Lust & Loyalty

Chapter 3

Shayera’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as she navigated the winding roads, her mind a whirlwind of emotion. Each twist and turn seemed to pull her deeper into the storm of anger and disbelief that churned within her. The sting of Daedalus’ words echoed in her head like a constant, torturous hum, drowning out the sound of the engine. *A commoner, not good enough…* The words cut deeper than any blade. She wasn’t just angry at him. She was furious at herself for ever believing in something so fleeting, so impossible.

She had fought tooth and nail to build a life—*her* life. It was hers, and it was hers alone. But now everything she had worked for, every single goal she’d set, felt so fragile. It was all in danger of crumbling, shattered by a connection she never asked for, a fate she never chose. She slammed her fist against the wheel again, her body trembling with frustration.

But just as her emotions reached a boiling point, her phone buzzed, interrupting the chaos inside her head. A single message from Rosa blinked on the screen: *“You can’t just leave, Shayera. You know that. Please come back.”*

She scoffed bitterly, the words dripping with desperation. *Come back?* *For what?* She had already made her choice. But the message lingered in her mind, the plea for reconciliation pulling at her in a way she couldn’t explain. *Rosa...* Shayera thought, the memory of their years together suddenly overwhelming her. Rosa had been her friend, her confidante, and now it seemed she was caught in the same web of family obligations and expectations. How could she expect Shayera to fix something that was never hers to fix?

Her chest tightened at the thought of Rosa’s face—her soft smile, the way she always lit up when talking about Katleen. But that was a different life. A life where everything was clear, a life where love wasn’t tangled in political marriages and familial duties.

But was it ever really that simple? *If Rosa can’t even escape her own fate, how could I?* The idea of going back, of talking to Rosa, felt like walking back into a trap. But then, another thought pierced her mind: *What if there was more to this than just fate?*

Shayera’s thoughts raced, her heart hammering in her chest. She had seen Daedalus’ eyes when they locked onto hers for that brief, fleeting moment before he turned away—torn, conflicted, a mix of guilt and something else, something *real*. He had been just as helpless in that moment as she had been. What if he *did* want her? What if the bond between them was too strong to ignore, too undeniable? But then the harsh reality of his rejection hit her all over again. He had chosen family, tradition, and duty over her. Over their connection.

No. She couldn’t allow herself to believe in *him* anymore.

But the twist came when her phone buzzed again. It was a call from Maximus. Her heart skipped, and for a split second, she considered ignoring it, but something inside her urged her to answer.

“Shayera,” Maximus’ voice cracked through the speaker. “It’s urgent. You need to come back. Now.”

Her stomach dropped. Maximus never sounded like this. He was calm, measured, a child prodigy who never seemed to panic. This was different.

“What happened?” she asked, her voice a mixture of worry and confusion.

“It’s Daedalus,” Maximus said, his voice trembling. “He—he’s missing.”

Shayera’s breath hitched in her throat. “What do you mean, missing?”

“Earlier,” Maximus continued, “Daedalus left after the argument with you. But he never came back. Everyone’s searching for him, but no one can find him. I think something’s wrong.”

A cold shiver ran down Shayera’s spine. Her heart rate spiked. *Missing? What did that mean?* She felt the instinctive pull to go back, to figure out what was happening. *Was this another trick? Was he trying to manipulate her?*

But no, there was no time for doubt. She couldn’t just turn her back on him—her mate—now, not when something was clearly wrong.

“Maximus, stay put. I’m coming back,” she said, her voice hardening with resolve. The moment she said the words, she knew what she had to do.

***

When she arrived back at the Cain estate, everything was in chaos. The family was frantically searching for Daedalus, the house abuzz with servants and relatives pacing the halls. But none of them seemed to know where he was. The air was thick with tension, the weight of a family empire on the verge of falling apart.

Shayera rushed into the main hall, where Rosa was waiting for her, her face pale and eyes wide with fear. “I— I don’t understand,” Rosa stammered. “He just—he just vanished. He wasn’t in his room, he wasn’t anywhere. We checked every corner of the estate. Shayera, I’m scared.”

Shayera placed a hand on Rosa’s shoulder, trying to steady herself and her friend. “We’ll find him,” she said, though uncertainty gnawed at her insides. *What if something happened to him? What if his disappearance was more than just a bad decision?*

Maximus appeared at the top of the stairs, his face drawn. He looked at Shayera with wide, pleading eyes. “There’s something you need to see. It’s in the library.”

They rushed to the library, and there, in the middle of the room, was a letter from Daedalus—an urgent, cryptic message. Shayera read it aloud:

*“The choices I’ve made will undo me. There is no escaping what has been set in motion. I never wanted any of this. I never wanted to choose between you and my family. But I have no choice. I am leaving... for good. Do not come after me. I will not be found. I belong to a greater cause now, and you, Shayera, you will never be part of my world.”*

The words hit like a punch to the gut. A greater cause? Daedalus had gone off to *do what*? Had he truly abandoned everything they had for a duty that was far bigger than him? Was he trying to protect her from the complications of their bond? Or was there something more sinister going on?

“I need to go after him,” Shayera said, her voice low and determined. But as she turned toward the door, something inside her screamed that it wasn’t going to be as simple as tracking Daedalus down. The family’s power, the traditions, and even the unspoken laws about mates—it all felt like a dangerous game. And Daedalus was no longer a pawn in it.

*He was part of the game now too.*

Shayera knew the path ahead wouldn’t be easy. She didn’t know how to undo the chain of events Daedalus had set in motion. But one thing was certain: the stakes were higher than ever before, and both of their fates were tangled in ways they never could have imagined.

But no matter where the road took her, she would not be another pawn to be manipulated by love, destiny, or family. She would take control—no matter the cost.