Kyllian got to his feet, slowly. His eyes never left Ravena’s as he stepped into the light, revealing not just the Alpha of a pack, but a man teetering on the edge of revelation. "I need you to know," he began, "that I am speaking to you right now as both a concerned mate of Luna and a scared alpha afraid for the future of his people. Luna is our future, Your Majesty. She’s not just the heir to your throne, she is our everything."
Ravena’s composure faltered for a mont. Her hands trembled slightly. "what’s going on with my baby?"
He swallowed hard, jaw tightening. "Unless you tell the truth... the bonds are going to kill her."
"The vampires have filled your head with nonsense," she hissed. "What truth?"
Kyllian didn’t back down. His expression held no judgnt, just a desperate, haunting need for answers. "Who is Luna’s father?"
It was as if all the oxygen had been sucked from the room. Ravena’s spine went stiff, her nostrils flaring as she stepped forward, every inch the offended monarch. "What are you accusing of?" she said. "I am your queen."
"And I am her mate," Kyllian shot back, just as firmly. "I am bonded to her. I feel her joy. Her pain.I’m begging as a man who loves her."
Kyllian took a shaky breath, hands clenched at his sides. "A vampire mate and a werewolf mate. Sounds odd, doesn’t it?" His smile was brittle, holding back years of confused longing. "I never could explain my feelings toward her. Even when she was just a girl. I attended every Blood Moon festival for years, hoping, praying that there would be a sign. Sothing to prove that I wasn’t sick. That I wasn’t delusional."
Ravena opened her mouth, but he held up a hand to stop her.
"I hated myself for how I felt. I would lie awake at night, asking the moon why I felt the way I did about her. And then one day, she was just... dropped in my lap." His laugh was hollow. "Arranged marriage. Hilarious, right? The Moon Goddess herself must have a cruel sense of humor."
Ravena turned away, as if facing the far wall could shield her from the truth unraveling before her.
"At first, I wasn’t thrilled," Kyllian continued. "I didn’t want to chain her to through obligation. I wanted her to choose . Freely. I wanted her to look at and want the way I wanted her." He exhaled sharply. "And then, she did. She does. Even through the confusion, she still wants ."
"Make sense fast, Kyllian." Ravena’s eyes blazed, her entire presence thunderous.
"She admits it. To . She says she feels the mate bond with Damien but she also has... strong feelings for ."
"She said that?"
"Yes," Kyllian nodded fervently. "Yes, she did. She said it out loud. She feels both bonds. Now, Your Majesty, you and I both know that’s not supposed to be possible." He stepped forward. "So I’ll ask again...who is Luna’s father?"
Ravena bristled, lips pressing together in a hard line. "You have no right...none whatsoever...to question , Kyllian. I am your queen." She paused knowing she had to say sothing anyway. "I have never, ever, been with any other man. Like you said yourself just now, it’s impossible. You know what the bond is. You know how it works. Magnus is my mate. My other half. The Moon Goddess gave him to . No one else has ever touched , ever."
Kyllian hesitated. It didn’t sound like a lie. In fact, it sounded too painful to be a lie. "Your Highness..." he said. "Please. Please. Luna is going to die. Anything you know...any detail, a secret, a suspicion...anything. Even a hunch. Just... please."
"You truly love her, don’t you?" Ravena’s eyes narrowed, scanning his face, studying him as if trying to read the history of his soul.
Kyllian t her gaze, fire for fire. "With my entire being," he said, without hesitation. "With the kind of love that makes my bones ache when she’s not near. The kind that makes want to rip out stars from the sky if they so much as look at her wrong. And I don’t care who she ends up choosing. But she cannot die, your highness."
"All of this is truly scary. I... I..." Ravena’s voice cracked as the strength in her spine wavered. For a mont, she didn’t seem like the fierce and fearso queen anymore. She seed like a mother struggling with a truth she hadn’t dared speak aloud in decades. Her eyes flitted across the room, as if the walls themselves might hold her secrets. "I have to speak to Magnus first before I can say anything."
"Your Highness..." Kyllian stepped forward, desperate to keep the mont from slipping through his fingers.
But Ravena raised a hand, a graceful but iron-clad command. "No argunts. This isn’t a story I can retell lightly. He...he needs to be the first to know. He deserves to be the first to know. After that... after I tell him, I promise, I’ll get back to you."
She reached out and placed her hand gently on Kyllian’s shoulder. It surprised him, this show of vulnerability. Her fingers trembled just slightly against the muscle of his arm. "I am so sorry that you’re going through this, Kyllian. None of this should be your burden."
Then, she turned and left the room.
*****
Damien’s eyes danced with amusent when Luna stord into his bedroom. Her nostrils flared. Her hair was wild. And yet, sohow, she looked breathtakingly beautiful in a completely unhinged way.
She didn’t even knock. Just kicked the door open. He was sprawled across his bed in all his shirtless, smug glory wearing only black drawstring shorts.
"Okay, that’s enough!" she exploded, hands flailing dramatically as she paced toward his bed. "How long are you going to avoid ? Huh? I am going crazy in this ridiculous castle!"
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