“I was trying to protect you,” I say. “I didn’t want to—”
“I’m her guard, Kieran.” She crosses her arms, her expression troubled. “I’m supposed to know these things. You left me in the dark.”
The words hit their mark. She’s right. Completely right.
“I am sorry, Daciana.” I stand, moving toward her. “I should have told you. All of it. From the beginning.”
She searches my face, and I feel her working through the hurt, the confusion, the need to understand.
“No more secrets,” she says finally. Not demanding. Just stating what needs to be true.
“No more secrets,” I promise. “I swear it.”
She seems satisfied with that, but I can sense her anxiety, her concern for Astra. She has every right to be worried. We’re running out of time.
I’m walkingbeside my mate when Leon’s voice cuts through the hallway.
“Daciana.”
She stops and turns toward him. I feel her exhaustion through the bond. The meeting with Lucian was two days ago, and the weight of Celeste’s accusation is pressing down hard on her.
Leon approaches, his expression carefully neutral. But I catch the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw works like he’s chewing on words he doesn’t want to say.
“Leon,” Daciana says cautiously. “What is it?”
He glances at me, then back to her. “Can we talk? Privately?”
Possessiveness flares hot in my chest. “Anything you need to say to her, you can say in front of me.”
Leon’s eyes narrow slightly. “This is pack business.”
“She’s my mate.” The words come out harsher than I intend. “There is nothing private between you two anymore.”
Daciana’s hand touches my arm, gentle but firm. Through the bond, I feel her amusement mixed with exasperation. “Kieran.”
Leon’s face remains impassive, but I catch a flash of pain before he masks it. Good. He needs to understand how things are now.
“Whatever you need to say, say it here,” Daciana tells him, her voice steady.
Leon swallows. For a moment, he just looks at her—really looks at her. As if he’s memorizing something he knows he has already lost.
Then, he straightens and slips back into formality. “Lucian spoke with Celeste and her mother this afternoon.”
Daciana goes still beside me. “And?”
“He demanded irrefutable proof that you attacked Celeste.” Leon’s jaw tightens. “He also made it clear he knows about Celeste’s behavior toward you. Including the wolfsbane attack.”
Relief washes through Daciana, warm and quick. But Leon’s expression stays grim.
“It doesn’t look good, though,” he continues. “Celeste’s father is furious. He’s threatening to bring this before the entire Umbra Council.”
I step closer to Daciana. “Let him try. They have no proof.”
“It’s not about proof.” Leon’s voice is tight. “It’s about influence. And Celeste’s father has plenty of it. Half the Council owes him favors. If he pushes hard enough, they’ll demand a formal inquiry just to appease him.”
Through the bond, I feel Daciana’s worry spike. Not for herself, but for Astra. For what this political mess might signify.
“What does this mean for me?” Daciana asks quietly.
