the Blood Princess take the throne,” Lucien confirmed, placing the medallion on the table. “They’ve been growing in power for months. This attack wasn’t random, it was calculated and designed to look like an outsider job but it’s not.”

Alrik scoffed loudly. “This proves nothing. For all we know, you planted this evidence yourself.”

“Enough!” Father’s voice cut through the argument. “Lucien, you have evidence that clears my daughter?”

“More than that.” Lucien pulled out a small leather pouch and emptied its contents onto the table, a broken crossbow bolt identical to the one removed from Caelen’s shoulder, and a scrap of parchment stained with blood. “The bolt I pulled from one of the assassins who didn’t make it. And instructions, naming their target.”

Father picked up the parchment, his expression darkening as he read. “The Blood Princess is to be eliminated during the Hunt. No witnesses.”

My hands curled into fists at my sides. “So I wasn’t imagining things. Someone really is trying to kill me, not Cealan.”

Alrik insisted, his face flushed with anger. “Lucien could be the one who planned this whole thing. Showing up conveniently with ‘evidence’ and coven forces at our gates? This reeks of a coup.”

I stepped between them before Lucien could respond. “Lucien wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Really?” Alrik’s eyebrows shot up, his lips twisting into a cruel smile. “Is that because he’s your ex-mate? Your judgment becomes remarkably clouded when it comes to him, doesn’t it, Princess?”

The word “ex-mate” hit like a physical blow.

“My past with Lucien has nothing to do with this,” I said, fighting to keep my voice steady.

“Doesn’t it?” Alrik pressed. “You’d take his word over the testimony of Conclave guards? Over vampires who have sworn loyalty to your father?”

“I’d take truth over lies,” I countered, “no matter whose mouth it comes from.”

“Truth?” Alrik laughed, the sound sharp and mocking. “You wouldn’t know truth if it drained you dry. You’re so desperate to believe he’s here to save you—”

“I’m here because someone needs to be,” Lucien cut in, his voice dangerously quiet. “While you’ve been positioning yourself as the king’s right hand, Alrik, traitors have been gathering at our borders.”

The tension between them crackled like lightning before a storm. Father moved between them, his expression grave.

“If what Lucien says is true, we need to move quickly. The Conclave is compromised.”

“It’s worse than you think,” Lucien said, his eyes drifting to Caelen’s unconscious form on the bed. “The attack had some sort of connection with Caelen.”

The room went silent. I felt as if the floor had dropped out from under me.

“What are you talking about?” I demanded, stepping closer to Caelen protectively.

Lucien’s expression softened slightly as he looked at me. “I heard his name among the vampires I was tracking. They spoke of him specifically, that he needed to be close to you during the Hunt.”

“You’re lying,” I whispered, but even as the words left my mouth, doubt crept in. Caelen had insisted on staying by my side during the Hunt. Had positioned himself perfectly to take that bolt…

“I heard them say it myself,” Lucien continued, his voice gentle but relentless. “They called him by name. Said the plan couldn’t move forward without him.”

I gasped, the implications hitting me like a physical blow. The room spun around me as I stared at Cealan’s unconscious form, trying to reconcile the man who had made me laugh just hours ago with the traitor Lucien was describing.

“That’s impossible,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “He saved me. He took that bolt for me.”

“Did he?” Lucien asked quietly. “Or did he take it to maintain his cover? To ensure you’d never suspect him?”

“No,” I shook my head violently. “No, I don’t believe you.”

“Vera—”

“I said no!” My power flared, golden light erupting from my skin. The windows rattled in their frames, and every vampire in the room took a step back. “Caelen would never betray me. Never.”

“Then explain this.” Lucien pulled out another piece of parchment, this one bearing a familiar seal. “A message from the Shadow Covenant, found in his quarters. Instructions for tonight’s attack.”

Father took the parchment, his face growing darker with each line he read. “This… this bears his seal. His signature.”

“It’s a forgery,” I said desperately. “It has to be.”

“Vera,” Father said gently, “the blood magic used to authenticate this document… it’s his. I can sense it.”

The world tilted around me. I reached out blindly, my hand finding the edge of Caelen’s bed for support.

“He confessed his feelings for me,” I whispered. “He asked me on a date. He took a bolt for me.”

“Perfect cover,” Alrik said, his voice almost sympathetic. “What better way to gain your trust than to appear to sacrifice himself for you?”

“You’re all wrong,” I said, but my voice lacked conviction. “When he wakes up, he’ll explain everything. There’s a logical explanation for all of this.”

“If he wakes up,” Lucien said quietly. “Silver poisoning… it’s often fatal for vampires with his particular bloodline.”

I looked down at Caelen’s pale face, so peaceful in unconsciousness. Could the man who had held me while I cried about my past really have been planning to kill me?

“I need air,” I said suddenly, pushing away from the bed. “I need to get out of here.”

“Vera, wait—” Father called after me, but I was already moving toward the door.

“Let her go,” I heard Lucien say. “She needs time to process this.”

I burst through the clinic doors and into the cool night air, my mind reeling. Everything I thought I knew, everything I thought I felt, was crumbling around me.

And the worst part?

I wasn’t sure who I could trust anymore.