CHAPTER 31: PASSENGER - LET HER GO

Damien’s expression softened. "Then be with me, Luna, please..." he pleaded. But even as he spoke the words, he knew they would get him nowhere.

Luna’s gaze dropped to the floor, her shoulders slumping. "I feel something for Kyllian too," she admitted. "Not like the mate bond; I think the part of me that’s duty-bound wants him. I... I... hurt when you both do this to me. I... I’m sorry."

With that, she slid down from the kitchen counter, her movements hurried and unsteady. She turned and ran out of the room, leaving Damien standing there, stunned. His mind raced, trying to process what had just happened.

Did his mate just admit to having feelings for another man? Or were his ears just misfiring? He realized the depth of the emotional turmoil they were both experiencing.

The complexities of their supernatural bonds and human emotions intertwined, creating a web of confusion and heartache. Damien knew that navigating this love triangle would require patience, understanding, and perhaps sacrifices from all parties involved.

*****

Kyllian was driving toward the palace early that morning, the town still cloaked in the soft hues of dawn, when he spotted Damien perched nonchalantly on the hood of his car, right in the middle of the street. The vampire’s presence was as unexpected as it was unwelcome.

Kyllian brought his car to a halt, his eyes narrowing at the sight. What was Damien doing here? Was this a power play, a gloating session about having Luna all to himself? Or perhaps a veiled threat to stay away from his mate? Kyllian sighed exasperatedly. Still, curiosity compelled him to step out of the car.

"You want something?" Kyllian asked, approaching cautiously, maintaining a safe distance.

"To talk. Like men," Damien replied, his tone surprisingly devoid of sarcasm.

Kyllian raised an eyebrow. "Shoot."

"First, I want to apologize. I shouldn’t have crashed your wedding," Damien said, his gaze steady.

Kyllian nodded slowly, still wary. "Go on."

"We need to talk about Luna," Damien continued.

"What’s there to talk about? She’s your mate. That much I understand," Kyllian replied, his voice tinged with resignation.

"But I think she might be yours too," Damien said, dropping the bombshell.

Kyllian was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"Just... indulge me, okay? How long have you been in love with her?" Damien asked.

Kyllian’s jaw tightened. "I don’t see how that’s any of your business."

"Wolves... always hot-headed," Damien muttered, rolling his eyes. "Look, I’ve lived long enough to know some things, experience some things. And something Luna said yesterday didn’t make sense. It sat with me for a long time, and that’s why I’m here."

Kyllian’s curiosity piqued despite himself. "What did she say?"

"She said she feels something for you, not like the mate bond, but close."

Kyllian scoffed, trying to mask the flutter in his chest. "She may just be saying it to piss you off. In case you haven’t noticed, she doesn’t like you."

"I beg to differ," Damien replied. "Luna is torn between the both of us, and it’s not just because it’s her duty. She feels something for you because there is something there. Tiny, but it is there. And from what I could tell by your reaction at the wedding, your feelings are stronger."

Kyllian looked away, weighing Damien’s words in his mind. He had tried to suppress his feelings, to prepare himself for the worst, his heart betrayed him. The way she looked at him the last time he saw her, the way he touched her, the way he missed her, it kept chipping away at his resolve.

"It’s not the mate bond, if that’s what you’re suggesting, I know what a mate bond is, Damien. It may not be a magical string circling our wrists like with you vampires but we feel it. And Luna? She’s yours. Not mine." A twitch in his jaw betrayed the conflict he was choking down.

Damien, still perched on the car hood, tilted his head annoyingly. "Just think about it," he said. "Because if I’m right then there’s more going on here than any of us expected. And if we ignore it, it could bring the entire werewolf kingdom to its knees. Same kingdom she is fighting her heart to do right by."

Kyllian’s bravado drained just a little from his shoulders. "What are you saying?" he asked, voice suddenly softer. His gut clenched as his mind raced through every recent moment with Luna, the way she looked at him sometimes, the way her touch lingered when it didn’t have to.

Damien didn’t answer right away. He looked up at the sun, which had started to peek more boldly from the horizon, bathing the street in gold. His skin was already starting to glisten, even though his cloak protected him. "Let me know when you’ve thought about what I said," he murmured. "I have to go. The sun’s heating up."

"Wait! How am I supposed to find you? I can’t exactly waltz into the Blood Castle."

Damien reached into his cloak and pulled out a card. It was black, smooth, thick like stone, and completely blank except for an ornate silver signature that shimmered as if alive. He handed it to Kyllian. "Give this to the gatekeeper at the boundary."

Kyllian stared down at the card.

Damien slid off the hood elegantly. He slipped into his car, rolled up the tinted windows that seemed to darken instantly with the sunlight, and without another word, sped down the street, tires whispering against the road.

Kyllian stood rooted to the spot for a few more minutes after Damien sped off. The wind teased his hair and tugged at his jacket, but his mind was far too full to notice the chill. The words kept echoing in his head: "I think she is yours too."

"Yours too..." Kyllian muttered, squinting.

He didn’t like this. Not one bit.

Sure, he felt something for Luna. Feelings that had intensified after their engagement was announced. But that was after. Before all this, before the awkward mating triangle, Luna had just been the princess. A curious, sharp-tongued, always-in-trouble princess.

Yes, he had always admired her but he had never felt a bond. Never had that magnetic, soul-binding pull that older wolves described. What he felt back then was... affection. Maybe a crush, though he’d been too disciplined, too respectful, too military to act on it.

Now though, things were messier. Her scent lingered longer on his mind. Her smile hit harder.

He sighed heavily and looked down at the vampire’s mysterious card still tucked in his hand. "Vampires are crazy," he muttered. And with a shake of his head, he shoved the card into his jacket and returned to his car, resuming his drive to the castle.