Chapter 34
It’s been a few days since Aurora officially made it to the top of my enemy list with a red line underneath her name.
Kieran demanded that she apologise to me.
Aurora, of course, claimed it was his own fault for not telling me in the first place—said that her, dropping the bomb was an act of kindness.
To be fair, she did have a point.
But let’s not pretend she did it out of the kindness in her icy heart.
I continue to work with Laia regarding the changes in my wardrobe. Aurora hasn’t shown her face since—which has been great.
Until today, when all of us are attending a Council meeting.
She sits on one end of the table, looking smug and unbothered. Kieran and I sit on the other.
And all I can think about is setting fire to the obnoxious fur wrapped around her throat.
“We have found a way to sever your channelling link.” Daphne starts with the best news I’ve heard in two weeks. Kieran and I glance at each other.
“And?” my mate asks.
“Would you like the good news or bad news first?”
Kieran narrows his eyes at her.
She shifts in her seat, clearing her throat. “Good news is … it’s just a potion.”
“And?” he repeats, quieter this time.
I’d be shitting myself if he weren’t the love of my life and used that cold, quiet tone with me. The other members of the Council exchange tense glances in silence.
“It might … affect your mating bond.”
The entire room is still. Nobody dares to breathe.
Kieran doesn’t even blink. “No.”
“Oh, don’t be so childish.” Aurora scoffs, arms crossing as she leans back like she’s lost interest and can’t wait for this to end. “She said it might, and if it does affect the bond, it’s not like you both can’t be together—or are you scared that without the bond, the magic will wear off?”
“I don’t remember asking your opinion.” Kieran turns to her, his eyes like blades. “Your job is to find a solution, not comment on my relationship.”
Aurora’s face flushes a sharp shade of red, but she clamps her mouth shut.
I swear I see pain flicker in those green eyes, but it disappears quicker than a heartbeat.
“I think you should at least consider it,” Atticus says, cautiously. “You don’t have to take it right now, but … at least it’s something.”
Of course, he’s going to side with his sister.
It must be complicated, working for Kieran while watching your sister be humiliated in front of the entire council.
“The answer is no,” Kieran says without an ounce of hesitation. “It’s not an option.”
“Shouldn’t Cassandra get a vote in this?” Skylar proposes—or perhaps just woke up this morning craving death.
But Kieran doesn’t reply, just turns to me and waits quietly.
Oh, Gods.
I’m not sure whether to be grateful that he respects me enough to speak for myself, or slide under the table to hide from the pressure of everyone’s eyes on me.
But if I want a place in this Court … if I want them to respect me as Kieran’s partner, I need to learn to find my own voice.
“I don’t want anything to affect our mating bond,” I say, my voice firm, my head held high. “But … I suppose we can keep that as the very last resort, in case of emergency.” Like I get taken by the rebellion, or something.
I sure hope not, but if something happens to me, there’s no reason the entire Court should burn with me.
A proud smile paints across Kieran’s mouth as he cocks his head towards me. “What she said.”
No one else objects.
I might need to ask Kieran not to be so quick to play the my-mate-is-always-right card. I mean, I’m still new here. The last thing I need is for the entire Council to turn on me because their King blindly agrees with everything I say.
I’m not Queen—yet.
But I very well might never be, if I don’t play these political games right.
Do I care if I get a fancy title? No.
I only care about how my actions reflect Kieran.
“In that case, I would like to bring up the official marriage oath,” Felix says, steering the conversation elsewhere. “Have you thought about having a ceremony?”
And now I have to shift in my seat, trying not to choke on the very air I’m breathing.
“Mother of the stars.” Kieran runs a hand through his hair. “Would it kill you not to record every bloody thing the moment it happens?”
The Oath Recorder just shrugs. “I’m only doing my job.”
“Well, thank you for proposing to my mate before I did,” Kieran drawls, dragging his gaze to me. I can feel heat flush my face.
Oh, Gods.
It’s getting too real.
I entered the trials to bring back a dead boyfriend, quietly hoping to die in the process—and now I am bound to a Fae King for life, and we’re talking about our wedding.
“What’s the rush?” I ask quietly. “The final trial hasn’t even started yet.”
“Precisely why we should have it soon,” Felix mutters. “I figured you might want your friend Lucas to be there.”
Implication hangs in the air—the possibility that my one and only friend in this Court might not make it.
A wedding with no family, no friends.
A wedding amongst strangers.
For a moment, I can’t utter a word. I am still absolutely over the moon that this mating bond happened—me and Kieran, bound by something more than just fate. But the truth is … I’m about to begin a whole new chapter of my life with nothing to hold on to but him.
I didn’t choose this.
I only chose Kieran.
And I have accepted what choosing Kieran means, but with this channelling link, I can’t go home.
If we have the ceremony now, I won’t get to show my mum the wedding dress. My dad won’t give me away. Noah won’t get a chance to mock me for finally looking like a proper girl in a gown.
There will be no bridesmaids. No party.
Just … a wedding, and a forever.
Suddenly, I realise how difficult this will be.
I forget we’re still tethered by the bond until Kieran reaches for my hand, his finger lacing mine as every bit of my grief crashes into him, too.
“There won’t be any ceremony for now,” he says to Felix. “You already recorded the bond. That’s enough.”
I squeeze his hand back, a silent thank you.
I’m far from ready for this conversation. I need some sort of stability—and maybe a new role. Something else to anchor me. Something that gives me purpose beyond just being Kieran’s wife.
The meeting ends not long after that. Daphne is tasked to find another way to fix the mess that is our channelling link. Aurora slips out without saying a word. The others linger, casually chatting as they walk out the room.
Kieran turns to me. “I want to show you something.”
“What is it?” I ask.
He offers me a hand—same as the first day. Same as every day since.
I take it without hesitation.
And in the blink of an eye, we vanish back to the mountains—to the little village tucked at its base, lined with small shops and cafés—Asterhollow. My most favourite place to wander lately. Cold wind brushes my face as I take in the familiar cobbled street.
“Are we going shopping?”
“I promised you no more secrets,” he says, nodding his head towards one of the shops ahead. “If you’re ready, I’ll tell you more about this place.”
I tilt my head. “Why? Aren’t they just shops and restaurants?”
“They are,” he murmurs, drawing a sharp breath. “But the Fae who work here … they were once humans.”
I freeze, the autumn breeze suddenly turning ice cold in my lungs.
“You know what the trials were built for,” he says, his voice low.
“At the end of each one, the winner is given a choice: a wish, or a life here as Fae.” He pauses, and I feel blood drain from my face.
“It’s their last test. One designed to prove just how corruptible your kind can be.
” His eyes meet mine. “And almost every single one of them chose to become a Fae.”
Holy shit.
It takes me a minute to process that, but Kieran waits patiently.
When I finally speak, my voice comes out like a whisper.
“Are you telling me … that Lucas, Jordan, or Oliver will also have to pick?”
“Yes.” Kieran exhales. “I know how this must look to you … but if you give me a chance, I will show you everything.”
I swallow.
We are so different, Kieran and I.
And hatred runs deep in the foundation of this Court that I might one day rule beside him.
We’re going to fight.
There will be countless things we disagree on in the forever we now share.
It will break me to watch other humans participate in these twisted mind games the next time an eclipse paints the sky.
Yet, he loves me.
Me.
The very thing his entire Court despises.
The very reason he fell.
He gave those who turn Fae jobs, and possibly homes, when he could have just tossed them on the street and let them fend for themselves.
There is more to this, I realise. So much more.
This Fae King is so complex. So relentless. So much.
And somehow, all mine.
I am in.
I am all in.
With a steady voice, I say, “Show me.”