Page 101 of Reign of Betrayal

When I reach my room, I grab the door handle noticing the ink etched in my skin: 7296. I really am just property for others to control, use as they want, and discard. Sighing, I enter the room where Sasha is already packing my things for the trip to Armadon.

Watching Reign take the news fractures my icy heart just a bit. She won’t even look at me. Her feet falter slightly as she walks out of the throne room, and all I want to do is to run to her and explain that I will figure something out. This was the plan all along, but I fell for her. Damn it. I hate when James is right. I should have listened.

“Lukene, you are to go and offer her hand in marriage as your distant cousin,” Vanna says. “You need to ensure she seduces him.” She smiles, aware of something going on with Reign and I, and she knows the effects this will have on me.

“We need answers, Lukene. The curse spreads faster than we can manage. You know that more than anyone.” My father stands and descends the dais to stand right before me. “Now more than ever, I need you to prove your loyalties. Is it with your kingdom?” he asks, placing his hand on my shoulder.

“My first priority has always been my duty to my kingdom, Father,” I respond, maintaining a stoic expression, keeping my mask in place so he doesn’t see the storm raging beneath.

“That’s my boy. Make me proud,” he says with a slight smile.That’s my boy. His words sink into my stomach. Do I put my kingdom first or my own desires? Gods and goddesses, I’m so fucked. “Dismissed. Get packed and head there at once.” I have always tried to win my father’s approval. I’ve always sought it. I’ve always prioritized my kingdom, but for once, I don’t think I want to.

Leaving the throne room, I head to Reign. My heart lodges in my throat; each step closer adds weight to my stomach. When I reach her room, I enter without knocking. She and Sasha are packing a bag. “Sasha, please leave us.”

Sasha bows and exits the room. Reign still doesn’t look up at me. I walk over and reach out to grab her hand, hoping to stop her from packing so we can talk.

“Don’t!” Her voice is sullen. She snaps her eyes to mine, glistening in the light. “Don’t you dare touch me right now,Prince Lukene.” Ouch. Her words hit their mark, causing an ache in my heart.

“Let me explain…” I plead.

She throws a piece of clothing into her bag. “You knew… You knew this entire time, yet you still pursued me. Was this all a game to you?” Her eyes are glassy, and I hate myself a little more. She reaches behind her neck, unclasping the necklace. Holding it out to me, she says, “I can’t accept this. I won’t.”

“Reign—” I warn.

“It obviously means nothing. You knew I was to be given away… For the second time in my life, I will be married off.” She wipes a tear trailing down her face while keeping her hand extended to me. I didn’t know she was married off the first time.

I sigh, reaching for the necklace and taking it. “This was my mother’s. It’s the last thing of hers I have. I haven’t taken it off since she died.” I rotate the black stone in my hand, examining it before snapping my eyes back to hers. Taking another step closer until I’m right in front of her, I say, “So don’t tell me it meant nothing to give it to you…” I huff as emotions I’ve never allowed myself to feel rise up. I gulp them down and continue. “Because it means everything to me to see my most prized possession on your neck.”

Her chest rises and falls rapidly, struggling under the weight of my words. “Even if you marry him, you will always be mine, Reign. Always… Now put the necklace back on,” I demand, but it’s almost a plea.

More tears fall from her face, her eyes bloodshot. “I can’t accept it. I won’t. I was never yours to have, Luke.” Her voice breaks. “And you were never mine to possess. I’m a Drifter, a prisoner from the Hollows.” She sniffs. “You’re betrothed, and you’re bringing me to a man you want me to marry. It was never meant to?—”

I cut her off. “I don’t want you to marry him.”

“So, I should attempt to kill him? And what, Luke… die in the process?” She wipes the tears from her cheeks. “I’m the kingdom’s champion… I will do my job to the best of my ability. If I can get him to marry me, then I will. Maybe I’ll even get to keep my last name like I did with my first husband. You need to think about your own marriage now.” She sniffs one final time. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish packing, and I’m sure you need to pack as well.” She turns away from me and continues to pack.

“Reign…” I try to say, but it comes out like a strangled huff.

“Please leave. There’s nothing more to say. Please…” Her eyes brim with tears again, threatening to spill.

I nod, turning around and leaving her to her thoughts while shutting the door behind me. I stand outside her room, jittery panic coursing through me. Why does this feel so final, so permanent? She’s so adamant in her words. I feel like my world has been tipped upside down. I’m losing her… The feeling of finality is fracturing.

Shadows pour out of me in the hallway as I try to catch my breath. They envelop me in their dark embrace like they always have. I am suffocating in the shadows I once found solace in—their darkness too great, too blinding. This feels irreparable. Everything has become so messed up since she came into my life. She thawed this icy black heart, and for once, I feel.

Once, there was only black and muted colors; now I crave hues of lavender, bright eyes, and the sweet smells of vanilla and berries. She has changed me.

A strong hand on my shoulder pulls me from my thoughts, and my shadows dissipate as I suck in lungfuls of air.

“It’s going to be okay, Luke… It’s going to be okay,” James says with conviction. “Head to your room and pack.” He nods toward my door. For the first time, words elude me. Without another word, I walk to my room, stepping away from Reign, away from the first and last chance of happiness I’ve had, away from the first and last person I could ever possibly love.

Standing by the carriage,I wait for Reign. With my mother’s necklace returned to my neck, I twirl the stone in my hand, wishing she were here to guide me through this horrible situation I have gotten myself in.

“You need to fix this, and fast, Luke,” Lilyana snaps as she approaches. “I know you don’t want to lose her, but I don’t want to lose her either.”

“It’s done, Lilyana. There’s nothing I can do.”

“That’s cow shit, and you know it! Marry her—” Anger and fear of losing her friend redden Lilyana’s face.

“Do you think Father or Vanna would ever allow that?”

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