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“I love him when he stumbles and when he stands tall. I love him graceful or clumsy, frightened or brave. But his curse is not an imperfection I have chosen to overlook. It is something that was done to him. It was punishment born from wounded pride, and every time you used it against him, you struck at the bond the old gods placed between us.”

Several witches shifted uneasily in their seats.

“You taught me that the will of the old gods was sacred,” I continued. “You taught me that a true mate bond must be honored because no witch has the right to interfere with magic that ancient. Yet when that same magic chose a vampire for your daughter, you decided your authority mattered more.”

My mother drew herself up slowly. “You dare accuse me before my own coven?”

“I am not accusing you. I am telling them the truth.”

The chamber fell silent again.

I turned toward the assembled witches.

“Fate created the bond between Logan and me, but fate does not make my choices for me. I choose him. I choose him because when I am with him, I don’t have to pretend. I don’t have to be the perfect daughter, the perfect witch, or the perfect heir. I can be flawed, frightened, uncertain, and real.”

I faced my mother once more.

“You taught me that power is everything. That control is everything. That love is weakness. But you were wrong. Love is not weakness, and a true mate bond is not an inconvenience you can punish out of existence. It is sacred magic. You had no right to interfere with it simply because you disapproved of the mate chosen for me.”

“Chosen?” Her voice cracked. “You think the gods chose him over your family?”

“No. I think they chose him for me.”

Her face went pale.

“I think you’re afraid of being alone,” I said quietly. “Everyone who ever loved you eventually left. I’m the last one, and if I leave, you’ll have nothing but power and empty rooms.”

The words struck harder than any spell.

My mother stood rigid before the coven, but the color had drained from her face.

I stepped closer and took her hand. She flinched, though she didn’t pull away.

“I love you too,” I whispered. “I always have. But I cannot be the daughter you designed. I can only be the woman I am, and that woman is the true mate of Logan Richards. I love him. I choose him. I will not allow you or this coven to treat our bond as something shameful.”

My mother’s hand trembled in mine. Her eyes filled with tears as her composure cracked beneath the weight of everything neither of us had been willing to say.

“I was like you once,” she said, her voice barely audible. “Young. In love. Willing to throw away everything for a man who made me feel alive.”

The crowd gasped. I’d never heard her speak of her past. No one had.

“He was human,” she continued, her voice rough. “A farmer. Simple. Kind. I loved him more than my magic, my coven, or my duty.”

A bitter, broken laugh escaped her.

“My mother was High Priestess before me, and she forbade our relationship. She cursed him. Made him forget me. Made him marry another woman, raise another family, and live another life.”

She looked at me, and I saw the grief she’d hidden for centuries. The loss. The regret.

“I swore I’d never be weak like that again,” she whispered. “That I’d never let love make me vulnerable. That I’d be strong. Powerful. Untouchable.” She squeezed my hand, her grip surprisingly gentle. “But I wasn’t strong. I was just... alone.”

“Mother,” I breathed.

She straightened her spine, composing herself with visible effort. Then she turned to the assembled coven, her voice ringing with ancient authority.

“Hear me,” she commanded. “My daughter has chosen. And though I do not agree with her choice, I... I will not stand in its way. The vampire is pardoned. Until dawn, the stay remains in force. Then I will formally dissolve the Graceless Hex, completely and permanently. And Carolina...” She looked at me, her eyes wet but proud. “Carolina is restored to her place. As my daughter. As heir. As... as the woman who taught me that love is not weakness.”

The crowd erupted. Shock. Confusion. A few scattered cheers.