I heard the glass shatter before I saw it happen. My body moved on instinct, rushing toward the sound. When I reached the drawing room, I found my husband standing frozen, staring at his brother with a face drained of all color.
"You still didn't know?" Daemon growled at him. "She kept your daughter hidden from you all these years?"
Kael said nothing. My Alpha King husband just stood there, looking at his younger brother like the world had stopped spinning. I felt my own wolf stir uneasily inside me.
"Are you messing with me or are you serious right now?" Kael finally asked. His voice was rough, barely controlled. Then he turned that burning gaze on me.
I didn't understand what was happening. My legs felt weak, and I reached for Kael's shoulder to steady myself.
"How can he be alright, Aurora?" Daemon said. "No man would be after finding out he has a daughter who's over twenty-five years old."
My temple throbbed. I lowered myself into the nearest chair before my knees gave out completely. A daughter? Kael had a daughter?
"I met her when she came to the Northern Territory for her graduate studies," Daemon continued. His eyes never left Kael's face. "Seraphina was there with her little girl. I was presenting my research to the council. The child looked exactly like you, brother. She had your eyes, your features. Everything."
Kael's jaw clenched, but he remained silent.
"Seraphina introduced me to her daughter. The girl was two years old. I asked if she was my niece. I could see you in that little face, and I knew how much Seraphina had loved you. The resemblance was impossible to miss."
"What did she say?" Kael's question came out hoarse.
"She denied it at first. But I begged her to tell me the truth, and eventually she did. I asked if you knew about your daughter." Daemon paused, his expression heavy with old guilt. "She said no. She told me she wanted to raise the girl alone, as a single mother. She didn't want you to know."
I watched my husband's face transform. His features hardened into something cold and unreachable.
"Seraphina told me you were married and happy with Aurora," Daemon said. "She said that even though she still loved you, she couldn't destroy your happiness. She believed telling you about the child would create problems in your marriage. She was trying to protect what you had. So I promised her I wouldn't tell you."
My throat closed up. I remembered Seraphina. She had been Kael's closest friend before we married, before everything changed between us.
"I didn't realize you would never find out," Daemon finished quietly. "I thought surely after all these years, she would have told you herself."
Kael stood absolutely still. His eyes had gone distant, unfocused. I knew that look. He wasn't here with us anymore. His mind had traveled somewhere else entirely.
I thought about how Kael had cut all contact with Seraphina after we married. He had done it for me, to prove his loyalty to our bond. He had blocked every way she could reach him. Every letter returned unopened. Every messenger turned away.
"Kael," I whispered, touching his hand. He didn't respond. "Kael, please."
He finally looked at me. Our eyes met, and I saw something break inside him. My own vision blurred with tears, but his gaze was completely empty. Cold. He stared at me for a long moment before turning back to Daemon.
"Why didn't you tell me twenty years ago?" Kael's voice was deadly quiet. "Why tell me now when my daughter is already grown? How am I supposed to explain to her that I'm her father when I was never there for her?"
"She made me promise, brother. She begged me to keep her secret."
"Then you should have kept it forever." Kael's words came out sharp and bitter. "You should have taken that secret to your grave. Seraphina kept my daughter from me until she died. You should have done the same."
He stood abruptly and walked toward his study. His movements were stiff, mechanical. The door closed behind him with a soft click that somehow felt louder than the shattered glass.
I sat there, trying to process everything. Seraphina had died three months ago. Kael hadn't gone to her funeral. He said he couldn't face the memories.
"Why didn't you tell me, Daemon?" I asked. My voice shook. "Seraphina was my friend too, before everything happened. I would have helped raise her daughter. I would have accepted her."
"How could I tell you?" Daemon's eyes flashed with anger. "You took him from her, Aurora. You're the reason Seraphina and Kael couldn't be together."
His words hit me like claws raking across my chest. I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Because somewhere deep inside, I knew he was right.
Kael had been destined for Seraphina. Everyone in the kingdom had expected them to complete the mate bond. But then I came along, and everything changed.
I stood on trembling legs and walked to Kael's study. I pressed my palm against the closed door, feeling the solid wood beneath my hand.
On the other side, I heard nothing. Not a sound. Not even breathing.
And I realized I had no idea how to fix what had just shattered between us.