Chapter 1367:

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My head snapped up in complete shock, my eyes colliding with her unwavering, determined gaze that held the strength of tempered steel.

“We’ll expose whatever sinister scheme Colt has been weaving in the darkness.” She rose gracefully to her feet, her presence commanding the room. “But I demand that Bryan, Dominic, and Clayton escape the Wizard Clan’s territory unharmed. I have complete faith that you’ll orchestrate their safe passage.”

Beyond the window, the garden roses swayed in the cool night breeze, their blood-red petals pressing against the glass like accusatory crimson fingerprints.

Makenna moved closer, her brow creasing with genuine concern as she asked, “Are they unharmed? Please tell me they haven’t suffered any injuries.”

Every syllable she spoke became a surgical blade, slicing through the most vulnerable chambers of my heart with devastating precision.

I averted my face to hide the raw pain etched across my features, my throat constricting as I forced down the rising tide of bitterness that threatened to choke me. When I finally spoke, my voice emerged with an eerie, unnatural calm.

“Don’t torment yourself with worry. They’re completely safe within the walls of my villa.”

Upon hearing my assurance, Makenna released a deep sigh of relief that seemed to lift a tremendous weight from her shoulders, and in that moment, jealousy threatened to devour me alive like a ravenous beast.

Oppressive silence invaded the room like a living entity, pressing down on us with suffocating weight that made every breath feel like a struggle.

“Makenna, if circumstances had unfolded differently…” My voice shattered like fragile glass. “Would you still choose to marry me?”

At my desperate question, Makenna’s eyes dropped to the floor, her lustrous hair cascading like a dark waterfall to veil half her face in shadow.

Her silence became a rusted blade that carved slowly through my chest, opening wounds that bled with the realization that I had always known her answer deep in my bones.

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“Promise me you’ll be careful.”

I manufactured a smile that felt like broken glass against my lips and unfastened the ornate dagger from my leather belt, pressing it into her hands.

“Keep this close. It may save your life when I cannot.”

With those final words hanging in the air between us, I pivoted on my heel and strode toward the door.

“Jett.”

Makenna’s voice suddenly pierced the silence behind me.

I stopped dead in my tracks, my entire body turning to stone as I refused to face her, afraid of seeing pity in her eyes.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

My throat closed like a vice as I choked down the bitter words that wanted to pour from my lips like poison.

“Gratitude is unnecessary between us. After all… You still belong to me.”

The instant those possessive words escaped my lips, we both laughed. I made the journey back to my villa with leaden steps and shared Makenna’s plan with the three princes.

The very atmosphere in the room crystallized into ice the moment my final words fell into the stunned silence.

Bryan exploded from his chair like a man possessed, grabbing me by the collar, his eyes blazing with a storm of fury.

“Marriage? Over my dead body!”

Clayton lunged forward to restrain his brother’s volatile temper, but Bryan shook him off with force.

“It’s merely a strategic deception,” I said calmly, smoothing my wrinkled collar with deliberate care. The acrid taste of regret burned in my throat like acid. “During the wedding ceremony, I’ll get you out of the Wizard Clan. This is what Makenna wants—she wants you all to leave safely.”

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A message from Noa: Lovely readers, this little note will be a bit different. You know I always wish you the best, that I love you, but above all, that God loves you, and I say that with complete sincerity. My life went from being in darkness to a completely different reality the moment I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and for years now I’ve been intentional about reminding you that God loves you, because honestly, it’s the best thing I could ever share with you.

You are so loved, dear ones, and I truly hope you get to know God as a father, with all the love he has for you. Have a beautiful weekend, love you so much!! (ɔO‿=)ɔ ♥

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