I was no longer the broken, timid woman who had once accepted rejection with a quiet, shattered heart. I wasn’t going to allow anyone—least of all Magnus—to play me like some pawn on a chessboard. I had been made a fool for far too long.
I paced in the lavish hallway of Elias’s fortress, the walls decorated with the spoils of battle and alliances, but none of the decorations could cover the gnawing truth in my chest. Elias had warned me not to confront Magnus, but the time had come. I couldn’t keep hiding from the reality of his betrayal. I needed answers. Now.
“Lena, you don’t have to do this,” Elias’s voice was low, but there was no mistaking the concern in it. He stepped in front of me, blocking my path, his brows drawn tightly together.
“I don’t have a choice, Elias,” I said, my voi
