“No,” Kieran confirms.
“On top of that,” Lucian continues, his voice hardening, “the attack from yesterday rattled many shifters. We have our people investigating, but they found no trace of the shooters. It’s like they vanished into thin air.”
My stomach churns. “Now what?”
Lucian’s gaze moves to me, and there’s an almost pitying expression on his face. “We keep looking. I’m already searching for the man with the scar on his wrist, but we can’t find anybody with the kind of mark Kieran described.” He sighs heavily. “It’s like hunting a ghost.”
The hopelessness threatens to crush me. We are no closer to answers than we were before.
“There’s also the matter of Lady Celeste,” Lucian adds, and my blood starts to boil. “She has doubled down on her claim. There will now be a hearing, with the Umbra Council deciding how to proceed with the matter.”
“Daciana is my mate.” Kieran’s voice is deadly calm, which somehow makes it more terrifying. “Nobody can touch her.”
“It is exactly because she’s now your mate,” Lucian says carefully, “and thus your weakness, that they will go after her.”
The air in the room shifts. I can feel Kieran’s anger rolling off him in waves, hot and suffocating. His whole body has gone rigid beside me, and I know he’s seconds away from losing control.
I reach down and wrap my hand around his wrist, my fingers pressing against his pulse point. “Kieran,” I murmur, low enough that only he can hear.
The tension doesn’t leave him, but he doesn’t explode, either. Small victories.
“What about the witnesses?” I ask, looking at Lucian. “The ones who’ve sworn I was with Kieran the whole night?”
Leon, who has been standing silently in the corner like a statue, finally moves. He shakes his head, and the gesture isheavy with defeat. “The Umbra Council does not consider them credible.”
I catch the way his eyes flick to where Kieran’s hand rests on my thigh, and his lips tighten before he looks away, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Of course they don’t,” I mutter, bitterness coating every word.
This is a setup. It has always been a setup. We’re playing right into someone’s hands.
Lucian leans forward, and his eyes meet mine. “I’ll look into the matter of your birth. I have access to resources nobody else does.” He nods pensively, then adds, “I’m going to summon your parents and force an answer out of them.”
My stomach lurches. The thought of facing my mother and father, of hearing them admit I’m not theirs, makes me want to vomit.
Kieran’s hand wraps around mine with crushing pressure. “My mate and I are leaving now,” he announces, his tone brooking no argument. “We will be in my chambers for the rest of the afternoon and evening and do not wish to be disturbed.”
I glance at Leon and catch the muscle ticking in his jaw. His fingers dig into his biceps, and for a split second, there’s a raw look in his eyes before his expression shutters completely.
Then, I see Lucian’s lips twitch, and amusement crosses his face. “Sure. Don’t let me interrupt a mated couple.”
Heat floods my cheeks. I can feel my face turning bright red as Kieran stands, pulling me up with him.
“Thank you for your help,” I manage to say to Lucian, my voice strangled.
As we move toward the exit, I catch Leon turning away, his shoulder muscles tense. He stares out the window with studied indifference, but I can see the rigid set of his spine.
We’re barely out the door before I round on Kieran. “Why would you say that?” I hiss, still blushing furiously.
He doesn’t answer. Just keeps walking, his hand locked around mine, practically dragging me down the hallway toward both our quarters.
“Kieran—”
“I have every right to want to spend time with my mate,” he says simply.
But the possessiveness in his tone makes my stomach flip. I should be annoyed. I should be embarrassed. Instead, heat pools low in my belly, and I hate how my body responds to him.
We reach his chambers, and the moment we’re inside, everything changes.
