Chapter 7 - A Trap in the Moonlight
The night before the Royal Blood Moon Ceremony, a cold fog rolled over Castle Veyrath, blanketing the courtyard in ghost-like mist.
Kora sat by the window in the Sunstone Suite, staring out at the silver moon hanging high in the sky. Tomorrow night, during the ancient ceremony, Lucian had asked her to stand beside him as his official Mate. It was a choice that would change her life forever, lifting her from a nameless village girl to the Queen of Veyrath.
She touched her chest, feeling her heart flutter. She knew she loved Lucian. He had shown her respect, protection, and a fierce devotion that Dorian had never been capable of. Yet, a small voice of insecurity still lingered in her mind—a quiet fear that she was entering a world too dangerous for her.
A soft scratching sound at her balcony door broke her train of thought.
Kora turned sharply, her hands instantly going cold. She walked cautiously toward the glass doors and pulled back the sheer velvet curtains.
Standing on the foggy balcony, wrapped in a dark cloak, was Dorian.
Kora’s eyes narrowed in instant anger. She slid the heavy glass door open just an inch. “Are you out of your mind? If Lucian’s guards catch you here, they will execute you!”
“Kora, please!” Dorian whispered desperately, his hands raised in surrender. His face looked pale and exhausted in the moonlight. “Please, just give me two minutes. I know I was a coward. I know I broke your heart!”
“Leave, Dorian,” Kora said sternly, attempting to shut the door.
“I came to warn you!” Dorian cried out softly, pressing his palm against the glass. “Please, Kora! Saraphene and my father… they know what you are to the King! They are planning something terrible for tomorrow’s ceremony! I couldn't live with myself if I let them hurt you!”
Kora paused, her hand freezing on the brass latch. She looked into Dorian’s eyes, searching for the deceit. He looked terrified, his breath coming in hurried puffs in the cold air.
Against her better judgment, Kora opened the balcony door wider. “What are you talking about?”
Dorian stepped inside the warm room, pulling his hood down. He took a deep, trembling breath. “My father has arranged for a dark curse to be laid upon the ceremonial altar tomorrow. They want to make it look like your spirit is corrupt, so the High Council will execute you for witchcraft.”
Kora felt a cold spike of fear run down her spine. “Why are you telling me this now, after everything you did?”
Dorian looked down at his boots, his voice sounding filled with deep regret. “Because when I saw you standing beside the King, I realized what an absolute fool I was. I traded real love for political power, and I regret it every second of my life.” He pulled a small, delicate silver flask from his pocket and offered it to her. “This is an ancient protective tonic made from mountain sage. If you drink it before the ceremony tomorrow, it will neutralize any dark magic they try to use against your aura.”
Kora looked at the silver flask in his trembling hand. For a split second, a memory of Dorian riding to her village with fresh blossoms flashed through her mind, making her heart hesitate.
She reached out her hand toward the flask.
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“Kora, no!”
The heavy oak doors of the suite slammed open with a deafening crash!
