Of everything that had happened in the last few moons, that was what broke me the most. Not the chains. Not the accusations. Not even Aiden’s insults.
It was that.
Luca… my one friend, my anchor, had shut me out.
What had I done?
It wasn’t even about Beta Luca romantically. He was safe. He was kind. He had believed in me when no one else had.
When the accusations first came, when the council looked at me with suspicion burning in their eyes, he’d been the only one to meet my gaze and offer something close to belief. And now...
Now, I didn’t even have that.
Tears burned behind my eyes, hot and insistent. But I didn’t let them fall. I couldn’t. Not here. Not now. I didn’t want to feel weak. I didn’t want to give anyone, not even the walls of my room, that satisfaction.
But something
