CHAPTER 381: EAVESDROPPING

Vincent/Vaelthor~

The garden was quiet. Too quiet.

Morning sunlight spilled through the thick canopy of the ancient oak tree, slicing through the mist that still lingered like a ghost over the dewy grass. The roses by the fountain trembled gently in the breeze, the world drenched in that unsettling stillness that comes after a storm. Except the storm wasn’t weather. It was my sister.

Sylthara.

I clenched my jaw, still tasting the bitterness of our argument—her furious voice echoing in my skull like shards of glass grinding against each other. She had looked at me like I was a monster. Like the blood in my veins was something foul. As if she didn’t share it.

"No!" she’d spat at me. "Don’t you dare, Vaelthor! Don’t do anything stupid. You think rejecting them will set us free? It’ll destroy us—rip us apart from the inside, just like the vengeance you’re chasing!"

But they were our enemies. Even if they didn’t wear the crown, they carried the blood of the ones who murdered our mother.

I stared at the place where she’d stormed off moments ago, disappearing into the maze of the royal gardens, probably to hide from me like she used to when we were kids hiding from demons who wanted us dead. I should’ve gone after her. Should’ve tried to fix it.

But my anger kept me anchored to the spot, rooted like the oak itself.

I leaned against the trunk, my fingers curling into the rough bark. My heart thudded a violent rhythm against my ribs. I wasn’t angry at her—not really. I was angry at how much she believed in them. In Nicholas. In their precious mate bond. As if love could scrub away blood and history.

As if they hadn’t taken everything from us.

A blackbird chirped above, the sound jarringly bright against the storm in my head. I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay still. The garden smelled like crushed mint and morning rain, soft and pure. But all I felt was chaos.

And then—like the world itself had shifted—I felt it.

The sharp, burning hum of Katrina’s aura slammed into my senses before I even saw her. Her celestial energy was always blinding, too bright for someone like me, like looking directly into the sun. But now it was wild. Untamed. Furious.

She crashed into the garden like a wildfire tearing through a forest, the golden glow of her magic flaring faintly beneath her skin. Her reddish-blonde hair whipped behind her, and her blue eyes were hard as ice.

Nicholas stumbled after her, his dark hair disheveled, his voice breathless and tight. "Kat—wait—dammit, Kat!"

I froze. Instinct snapped through me like a whip. I couldn’t let her see me. Not like this.

With practiced ease, I melted into the shadows beneath the oak. My scent folded into nothingness, my form vanishing into a veil of darkness. A skill my mother had given me—a gift of shadows. I’d used it a thousand times before, but never to hide from the girl who was my mate.

She had no idea I was here.

"Kat—" Nicholas caught up to her, grabbing her arm gently. She spun on him, fury flashing in every movement.

"Don’t," she hissed. "Don’t you dare tell me to calm down, Nick."

Her voice... I’d never heard it like that before. Usually it was fire and laughter, or stubbornness wrapped in warmth. But now? Now it was edged in steel.

Nicholas lifted both hands, placating. "I’m not saying calm down. I’m saying think. Alexander didn’t mean it like that—"

"Oh, don’t give me that." She cut him off, throwing her hands in the air. "He accused Vincent and Winter of being dangerous, Nick. Dangerous. Like they’re... enemies or something."

Enemies.

The word slid like a blade under my ribs.

Nicholas sighed, running a hand through his hair. "He didn’t accuse them. He said he doesn’t trust them fully yet. There’s a difference."

She stepped closer to him, and the air practically crackled around her. "It’s the same thing to me. And you know it. You know Alex—when he starts ’not trusting’ people, bad things happen. I’ve seen how he gets when he’s in war mode. They don’t deserve that."

For a moment, Nicholas didn’t respond. His jaw worked silently as he searched her face. Then he said, softer, "Kat... you love him. I get it. But love doesn’t erase the need to be cautious. You’re a princess. He’s... well..."

"A wolfless werewolf?" she snapped.

Nicholas flinched. I didn’t miss it. Neither did she.

Her eyes glistened, though she fought the tears with the kind of stubbornness only she could pull off. "You’re supposed to be my best friend."

"I am your best friend," Nicholas said, his voice breaking just a little. "Which is why I’m saying this. I trust Winter, but that doesn’t mean I won’t keep my eyes open. If something feels off, I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t."

Winter.

His mate. My little sister. And he was already doubting her.

Katrina shook her head fiercely, her hair catching the sunlight. "No. No, I won’t live like that. I won’t love like that. If I say I trust Vincent, then I trust him. Fully. I know who he is. I feel it. He would never hurt me."

A bitter laugh almost escaped me right then. Would never hurt her?

If only she knew how many ways I’d already planned to.

She turned away from Nicholas and stalked toward the fountain, her fists clenched. Nicholas followed at a slower pace, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black jacket, his brows furrowed deeply.

"You’re being reckless," he muttered.

"And you’re being paranoid."

"I’m being realistic, Kat."

"I’d rather be reckless with someone I love than live in fear of him," she fired back, spinning around. "Do you even hear yourself? Vincent’s not some stranger. He’s my mate. The bond is real, Nick. It’s sacred. If I can’t believe in that—then what the hell is the point?"

Nicholas stared at her for a long time, something complicated swirling behind his eyes. "The point is to survive."

To be continued...