My tail does another happy swish, knocking into the desk chair.
I should probably stop grinning like an idiot. Any minute now, someone’s going to knock on this door and wonder why I’ve lost my mind.
Worth it.
I pick up the comm device, weighing it in my palm. The screen lights up at my touch, displaying my father’s contact information right at the top of my list. Where it’s sat for days, waiting. Accusing.
Because I missed the meeting with Rist. It had been scheduled for last night… and in the heat of the moment, I chose to pursue other matters. I chose to be with Selene instead.
And it was worth it, in every way imaginable. She was worth every sacrifice. “Record the message. Tell him you’re giving up the mission,” I tell myself, voice rough.
My thumb hovers over the record button.
A video message is better than a live call. That way I don’t have to hear his immediate reaction—the disappointment, the anger, whatever cutting words he’ll have about his useless son throwing away the family’s last chance. I can record it as many times as I need to get the words right, delete the attempts where my voice shakes or where I sound too defensive or not confident enough.
I can just... say what I need to say and send it before I lose my nerve.
This is insane. I’m about to throw away everything. I’m about to tell my father, the decorated general who’s never failed at anything in his life, that his son has chosen to abandon his duty. My father will disown me.
All because of a female I met three days ago.
And I don’t care.
The realization settles over me like sunlight—warm and certain and terrifying.
I don’t care about the mission anymore. Had I ever cared about it? No one ever stopped to ask my opinion on what we should do; they just gave me orders and commands. And I followed.
Because Selene makes me feel like maybe—just maybe—I’m enough exactly as I am. She makes me feel like I can stand up for myself and tell them no.
I tap the record button before I can talk myself out of it.
The device hums softly, the screen showing my own face staring back at me. I open my mouth to start?—
The door to my room slams open.
I jump, nearly dropping the comm device. The recording screen is still active, the timer counting up?—
Selene stands in the doorway.
But not the Selene from last night. Not the one who smiled up at me with gold-flecked eyes and made me feel like I could be something more.
This Selene has her arms crossed tight across her chest. Her eyes are red-rimmed. Her whole body radiates fury and hurt in equal measure.
“Selene?” My voice comes out wrong—too surprised, too uncertain. The comm device is still recording in my hand. I fumble to stop it, nearly dropping the device. “What’s?—“
“Don’t.” The word cuts through the air like a blade. “Just... don’t.”
My tail goes still. Something cold settles in my stomach.
“I need you to be honest with me.” Her voice shakes slightly. She’s holding herself together through sheer force of will. “Right now. No games, no excuses. Just the truth.”
“Of course. Always.” The words come automatically. “Selene, what’s wrong?”
She laughs—short, bitter, nothing like her usual warmth. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”
She steps fully into the room, and I can see her hands are trembling. “Sutek just asked me where you were. Said he needed to discuss the alliance with Prince Rist.”
Oh.
