AVIONA'S POV
For a heartbeat, I was stunned, frozen in confusion. Then came that sickening drop in my stomach.
The woman’s voice still echoed off the stone walls, but all other sound fell away, swallowed by the pounding in my ears. I turned to King Faelan, searching his face for denial. For anything that would prove her wrong, that she’d misunderstood.
But he said nothing. His expression hardened, and in that stillness, I saw confirmation… and the faintest trace of guilt.
My stomach twisted. I yanked my hand from his grip, wrapping my arms around myself as if that could ward off the chill crawling over my skin.
Concubine.
So that was why they stared. Why their eyes widened before flicking away. Why they looked guilty, as though even glancing at me was a crime.
The truth landed with
