Heiko sat across from his father, studying him carefully. The burden of the crown was always visible in Paul’s eyes — but today, it was heavier than ever.
“I understand,” Heiko said quietly. “For a wolf, the mate bond is sacred… but her priorities were always… different. She loved me, yes. But…” He swallowed the bitterness down before continuing. “After the curse, it was like I had shamed the royal lineage. Our ‘precious’ pure blood. She tried to fix it the only way she knew how — by throwing noble daughters at me. Hoping that if I couldn’t be un-cursed, at least I could still produce a union worthy of the Court’s standards.”
The King’s jaw clenched.
“I remember,” Paul said darkly. “And now, I feel every drop of that regret in our mate bond. Her pain, her sorrow, her shame for how she t
