His Silent Luna (Verity and Felicity) novel Chapter 39

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Verity’s Perspective

I kept my gaze fixed on the untouched corner of my plate, though I was already full. My fingers absentmindedly twisted the napkin resting on my lap, the fabric folding and unfolding in a repetitive, restless motion.

Cassian remained perfectly still, his silence filling the room like a tangible weight. The only sound was the faint scrape of his fork against the plate as he methodically finished the last bites of his meal, his deliberate slowness almost torturous.

Was he intentionally letting the tension thicken between us, or was he struggling to find the right words to ease it?

A part of me wanted to run, to escape this charged atmosphere, but his unspoken command held me firmly in place.

Sit down.

Reluctantly, I lifted my fork and began to toy with the food on my plate, hoping to distract myself from the growing unease coiling in my chest.

Finally, breaking the silence, Cassian cleared his throat before speaking. “Do not… do not be uncomfortable around me.”

I almost laughed inwardly at the absurdity of his request. How could I possibly feel at ease? He was Cassian—the King of this realm—a man who exuded power and danger with every movement. A man whose moods shifted like unpredictable storms, capable of crushing steel with his bare hands, a feat I had just witnessed firsthand.

My lips pressed together to suppress the smile threatening to surface, but I must have failed. His eyes narrowed slightly as he caught the faint flicker of amusement crossing my face.

He sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair, his shoulders sagging as if burdened by an invisible weight. “I know,” he admitted quietly. “It’s difficult for me too. Hard to surrender to the bond.”

Bond?

I looked up at him, confusion knitting my brow, but he seemed oblivious to my puzzlement.

He continued, his gaze distant, fixed beyond me. “Because of my mate. The one I lost.” His jaw clenched tightly for a moment, the effort of speaking evident. “I don’t understand how I’ve been granted a second chance. It feels… wrong. Like I’m betraying her. And yet—” His eyes flicked toward me, sharp and vulnerable—“I know I’m being unfair to you.”

I blinked, stunned. Bond? Mate? My mind raced to process his words. I understood what he was saying, but it seemed impossible—I didn’t feel anything.

Noticing the confusion etched across my face, his lips curved downward slightly. Tilting his head, he studied me intently. “You don’t…” His voice faltered as he straightened up. “You don’t feel it?”

I shook my head slowly.

A shadow of hurt crossed his features. Running a hand through his hair, he muttered under his breath, “This only complicates things further.”

My fingers clenched tightly in my lap. Complicated was putting it mildly. An anxious knot twisted in my stomach.

Then, with more hesitation, he spoke again. “Three years ago, I had a mate. Vanessa. She fell ill suddenly—no healer could explain it. And on the night of the Lunar Eclipse, she…” His throat bobbed, and for the first time, raw pain was unmistakably etched across his face. “She died.”

My breath caught sharply. The Lunar Eclipse.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify