Chapter 190

Chapter 190
Maren sank to his knees in the chalk circle, the cold sand grating beneath his skin. The tears falling down his face were hot, tasting of shame and bitter regret. The agonising realisation of his actions—the complete betrayal of trust, the physical harm, the destruction of Blue's soul—was a burden heavier than any crown.

​"Blue," he pleaded, his voice thick, cracking with raw, unvarnished agony. "Look at me, please."

​Blue remained composed, but the way his bottom lip trembled slightly was the only outward sign of the turmoil he felt. He had fought for this moment: the truth, Maren's realisation, Lyra's downfall. But he had not fought for this: Maren, the proud Prince, reduced to a broken, weeping man kneeling at his feet.

​"There's no need for that, Maren," Blue said quietly, looking past him at Neireda. "Just finish the ritual."

​Maren crawled forward on his knees, ignoring the gasps and murmurs from the onlookers. He stopped right at Blue's feet, reaching out with a trembling hand, careful to keep his fingers from brushing against the arm that rested in the sling.

​"Don't do this, Blue," Maren begged, his eyes, dark with remorse, fixed on his mate's face. "Please, don't sever the bond. I was blind. She used dark magic, I felt it, but I pushed it away. I was so arrogant, so obsessed with my own certainty, my own hurt, that I dismissed your pain. I chose a lie over the truth of our connection."

​He buried his face in his hands, his body shaking with sobs. "I hurt you, Blue. I broke your wrist. I broke your heart. I listened to that monster's lies, and I deserve every bit of your hatred. But don't punish our bond for my failure. It was my fault, only mine."

​"Don't you dare blame the bond," Blue spat, his voice rising, finally breaking the careful calm. "The bond was the only honest thing between us, and you destroyed it! You destroyed it with doubt the minute she showed up! You took her word over the very essence of your soul! And then you put your hands on me!"

​He took a shaky breath, pointing to his splinted wrist. "This is a broken bone. Neireda can fix it. But what you did to my soul... that is not repairable, Maren. Every time I look at you, I will remember the moment you chose her and shoved me to the ground like trash. That is a kind of soul-crushing wound that only separation can heal."

​Bianca and Nixxon were both openly weeping, the entire family watching the agonising scene unfold on the beach.

​"I won't let you leave, Blue," Maren insisted, looking up, his voice regaining some strength, now fueled by desperation. "I made a promise to the gods when the mate-bond settled—a lifetime of loyalty. I broke my loyalty by my doubt, but I won't break the promise of our union."

​He reached into his own shirt and pulled out the small, gold locket he had planned to gift Blue when he returned, turning it over and over in his palm. He looked at Blue, his eyes wide with a new realisation, the truth that wounded him far deeper than the mate-bond's betrayal: Blue's eyes were changed, they were resolute, and he could feel that nothing he was going to say would be enough to undo the damage he'd done.

​"Blue," Maren whispered, his voice catching on a sob, "This locket is a gift I wanted to give to you, as an appreciation for our union. It's... It's a sign of my love –"

"Enough, Maren," Blue stepped back, tearing his eyes away from Maren and his shiny gift.

Maren's face twisted painfully like he'd been stabbed in the stomach, Blue's cold cut deeper than any knife would.

"Blue, my love, please don't do this to us... to me. I was a fool, I overlooked your love that was so complete, so pure, that it existed solely for me, without demanding anything back,"

Maren held up the locket. "I realised, after I threw you to the ground, what the true betrayal was. Not that I failed the bond, but that I failed the magnitude of your love. A love so unconditional, a love so powerful it could withstand my coldness, my cruelty, and my own fear. This is not you, Blue, I know you're hurting and this is just a necessary act of self-preservation, because the love you poured into me was now killing you. You loved me so much that you were willing to break your own heart just to save your soul from me. That is the most shattering love I have ever known. And I destroyed it."

​Blue's eyes welled up, finally confirming the depth of Maren's sudden, painful insight. It was the absolute, unadulterated truth of their dynamic.

​"Yes, Maren," Blue confirmed, his voice barely a breath, "I loved you that much. And now that love is gone. All that remains is the desire to be free of the Prince who taught me that my life was disposable."

​Maren flinched, glancing at the ground in shame. He finally stood up, his face etched with defeat, the locket clenched in his fist.

​"I am ready for the ritual," Blue stated, turning back to Neireda.

​Maren's eyes flashed with a final, desperate resolve. He would not stop the ritual, but he would not let Blue leave until he had done everything in his power to repair the unfixable.

​"Neireda," Maren said, his voice regaining its command, though strained with emotion. "I will not contest Blue's decision. But I will not allow him to leave without a chance to heal. The ritual will proceed, but under one condition."

​He looked at Blue, his gaze pleading. "I know I have no right to ask you to stay. But the only way for me to atone, the only way I can prove that I am worthy of the love you once gave me, is to accept the consequences of my actions. The ritual is postponed," Maren announced, stunning the crowd, "until I can earn Blue's forgiveness, even if he chooses to sever the bond the moment I receive it."

"No!" Blue snapped, his eyes blazing furiously, "This! This is how selfish you are!" He pushed Maren's cheek with his good hand his tears falling hotly.

"Blue, I –"

"Don't touch me!" Blue slapped Maren's hand away, his lips trembling.

Maren didn't move any further, he just stood there like a broken toy, looking at Blue with helplessness.

"Can't you see om hurting?! I need to leave! I need to get away from you, that's the only way I can heal. But, no, you thi know you can keep me here against my will and force me to get together with you. If that's how you define romance then I'm glad we're ending everything tonight! Neireda, I denounce Naren as my mate, do it, now!" He barked, heaving angrily with reddening puffy eyes.

Silence fell, even Maren didn't know what to say. Blue's rage was felt, and it was justified.

Indeed, he was being selfish, demanding a ritual when he felt like it and suddenly cancelling it because 'he' didn't want to lose his mate, he didn't want to feel the emptiness that came with it. He never considered how Blue felt or what he thought.

Maybe, he shouldn't really let Blue go, allow him to heal, that was the best he could do after causing so much pain for the person he was supposed to love and protect.

He would set Blue free.

"Do it, Neireda," Maren's voice was laced with regret and hurt, his head hanging low in utter defeat.