Chapter 9 One Insult at a Time

Lysandra POV:

Kieran stood up slowly, his Alpha aura rolling out like a physical force. It pressed down on everyone in the room, making the weaker wolves whimper.

It slid right off me because I was a True Alpha, but I pretended to feel it. Pretended to struggle under the weight.

"You will show respect," Kieran said, his voice deadly quiet. "I am your Crown Prince."

"You're a child playing dress-up," I said, and I knew I was going too far but I couldn't stop. "You rejected a divine prophecy because of your ego. You're condemning yourself to death because you can't stand the idea of being tied to someone you think is beneath you. That's not strength. That's cowardice."

His eyes flashed gold. For a second, I thought he might actually shift and attack me right there in the dining hall.

But he didn't.

Instead, he smiled. Cold and cruel.

"You know what?" he said. "You're right. I am a coward. Because I'd rather die than spend one more minute bound to something as pathetic as you."

He walked out, the other four Alphas following him.

The nobles and council members stared at me like I'd just committed treason.

"Well," I said to the room at large. "That was fun. Anyone else want to tell me how worthless I am? There's still time before I die."

Nobody said anything.

I picked up my plate and walked out, leaving the food behind because I'd suddenly lost my appetite.

***

That afternoon, I was in the palace library trying to research Void beasts and maybe find some way to break the death curse without accepting the bonds.

I was reading an ancient text about prophecy magic when someone cleared their throat behind me.

I turned to find Cassian standing there, his silver eyes gleaming with something that might have been amusement.

"Still alive?" he asked.

"Barely."

"Pity." He walked over to the shelves, running his fingers along the spines of books. "I thought Kieran might actually kill you at breakfast. He was close."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Oh, I'm not disappointed." He pulled out a book, examining it. "Your death is inevitable anyway. Why rush it?"

"How kind of you."

"I'm not kind." He looked at me, and his eyes were cold. "I'm curious. You're researching ways to break the curse."

It wasn't a question.

"How did you know?"

"I'm the Grand Alpha Sorcerer. I know everything that happens in my library." He gestured at the books around me. "You won't find an answer here."

"You've looked?"

"Of course I've looked. I don't want to die any more than you do. But the only solution is accepting the bonds." He smiled without humor. "Which we've all agreed we'd rather die than do."

"So we're all just giving up?"

"Not giving up. Choosing dignity over desperation." He set his book down. "I've spent centuries building my magical power. I've studied under the greatest sorcerers in history. I've mastered spells that would make gods weep. And you... you have nothing. No magic. No power. No potential."

"Thanks for the reminder."

"Binding myself to you would actively diminish my abilities," he continued like I hadn't spoken. "It would be like pouring pure water into mud. The water doesn't lift the mud. The mud just makes everything murky."

"That's a lovely metaphor," I said. "Really makes me feel special."

"You're not special. That's the point." He leaned closer, and I could feel the magic radiating off him like heat. "The Moon Goddess made a mistake. We're all paying for it. But at least we'll die knowing we didn't compromise who we are."