KODA'S POV
The afternoon sun slanted through the tall windows of my study, casting long shadows across the desk where I'd spread out petition after petition. Complaints from merchants about increased bandit raids along the northern trade routes. Requests from village elders for additional grain stores before winter. A formal protest from the mining guilds about new taxation policies.
I rubbed my temples, trying to focus on the words swimming before my eyes. Usually I could lose myself in administrative work, finding purpose in solving problems that actually helped people. Today, every document might as well have been written in a foreign language.
My mind kept drifting to the ballroom. I had been there. Briefly. Just to observe things. But really… It had been to see her. To see Ayasha standing in that green dress, looking like she belonged in the Lamia palace instead of fighting for her life. To the way she'd stepped forward when that Desert Luna had pulled her blade. The courage it must have taken to give away all her votes to a woman who'd been ready to kill moments before.
I'd watched the entire competition from a hidden alcove above the main floor. My father insisted all the male heirs observe these events; especially his bastards, claiming it taught us about the nature of power and submission. What it had actually taught me was how much I hated everything about this place.
The memory of Ayasha's voice echoing through that marble hall made my chest tight. "We do not have to be the monsters they want us to be." She'd said it like she believed it completely, like honor and mercy were choices worth dying for.
She had no idea how right she was. Or how dangerous those choices had just made her.
A sharp knock interrupted my brooding. I looked up to see Marcus pushing through the door without waiting for permission. His usually perfect appearance was disheveled, his dark hair messed like he'd been running his hands through it.
"We need to talk," he said, closing the door behind him with more force than necessary.
I set down the petition I'd been pretending to read. "How did the voting go?"
Marcus laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Your girl is finished."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I leaned back in my chair, fighting to keep my expression neutral. "What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said." Marcus walked to the window and stared out at the courtyard below. "It doesn't matter what she does in the second round now. She's already lost."
"Explain."
Marcus turned back to face me, his jaw set in that stubborn line I'd known since childhood. "All the voters are against her now. Every single one of them thinks she's a goody two shoes who ruined their entertainment."
My blood ran cold. "Because she prevented bloodshed?"
"Because she made them look like bloodthirsty monsters in front of the other Lunas." Marcus crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you know what the officials were expecting today? A massacre. They wanted those women to tear each other apart, and your precious Ayasha turned it into some kind of cooperation exercise instead."
I stood up so quickly my chair scraped against the stone floor. "That's a good thing."
"Not to them." Marcus's voice was flat, matter of fact. "They're calling her a troublemaker. A rebel who thinks she can change the rules of the game. They want to make an example of her."
The mate bond flared in my chest, sending waves of protective rage through my entire body. I had to grip the edge of my desk to keep from punching something.
"The second round," I said through gritted teeth. "What's the punishment for coming in last?"
Marcus met my eyes, and I saw pity there. Pity I didn't want from him or anyone else.
"Death," he said simply.
The word hung in the air between us like a blade. Death. My mate, the other half of my soul, marked for execution because she'd chosen mercy over murder.
I turned away from Marcus and walked to the fireplace, staring into the cold ashes. My father had probably already heard about what happened in the ballroom. He was probably already planning how to make Ayasha's death as public and brutal as possible, a warning to anyone else who might think about defying his entertainment.
"The voting for the second round will be the same format," Marcus continued. "The judges will cast their votes based on whover they deem 'beautiful'. But it won't matter how well she performed in the first round. It was fair and they've already decided she needs to go."
"How many judges?" I asked.
"Twelve. All from prominent Lamia families." Marcus paused. "Including mine."
I turned back to face him. "You could change their minds."
"Could I?" Marcus's laugh was bitter. "You think I have that much influence? These aren't reasonable people, Koda. They're wolves who wanted to see blood today and got cheated out of it. They blame her for that."
I began pacing the length of the room, my mind racing through possibilities. Twelve judges, all biased against Ayasha before she even entered the second competition.They'd find reasons to vote against her.
"What would you do now?" Marcus asked quietly.
I stopped pacing and looked at him. There was genuine curiosity in his eyes, like he actually wanted to know how I'd solve this impossible puzzle.
"I have to meet my father," I said.
Marcus blinked. "Your father? Koda, that's the worst possible idea. If he realizes you care about this girl..."
"He won't."
"How can you be sure?"
I walked back to my desk and began gathering up the scattered petitions, stacking them in neat piles. My hands were steadier than they had any right to be, considering everything inside me was screaming.
"Because I'm going to convince him that keeping her alive serves his interests."
"How?"
I met Marcus's eyes. "I don't know yet. But I'll figure it out."
Marcus stared at me for a long moment. "You're really going to risk everything for her, aren't you?"
The question hung between us, loaded with years of friendship and shared secrets. Marcus knew me better than almost anyone. He could probably see the truth written all over my face.
"She saved lives today," I said instead of answering directly. "That takes a special kind of strength."
"She also made powerful enemies."
"Then I'll have to make her powerful friends."
Marcus shook his head slowly. "You're walking into a trap, Koda. Your father will see right through whatever scheme you're cooking up. And when he does..."
"When he does, I'll deal with the consequences."