Chapter 267

Charles

A glint of something akin to approval flickered in Astarte's eyes. "We expose him, but first, we shore up your reputation, get you some more allies, public and powerful allies. The whole 'challenger' fiasco needs to be addressed, so you're going to make a statement about the challenge circle and tell the world that Alpha Shadow is dead."

"What?"

I looked at Set and turned the plan over in my mind.

"How do we make them believe that?" Grace asked, my voice barely a whisper.

"Show them the circle," Astarte said. "I'm not going to challenge it, and I'm sure a few words from Charles will cement it. After all, you're his beau. Instant bonus PR, yeah?"

"And then?"

Astarte's lips curved into a steely smile. "Leave that to me. Consider it a down payment on my reparations."

Grace shuddered beside me, but I smiled, seeing Astarte in her element: cunning, conniving.

"Should we call Isolde?"

"Of course!" Astarte said. "The more the merrier, but..."

"But?"

Astarte's smile widened, a hint of something akin to satisfaction flickering in her emerald eyes.

"First things first," she said, her gaze shifting to me. I froze in her gaze. My gut sank. "Charles, you need to end things with Tessa."

The air crackled with tension. It was like a jolt to my whole system. Grace looked at me with confusion. Lucian's eyes widened. Ryon's jaw dropped. Astarte's words hit me like a physical blow. End things with Tessa? Sure, I had been working towards ending our bond, but just like that? Immediately?

"End things with Tessa?" My voice cracked, a terror like I'd never known took over me. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Astarte's expression hardened.

"Because, Charles," she said, her voice laced with a dangerous edge, "Tessa is exactly what you know her to be, and right now she's--"

"She has nothing to do with Sean."

"She's a viper and a liability."

"Who is Tessa?" Grace asked, her voice small and brittle.

Astarte's eyes bulged. "You haven't told her?"

"I have," I said. "Just not a name. I am working on it."

"Working on it?" Astarte shook her head. "She's--"

"Astarte." My jaw clenched tight, his hand twitched. "How can you be sure?"

I finally managed to force out, my voice hoarse with emotion.

Astarte met my gaze unflinchingly. "I'm the leader of Noir, Charles. We know a fuck ton that a lot of people rather we wouldn't. Trust me, this is for the best. If we're going to take down Sean, we need to clean house, and that includes your castle."

The weight of her words settled on me like a lead blanket. I felt cold to the core, dreading it. I stole a glance at Grace, her face was etched with a raw pain that sparked my own.

I scrubbed my face. "Fuck."

The denial brimmed on my lips as Astarte's gaze pinned me in place. I couldn't look at her. I couldn't even look at Grace. I ddn't have the words to make either of them understand.

"She's compromised, Charles," Astarte said, her voice clipped and devoid of emotion. "A pawn."

"So you've said."

"And I've let you have it for long enough. You need a clean break."

The bolt of terror that struck me was unnerving, a cold dread that coiled around my heart.

"But… how can we be sure?" My voice was barely a whisper, a desperate plea for a stay of execution I wasn't prepared for.

Astarte's lips thinned into a tight line. "Have I ever given you bad advice?"

I shook my head.

"This is for the best. The sooner we sever bad ties, the better."

Break the bond.

The message was loud and clear. One I had been more than toying with since I met Grace, but the thought of breaking it, was world's different than preparing to actually do it. The possibilities spiraled through my mind. My chest ached, and my mind was a mess at the thought.

No one in the Blackwoods family had ever broken a mate bond.

"The bond breaking…" I started, my voice hoarse. "It will weaken me, won't it? Especially with the Choosing coming up…"

Astarte cut me off with a dismissive wave of her hand. "It will be a temporary setback. You'll recover. Besides, with Tessa neutralized, the risk is far greater if we leave things as they are."

There was no room for negotiation in her tone. Astarte, it seemed, had already made her decision. And in the face of her unwavering certainty, my own protests felt feeble.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, I forced myself to meet her gaze.

"Can we talk about this privately? There's something I need to understand…"

A flicker of surprise crossed Astarte's face, a momentary lapse in her ironclad control. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a curt nod.

"Very well," she said, her voice devoid of warmth. "Follow me."

With a heavy heart, I cast a final glance at Grace, she didn't look at me. I got up and followed Astarte out of the chamber, the weight of the future pressing down on me like an iron fist.

We followed a winding corridor. Finally, Astarte stopped before a small, ornately carved door. With a wave of her hand, it creaked open, revealing a dimly lit office lined with leather-bound books and illuminated by a single flickering candle.

"Here," she said, her voice devoid of its earlier harshness. "We can speak freely."

I stepped into the office, the door closing softly behind me. The silence was thick. Astarte gestured towards a plush armchair by the fireplace, but I remained standing, my gaze fixed on the flickering flames.

"This is..." I finally managed, the words heavy on my tongue. "Astarte, you have to understand..."

Astarte sighed. "I do. I've always understood. But trust me, this is not about punishment. It's about survival."

She walked over to the window, her back to me, silhouetted against the pale moonlight filtering through the glass.

"The Goddess," she continued, her voice softer now, "understands sacrifice. She understands the choices we make for the greater good. And believe me, Charles, keeping yourself bound to someone who has no loyalty to you is a recipe for disaster."

Her words resonated within me.

Astarte turned back towards me, her eyes filled with a flicker of sadness.

"Are you willing to gamble with the Choosing? The Elders will use her against you to get what they want, to get at Grace. "

There was a raw honesty in her words, a desperate plea for me to see reason. Deep down, I knew she was right. Remaining entangled with Tessa had always been a liability. But the thought of severing the bond not knowing what would happen was hard.

What if I lost my right to be king? My ability to answer challenges?

Silence descended upon us once more, thick and heavy. I searched for words, for some counter-argument, but nothing came. Astarte's logic, harsh as it was, held undeniable truth.

Finally, with a defeated sigh, I sank into the armchair, the plush leather offering little comfort. Astarte watched me, her expression unreadable. She didn't push, didn't gloat. There was a strange sense of empathy in her gaze, a recognition of the pain I was enduring.

"You deserve to be happy, Charles," she said finally, her voice softer now. "The Goddess would not want you to suffer a forced bond, especially one that could endanger your kingdom. Think of it as a chance for a fresh start, a chance to find true happiness."

Her words hung in the air, a bittersweet promise. Happiness. The word felt alien, something I was just starting to remember how to feel since meeting Grace. It had always felt a distant dream buried beneath the burden of responsibility since the coup. The weight of the upcoming Choosing had pushed it down a little further.

But a tiny spark of hope flickered within me.

If I was free of Tessa...

I was free to be with Grace, and that meant that courting band could mean more than intent one day.

With a final, lingering glance at Astarte, I knew I had made my decision. The path forward, though painful, was clear.

Astarte placed a hand on my shoulder, a brief gesture of comfort before turning and heading back towards the chamber. I was left alone in the dimly lit office, the weight of my decision pressing down on me.

Guilt and uncertainty filled me. I got up and went back to the other chamber.

"Grace," I said gently. "Can we talk?"

Grace hesitated, but she stood and came to me. Her gaze met mine, searching for answers, and hesitant.

I struggled for the words as I took her hand and led her to the room I used when I was here. She sat on the bed and looked around. She bit her lip, her gaze flickering with a mix of emotions – betrayal, anger, and a flicker of something akin to fear. The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.

Finally, I braced myself.

"Tessa is her name," I said. "My mate."