Chapter One Hundred-Thirteen – The Dungeon Interrogation

Chapter One Hundred-Thirteen – The Dungeon Interrogation
The dungeon reeked of mildew and iron. Torches flickered along the damp stone walls, casting long shadows that danced like specters across the floor. At the end of the narrow hallway, behind heavy iron bars, Eira sat curled on the cold ground, her dress dirtied and torn, her golden hair tangled around her face.

Caius and Kalen stepped into the corridor, the clank of their boots echoing with purpose. Eira didn’t look up—not until the jingle of keys and the creak of the cell door broke the silence.

Kalen’s breath hitched as he took her in. Her once-proud figure was slumped, her spirit dimmed. Even like this, she was his mate. And it tore at him—every step toward her felt like a betrayal of either his loyalty or his bond.

But he stayed strong.

Caius moved first, his voice cold. "Eira."

She flinched, looking up slowly. Her eyes were swollen from crying, but defiance still lingered in her gaze. "You’ve come to watch me rot?"

"We’ve come for answers," Caius said sharply. "You knew what Alder planned. You knew, and you said nothing."

Eira’s voice cracked. "I was afraid."

Kalen clenched his fists at his sides. "Afraid of losing me. I remember."

She turned to him, the anguish in her face nearly crumbling his resolve. "You were all I had left. And I knew if I chose Cass over Alder, I’d lose you."

"You lost me anyway," Kalen said, though the words tasted like ash.

Caius stepped forward. "Tell me where he’s taken her. Tell me what he plans."

Eira hesitated.

"If there’s anything left in you that cares for Cass—or this kingdom—you’ll speak now," Caius warned.

Tears spilled down her cheeks. "She’s in Alder’s territory, locked away. He means to crown himself—and her. He plans to use the pup to legitimize it."

Kalen’s jaw clenched. "Where in the territory?"

"I don’t know exactly. He doesn’t trust me fully. Just that it’s secluded, high in the hills. He calls it ‘the cradle.’ It’s where his family once ruled."

Caius nodded once and turned sharply to leave. "We move before dawn."

Kalen lingered, his gaze fixed on Eira.

"Do you hate me now?" she whispered.

He didn’t answer immediately. His jaw worked, teeth grinding beneath the surface of words he couldn’t shape. Finally, he stepped closer to the bars, the torchlight catching the anguish behind his eyes. "I hate what you did," he said, his voice raw, almost broken. "I hate that you let her be taken… that you stood there and let it happen."

He swallowed hard, gaze dropping to her trembling hands. "And I hate that even now, even after everything, all I want to do is crawl in there, wrap my arms around you, and pretend none of this ever happened."

He took a step back like the confession burned his skin. "But I can’t. Because pretending won’t fix this. And wanting you doesn’t make the betrayal hurt any less."

He stepped out, the door clanking shut behind him.

Eira sobbed alone in the dark, left with the weight of her choices and the echo of a bond fraying at the edges.

Far above the dungeon’s gloom, Caius stood in the war room, hands braced on the edge of the table, maps and missives scattered before him like broken promises. The flickering candlelight cast harsh shadows across his face, and still, the silence clawed at him.

Cass.

He could still see her—tearful, wounded, backing away from him in that cursed room. Her voice echoed in his memory: "What more do you want from me?" And his own reply, sharper than it should have been. Colder. Demanding. He hadn’t seen her crumble until it was too late.

He clenched his jaw, staring blindly at the territory map. What kind of king demands strength from the one person who had already given him her heart? He hadn’t wanted a queen who bowed to him—he had loved her fire, her refusal to break. And yet, he’d been the one to make her feel small.

She had run from him.

And now, she was gone.

He dragged a hand through his hair, the weight of the crown not yet on his head but already pressing down like stone. "I told myself it was for the kingdom… to make her ready," he whispered. "But the truth is… I needed her to remind me who I am. And without her, I don’t know anymore."

Guilt festered like rot in his chest, each beat of his heart carrying the ache of her absence.

I will bring you home, he swore to the walls. I’ll make it right.

The door creaked open behind him. Kalen entered, a letter clutched tightly in his hand.

“It’s from Alder,” he said grimly.

Caius turned, dread churning in his gut as he took the parchment. His eyes scanned the words quickly, and his shoulders slumped.

“He’s offering a deal,” Caius murmured. “If I give up the crown—step down—he’ll return Cass to me. Safe. Unharmed.”

Kalen’s jaw flexed. “You’re not actually considering it?”

“She’s all that matters,” Caius said, voice shaking. “Without her, the throne means nothing. I failed her. I—”

Kalen grabbed his shoulder. “No. Listen to me. If you give up now, you’ll have no power to protect her—not really. You’ll be at Alder’s mercy forever. You want her back? Then you take that throne, and you fight for her as a king.”

Caius stared at him.

Kalen’s voice dropped, fierce and certain. “Cass needs more than a lover. She needs her mate to become the ruler he was born to be. Take your crown. And then take her back.”