Chapter 73

Chapter 73
Felicia’s POV

As Lucien stepped out of the hall, something in the air shifted.

I was suddenly hyper-aware of Darren standing next to me, his silence no longer companionable, but heavy, almost smug.

I turned to him quickly, anger rising in my chest. “What are you doing, Darren? I told you not to show up like this!”

He didn’t even flinch. Instead, a slow, infuriating smile crept across his face.

“You can’t ask me that question,” he said smoothly, crossing his arms.

“Excuse me?” I blinked.

His smile grew wider. “You seem to forget whose territory this once was. Whose bloodline runs in these lands.”

I stared at him, heart pounding. “I haven’t forgotten. But that doesn’t mean you can waltz in here without a word. You and I—”

“We had an agreement,” he interrupted, voice low and mocking. “Yes, I remember. But I don’t recall saying I’d follow your orders like a servant.”

His words stung. I hated the way he said your orders, like I was nothing but a pawn to him now.

“I trusted you,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “We agreed to move carefully. If you start forming some kind of alliance with Lucien behind my back—”

“I’m not forming an alliance,” he said sharply, stepping closer. “I’m observing. Gathering strength. Building trust. And you should be thanking me.”

I scoffed. “For what?”

“For laying the groundwork. When the time comes, Lucien won’t even see it coming.”

I folded my arms, but my chest ached. I wasn’t sure I believed him anymore.

“And what if he does?” I asked softly. “What if Lucien already suspects you?”

Darren leaned in, lowering his voice. “Then that makes the game more interesting, doesn’t it?”

Before I could respond, I caught movement in the corridor. My breath caught.
Kael.

My heart thudded heavily as he stepped into view, walking toward us with that confident stride of his. His eyes darted from Darren to me, and I could already see the questions forming behind them.

He stopped a few feet away and bowed slightly. “Good day, Lord Darren,” he said politely, though there was nothing warm in his voice.

Darren gave him a toothy grin. “Kael. The ever-loyal shadow of the Alpha.”

Kael didn’t react, but I could feel the tension rising between them like a storm building in the sky.

“Still clinging to the pack like a barnacle, I see,” Darren added smoothly.

Kael’s eyes darkened, but his voice stayed calm. “Better than crawling back into it like a snake.”

I moved quickly between them. “Enough,” I snapped. “Both of you.”

But Darren’s eyes glittered with mischief, and Kael’s jaw was tight with restrained fury.

“I heard you’ve been spending a lot of time with Felicia,” Darren said, his gaze sliding to me. “How… interesting.”

Kael didn’t flinch. “She’s carrying the Alpha’s heir. It’s my duty to protect her.”

Darren chuckled. “Is that what they’re calling it now? Duty?”

“Watch it,” Kael growled, stepping forward.

I quickly pressed a hand against his chest, holding him back.

“I said that’s enough,” I repeated, firmer this time.

Darren just smiled and turned to me, ignoring Kael entirely. “You should be careful who you let get close, Felicia. Sometimes even the Moon Goddess makes mistakes.”

I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me.

He knew.

He knew.

But how?

Kael looked at me, eyes filled with silent questions, but I shook my head ever so slightly. Not now. Not here.

“Why are you really here, Darren?” Kael asked, voice cold.

“To be a brother,” he said with a mock-innocent shrug. “To support Lucien during this… blessed time.”

Kael scoffed. “Since when did you care about family?”

Darren’s eyes flicked to me, then back to Kael. “Since I realized how easy it is to replace one.”

That made Kael bristle, but before either of them could speak again, footsteps echoed loudly down the corridor.

The door opened, and Lucien strode back in.

I quickly stepped away from Kael, straightening my posture.

Lucien’s expression was unreadable, but his eyes scanned the room in a heartbeat, taking in every face, every detail.

“What’s going on here?” he asked, voice calm but firm.

Darren’s smirk was back in an instant.

“Just catching up with your mate and your best friend,” he said casually, hands behind his back. “You always did surround yourself with such… interesting people.”

Lucien’s gaze lingered on Darren, then flicked briefly to Kael and me. He didn’t speak right away. The tension was suffocating.

“I see,” he said finally.

His tone was calm, but I could feel the storm just beneath it

As lucien  stormed back into the hall, Kael and I both turned toward him immediately.

“What happened?” I  asked, my  voice tight.

Kael tensed at the expression on lucien face. “Lucien?”

“It wasn’t him,” Lucien  said, locking eyes with us. “It wasn’t Darren.”

“Then who…” I began.

But before I  could finish, a different guard burst into the hallway, face pale, breathing ragged.

“My King!” he said. “Urgent news.”

Lucien turned sharply. “What is it?”

The guard bowed quickly. “There’s been an attack on the eastern border. A watchtower was destroyed. No scent. No witnesses. Just smoke and a message carved into the stone.”

Lucien  stepped closer. “What message?”

The guard swallowed hard. “It said: One face. Two kings.”

Silence fell.

i  took a step toward him. “Lucien…”

But he was already turning to Kael.

“Call the council. Lock down the territory. And call my mother, lunaCelestine .”