The protectiveness in his voice surprises me. After everything—after months of rejection, after making it clear he didn’t want this bond—now he’s suddenly defending me. Standing between me and his king with the kind of fierce possessiveness I never thought I’d hear from him.
“And I trusted you,” Seth says, turning his glare on Astra. “I came to you in confidence, and you betrayed that by bringing Lucian into this.”
Astra’s expression turns defensive. She straightens but doesn’t leave Lucian’s side. “This isn’t an interrogation, Seth. And I didn’t tell Lucian anything. Leon did.”
Lucian leans back in his chair, his gaze moving between Astra and Seth with measured precision. “What didn’t you tell me?”
The silence stretches taut as a bowstring. Seth’s teeth grind together, emotions flicke
