Chapter 18 The Dead Bond

Valerius looked at me like I was a ghost he finally caught.

The gold doors clicked shut behind me. The room was huge. It smelled like cedar wood and the heavy scent of a man who had not slept in years.

A big fire burned in the grate. It made the shadows on the walls dance. Valerius stood by the window, his crown sitting on a table like it was too heavy to wear.

"Elena," he whispered.

He took a step toward me. His hands were shaking. He looked thin. His eyes were bloodshot and red at the edges.

"The Queen of Shadows is here, Valerius. Do not use that name," I said.

I stayed by the door. I did not want to be near him. I did not want to feel his heat. But the room was full of his smell—smoke and old wood. It made my skin itch.

"I cannot believe it is you," he said. He took another step. "I felt it the moment your carriage hit the gate. The bond. It is screaming, Elena. It is alive."

"The bond is a ghost. It is a dead thing you are holding onto," I said.

"No." He shook his head fast. "I feel it pulsing. It is warm. It is right here in my chest. It never stopped. Even when I thought you were gone, it was there."

He reached out his hand. He wanted to touch me. I could see the desperate look in his eyes.

"We can fix this," he said. His voice was low and fast. "I will tell the Council the truth. I will kick Seraphina out. You can be my Luna. We can save the land together."

I felt a sudden pull in my chest. It was a warm, heavy weight. The bond was humming. It was trying to bridge the gap between us.

It wanted me to move. It wanted me to go to him and let him hold me. My wolf gave a tiny, hungry whimper deep in my mind.

I clamped down on the feeling. I turned my heart into a block of ice. I thought about the cold mud in the Dead Lands. I thought about the hot iron.

"You think I want to be your Luna?" I asked.

"I know I hurt you," he said. He fell to his knees on the silk rug. He looked so small. "I was a fool. I thought I was protecting the pack. I thought I was doing the right thing."

"You branded me like an animal, Valerius. You stood there and watched my skin burn while you held her hand."

"I thought it would keep you safe!" he yelled. He grabbed his own hair. "I thought if I marked you and sent you away, the Council would not kill you. I thought I was giving you a chance!"

I walked toward him. I did not stop until I was standing right over him. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes.

"You want to talk about chances?" I asked.

I reached for the buckles of my leather armor. My fingers did not shake. I unhooked the side straps. I pulled the heavy leather up just enough.

Valerius stopped breathing. His eyes went wide.

On my stomach, three white, jagged scars cut across my skin. They were thick and ugly. They looked like lightning strikes frozen in my flesh.

"The Shadow Claws," I said. My voice was a cold whisper. "Your elite guards. Your killers."

Valerius reached out a trembling finger, but he did not touch me. He looked like he was going to be sick. "No. No, I told them to just follow you. I told them to watch you."

"They did not just watch," I said. I buckled my armor back into place. "They cornered me on the cliff. They told me you wanted my head. They told me you wanted the Omega mistake gone forever."

He put his forehead against the floor. He let out a long, broken sob. "I did not order that. I swear on the moon, Elena. I did not order that."

"It does not matter," I said. "They were your men. They used your silver. While you were eating dinner, I was jumping into a pit of monsters to escape your killers."

I looked down at the top of his head. I did not feel anything. No pity. No love. Just a deep, tired anger.

"The bond you feel is just the leftovers of a girl you killed," I told him. "She is not here. She is buried under that cliff."

"Elena, please," he moaned into the rug. "We are fated. One soul. I can make it up to you. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

"You do not have enough years left for that," I said.

I turned away from him and walked toward the doors. I needed to get out of the room. The smell of him was starting to make my head spin.

"Who is he?" Valerius asked.

He stood up. The sadness in his voice was gone. It was replaced by a sharp, jealous edge. He was an Alpha again.

"The Rogue Commander," Valerius said. "Silas. I saw the way he looks at you. I saw him stand between us at the training grounds."

I stopped with my hand on the gold handle. I looked back at him over my shoulder.

"Silas stayed when you sent me away," I said. "Silas fought for me when you branded me. Silas is the father my son needs."

Valerius flinched like I had hit him with a rock. "Is he your lover?"

"He is my King," I said.

I let that sink in. I watched the realization hit his face. He was not the only Alpha in the world anymore.

"The bond is dead, Valerius," I told him. "And tomorrow, I am taking your crown. If you try to stop me, my army will burn this palace to the ground."

I pushed the doors open. The hall was cool and quiet. It felt much better than that room.

I walked fast. I wanted to get back to the guest wing. I wanted to see Leo and tell him we were going home soon.

I turned the corner toward the royal library. I saw a shadow move against the wall.

It was a small shadow. It was running fast.

"Leo?" I whispered.

My heart jumped into my throat. Leo was supposed to be with Silas.

I ran toward the library. The heavy oak doors were standing open just an inch.

I pushed them open and stepped inside. The room was dark. The moon came through the high windows and hit the floor.

In the center of the room, Seraphina stood by a large desk. She looked like a crazy woman. Her red dress was torn.

She had her arm wrapped around Leo’s neck. In her other hand, she held a silver dagger.

The blade was pressed right against my son's throat.