Chapter 21: Whitney Houston - I Have Nothing
Luna twisted her fingers together, searching for the courage she wasn’t sure she had. Damien stood behind her, arms crossed, every inch of him radiating frustrated defiance. She swallowed hard and forced herself to speak.
"Prince Damien... he’s my fated mate," she confessed.
For a moment, it was as if the universe itself tilted sideways. King Magnus didn’t simply react—he almost collapsed, despite the fact that he was firmly seated.
"How long have you known this?" Magnus finally managed.
"Since the Blood Moon Festival," Luna answered. She winced slightly, waiting for the thunderous eruption she was sure would follow. When it didn’t come immediately, she hurried to add, "But Father, I want to marry Alpha Kyllian. I... I have to do my duty as the princess of our kingdom, and that means marrying right."
Across the room, Damien’s face twisted with open insult. His eyes burned cold. Marrying right? he thought bitterly. Was she seriously implying he was wrong? That he was some kind of defective mate? Fuck that. Whatever sympathy he’d felt for the werewolf pup earlier disintegrated in a cloud of irritation. Luna might be beautiful and brave, but right now she was also being a stubborn royal pain in the ass.
"You heard her," Magnus said, turning to Damien with grim finality, as if that was the end of it.
But King Lucivar wasn’t having it. He surged forward, all sleek menace and fury. "Magnus, you seriously cannot subject a vampire prince to a lifetime without his mate. Do you know what it will do to him?"
Magnus lifted his chin proudly. "According to our laws, we have the right to reject the Moon Goddess’s mating."
Lucivar threw his hands up in frustration. "But she didn’t reject him!" he thundered. "The bond is still very much active, Magnus. Even if she did try, he’s a vampire. You are subjecting him to a lifetime of torture."