Page 210 of Moonlit Fate

“Too late.” I gave him a small grin. “I’m in this with you, all the way.”

A tear slid down Atticus’s cheek, and he brushed it away with the back of his hand. “You’ve fixed something for me. Something I didn’t even realize was broken.”

“What do you mean?” I watched him closely, the lines of pain still creasing his face, but now there was something else. A vulnerability I hadn’t seen before.

“Inside. You’re healing parts of me.” His ice-blue eyes locked onto mine, filled with an intensity that made my heart race. “I love you so much.” He paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.

“Atticus? What’s wrong?” My voice trembled, fear creeping into the edges of my mind.

He looked away for a beat, then met my eyes again. “My father has decided. Tomorrow, he wants me to mate with Valora.”

“Tomorrow?” The word echoed in the small cabin like a death knell. “Why? How can he?—”

“I’m sorry,” he interrupted, tears welling up again. “I’ve run out of time. I thought we had more...”

“Atticus, no.” I reached out, cupping his face with my hands, willing him to look at me. “We’ll find another way; we always do.”

“There isn’t another way.” His voice cracked, and he shuddered under my touch. “If mating with Valora will keep you safe from him, then... I have to do it.”

“Safe? What about us? What about what we have?”

“Nothing changes how I feel about you.” His hands covered mine on his face. “I will only ever want you, but I need to protect you, even if it means...”

“Even if it means breaking both our hearts.” The words spilled out, bitter and sharp.

“Please understand, I’m doing this for you,” he pleaded, his blue eyes searching mine for forgiveness, for some sign of acceptance.

“Atticus, don’t.” I pulled my hands back, feeling a hollow emptiness crack open inside me. “I love you, but I can’t... This is too much.”

“Shh,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry. For everything.”

“Sorry doesn’t change anything.” My heart was hollow, my thoughts spiraling. His warm embrace couldn’t chase away the cold realization settling over me. My love wasn’t enough to save him—to save us.

I struggled to swallow down the panic rising in my throat. “Atticus,” I started, but the words lodged in my throat, useless.

Before I could figure out what to say next, Seren spoke. She stood by the door, her eyes troubled, clutching a book to her chest as if it were a lifeline.

“I don’t want to make things worse,” she began hesitantly, “but I’ve been digging into some old texts looking for information on Caius’s magic.” She paused, biting her lip, then rushed on, “The ties he uses... they’re not like anything I’ve seen before. They’re unbreakable, tied to life itself.”

My heart stuttered, hope and worry warring within me. “What are you saying?”

She looked to Atticus, then back to me, filled with regret. “The only way to remove them is... through death.”

“Death?” The word fell from my lips, cold and final. The room seemed to tilt, reality warping at the edges.

“Whose death?” Atticus said in a low growl, his muscles tensing as he pushed himself to sit up.

Seren’s mouth opened, then closed, no sound escaping. Her silence spoke volumes.

“Damn it, Seren. Whose death?” Atticus pushed again, more forceful this time.

“Either the caster or the one bound,” she whispered.

No one moved. No one breathed. The truth of her words settled over us.

“Thank you,” I managed to say, though I sounded distant, detached from the deluge of sensations inside me.

She nodded, her eyes not meeting mine, and slipped out of the room, leaving us to grapple with the impossible choice laid bare before us.

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