KODA'S POV
The silence stretched between us like a blade about to fall. My father's eyes never left mine, waiting for an answer I couldn't give without destroying everything. The letter. He knew about the letter I'd sent to Ayasha's room. My hands wanted to shake, but I forced them to stay steady at my sides.
"I'm not trying to deceive you," I said carefully. "I was curious about all the competitors. It seemed wise to learn about them."
"Curious." My father rolled the word around like he was tasting wine. "Is that what we're calling it?"
I met his stare and didn't flinch. Years of living under his roof had taught me that showing weakness only made things worse. "What else would you call it?"
"Infatuation, perhaps. Or something deeper." He stood up from behind his desk and walked around to lean against the front edge. "Tell me, Koda. What did you think of today's performance? Especially with the stunt the girl pulled?"
The change of subject felt like stepping onto thin ice. I had to be careful here. Too much praise for Ayasha's actions would confirm his suspicions. Too little would seem false.
"It was unexpected," I said.
"Unexpected." My father chuckled. "That's one word for it. The voters are calling it something else entirely."
My pulse quickened. "What are they saying?"
"That she ruined their entertainment. That she made them look like bloodthirsty monsters in front of the other competitors." His smile was cold. "They want her blood now more than ever."
The mate bond flared in my chest, sending waves of protective fury through my veins. I clenched my fists behind my back and forced my voice to stay level. "The voters want her dead?"
"Every single one of them." My father's eyes glittered with something like amusement. "She took their fun away, you see. Made them feel ashamed of wanting violence. People don't forgive that kind of humiliation easily."
I nodded slowly, like I was considering this information. "That's unfortunate for her."
"Is it?" My father tilted his head. "Or is it justice? She chose to interfere with the natural order of things. Actions have consequences."
The words hit me like physical blows, but I couldn't let him see how much they affected me. Ayasha was going to die because she'd chosen mercy over murder. Because she'd saved lives instead of taking them. Because she'd shown my people a mirror they didn't want to look into.
"Maybe that's valid," I heard myself say. The words tasted like poison on my tongue.
My father's eyebrows rose slightly. "You think she deserves to die for preventing bloodshed?"
I had to be careful here. I needed to sound callous enough that he wouldn't suspect my true feelings, but not so heartless that he'd wonder what had changed in me.
"I think she made a choice," I said. "And choices have consequences."
"Indeed they do." My father walked back around his desk and sat down again. "So tell me, son. Given that the voters all want her dead, what would you do if you were in my position?"
This was a test. Everything he'd said and done since I walked into this room had been leading to this moment. He was probing, trying to figure out how much I cared about Ayasha's fate. If I showed too much interest in saving her, he'd know the truth.
But maybe there was another way. A way to save her without revealing my feelings. A way to turn his own nature against him.
"Would killing her be the best option though?" I asked, letting doubt creep into my voice.
My father's eyes sharpened. "What do you mean?"
I took a step closer to his desk, like I was warming to the subject. "You already find her interesting. And as much as I don't want to admit it, we share that."
"Go on."
"She gave them hope today. All those women. She showed them they didn't have to be monsters." I paused, letting the idea sink in. "If you kill her, it shows that Lamia was afraid. Afraid of one woman with principles."
My father leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. I could see the wheels turning in his mind.
"I think the best thing to do is extinguish the hope rather than fan the fire," I continued. "Spare the peacemaker. Take the beast that fell for her words."
The silence that followed felt like an eternity. My father studied my face with the intensity of a man reading a book written in a foreign language. I forced myself to breathe normally, to keep my expression neutral.
Finally, he smiled. The expression was cold and calculating and utterly without mercy.
"That is evil," he said, and his voice carried a note of genuine admiration. "I love it."
Relief flooded through me so suddenly I almost staggered. He was going to spare Ayasha. She would live. The mate bond hummed with satisfaction, even as guilt twisted in my stomach like a knife.
"Because you've made it even more fun," my father continued. "Get on the panel and vote. Let's see how well you can play the game."
I nodded, not trusting my voice. I'd saved Ayasha's life, but at what cost? Another woman would die in her place. Someone who'd been swayed by Ayasha's words about cooperation and mercy would pay the ultimate price for that hope.
"There's just one thing," my father said as I turned to leave.
I stopped, my hand on the door handle. "What?"
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing." His voice was soft, dangerous. "You've bought her life, but you've also painted a target on her back. If she means nothing to you, then it won't matter what happens to her next."
The threat was clear. He suspected, but he didn't know for certain. As long as I could maintain the facade of indifference, Ayasha would be safe. But one slip, one moment of weakness, and he'd use her against me in ways I couldn't imagine.
"Understood," I said.
"Good. The second round begins at sunset. Don't disappoint me."
I left his chambers with my heart hammering and my hands shaking. I'd won. Ayasha would survive the second round. But the victory felt hollow, tainted by the knowledge of what I'd just agreed to.
Someone else would die because of my choice. One of the women who'd followed Ayasha's example, who'd chosen cooperation over violence, would pay the price for that decision. And I would be the one casting a vote that sealed her fate.
The corridors of the fortress felt different as I walked back to my chambers. Darker somehow, like shadows were reaching for me from every corner. I'd always known my father was capable of terrible things, but I'd never imagined I'd become his willing accomplice.
But what choice did I have? Let Ayasha die to preserve my moral purity? Let my mate face execution because I was too proud to play his games?
No. I'd made the only choice I could live with. Even if it meant I'd have to live with the consequences for the rest of my life.