The air on the terrace is sharp and cool, a stark contrast to the suffocating heat of the ballroom.
Raiden’s grip around my wrist still lingers like a phantom, even though he’s already let go. I stand several feet away from him, arms crossed tightly over my chest, trying to shield myself from the chill.
Or maybe from him.
He’s pacing now, his movements controlled but tense, his jaw clenched as if he’s holding back words that are barely contained. I don’t know why he brought me out here. Maybe he thought prying eyes didn’t belong in whatever this is.
But I know better. Raiden doesn’t do anything without a purpose.
I break the silence first, my voice sharper than I intended. “What do you want, Raiden?”
He stops pacing and turns to face me, his expression unreadable. “That stunt inside-”
“Don’t,” I cut him off, my tone like ice. “Don’t you dare pretend this is about me embarrassing you.”
“You’re reckless, Siena. You don’t think before you act, and then you wonder why people talk.”
I let out a bitter laugh, the sound cutting through the tension between us. “People talk because of her, Raiden. Because you let her flaunt herself like she owns you. Like she owns this.” I gesture vaguely toward the ballroom, toward the kingdom that’s supposed to be ours–at least in name.
“She doesn’t own anything,” he says coolly.
“Doesn’t she?” I snap, stepping closer. My heart is pounding now, and my wolf is stirring, growling low and restless. “Then tell me, Raiden. Tell me the truth. Is the mark real?”
His face hardens. For a moment, he says nothing, and the silence stretches too long, too loud.
“It doesn’t matter.”
I blink, stunned by the sheer audacity of his answer. “It doesn’t matter?”
“No, it doesn’t,” he says, his voice calm, almost detached. “We have an agreement, Siena. A fake marriage, remember? A partnership. That’s all this has ever been.” His gaze holds mine, void of all feeling. “And soon, even that will be over with.”
He’s right.
This was always the plan–to end this farce of a union and go our separate ways. And wasn’t that what I wanted? To escape the constant pain of being tied to a man who looks at me like I’m nothing?
But even knowing that, hearing him say it so plainly, so carelessly, tears something inside me.
“You’re right, that’s what we agreed on. But if that’s the case, then maybe you should remind Lila of that. Her flamboyant dramatics are starting to blur the lines, and I wouldn’t want your arrangement to be jeopardized by her little… performances.”
His jaw tightens, the only sign that my words hit their mark. “Lila’s not the issue here,” he says, his voice low.
“No?” I tilt my head, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. “Then what is, Raiden? Me? Are you going to stand there and tell me that I’m the problem? That everything wrong in your life begins and ends with me?”
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Chapter 22
He doesn’t answer. He doesn’t have to. His silence is enough.
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I laugh again, but it’s hollow, brittle, like glass ready to shatter. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. You’ve made your choice. You made it a long time ago
“Siena-
“No,” I cut him off, my voice steady and cold. “You don’t get to do this. Not again.”
His gaze locks with mine, and for a moment, the mask slips. I see something flicker in his eyes–something raw and unguarded.
The mark Siena, it’s not real, my wolf whines in angst.
But it doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t change anything.
Raiden’s POV
The silence she leaves behind is deafening.
I watch her step away, her back to me, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. The moonlight catches on her hair, and for a moment, I can’t look away.
Siena has always been a storm–fiery, relentless, impossible to ignore. But tonight, she’s something else entirely.
She’s quiet.
Still.
And it unsettles me in ways I can’t explain.
My wolf growls low in my mind, pacing restlessly, his voice sharp and accusing.
You’re the one who walked away first. Don’t forget that.
I exhale sharply, dragging a hand through my hair as I try to make sense of the storm inside me.
This is what I wanted, isn’t it?
To end this farce of a marriage, to move on, to finally be free.
So why does it feel like I’m the one being left behind?
I glance back at Siena, at the rigid set of her shoulders, the way her hands grip the stone railing like it’s the only thing keeping her upright.
She doesn’t look at me.
She doesn’t say anything.
And it makes something inside me twist painfully.
“What did you do to her?” I demand, my voice cold and clipped.
I don’t have to say her name. We both know who I’m talking about.
Siena turns slowly, her movements deliberate, her expression carefully blank. But her eyes–they burn with something
08:37 Sun, 20 Apr
Chapter 22
fierce, something raw, and it unsettles me in ways I don’t want to admit.
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“What did I do?” she echoes, her voice quiet but sharp, like the edge of a blade. Are you even going to ank what happener Raiden, or are you just going to assume I’m the villain? Again?
I fold my arms across my chest, keeping my stance firm, unmoving “You don’t exactly give me much reason to think otherwise.”
Her lips curve into a bitter smile, one that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Of course not. Because Lib’s always the victim, ist the And I’m always the problem.”
