"If you ever touch her again—"
"I'm protecting the realm," Mirea choked.
"No. You're turning her into a weapon."
Behind him, Athena moaned again, her body arching, glowing faintly as divine energy sparked across her skin.
"I can't stop it," she whispered. "It's killing me—"
Lucas turned back to her, panic in his eyes.
If he didn't act now, they'd lose her.
Not to death—but to the bond.
A forced one.
And her soul would never be hers again.
The door slammed open.
Cassius stood there, eyes wild, scent fierce with fury.
He took one look at Athena and crossed the room in two strides.
"What did they do to her?"
Lucas's jaw clenched. "The King tried to force a mating—"
Cassius turned to Mirea, eyes glowing red. "You want power? You'll drown in it."
In a flash, he knocked her out cold with a single blow, her body crumpling to the ground.
Then he turned to Lucas.
"This is your fault too," he spat. "You got too close. You let them know she could be broken."
