Damien's POV
I don't know why I didn't say it.
Why didn't I say that I loved him too?
The thought had been tormenting me for days, a cruel echo that gnawed at my chest like a restless animal. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face again, the hurt in Adrian's eyes when I turned away, the way his breath caught as if he was waiting for something… something I could've given him, but didn't.
I should've said it. I should've told him that I loved him too.
But I didn't.
Because I was a coward.
Because I knew what it meant, for him, for me, for our kingdoms. Love between a wolf and a vampire was not something written in fate. It was a curse disguised as affection.
And even if it didn't end with our deaths, it would destroy everything we'd built.
Adrian and I had both been raised on duty.
We were born to wear crowns that weighed more than our hearts could bear. What right did I have to risk his life for a feeling?
Yet, despite my reasoning, the ache never stopped.
