Cassia's POV.
The day passed and no word from Darius and unfortunately for me it was already the day of the pre-wedding feast.
The pre-wedding feast was nothing short of magnificent. Gold-trimmed banners adorned the towering walls of the grand hall, and the air was thick with the scent of roasted meats, honeyed fruits, and spiced wine. Music filled the space, a melodic hum of string instruments and flutes, while noblemen and women in extravagant attire twirled across the marble floor in a practiced dance. Laughter and conversation buzzed around me, but I wasn't listening.
I was watching him.
Darius.
Seated at the head of the table, he looked every bit the warrior lord, strong, composed, unreadable. His silver hair was tied loosely at the nape, allowing strands to fall over his sharp jawline. He held a goblet of wine, but he barely sipped from it.
I wanted him to look at me.
Not as the woman he was forced to marry. Not as the princess he had been burdened with, but as something more.
"Princess Cassia," a smooth voice sounded, interrupting my thoughts.
I turned, my forced smile faltering as I took in the woman standing before me.
She was breathtaking…
She was tall and poised, her gown a shimmering sapphire that hugged her frame like a second skin. Her silver-blonde hair cascaded down her back, the soft curls catching the candlelight. But it was her icy blue eyes that unsettled me the most.
She looked at me like she had something cooking up.
"And you are?" I asked with a calm voice..
"Lady Selene." She smiled, though forced as she said.
I stiffened.
The name was familiar.
I had heard it whispered among the noblewomen, seen the way they lowered their voices when she walked by. She was important here, someone of status. But that wasn't what sent a sharp pang through my chest.
It was the way she reached out, her fingers grazing Darius's shoulder as she moved to sit beside him. The ease, the familiarity.
"You must be exhausted from the journey," she said as she tilted her head slightly as she regarded me. "Traveling all the way from Lysoria must have been difficult. The roads can be so…full of betrayal."
Something about the way she said it sent a chill down my spine.
I refused to let her see my unease. "I've endured worse," I replied smoothly.
Selene chuckled, a delicate sound that made my teeth clench. "Of course. You're quite brave, aren't you?" She leaned forward slightly, her expression shifting to something almost pitying. "Tell me, has Darius spoken to you about our history?"
I froze.
Beside her, Darius remained silent, his fingers tightening slightly around his goblet.
I glanced at him, searching for some sort of reassurance. Some sort of denial, but as usual he gave me nothing.
Selene smiled. "Oh, I see he hasn't." She exhaled as she shook her head. "That's so like him, always avoiding difficult conversations."
I felt something sharp and cold settle in my stomach.
She turned back to me, her expression one of gentle condescension. "Darius and I have known each other since we were children. Our families are deeply connected, and well… let's just say we've always been close."
The world around me blurred for a second. She was saying she is his lover? She was lying. She had to be, but Darius's silence…
His silence told me everything I needed to know.
"You must be mistaken," I said, forcing my voice to remain steady. "Darius is to marry me. There is no one else."
Selene's lips curved. "Oh, my dear princess. Haven't you been told?" She leaned in, lowering her voice just enough for only me to hear.
"I am his first wife."
The floor seemed to vanish beneath me.
I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
I had fought battles, stood on blood-soaked fields, faced death more times than I could count. And yet, nothing had ever felt as suffocating as this moment.
I turned to Darius. "Tell me she's lying," I whispered.
His amber eyes met mine, and for the first time since I arrived in Varyon, I saw something close to regret, but not denial.
"Why didn't you tell me?" My voice shook, but I didn't care.
"Cassia…"
Darius exhaled slowly, setting his goblet down.
I stood abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the marble floor.
"Excuse me," I said, not trusting myself to stay any longer.
I turned and walked as fast as I could without outright running.
The room felt too small, the walls were closing in on me. I could feel their eyes on me, the nobles, the warriors, the women who had smirked behind their fans when I arrived.
I was the foolish human who thought she was marrying a man who might one day love her.
How pathetic.
As I reached the entrance, a firm grip caught my wrist.
Darius.
"Cassia, wait."
I wrenched my arm free, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. "No," I hissed. "You don't get to stop me. You don't get to explain this away."
"It's not what you think." His jaw tightened.
"Oh? Then tell me, my lord, what exactly is it?" I laughed bitterly.
He didn't answer, because he couldn't.
"That's what I thought," I said, stepping back. "Enjoy your feast, Lord Darius. Enjoy your first wife."
I turned on my heel and left.
And for the first time since arriving in this gods-forsaken kingdom, I let the tears fall.
Kael's POV
I had been watching her all night.
From the moment she entered the hall, stiff-backed and defiant, I had watched. She was different from the women here, different from the noble ladies who batted their lashes and whispered behind silken fans.
She didn't belong in Varyon.
And yet, she was here.
Forced into a marriage that would never be hers to claim.
I should have felt nothing.
I should have ignored the way my chest tightened when I saw the way she looked at Darius. When I saw the way she had foolishly let herself believe she mattered.
I saw the way she held herself, the way she forced her body not to tremble. I saw the way her fingers dug into the fabric of her gown, the way she clenched her jaw to keep from breaking.
She was drowning.
And Darius was letting it happen.
I barely noticed the murmurs around me, the way the nobles leaned in to whisper their thoughts.
I exhaled slowly, suppressing the growl that threatened to rise in my throat.
Cassia was proud—stubborn, even. But there was a limit to how much a person could endure before they shattered.
And I was beginning to wonder if she was already at her breaking point.
"She looks like she wants to run."
I saw the way she turned and fled, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, something inside me snapped. I felt pain.
I rose from my seat, ignoring the questioning glance from the Supreme Alpha.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"To fix a mistake. Not like you care though." I met his gaze, my voice low.
And with that, I followed after her.
I rushed aside but she was nowhere to be found. It was like she disappeared.
"Where did she go?"