Kaius
“She is engaged, she was moving on quite well, you need to let her go,” Frost said, leaning against the wall of my office with his arms crossed.
I stared out the window, watching the pack grounds below. Guards patrolled in their usual patterns, members went about their daily routines. Everything was normal, except for the woman in my dungeons who haunted my every thought.
“She is mine, my mate,” I replied, the words coming out more possessive than I’d intended.
Frost scoffed. “You did send her away, I hate to break it to you, but she doesn’t belong to you anymore, she is betrothed to another.”
I turned to face him, my oldest friend and the only person who would dare speak to me this way. “I would make it up to her, things would return to how they had once been.”
“How do you plan on doing that?” His skepticism was evident in every line of his face.
“I don’t know, but I don’t care what I would have to do.” The admission felt raw, exposed in a way I rarely allowed myself to be.
Frost’s expression softened slightly. “You love her very much.”
“But I am not alone, am I?” I caught the flicker in his eyes, confirming what I’d long suspected–that his feelings for Elowen had never been merely friendly.
Before he could respond, a knock interrupted us. A soldier entered, his posture tense.
“Alpha, there is stranger on our lands, he demands to meet you,” he reported.
I straightened, instantly alert. “To meet me? Who does he identify as
“He says he is the leader of some Storm Wardens.”
I exchanged a glance with Frost, understanding dawning on both our faces. There was only one reason the Alpha of Storm Wardens would come here.
“Send him in,” I ordered, my mind racing to prepare for the confrontation.
“He is here for Elowen, isn’t he?” Frost asked as the soldier left to fetch our visitor.
“Yes.
“So I’m guessing he is the one she is engaged to?”
“I believe so.” The words tasted bitter on my tongue. The one who had given her that moonstone ring, who had likely been the one to transform her, to give her those wings. Who had sent her into danger.
The door opened again. “We had to bring him in alone,” the soldier reported, stepping aside.
“You may leave,” I dismissed him, my attention fixed on the man who entered.
He was not what I expected–older than Elowen by at least a decade, perhaps more, though werewolves aged slowly enough that it was hard to tell. His build was solid, his stance that of a warrior used to command. But it was his eyes that caught my attention–a cold, calculating gaze that assessed me even as I assessed him.
1/2
Chapter 194
“Where is she?” he demanded without preamble.
No greeting, no acknowledgment of whose territory he stood in fostraight to Elowen. I couldn’t decide if I respected his directness or hated him more for it.
I felt the wolf in me stir, a growl building in my throat. My fingers itched to shift into claws, to tear into this man who thought be could claim what was mine. The Lycan beneath my skin puthed forward, demanding release, demanding blood.
Frost shifted slightly, positioning himself subtly between us, sensing the danger. A wise move. If the Lycan broke free now, there would be no stopping the carnage.
‘I asked where she is,” Kieran repeated, his voice harder this time.
I drew a deep breath, forcing the beast back down. “Safe,” I replied. Which is more than I can say for her when you sent her to attack my pack.”
His expression didn’t change, but I caught the slight tensing of his shoulders. He hadn’t expected me to know of his involvement. Good.
“I want to see her,” he said, every word measured.
“I don’t care what you want.” I stepped forward, letting my Alpha presence fill the room. “You’re in my territory, in my pack house, making demands that you have no right to make. She attacked us, she’s our prisoner.”
“If you’ve harmed her-
“She’s harmed herself.” The words escaped before I could stop them. She refuses to eat, refuses medical care beyond the basics.”
Something flashed in his eyes–concern, quickly masked. “Take me to her. Now.”
For a moment, I considered refusing, considered having him escorted from the territory. But then what? He would return with others. A diplomatic incident neither of us could afford. Besides, perhaps seeing him would be the medicine Elowen needed to nourish her body and spirit once more.
And maybe, a darker part of me whispered, seeing them together would show me she truly had moved on. That I needed to let go.
“Follow me,” I said, heading for the door. Frost fell into step behind us, a silent guardian ensuring neither of us did anything stupid.
As we descended toward the dungeons, I felt a strange sense of inevitability. Whatever happened next would change everything–for
all of us.
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