Page 110 of Wrath of a King

“What can I do?” I asked, wondering if she could scent my desperation to make things right. “Tell me what to do, Cryssa.”

She was silent, her back ramrod straight as she gazed at a fixed point in the distance. The glow of the twin moons shimmered in her dark eyes, and I thought foolishly that she had never looked more beautiful than she did in that moment.

But she deserved more. So much more than to be a mere crystal in my collection—a decorative piece that was envied by everyone behind a glass case.

“I don’t care if you fuck her.” The words were uttered quietly through gritted teeth, and I tried not to recoil from the venom in her words.

“I don’t care,” she repeated. “But you will not embarrass me in court. Our wedding will proceed as planned.”

“But I—”

Cryssa shook her head curtly. “You asked what you can do—thisis what I need from you, Olympia. Your silence. Your loyalty. Even if it is in name alone.”

I swallowed the ball of fear that lodged painfully in my throat.

“Could you truly live like that?” I queried, watching a lock of her hair slide over her shoulder to frame her face. “What about love? What about passion? I-I can’t give that to you, Cryssa. I’ve tried.”

Her fingers gripped the windowsill. “I know you’ve tried. Trust me—I saw how hard you tried to make me happy. That’s what’s important, isn’t it?Trying.”

She turned with a flutter of skirts, and moonlight spilled across her back. “You have a good heart, sweet Alpha. You treat me well, and you allow me the freedom to do as I wish. Perhaps it’s my age, but I do not welcome change. I picked you, just as you picked me. We had our reasons for wanting this life. I think we could be happy.”

Happy?

The word descended over me like the devil’s own quilt, encasing my frame in its thorny folds. A shivering tension pressed on my chest, smothering me with its weight. My limbs stiffened under the echoing assault of a single word, and I wondered when I had last felt true happiness.

Not for years.Decades.

Happiness was extraordinarily elusive. A shadow I tried to grasp between my fingers, only for it to elude me each time.

Contentment seemed like an alternative I could strive for. Would Cryssa settle forcontent? Could she live with someone that would never be the Alpha she wanted?

“Cryssa, you need to understand,” I beseeched. “I can’t love you, not in the way an Alpha loves their omega.”

The words scraped across my throat like barbed wire. “Not the way you deserve to be loved.”

She looked away, hugging herself as though seeking comfort in her own arms.

“I’ve made peace with it,” she admitted quietly, and I noticed the subtle shift in her scent.

“Why?” I faltered, bewildered by her decision. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. How could you want this life? It would be empty, filled with lies rather than love.”

My breath caught in my chest as she padded forward, stopping mere inches from me. Her fingers grazed my cheek, tracing the slant of my cheekbones, and I struggled not to pull away.

“It won’t be empty,” she whispered, her breath warm against my lips. “Because you are a prize, sweet Alpha. You aremyprize.”

The pad of her thumb traced my bottom lip. “That will not change, no matter who you choose to fuck.”

Her heels were quiet on the carpet as she turned to leave, the imprint of her fingers lingering on my skin.

As her footsteps faded, I fell heavily in the armchair, cradling my head in my palms. Every fiber of my being protested that this was not right. To enter into a union—afalseunion—while pledging our loyalty and love to the Goddess was blasphemy.

But Cryssa had never asked me for anything. Not once. Not ever. This was her only request—to help her save face in the eyes of the court. If I ended our engagement, the title ofrejectwould precede her. The tabloids would rip her apart with speculation.

I dragged my bandaged palms over my cheeks, feeling the day’s exhaustion creep into my blood. My limbs were tired and bruised, and so was my mind.

It was devastating to admit that Cryssa was right.Changewas not my friend. The people of Vetri praised me for my level-headedness and stability for one so young.

Unlike the unpredictable Highblade King, they always whispered.

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