She took his virginity.
The words hit hard. My stomach lurched. From the nausea that had been plaguing me or from Vix’s claim, I couldn’t tell.
“I can’t wait to see it happen,” Vix continued, standing smoothly. “When he casts you aside. When you realize you were never meant to be here.” She straightened her dress. “Enjoy the library. It’s one of the few places you actually belong.”
She walked away, heels clicking on the stone floor.
I sat frozen, staring at the pages in front of me. The words I’d written blurred together. My hands were shaking.
Was it true? Did Caelan and Vix have that kind of history? He said he’d never encouraged her, but that wasn’t the same as saying nothing ever happened.
That wasn’t the same as saying he didn’t sleep with her.
Why didn’t he tell me?
I thought about Vix’s words all day. I couldn’t stop. They played on a loop in my head, poisoning everything. I tried to distract myself. Exploring more of the castle. Having tea with Elspeth. Reading in my chambers.
Nothing worked.
His first. She was his first.
What did that mean? That they were in love? That they had a relationship? That Caelan had been lying to me this whole time about the depth of his connection to Vix?
He said he’d never given her encouragement. He said she was delusional. But losing your virginity to someone wasn’t nothing. That was intimate, real. A memory that stayed with you forever, no matter how much time passed.
And he never told me.
I hadn’t seen him at all today. He mentioned at breakfast that he’d be working late, reviewing files that might give him a clueabout who orchestrated the attacks on his father. Important, necessary work. The kind of work a prince had to do.
At least, that’s what I’d believed this morning. But his absence felt different now. Loaded with new meaning.
Was he avoiding me? Was he with Vix?
Stop it, I told myself.You’re being ridiculous. You’re letting a jealous woman get in your head.
But the doubt wouldn’t go away. It was a splinter under my skin, working its way deeper with every passing hour. Every time I tried to push it aside, it pushed back harder.
What if she was telling the truth?
What if everything I believed about my relationship with Caelan was a lie?
By evening, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to see him, talk to him. Needed to hear him say that Vix was lying, that nothing ever happened between them, that I was the only one.
I made my way to his office.
The walk took longer than it should. The castle was a maze, and I was still learning its twists and turns. Every corridor looked identical. Stone walls, torch sconces, occasional tapestries depicting wolves and battles and moons.
My head ached. The dizziness was back, worse than before. I had to pause twice to lean against the wall and wait for the world to stop spinning. Black spots danced at the edges of my vision.
I should probably be worried about that. A normal person would definitely be worried about that.
Later. I’d deal with it later. Right now I needed answers.
I found his office eventually. A door at the end of a long corridor. Light spilling from beneath it. He was there.
My heart was pounding. My palms were sweating. This was ridiculous. He was my mate. My fiancé. The man who claimed me, who shifted to protect me, who told me he loved me more times than I could count.
Why was I so scared to talk to him?
