The pleading tone in my voice was not feigned. I was desperate, and it showed.
Melania rose from her seat and began pacing the room with measured steps. Each footfall was purposeful, deliberate. I watched her carefully, trying to gauge her thoughts, but her face remained impassive.
“How do you suppose disrupting the wagons will help you free your brother?”
Hope flickered in my chest, dangerous and bright. I did my best to stifle it, knowing I was still too far from victory.
“I’ll intercept the food deliveries and redirect them to those who need them most. The King has abandoned his people to the vengeance of the Wraith Borne, and they have been forced to flee their homes, starving and destitute.”
Melania’s shoulders stiffened, and a scowl overtook her features, letting me know exactly how she felt about the situation.
“All I require is a minor distraction. Something for Ryker to focus on. He will be preoccupied with uncovering who is behind the theft, and that’s when we’ll escape. Callum and I will slip away undetected.”
Melania gave me an incredulous look. “You really believe it’s going to be that easy?”
“No,” I admitted. “There are other… elements of my plan that I am still working to resolve.”
“What about the mate bond?” she asked. “He will use it to track you down, and then what?”
I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. “I know the bond can be masked temporarily. I am researching whether it is possible to sever it.”
Melania recoiled as though the idea of severing a mate bond was reprehensible.
“You would do that?” she breathed. “You’d go that far to rid yourself of him? It wouldn’t be only Ryker who suffered in your absence.”
I swallowed the bile creeping up my throat at the words she left unspoken. Breaking the bond would have consequences. I knew that. Only I had no way of knowing what those consequences might be.
Maybe we’d both slip away, losing our minds like those who survived the death of a mate. I had no insights to offer, but my path remained unchanged all the same.
“Our bond is not like the one you share with Malesh. If I had to choose between Ryker and my brother, I would choose Callum every time.”
Melania narrowed her eyes, studying me. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“I do,” I said without hesitation. “There are other crimes Ryker has committed to earn my ire, Melania, unforgivable things. I didn’t reach this decision lightly.”
Melania’s jaw clenched as she turned away, her hands clasped behind her back. The tension in her shoulders told me she was weighing her options carefully. When she whirled around, her eyes flashed with something unreadable.
“And if I help you, what then? Ryker will know someone betrayed him. He’ll tear this court apart looking for answers.”
“I won’t implicate you.”
“That’s not what I asked.” Melania stepped closer, her perfume enveloping me. “What fate awaits those you leave behind? Have you thought about that?”
The question sat heavily between us. I had considered it.
Carefully.
But she would not like my answer.
“I have.”
“And?” Melania folded her arms, waiting for my reply.
I sighed, defeated. “Not only are you one of the few people I can trust inside this kingdom, Melania, but you are also the only person who can help me without serious repercussions.”
Her brows furrowed. “What does that mean?”
“Malesh is Ryker’s friend,” I said, my tongue darting out to wet my lips. “One of his best friends. If he were to hurt you, it would hurt Malesh as well.”
