He took a long breath.
“But now? I see it clearly.”
“Power has changed you, Lana.”
She staggered slightly under the weight of his words — and the venom in their mate bond. What used to be warmth and comfort was now ice. Distance.
She tried again, desperate.
“I was only thinking of the kingdom. Of who would rule. What’s at stake.”
“And from what I recall,” King Paul interrupted coldly, “we still have an heir. Our son. Heiko.”
She paled.
“You… You’re serious?”
Paul's eyes narrowed. “You sound surprised.”
“Heiko can’t rule! He’s too— too wild, too—”
“Say it,” the king barked. “Cursed?! Powerful? Wild? Mated to an omega?”
Lana recoiled as if struck.
Paul shook his head slowly.
“You disgust me.”
“Paul…”
He stepped away from her, walking toward the door, the tension suffocating.
