Chapter 4: The Hollow Ceremony
Darius POV
I should have stayed in my chambers.
Instead, I stood in the Great Hall with the rest of the court, watching my brother parade my mate like a prize horse he'd just purchased.
The morning after their wedding, Cassian had insisted on a formal presentation. Every noble in the kingdom was expected to bow before their new queen and offer gifts of loyalty.
Elara sat on the throne beside him, spine straight and chin high. She looked every inch the perfect queen in her gown of midnight blue silk. Beautiful. Untouchable.
Mine.
My hands clenched at my sides as I watched Cassian lean over to whisper something in her ear. She smiled and nodded, playing her part flawlessly. But I could see the tension in her shoulders. The way her fingers gripped the armrest of her throne.
She looked exhausted. Hollow. Like she hadn't slept at all.
Good. At least I wasn't the only one suffering.
"She's lovely, isn't she?"
I turned to find Mireille at my elbow, her red lips curved in a cat-like smile. Cassian's former mistress wore green silk today, cut low enough to scandalize the older nobles. She'd been conspicuously absent from last night's feast.
"I suppose," I said carefully.
"So pure. So innocent." Mireille's eyes glittered with malice. "I wonder how long that will last."
Something in her tone made my wolf growl. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing." She waved a jeweled hand. "Just that new brides can be so... overwhelming for their husbands. All that nervous energy and wedding night jitters."
My jaw clenched. "I'm sure Cassian can handle his own wife."
"Of course. Though I did notice she seemed quite flustered during the ceremony yesterday. Kept looking around like she'd lost something." Mireille's gaze slid to mine. "Or someone."
Ice shot through my veins. Had she seen? Had anyone else noticed the way Elara and I looked at each other?
"Wedding nerves," I managed.
"Mmm." Mireille didn't look convinced. "Well, I suppose we'll see how she settles in. New queens can be so... unpredictable."
She drifted away, leaving me with the uncomfortable feeling that I'd just been warned.
At the front of the hall, another noble approached the throne. Lord Blackwood, one of Cassian's strongest supporters, offered an ornate dagger as his gift.
"For Your Majesty's protection," he said, bowing low to Elara.
"Thank you," she replied, her voice steady. "It's beautiful."
But as Blackwood straightened, something strange happened. Elara's eyes found mine across the crowded hall, and her wolf stirred visibly beneath her skin. I felt it through our bond—a flutter of recognition, of longing.
For just a moment, her wolf bowed. Not to Cassian, sitting right beside her. To me.
Several nobles noticed. I saw heads turn, confused murmurs ripple through the crowd.
Cassian noticed too.
His dark eyes sharpened, following the direction of Elara's gaze until they landed on me. Something cold and dangerous flickered across his face.
"My queen," he said, loud enough for the whole hall to hear. His hand covered hers on the armrest. "Are you feeling well? You seem distracted."
Elara jerked her attention back to him, color flooding her cheeks. "I'm fine. Just... still adjusting to all the formality."
"Of course." Cassian's smile was all teeth. "Marriage is a big change. So many new... loyalties to learn."
The way he said 'loyalties' made it sound like a threat.
"Lord Ashford," Cassian called to the next noble in line. "Please, present your gift to my queen."
But as Lord Ashford approached, I saw Elara's hand tremble slightly where Cassian held it. Her wolf was fighting her, trying to turn toward me again.
The mate bond burned between us, invisible but undeniable. Every instinct she had was screaming that I was her true mate, not the man beside her.
And Cassian was starting to realize it.
When the ceremony finally ended, I tried to slip away quietly. But Cassian's voice stopped me at the door.
"Darius. A word."
Every muscle in my body tensed. I turned slowly to find my brother approaching, his face carefully neutral. Elara had been escorted out by her ladies—probably grateful to escape.
"What can I do for you, Your Majesty?"
"Don't." Cassian's voice was sharp. "We're alone now. Drop the formality."
I waited, saying nothing.
"You've been quiet since the wedding," he continued, studying my face. "Distant. Is something wrong?"
Everything. "Just tired. It was a long celebration."
"Mmm." Cassian moved closer, and I fought the urge to step back. "You know, I've been thinking about what you said last month. About finding you a wife."
My blood turned to ice. "What about it?"
"I think it's time. Past time, really. A man your age should be settled. Maybe someone from the eastern provinces. Or one of the northern clans."
"I'm not interested in marriage right now."
"I wasn't asking what you were interested in." Steel crept into his voice. "I'm telling you what's going to happen. You'll marry, and soon. It will be good for you to have your own household. Your own... responsibilities to focus on."
The message was clear. He wanted me away from court. Away from his wife.
"I see." I kept my voice carefully level. "And if I refuse?"
Cassian smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "You won't."
He clapped me on the shoulder—too hard, too possessive—and walked away.
I stood alone in the empty hall, fury and desperation warring in my chest. He knew. Maybe not everything, but enough to be suspicious.
And now he was planning to ship me off like an inconvenient problem.
Like hell he was.
That evening, I couldn't stop myself from watching the royal apartments from my bedroom window. Light glowed behind Cassian's curtains. He was in there with her right now. My mate. Probably expecting his husbandly rights.
The thought made me want to tear the palace down stone by stone.
A soft knock at my door interrupted my brooding. "Come in."
Marcus entered, looking grim. "We need to talk."
"About what?"
"About the fact that half the court is whispering about your behavior today." He poured himself wine from my sideboard without invitation. "About the way you looked at the new queen during the presentation."
Shit. "I don't know what you mean."
"Don't lie to me, Darius. I've known you too long." Marcus took a long drink. "What's going on?"
I could trust Marcus. We'd grown up together, fought together. But this secret could get us all killed.
"Nothing I can talk about."
"That bad, huh?" He studied my face. "Just tell me one thing. Are you planning to do something stupid?"
I thought about Elara, alone with Cassian right now. About the way her wolf had bowed to me instead of her husband. About the mate bond that burned between us like wildfire.
"Probably."
Marcus groaned. "God help us all."
Through the window, Cassian's lights finally went out.