Chapter 195
Juno’s POV
I glanced at Augustin, whose face had gone completely blank..
“I need to know something,” I said, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over the room. “Why did you fight for your father?
Evanth’s eyes, so similar to Augustin’s yet carrying a different weight of pain, focused on me. “I fought for him because I didn’t want Kieran to take what belonged to my brother.”
“But you fought against Augustin too,” I pointed out, remembering all the times Evanth had undermined him.
He ran a hand through his hair. I believed Quentor when he said Augustin couldn’t lead. I thought if I took over, I could protect him. A bitter laugh escaped him. “Then I discovered I was being played. Quentor had his own agenda all along.”
“What did he tell you exactly?” I pressed.
“Augustin was too soft, too idealistic to rule effectively,” Evanth replied, his jaw tightening. “He convinced me that the North needed someone who understood how power really worked. Someone willing to make difficult decisions.” He shook his head. “I was a fool to believe him.”
I studied him carefully, searching for deception but finding none. “You didn’t trust me from the beginning.”
“Yes,” Evanth admitted bluntly. “I hated how you influenced Augustin. I thought you were Kieran’s spy, sent to get close to Augustin. My sources told me you two had met in Dawnshere.”
My breath caught. How did he know that?
‘I expected you wouldn’t come back after meeting him,” Evanth continued. “I was ready to mock Augustin when you chose your fated mate over him. But you proved me wrong.” His eyes held genuine respect now. “You chose Augustin over your fated mate. You’re carrying a Levenston child. That’s more loyalty than most would show.”
‘I don’t like your personality,” he said with surprising candor, “but I respect what you’ve done. I won’t fight against you or Augustin anymore.”
I didn’t know what to say. This was more honesty than I’d ever expected from Evanth.
‘I’m sorry for how I treated you,” he added, his voice softer now. “Can we start over? For Augustin’s sake, if not for our own?
Before I could answer, he turned to Augustin. “Since you rejected your fated mate for her, I hope she won’t leave you if she finds her own.”
Augustin’s expression shifted, and he looked at me with a small smile. “She already rejected her fated mate for me.”
Evanth’s eyes widened comically. “What? Who? When did this happen?”
Before, Augustin said, a hint of pride in his voice. “She’d already made her choice.”
‘Dawnshere, Evanth said slowly, the pieces falling into place. “Kieran Halloway? He’s your fated mate?”
I nodded, uncomfortable with his intensity.
“Fuck, Evanth whispered, then louder, “FUCK. FUCK. That’s Halloway?”
happened in Dawnshere?” He looked between us, stunned. ‘You rejected Kiera
ing
I nodded again, wishing he would stop repeating it.
“Fuck,” he said again, pacing now. “How the hell did you walk away from him? My source said he was crying. Fucking crying when you left. I thought it was over some petty argument, not…” He stopped and stared at me with new eyes. “You could have gone with him. You could have left. But you came back here… to my brother.”
He turned to Augustin. “She chose you over her fated mate. Holy shit.
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Chapter 195
“This stays between us,” Augustin warned, his tone leaving no room for argument. “No one can know. Not Elowen, not Mother, not s
“Of course, Evanth agreed immediately. “I can keep secrets. It’s about the only thing I’m good at.”
The joke, dark as it was, made us all laugh, breaking the tension.
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