warned. “He’s too close to getting what he wants.”
I nodded. “I know!”
“What does he even want?” Matthew asked.
I exhaled. “He wants to use all of us and the power of celestine
blossom to start a war against the witches. He wants revenge
for what happened to his mother.”
Matthew’s expression darkened. “That’s reckless. If he pushes
for war, it won’t just be against the witches. Everyone will be
dragged in. Innocent people will die.”
“I know,” I admitted. “That’s why we have to stop him before it’s
too late!“‘
“Does Xavier even know that he might be my brother?” I asked,
my voice barely above a whisper.
Matthew shrugged. “I have no idea. I didn’t ask. It was hard
enough getting this much information without drawing
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attention.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I don’t care if he’s my brother.
I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my people. No hesitation.”
Then I looked back at Matthew, “You did well gathering all this.
Just don’t put yourself at unnecessary risk.“”
I wanted to know the truth. But not at the cost of his life.
He smirked. “I’ll be careful.”
I exhaled. “Good. Because we have a war to prevent, and I need
you alive for that.”
Asher’s POV
This day just refuses to end. The moment Matthew left, Grace
appeared as if summoned by the universe to test my patience.
“Was somebody here before me?” she asked, her nose
scrunching as she sniffed around the room. Her eyes flicked
toward me with suspicion.
I crossed my arms and leaned back slightly. “Matthew,” I
answered, keeping my expression neutral. “I think he’s up to
something.”
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That wasn’t a complete lie, but I knew Grace was sharp. Hiding
the fact that Matthew had been here wouldn’t work on her. She
had an eye for detail, but I could still manipulate the truth
enough to keep her from digging too deep.
She tilted her head, her brows,knitting together. “I think he
might be betraying us. No, scratch that. I’m almost certain he is.”
That was actually good news. If she suspected him, then it
meant they weren’t suspecting us. Our plan was actually
working.
“Did you come here just to gossip, or was there something you
needed to tell me?” I asked, exhaling. I had more pressing
matters to deal with, like talking things through with Violet
after what an ass I had been.
Grace folded her arms across her chest and leveled me with a
look that told me she had no intention of letting this go. “I have
a question, and I need you to answer me honestly!”
I huffed out a dry laugh. “Since when do you care about
honesty?”
“Since now,” she shot back without hesitation. “So, answer me.”
I sighed, rubbing a hand down my face. “Look, Grace, even if I
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tell you I’m busy, I know you’ll ignore it and ask me anyway. So go ahead. Let’s get this over with.”
She hesitated, her fingers twitching slightly before she finally
asked, “Would you leave your mate for someone else?”
I blinked. “What?”
“Would you?” she pressed.
I stared at her like she had lost her damn mind. Why on earth
would she ask me this. What’s she up to?
“Have you lost your mind?” Grace had always been impulsive,
but this was insane even for her.
“Don’t answer me with another question, just answer it,” she
snapped.
I exhaled sharply, trying to keep my frustration in check.
“Grace, when it comes to the mate bond, it’s not something you just break after you’ve already mated. And when it comes to
Violet… I will never leave her. Not even if there was another
bond. So don’t even thinking about breaking us apart.”
She looked away for a moment before nodding. “I’m not talking about you in particular, just asking in general.”
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I narrowed my eyes, but there was no point pushing her when she clearly wouldn’t give me a straight answer.
“Look,” I said, my tone softer, “I wish we could talk about this at a better time, but I don’t have the patience for this conversation right now. What I will say is this–don’t reject your mate. No matter what happens. Because once you do, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
She let out a breath, her expression unreadable. “Don’t worry about me. I get it,” she muttered, though I wasn’t sure if she really did.
Before I could say anything else, Jayden came striding in.
“I’m glad you’re still here,” he said, giving Grace a pointed look. She took that as her cue to leave.
“Michael isn’t any help. They kept everything from him and just used him for his blood,” he said, shaking his head.
