KNOX’S POV
Queenie probably filled in some blanks. But hearing Ember say it out loud feels like reopening a wound that never properly healed.
“What do you want to know?” I ask, keeping my voice carefully neutral.
“Whatever you’re willing to tell me.”
I stare at the ceiling, jaw tight. “Celeste was my true mate. We met when I was twenty-six. I marked her within a year. I thought she was everything I’d ever need.”
“What happened?”
“She betrayed me. With my best friend.” The words come out flat, clinical. “In our bed.”
Ember makes a small, wounded sound. “I’m so sorry.”
“It was a long time ago.”
“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt.”
I don’t respond to that. I can’t.
“How did she die?” Ember asks gently.
My hands curl into fists under the covers.
The memory hits me like it al
