Chapter 18: Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
Talon tilted his head, smile fading to something thoughtful. "You’re looking at it from your perspective. You think he’s sacrificing freedom. But he doesn’t see it that way."
She looked at him, confused.
"He’s not giving up anything, Luna. He’s gaining you. That’s the prize to him. Not the crown. Not the palace. You. He’s gonna love being groomed for the throne if you’re beside him. Even if you drive him crazy. Especially if you drive him crazy."
She didn’t answer. Couldn’t. Her heart stuttered somewhere between guilt and awe, because she wasn’t sure if she was worthy of someone choosing her that completely. Not when half of her heart still burned quietly, secretly—for another.
And still, her eyes drifted back to Kyllian—sweaty, laughing, beautiful—and she wondered, was it possible to fall in love with someone simply because they believed in you more than you believed in yourself?
"He always had a thing for you," Talon said, shrugging. "He just never thought it would become an... arrangement."
Luna’s eyes slowly shifted back to Kyllian, who was now crouched down tying a little boy’s boot. That’s the man I’m marrying, she thought, swallowing the lump in her throat. She had chosen him—out of duty, yes—but the choice had been hers in the end. And now, she needed to figure out how to get Damien out of her mind before her marriage vows became a twisted love triangle with no survivors.
Kyllian deserved a clean slate, not the shadow of another man looming behind every kiss or soft moment. She owed him that much.
Just then, her eyes narrowed.
A young woman in tight training leggings and a cropped tank top sauntered across the courtyard. The kids instantly perked up at her presence, but it wasn’t them she was focused on. No, her destination was clear—straight to Kyllian.
Luna watched as the woman casually patted a child’s shoulder before drifting closer to Kyllian. She leaned in to speak, her mouth a bit too close to his ear, her fingers playfully brushing his chest as she laughed at something he said.
Luna’s jaw tightened.