"Don't say that. Please." She sobbed, shoulders trembling, she was a wreck.

"Adina is more than just my mate, Elara. What you did you her—It's despicable. It's cruel. Vile."

"I am not sorry for what I did to Adina. She deserved it. She took what wasn't hers. I couldn't forgive her. I did what I did as a woman in love. All is fair in love and war." Her chest heaved heavily.

Thorne looked like he'd been hit by a boar. His ears were ringing loudly.

"And you? You speak so much about betrayal, but you're the greatest betrayer there is. You claim to love Roseanne, to never move on from her, and even were going to tie your soul to her dead body. I was going to love you from afar because I knew you loved Roseanne, but you? The moment a second chance mate comes forth. What did you do? You forget Roseanne like she never existed. You betrayed her and me."

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!" Thorne growled, eyes red with rage. He grabbed the glass on the table and hurled it violently against the wall, the glass shattering.

Elara flinched hard.

"Don't you dare mention Roseanne's name. Don't you ever speak of Roseanne with those filthy lips again." His voice trembled with rage. "You don't get to invoke her name. Not when you've done this. Not when you've dragged the memory of the woman I did love into this filth."

Elara's face crumbled, but Thorne kept going, pacing now, like he couldn't bear to stand still with all that anger inside him.

"I took you in because I trusted you," he said through gritted teeth. "I saw strength in you. I saw loyalty. You stood beside me. You were my second, my confidant. I thought… maybe you'd be with me for as long as possible."

"But this? This wasn't loyalty. This is betrayal." He spat the word. "You used dark magic on my mate. You let a feral Alpha roam unchecked, and you kept it all from me." He shook his head in disbelief. "Gods know the extent of your betrayal, Elara. You were supposed to protect the people. Protect me. But all you protected was your delusion."

"I love you!" Elara screamed, the sound ripping from her throat like an animal in pain. Why wasn't he listening to her? Why can't he see she did all this because of love?

Thorne scoffed, shaking his head. How did he not see this? Has he really been so blind that he did not see the extent of Elara's madness?

"I DO NOT LOVE YOU, ELARA! I WILL

NEVER LOVE YOU." Thorne snarled.

Elara's knees buckled, and she sank to the floor, her sobs erupting from her chest like a wounded creature.

"No, no, Thorne, please," she cried, reaching for him like a drowning woman clinging to land. "You can't say that to me! You can't mean it! You took care of me. You held me when I cried. You stood by me. Why would you do all of that if you didn't feel something?!"

"I took care of you because I too have been in that situation. I took you in and made you who you are because you needed hope. And I gave you hope." he said coldly. "In no way was it supposed to ever be like this." He stopped, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Tell me. The rogues. Did you do that too? Did you send Rogues after Adina when you spelled her?"

Elara's breath caught.

Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

Thorne's eyes locked on her, glowing bright. "Did you?" he asked again, slower this time. "Did you send rogues after her knowing what would happen when that spell hit her body?"

Elara's lips trembled. Her sobs slowed, replaced by silence that screamed louder than any answer.

Thorne stepped closer, towering over her. "Answer me."

"I—" she choked. "T-they weren't going to hurt her," she whispered. "They were only going to scare her." She paused, shaking her head like a child caught red-handed. "I just—I just wanted her to back off. To show you who she truly is."

"To back off from?" Thorne's voice was deadly. "From me? To show me who she truly is?"

"Gods, Elara. You're fucking evil."

She looked up at him, eyes wide and filled with tears. "I agree. I'm evil. I'm a devil. But I did it all for you. She was taking you! She was stealing you right in front of me and you—!" Elara's voice cracked. "You were letting her! You were falling for her and forgetting everything we'd been through. Everything I did for you. I just wanted her gone. Just a little spell. Just a little fear. That's all."

Thorne stared at her like she'd turned into something unrecognizable. Like he couldn't believe the person he once trusted could ever fall this far.

"You didn't want me to scare her," he said quietly. "You wanted her ruined."

Elara sobbed again. "Please, Thorne, please. I only did it because I love you. I couldn't watch you disappear into someone else. She's not one of us. She's just some slave girl. I didn't mean for it to get that far."

"She's my mate," Thorne growled. "She's mine. In every way that matters. And you… you tried to break her. You sent rogues to take her. To scare her? To punish her? And you call that love?" He shook his head, disgust twisting his face.

"I did it for us—" she tried again, reaching for his boot.

"There is no 'us,' Elara."

She shook her head violently. "No, no, no, don't say that. You don't mean that. You can't mean that. You don't get to save me, then destroy me." She swallowed. "I need you, Thorne. I need you like my body needs blood. I can't live without you. I'll die without you."

She clawed toward him, crawling, tears streaming down her cheeks, makeup smeared across her face. "Please. Just look at me the way you look at her. I'll be anything. I'll change. Just… don't throw me away."

Thorne didn't move. Didn't even blink as she clung to his boots, begging.

He looked down at her, and for a moment, there was no hatred in his eyes. No anger.

Only pity. And that, somehow, was worse.

"Elara," he said, his voice low. "I never asked you to love me. I never gave you a reason to believe I could love you back. I gave you protection. I gave you power. And you used both to harm the only woman I've ever wanted since Roseanne."

"You didn't just betray me," he went on, "you betrayed my trust in you. You made her a target and tried to justify it with love?"

He knelt, just enough to meet her eyes. "That's not love, Elara. That's cruelty with a prettier name."

She shook her head, trembling, hands gripping his knees. "Please, I'll do anything. Please, don't send me away. Don't leave me alone. I'll go mad without you."

"You already have," Thorne said softly.

He stood up again and turned toward the door. "Caelum."

It opened instantly. Caelum was there with two other guards, waiting.

Thorne didn't even look at Elara this time. His voice was cold.

"She is no longer General Elara of Obsidian. Strip her of her rank, her title, and her blade. She leaves for the Outer Bank before nightfall."

"No," Elara croaked. "Please, Thorne, please—"

But Caelum was already crossing the room, his eyes hard. "Elara Halix," he said formally, "by the order of the King, you are hereby banished from the Palace and all central provinces. You will be escorted to the Outer Bank immediately."

She wailed as two guards stepped in behind him.

"No, please! Thorne! Don't do this to me! Don't let them take me—"

"The only reason I am not sending you to the dungeon is that you were once dear to me."

"Thorne—please! Don't! Please." She was still screaming as the guards lifted her to her feet, dragging her from the office.

Thorne kept his back turned. His jaw clenched hard.

The door slammed shut, yet he could still hear her screams.