“I’m not scared for me,” I whispered. “I’m scared for them.”
She narrowed her eyes. “So what? You’ll martyr yourself now? Walk away like this was all temporary? Like they don’t love you with everything they are?”
“They don’t care about the consequences, Cara. But I do.” I paused, breath catching. “If I claim them both… if I stand beside them as their mate—it would cause a scandal. Not just whispers behind closed doors. Riots. Rebellion. The wolf packs would never accept it.”
“They can learn to,” Cara bit back.
“They won’t,” I said, voice rising. “We would lose everything. Their legitimacy. Their thrones. The trust of the Elders. The unity they fought so hard to protect. And I would be the reason it all burned.”
Cara stared at me, stunned into silence for a long moment. Finally, she sp
