When The Luna Broke Her Chains novel Chapter 12

Chapter 12 The Cage He Calls Marriage

[XENA]

My brows knit in confusion. The moment Cassian’s hand slips from my mouth, the words spring out before I can temper them. “What in the hell are you doing here?”

He leans back, frowning as though I’m the one behaving oddly. “What do you mean, Xena? Am I not allowed inside my wife’s chambers?”

His wife. Now he remembers.

Disgust coils inside me as the truth of what he’s truly here for dawns on me. I curl away from him instinctively. “Get off me,” I snap, shoving at his chest.

“W–what?” he stammers, barely budging. Instead of moving back, he cups my face and leans in to kiss me.

I push harder and bite down on his hand. “Get off me, Cassian.”

He yelps. “Xena! What is wrong with you?”

Of course he doesn’t understand. He has no idea I know about him and Davina. About Astrid. About every lie he’s wrapped in silk and fed me for years. He still expects me to fold at his feet, desperate for any crumb of tenderness.

I sit up straighter, forcing distance between us. “You returned to the keep and didn’t once wonder what happened to me,” I say, voice shaking with anger I’ve been swallowing for too long. “Not how I got back. Not if I was alright. And now you want to climb into my bed and kiss me? What is wrong with you, Cassian?”

He scoffs, turns his back, and retrieves something from the table. “I brought salve and bandages. From Morrin.” Only then do his eyes drop to my arms. His lips part. “Where are your burns? You were hurt badly.”

I breathe out sharply. “Now you come? My wounds-“I shake my head. “They weren’t that bad,” I lie. “They’ve healed.”

He lifts a brow. “Your skin looks newly made. Not even a scar. What’s going on?”

“I told you,” I say, trying to maintain my calm. “They weren’t so bad.”

He clicks his tongue and sets the salve back down. “So you were complaining the entire way to Crescent Ash for nothing. Aurelia was right. You just want attention.”

My jaw clenches. “Get away from me. Leave my room.”

He exhales sharply. “Xena… you aren’t like this. What’s happened to you? The last two days you’ve been acting strange.”

I nod as he speaks, because the words are rotting in my throat. Then, without thinking, they break free. “I don’t want to be married to you anymore, Cassian. I want to claim Severance.”

There’s a prolonged pause before he lets out a disbelieving laugh. “Severance? What? You want to break our marriage bond? You want to be separated?”

My throat tightens. “Y–yes.”

The amusement drains from his face when he realizes Fm serious. “This is about what happened at your father’s keep. Isn’t it? But what you did was wrong, Xena I cared for Davina because she was hurt. You hurt her.”

The Moonborne Gathering.

A year–long festival of oaths, feasts, power, and the choosing of a Luna. The last one occurred before I was even born.

And it had to happen now. Now–when I might have tried to free myself.

Tried, I remind myself. To unsuccessfully free myself from the bond that shackles me to a man who’s been poisoning me. Through a ritual destined to fail.

I have no options left. Cassian won’t release me before Davina returns. And now, with the Gathering approaching, he won’t risk a stain on his reputation. He keep me exactly where he wants me–caged in the shape of a wife.

I am cursed.

His hand reaches for my face again, stroking it with false gentleness. “I forgive you, Xena. I always have. Despite your… tendencies. I’m generous, and you are my wife. I won’t let anything–or anyone–come   between us.” His voice drops, final and possessive, before he presses a kiss to my forehead.

My fingers curl into the sheets until the bones in my hand ache.

“And don’t worry about the ceremonial cloak,” he adds lightly. “I’ll find it before we travel to the palace. You’ll need to wear it when we stand before the Lycan prince.”

I grit my teeth behind a trembling smile, swallowing the tears burning the corners of my eyes.