Alina's POV

I woke to the wrong kind of silence. Not peaceful. Not safe. It felt like the air itself was holding its breath. My skin prickled before my eyes even opened, and for a heartbeat I did not know where I was.

Then I felt it.

Heat.

Not mine.

A heavy warmth pressed into the sheets beside me, the faint imprint of a body still lingering. A scent that curled around my lungs before I could stop it. Woodsmoke. Pine. Something sharper underneath. Masculine and wild and terrifyingly familiar.

My pulse jumped so suddenly it hurt. The memories hit right after, too fast, too bright, too humiliating to fully look at. My throat tightened and I shoved myself upright, breath stuttering out in uneven bursts.

The room spun. My legs trembled. The blankets tangled around my waist like they were trying to drag me back down.

I pressed a shaking hand to my chest.

What have I done.

What have they done.

Before I could steady my breathing, a deep voice spoke from the shadows.

"You are awake."

Kael.

My body flinched before my mind even processed it. He stepped forward, emerging from the corner of the room like he had been watching the whole time. His hair was slightly mussed, his chest bare, and there was a dark bruise on his collarbone that made my stomach twist painfully because my lips had put it there.

My pulse stumbled.

He did not blink. He did not smile. He just looked at me as though he was waiting to see if I would break again.

I almost did.

I tried to stand but my legs buckled. Kael reached out and caught my arm with one strong hand. The heat of him slid into my skin, too much, too intense, too real.

"Let go," I whispered.

"You are shaking."

"I said let go."

He did not.

The door opened before I could fight him again.

Kaden entered quietly, bare footfalls soft against the floor. His hair was damp, like he had been washing his face. His eyes found mine instantly. A flicker of something softer. Something guilty.

My heart lurched and I hated that it did.

"You should lie back down," he said.

"No," I managed, even though my voice sounded thin and breakable. "I need to leave this room."

Neither brother responded.

They exchanged a look. A silent one. One I did not understand but felt anyway in the sharp drop of my stomach.

I pulled my arm away from Kael with more force than I meant to, stumbling a little as the blanket slid to the floor. My bare legs hit the chilled air and goosebumps rose all over my skin.

I reached for the robe hanging on the chair near the window, but Kaden got there first. He picked it up and draped it around my shoulders without saying anything. His fingers brushed the back of my neck. A jolt shot down my spine.

I stepped away too quickly.

He flinched almost imperceptibly.

Kael noticed.

Before anyone could say something that would make this moment worse, footsteps echoed down the hall. Slow. Purposeful. Feminine.

Kael's head snapped toward the sound.

Kaden stiffened.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

Then the door opened and she stepped inside.

A stranger. Beautiful. Poised. Dressed in deep red silk that clung to her waist and shimmered every time she moved. Her golden hair fell in soft waves to her shoulder blades. Her eyes were blue and bright and widened the moment they landed on the bed.

Or rather

the state of it

the rumpled sheets

me in a robe

the twins half dressed.

For a heartbeat she just stared.

Her mouth parted the slightest bit.

I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

Kaden inhaled sharply.

Kael's jaw tightened.

The woman recovered quickly, smoothing her expression into something pleasant. Too pleasant.

"Oh," she said softly. "I am sorry. I did not expect to find you occupied."

Her voice was delicate but not weak. A practiced tone. One used in rooms where she needed to impress. One that had been trained.

Kael stepped forward. "You are early."

She smiled, a soft curve of her lips that almost looked innocent. "The Council asked me to arrive before midday. I was told today is the contract signing."

My stomach dipped.

Contract.

Luna contract.

Her.

She turned to me last, eyes scanning from my robe to my shaking hands and back again. Confusion flickered through her, then something else. Something she hid quickly behind a polite smile.

"I do not believe we have met," she said. "I am Cassandra."

The name felt like ice water sliding down my spine.

Too graceful.

Too bright.

Too calm.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

Cassandra looked between us again, as if piecing something together.

"Oh," she said again, softer now. "This must be the breeder girl."

My throat closed.

Kaden stepped in front of me before I could collapse.

"That was not necessary," he said tightly.

Cassandra lifted her brows as if surprised he defended me. Her gaze lingered on him longer than it should have. Her lips parted a little. Her breath hitched. She looked away too quickly.

Something inside her shifted.

She saw him.

Really saw him.

And she did not know what to do with it.

Kael moved to her side. "You were told your role. You will accept the Council's requirements and nothing more."

Cassandra nodded slowly, eyes drifting back to me, then to Kaden again. And this time something new simmered under her expression. Curiosity. Insecurity. Something she did not understand yet.

"I see," she murmured. "So that is why you have been avoiding the idea of choosing a queen."

Kael stiffened. "Do not assume anything."

Cassandra gave a tiny, shaky laugh as if she suddenly felt foolish. "Of course. I am only here to fulfill the contract."

Her eyes slid to the bed again.

The sheets.

The scent.

Me.

Her expression flickered.

Very small.

Very quick.

But not invisible.

Jealousy.

Or the beginning of it.

Something tight and bitter squeezed through her chest before she pushed it down.

She clasped her hands politely and bowed. "I should give you privacy. We will speak when you are ready."

She turned toward the door, but as she passed me, she paused. Just a fraction of a second. Her perfume curled around me like warm sugar.

"You look tired," she said gently. "The breeders are usually kept in separate quarters. I am sure they will move you soon."

Her smile didn't reach her eyes.

Then she left the room.

The door clicked shut behind her.

And the silence she left behind felt choking.

Kael exhaled slowly. "This is a problem."

Kaden rubbed his jaw with one hand. "A very big one."

I swallowed hard. "Who is she."

Kael's answer was quiet. "Our contract Luna."

My stomach twisted violently.

Kaden looked at the door as if her shadow were still there. "She is not supposed to care about anything beyond the contract terms."

But something in his face said he already knew.

She would.

Kael turned to me. "We will move you. She cannot see you again in here."

My legs trembled. My pulse raced. Something sharp clawed at my ribs.

"What if she suspects something," I whispered.

Kaden stared at the door with a troubled frown. "She already does."

Kael's expression darkened. "She will not act on it. Not yet."

I pressed a hand to my throat because suddenly breathing felt impossible.

"Not yet," I repeated. "What happens when she does."

Neither of them answered.

And that silence told me everything.

Because somewhere down that hallway

Cassandra stopped walking

leaned against the wall

pressed a hand to her racing heart

and whispered to herself in a trembling voice:

Why did it hurt to see him look at her.

That was her beginning.

And the start of my next disaster.

Alina's POV

Someone was watching me.

I felt it before I saw anything, a prickle at the base of my neck that wouldn't go away. The kind of attention that pressed into your skin even when you tried pretending you didn't notice. I tugged the robe tighter around my chest, swallowing against the knot in my throat as I stepped into the hallway.

Kaden walked on my left.

Kael on my right.

And no matter how much I tried, I could not relax. Every step felt like walking through a world I did not belong in. Too clean. Too bright. Too full of people who wanted me gone.

The twins moved with purpose, their shoulders squared, their steps silent. My heart hammered like it was trying to escape my ribs. My mind kept flashing back to the bed sheets. To Cassandra's face when she saw them. To the way she looked at Kaden. The flicker. The hurt.

Was it my fault.

No.

Yes.

Maybe.

I pressed my fingers to my forehead. My thoughts felt like a broken jar, sharp edges everywhere.

A door down the hall opened softly.

Cassandra stepped out.

She wore a pale blue gown now, soft and flowing, the kind meant for someone important. The fabric glowed under the morning light and made her look ethereal, almost unreal. Her blonde curls were pinned back with silver clips that shimmered as she moved.

Her eyes found the twins first.

Then me.

Her polite smile flickered but held.

"Good morning," she said. The words sounded sweet enough, but something about the way her voice dropped at the end made the hairs on my arms rise. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and approached us slowly. "I did not know you three would be walking together."

Kael's jaw tightened. "We were relocating her."

Cassandra nodded, lips curving gently. "Of course. She should be made comfortable."

Comfortable.

My chest tightened at the way the word hung between us, heavy with everything she was pretending not to say.

Kaden inclined his head stiffly. "We will meet you in the council chamber soon. The elders want the contract reviewed before noon."

Cassandra's smile brightened, but it trembled almost imperceptibly. Her eyes flicked to him again, lingering too long. She wet her lips. Looked away. Looked back.

Something in her chest deflated and puffed back up like she didn't know what to do with the air she was breathing.

She finally tore her gaze from him and turned her attention to me.

"You must be sore," she said softly. "The first night in the palace is always overwhelming."

My breath caught. A flush climbed my neck. She knew what she was doing. The softness in her voice was too gentle, too sweet, too calculated.

"It was not my choice," I whispered.

Cassandra studied me for a heartbeat too long. "Nothing here is."

Kael stepped half a step forward. "Cassandra."

She blinked, startled as if she had been pulled out of a daydream she did not want to admit she was having.

"Forgive me," she murmured, bowing her head slightly. "I did not mean to overstep."

But she had.

And she knew it.

She smoothed her dress and took a small breath, steadying herself.

"I look forward to the contract signing," she said, voice lighter than before. "And to working together for the empire's stability."

Her eyes skimmed over Kaden again without meaning to. Or maybe she meant to. I could not tell. But the look burned something uncomfortable inside me.

"Until then."

She walked past us, her perfume trailing behind her like a soft, sparkling mist. It smelled like lilies. And honey. And something much sharper underneath.

As soon as she disappeared around the corner, Kael exhaled, long and slow, like someone holding in frustration too tightly.

Kaden rubbed the back of his neck. "This is already spiraling."

They guided me into a small guest chamber on the left. The room was nicer than anywhere I had ever slept before, but it felt less like comfort and more like a cage with expensive curtains.

Kael shut the door behind us.

Kaden started pacing.

"She saw everything," he muttered. "She is not stupid."

Kael leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. "She cannot expose anything without evidence."

"She will look for evidence," Kaden snapped. "You saw her eyes."

I swallowed. They were talking like she was a threat. Like she was dangerous. But something about Cassandra's face when she looked at Kaden made my chest tighten in an entirely different way.

"She likes him," I said before thinking.

Both twins froze.

Kaden stopped pacing. "What."

"She likes you," I repeated, softer this time, feeling heat climb my face. "I saw it. The way she looked at you."

Kaden's brows pulled together. Not in pride. In disbelief. Maybe even confusion.

Kael's eyes sharpened slightly. "She cannot afford to. This is a contract, nothing else."

But something tightened in his jaw, like the idea bothered him too, but for a different reason.

I looked at the floor. The silence in the room felt uncomfortable, like walking barefoot over sharp stones.

Kaden finally spoke. "We have no interest in her."

Kael nodded once. "This is an arrangement only."

My chest should have relaxed. It didn't.

"She does not know that," I whispered.

And that was the truth. Cassandra walked into this palace expecting a role. A status. A future. And now she had to stand in front of two kings who never looked at her the way she wanted. Standing in a bedroom that smelled like me. Wearing a contract she had not even signed yet.

A woman like her would not break all at once. She would crack slowly. Quietly. Beautifully.

Then she would shatter.

Kaden stopped pacing and looked at me carefully.

"We will make sure she does not harm you."

The vow felt heavy.

Too heavy.

Kael opened the door, ready to escort them both out, when another soft knock landed at the frame.

A palace maid stepped inside, bowing her head. Her eyes darted to me for a fraction of a second before settling on the kings.

"Your Majesties," she said quietly. "Cassandra sent a message. She requests a private audience before the contract signing."

Kael's eyes narrowed. "What for."

The maid hesitated. "She did not say, sire."

Kaden's shoulders tensed. He glanced at Kael.

"She is already unraveling," he murmured.

Kael moved toward the door. "Then we will speak with her."

He stepped into the hall.

Kaden followed.

I remained frozen in the middle of the room, robe clutched tight around my body, heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my teeth.

Before Kaden left, he turned back one last time. His voice softened to something dangerously gentle.

"We will return. Do not open the door for anyone."

I nodded.

They were gone.

And then the silence felt too loud.

Too tight.

Too full of thoughts that weren't mine.

I walked toward the window, trying to breathe, trying to feel something steady under my feet. But the room felt wrong. The air felt heavy.

My chest squeezed and I pressed both palms to the windowpane, the cold glass cooling my feverish skin.

That was when I heard it.

Soft.

Distant.

A quiet, muffled sound through the wall between my chamber and the hallway.

A voice I recognized.

Cassandra.

And her words slid under the door like a thin blade.

"I will not be ignored. They will choose me. One way or another."

My heart dropped into my stomach.

Then another voice answered her.

Not the twins.

Not a maid.

A man.

Smug.

Cold.

Ally.

"We can make that happen. But you must be willing."

My breath caught.

Cassandra replied, voice trembling with something dark.

"I am."

The hallway went silent.

And I felt it.

The first spark of betrayal gathering like a storm.