His Silent Luna (Verity and Felicity) novel Chapter 38

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Verity’s Perspective

“Sit.”

The word wasn’t shouted, yet it struck me with the force of a command, pulling at me like an invisible tether. I froze instantly, my heart pounding in my chest. Caleb and I exchanged a brief, knowing look—a silent spark of connection that didn’t go unnoticed. Cassian’s lips twitched into a warning snarl, his eyes darkening with a fierce intensity.

My breath caught, and without a word, Caleb and I obeyed. We slid into the seats side by side at the long, heavy wooden table. Cassian claimed the head, his posture rigid and commanding. Kin sat quietly to his left, while Caleb took the place on his right. I settled beside Caleb, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his arm brushing gently against mine.

Then came the unsettling sound—the slow, grinding scrape of metal. Cassian’s fingers clenched tighter around the bent goblet, the strain evident in the way the fragile vessel groaned under his grip. He closed his eyes briefly, as if wrestling with some inner turmoil, before speaking again, his voice low and tight.

“Caleb,” he said, voice strained but steady. “Get up. Sit next to Kin.”

Caleb didn’t hesitate. He rose smoothly, bowed his head in a quiet gesture of submission, and moved without a hint of resistance. The scrape of his chair against the stone floor echoed sharply in the heavy silence. As soon as he was gone, Cassian’s boot shot out, kicking the empty chair away with a loud thud as it slammed against the wall.

My heart leapt to my throat.

Cassian’s attention snapped to me next. His hand reached out abruptly, yanking my chair closer to his own—too close. I stiffened, every muscle taut with unease, painfully aware of how near his body was to mine.

Then I noticed his hand.

Blood dripped steadily from his palm, trickling down his wrist from where he had crushed the goblet into a useless, twisted ball. My breath hitched. The fury coursing through him was so intense that he hadn’t even noticed the injury he’d inflicted upon himself.

Before I could stop myself, my hand moved of its own accord. My fingers hovered over his wounded palm, then gently brushed against it, coaxing his clenched fist open. He allowed it, though his gaze bore into mine with a fierce, almost burning intensity. Carefully, I slid the mangled goblet aside.

He remained still.

I grabbed a napkin from the table, folding it carefully before pressing it against his palm. For a brief moment, his eyes softened, and I felt the tension in his body ease just a little. The raging storm inside him seemed to quiet, if only for a heartbeat.

But just as suddenly, the softness vanished. He jerked his hand away, clearing his throat as if nothing had happened.

“Eat,” he ordered curtly.

So we ate. In silence.

The only sounds were the faint clinks of cutlery against plates, but the air was thick with tension, almost suffocating. My stomach twisted painfully, making it hard to swallow more than a few small bites.

“Caleb,” Cassian finally broke the silence, his voice dangerously calm. “Do not keep me waiting during breakfast again.”

Caleb bowed his head. “Forgive me, brother. It won’t happen again.”

Cassian’s gaze remained unyielding. He jabbed at his food with sharp irritation, as if the meal itself had somehow offended him. “Since when did you start smiling and laughing like that? It is unbecoming. You are mixing pleasure with duty. It’s… annoying.”

Here it comes, I thought, bracing myself.

“I apologize,” Caleb replied smoothly, though a flicker of amusement danced in his eyes—an expression I couldn’t quite decipher.

“You’ll go to the southern border for three days,” Cassian declared, his voice cold and unbending. “Consider it your punishment.”

Caleb inclined his head, a faint smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. “Thank you, brother. For forgiving me.”

Forgiving him? My fork nearly slipped from my fingers. The way he said it, with that light amusement in his eyes, left me utterly confused. What was so amusing about this punishment? I glanced between the two, searching for answers, but neither offered any.

Cassian’s glare snapped to me.

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