"You have Galen. He was raised here. You have Theron. He knows politics. And they have the loyalty of the people. They're both still here." Lucien said.
"That's not the same."
"It should be."
"It isn't."
Lucien's expression hardened slightly. "You'll manage."
She shook her head. "You're acting as if you don't matter here."
He gave a short, humorless laugh. "I don't."
"That's not true."
"Isn't it?" he asked. "No one fully trusts me. I'm tolerated. Not relied on."
Her brows drew together. "That's not fair."
"It's accurate. And it's not like anyone in this place trusts me enough to give me anything real to do anyway. I'm just here."
"That's not true."
"You know it is."
"I don't know any such things. You're my mate. That means something. It means everything."
