SERAPHINA
I can't breathe.
I've been pacing my father's study for the past hour, ever since I left Kieran standing in that garden. I pulled them away from the ballroom to discuss the situation. They’re devastated to learn that our careful protection of Az has failed.
Mother stands abruptly, moving to the window. "There has to be something we can do. Some way to fight this."
"Fight a king's legal claim to his own son?" Father shakes his head. "What grounds would we use?"
"That he rejected Seraphina," Mother's voice rises. "That he threw her in a dungeon, marked her, and then severed the bond. That he has no right to claim anything from her after what he did."
"The Council won't care about that." Father moves to his desk, pulling out legal texts. "Mate bonds and custody are separate is
