“There has to be another way,” I said. My voice came out raw. Broken.
“There is not. Not one that keeps her safe.” Aurion’s expression was sympathetic. “You need to reject her publicly. Send her back to the human realm. Only then will Andreas and his supporters leave her alone. Only then will she be safe.”
I turned away from him and braced my hands against the stone wall. My claws extended without my permission and scraped against the rock. Everything in me was screaming to refuse. To fight. To keep my mate by my side no matter the cost.
But the cost would be her life. And I could not bear that.
I sighed and tore at my hair with both hands. Pulled hard enough to hurt. The physical pain was easier to handle than the emotional agony ripping through my chest.
“I know Noctherion is doing fine under your rule,” I said without turning around. “Your council is filled with good men who are loyal to you. After all, it is your birthright.”
“Where are you going with this?” Aurion asked cautiously.
I turned to face him. “I am begging you to go with her. To the human realm. It is the only way I can let her go. The only way I can force myself to push her away. If I know you will be there to protect her, to watch over her, then maybe I can survive this.”
Aurion studied my face for a long moment. “You are asking me to leave my kingdom.”
“I am asking you to save my mate. Because I cannot do both. I cannot protect her and secure Ravenor at the same time. So I am choosing Ravenor because that is what keeps her safest. But I need you to choose her.”
“You love her that much.”
“More than my own life. More than this throne. More than anything.” My voice broke. “Please, brother. I have never asked you for anything. But I am asking now. Go with her. Keep her safe. And when this is over, when I have destroyed Andreas and secured the kingdom, I will come for her myself.”
Aurion nodded slowly. “I will go. I am curious about this Earth realm anyway. And I will send word to Noctherion so my councilcan manage affairs in my absence. Mother can oversee things there. She has always been good at politics.”
Relief flooded through me even as my heart continued to shatter. “Thank you.”
“When will you do it?”
“Tonight. Before I lose my nerve.” I looked back at the door to my chambers. “I need to tell her I love her one more time. Need her to understand that everything I do is for her. Only for her.”
“She will not understand at first,” Aurion warned. “She will think you are choosing the throne over her.”
“I know. But eventually she will understand. She has to.” I swallowed hard. “Because if she does not, if she hates me for this, I do not know how I will survive it.”
***
That night, when Wen woke from her nap, I was sitting on the edge of the bed watching her. She smiled when she saw me. That beautiful smile that made everything worthwhile.
“Hey,” she said softly. “You look terrible. Did you sleep at all?”
“No.” I leaned down and kissed her deeply. Poured everything I felt into that kiss. All my love. All my desperation. All my goodbye.
When I pulled back, she looked confused. “Mal? What’s wrong?”
“I love you,” I said. My voice was steady even though my heart was breaking. “I need you to remember that. No matter whathappens. No matter what you see or hear. I love you more than anything in any realm. Everything I do is for your betterment. It is about you and only you. Do you understand?”
“You’re scaring me,” she said. Her hand came up to cup my face. “What’s going on?”
“Just remember what I said. Please.” I kissed her one more time and then stood before I lost my nerve. “I have to go. There is a council meeting I need to attend.”
“Mal-”
I left before she could finish. Before I broke down and told her everything. Before I changed my mind and doomed us both.
I walked through the corridors toward the throne room. Nobles bowed as I passed but I barely registered them. My mind was focused on what I had to do. On the lies I would have to tell. On the mask I would have to wear.
The throne room was already full when I arrived. Noblemen and councilmen stood in clusters, whispering amongst themselves. They fell silent when they saw me.
