on the balcony, letting the night air cool my heated skin. The moon hung heavy in the sky, full and bright enough to cast ws. My wolf–my newly discovered, newly awakened wolf–stirred restlessly within me, responding to the moonlight in ways i was still learning to understand.
The door behind me opened, but I didn’t turn. I knew his scent now, could feel his presence even before his footsteps reached me.
“The moon is beautiful tonight,” Kaius said, coming to stand beside me. Not touching, but close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
I remained silent, afraid that if I started speaking, all the bitter words bubbling inside me would spill out uncontrollably.
“Are you really going to challenge your father for the title?” I asked finally, keeping my voice carefully neutral.
His amber eyes studied me, searching for something in my expression. “I cannot help but wonder what is on your mind this time,
Elowen.”
“Last time, you said you challenged him ‘for me,‘ to keep me safe. But was that really the only reason?” The words came out more pointed than I’d intended.
I felt rather than saw his slight stiffening, the subtle shift in his posture that indicated wariness. “No, I wasn’t just facing my father for the solemn purpose of keeping you safe. But I am curious where is this heading to?”
“Nowhere.” I turned away from the view, back toward our bedroom. And about Lysandra.”
“What about her, Elowen?” His voice had taken on that careful quality I’d come to recognize–the tone he used when assessing potential threats.
“I learned… she had been stripped of her title as Commander.” I kept my back to him, not wanting him to read my expression.
“You heard right.”
“I… don’t think you should do that to her,” I said, finally facing him.
“Look at me, Elowen,” he commanded softly.
I raised my eyes to his, steeling myself. “I think you should forgive her; she’s one of the best, and you can’t just let her go to waste.”
Surprise flickered briefly across his features before his mask of control slipped back into place. “You are referring to Lysandra, the one who misled you.”
“I know. I’ve gotten over it… I guess.” The lie tasted sour on my tongue, but I had made a deal.
“Would making her Commander again, make you happy?” he asked, his head tilting slightly as he studied me.
“Yes, yes, it will.” At least this was honest. I needed to keep my promise to Lysandra – it was, the only simple thing amid all these lies.
“Then it would be arranged. His easy acquiescence surprised me. Was I really so important to him that he would reinstate a woman he clearly distrusted, just because I asked?
Or was this just another performance, another layer of manipulation in his game?
“Kaius, you don’t have to challenge your father, can’t you just be satisfied with what you already have?” Something inside me still
1/2
Chapter 104
wanted to believe our relationship was more than just his political strategy.
“I never settle for less, and I won’t now.” His voice hardened, his eyes flashing with something ancient and dangerous.
“Then do it for me. I am so scared that when you get the title, you will be just like your father.” I moved closer, searching his face for any sign that my words were reaching him.
His lips curved into a slight smile. “So you believe I can actually win
“That’s not the point. Frustration edged into my voice.
“Then, to clear that up, I would never be like him.” The certainty in his voice was absolute, as if the very suggestion was absurd.
“You would go through with this challenge no matter what I say, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes,” he replied without hesitation.
The finality of that single word destroyed what little hope I’d been clinging to. If Lysandra was right, if all he needed was a mate to claim the title of Alpha King, then once he achieved that goal…
“I love you, Kaius,” I said quietly, the words both a weapon and a plea. I stepped closer, close enough to touch him, though I kept my hands at my sides. “Say you love me, Kaius.“.
His silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. He reached for me, pulling me into an embrace that felt like both a comfort and a cage.
“Don’t. Don’t touch me.” I pushed against his chest, breaking free of his arms. The pain of his silent rejection was too much to bear on top of everything else. “I know why you wanted me. You needed a mate to claim the title, and after that you planned to discard me, right? Why didn’t you say anything when I was foolishly making plans of what my future with you would be like?”
His expression remained infuriatingly controlled. “So you really believed I would let you go?”
“That had been the plan, hadn’t it?” I pressed, needing to hear the admission from his own lips.
Something shifted in his amber eyes–not guilt, not regret, but a cold acknowledgment. “Then maybe you are right.”
Three words. A death sentence for all my foolish dreams of being loved by this man.
I turned away, unable to look at him any longer. “I’ll sleep elsewhere tonight.”
“Elowen-” he began, but I was already walking away, not trusting myself to remain in his presence without either breaking down completely or saying things I couldn’t take back.
I didn’t look back as I closed the door behind me.
