“Is it true?” Astra’s voice breaks this time.
“Yes.” The admission comes out quietly, after a long pause. “A couple of times.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Lucian’s voice is dangerous now, his royal authority bleeding through.
Daciana lifts her chin. “When they first came after me, I was just an ordinary warrior. After I became the Queen’s guard, they backed off.” She looks at Astra, and I feel the ache in her chest. “I didn’t want to cause trouble for you. I was trying to protect you the sole way I could. I knew the only reason they attacked me was because of my relationship with you.”
“Who was involved?” Astra’s hands are now shaking as they grip Daciana’s shoulders.
“Always Celeste and her companions.”
Leon sighs audibly. “Celeste’s family is one of the oldest in the Kingdom. She can’t be accused lightly.” He pauses, his jaw working. “And she’s one of the top candidates to be Kieran’s mate.”
Daciana frowns. “Kieran has a mate now.”
Seth grins despite the tension. “True. But Celeste doesn’t know that.”
“We’ll need more witnesses to testify in Daciana’s favor,” Lucian says grimly. “This could get ugly.”
“My entire delegation will attest to the wolfsbane attack.” I meet Lucian’s gaze. “Every single one of them.”
Lucian mutters under his breath, “Of course they will.”
I look at Astra. Really look at her. The exhaustion in her eyes, the tension in her shoulders. She looks worn down, stretched thin.
“Your Majesty.” My voice cuts through the room. “You should keep your mate by your side at all times. It would be advisable for the Queen not to venture into her herb garden where she can be vulnerable.”
Daciana’s head whips toward me, confusion flooding the bond. She doesn’t know. I never told her about the prophecy.
Astra’s expression shifts from anger to unhappiness. “I’m willing to increase guards while I’m in the garden, but my plants will die without my care.”
“Astra—” Lucian starts.
“No.” Her voice rises, sharp and final. “I won’t be imprisoned in my own home. I won’t live in fear.”
“This isn’t about fear, it’s about—”
“I said no!” She whirls toward the door, her shoulders rigid as she leaves the study. “I won’t discuss this further.”
The door slams shut behind her.
Daciana moves to follow, but Lucian holds up a hand. “I’ll deal with it.” His voice is weary, aged by worry. “The pregnancy has been hard on her, and then there’s the stress of the prophecy. She’s not dealing well with all of it.”
He follows Astra out, leaving the rest of us in tense silence.
Seth and Leon exchange glances, then make their excuses and leave. The study is now empty but for Daciana and me.
She turns to me, her eyes searching. “What was that all about? The herb garden? A prophecy?”
I take a breath. “Let’s go back to our quarters. There are some things I need to tell you.”
Back in her room,Daciana paces. Back and forth across the small space, her movements restless.
I watch her from where I sit on the edge of the bed, feeling her confusion and worry rippling through our bond.
“Why didn’t you tell me about any of this?” She stops, turning to face me. Her voice is quiet, but I hear the hurt beneath it. “About the prophecy. About the war. About Astra being in danger.”
Through the bond, I feel her emotions—not anger, but something softer. Pain. Uncertainty. She’s trying to understand why I kept this from her.
