VERA’S POV

Caelen’s eyes couldn’t meet mine. He stood framed in the doorway of my chambers, shoulders slumped, the proud royal advisor reduced to a shadow of himself.

“I’m sorry, Vera.” His voice cracked on that single word. “Please forgive me.”

I wanted to be furious with him yet all I felt was a strange, hollow calmness. Somewhere deep inside, I’d always known there was more to his appearance in my life than chance.

“Well,” I said, surprising myself with a small laugh, “you’ve had plenty of opportunities.” I gestured around the empty room. “Including right now.”

His head snapped up, eyes finally meeting mine. “That’s not funny.”

“Isn’t it, though?” I moved to the window, watching the coven running drills in the courtyard below. My coven now. “If you truly wanted me dead, I would have been gone long ago.”

Caelen crossed the room, each step measured as if approaching a wild animal. “The King dismissed me,” he said abruptly.

That got my attention. I turned from the window, studying his face.

“Dismissed you from what, exactly?” I asked. “Since we’ve established you weren’t really my advisor.”

“From court. From service. From everything.” He ran a hand through his dark hair. “I’m officially persona non grata.”

Silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken words. Outside, I could hear the rhythmic clash of steel on steel, the occasional hiss of exertion. Life continuing as if my world hadn’t just tilted on its axis.

“I never meant for any of this to happen,” Caelen finally said. “I was supposed to infiltrate, gain your trust, and eliminate the threat you posed. Simple.”

“Yet here we are.” I gestured between us. “Nothing simple about it.”

“No,” he agreed. “Nothing simple at all.”

“So what now?” I asked. “The unemployed assassin and his failed target having a heart-to-heart?”

“I’m trying to apologize, Vera.” Frustration edged his voice. “Though I’m starting to wonder why I bothered.”

“Because your conscience needed clearing?” I shot back. “Or because you need somewhere to go now that you’ve lost your royal cushion?”

His face hardened. “I deserve that.”

“You deserve worse.” The anger I’d been suppressing finally bubbled to the surface. “You lied to me. To all of us. We welcomed you, trusted you—”

“And I betrayed that trust. I know.” Caelen stepped closer. “But somewhere along the way, the lies became real. My loyalty shifted. That’s why I’m here now, telling you the truth when I could have simply disappeared.”

I searched his face for deception and found only raw honesty. It would be easier if he were still lying.

“How am I supposed to trust anything you say now?” I asked, hating the vulnerability in my voice.

“You’re not,” he answered simply. “I don’t expect trust. I just… needed you to know.”

“Know what? That you’re sorry? That you changed your mind about killing me? That’s supposed to make this better?”

“No, it’s supposed to make it honest.” His voice was steady now. “You deserve honesty, Vera. Even if it’s too late.”

Outside, the sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the training grounds. Soon the coven would return, and this strange bubble of truth would burst.

“You know,” Caelen said, a hint of his old humor returning, “now that I’m officially unemployed, I don’t suppose that First Lieutenant position is still open?”

The laugh burst from me before I could stop it. “You have some nerve.”

“One of my better qualities,” he agreed with a tentative smile.

“Along with your excellent assassination skills, clearly.”

His smile faded. “Vera—”

“It was a joke, Caelen.” I sighed. “A poor one, perhaps, but still a joke.”

We stood in silence for a moment, the weight of revelations settling around us like dust after a storm.

“What will you do now?” I finally asked.

“I don’t know. Away from court, certainly. The King isn’t known for his forgiveness. Especially not when it comes to failed assassins.”

The thought of him leaving created an unexpected ache. Despite everything, despite the betrayal and lies, he had become part of my world. A complicated, infuriating part, but one I wasn’t ready to lose.

“You could stay,” I found myself saying. “Not as First Lieutenant, obviously. But the coven could use someone with your… unique skill set.”

Hope flashed across his face, quickly suppressed. “And have every coven member watching me, waiting for the knife in the back? That’s not fair to anyone.”

“When has anything about our situation been fair?” I countered. “Besides, I’m the heir. If I say you stay, you stay.”

“Is that an order?” he asked, eyebrow raised.

“It’s an option,” I corrected. “One you’ve earned, despite everything.”

He studied me, confusion evident. “Why would you do this? After what I’ve told you?”

I considered my answer carefully. The truth was complicated, a tangle of respect, anger, and something deeper I wasn’t ready to examine.

“Because you had the courage to tell me the truth when lies would have been easier,” I finally said. “And because I believe people can change. Even royal assassins.”

He laughed at that, a genuine sound that eased some of the tension between us. “Former royal assassin, thank you very much.”

“A significant improvement.”

“I thought so.”

Before I could react, he stepped forward and pulled me into an embrace. I stiffened, surprised by the contact, then slowly relaxed into it. His arms were strong, his heartbeat steady against my ear.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “For not immediately having me executed.”

I pulled back, meeting his gaze. “The day’s still young.”

He smiled, and for a moment, I could almost forget the chasm of deception that had opened between us. Almost.

“I should go,” he said reluctantly, stepping away. “Give you time to process. And myself time to figure out what comes next.”

I nodded, suddenly wanting to say a thousand things and finding words for none of them. He moved toward the door, each step creating more distance between us.

At the threshold, he paused, turning back with an expression I couldn’t quite read.

“Vera?”

“Yes?”

“Lucien still loves you,” he murmured, his voice so low I almost missed it.

My heart clenched at the words. “Caelen—”

“I know you don’t want to hear it. But with everything that’s coming, with the coronation in three days… you should know. He never stopped loving you.”

“That doesn’t change what he did.”

“No,” he agreed. “But it might explain why he’s been so desperate to make amends.”

“And you’re telling me this because?”

“Because you deserve to know all the truth. Not just the parts that are convenient.”

And then he was gone, leaving me alone with truths I wasn’t ready to face and a future suddenly more uncertain than ever before.

Three days until coronation. Three days to find a mate or lose everything.

And now I knew that the one person who might be willing to bond with me was the same person who had shattered my heart years ago.

The irony wasn’t lost on me.