Chapter 15
Chapter 15
not beause of the question, but because of the way he says it. It’s
Wade’s voice lands with too much audacity ringing to it low with the kind of tone that makes every hair on my arms lift
How does he have this level of audacity?
I’m cornered – literally, between a marble column and his shadow- and metaphorically, because the gossip haurit even had time to cool and here he is, already digging into the part of the story that stung him most,
1 meet his stare head–on. Those eyes I thought I’d spend my whole life staring at. “That’s not your business?
His jaw ticks once, slow. “The hell it isn’t p>
“Yes, it is,” I shoot back. “And yet-“I tilt my head, letting the words drip- “you’re still here, instead of going after your fiancée. She ran off in front of half the pack, Wade. Humiliated, you care that much about appearances, mate vant there.” I grit.
He doesn’t move.
I sigh, folding my arms. “Why do you even care who I’m sending letters to? Last I checked, we were done. Over. You made sure of it when you tossed me into a cell like garbage p>
Something sharp flickers across his face. “That’s not p>
“Oh, don’t.” My voice hardens. “Don’t rewrite history now because the King knows my handwriting
For a beat, he says nothing. I can almost hear the gears grinding in his head, and I know that look – Wade isn’t jealous. He’s unsettled. The idea that I had something private, something his rival was part of, without him knowing… it’s eating him
alive.
Before he can spit out whatever defense he’s building, heat slides around my waist.
My breath hitches and my spine straightens up almost immediately.
Alaric.
He doesn’t just touch–he claims. One arm snakes low, pulling me into his side as though we’ve been standing together all night. His palm rests at the curve of my hip, thumb just brushing the hem of my shirt inside the hood.
“She’s right,” Alaric says, voice calm in that way that’s anything but. “Your fiancée’s probably tearing down half the city looking for you. You should go to her, Alpha p>
Wade’s glare could strip paint. “Please stay out of this, Your Highness. This is a conversation between Sorin and L.” he tries to sound respectful but it’s failing miserably.
Alaric’s smirk deepens, that dangerous glint in his amber eyes never leaving Wade’s face. “Funny. From where I’m standing, you gave her up. Which makes her very much my business now!
I shove my elbow into his side but he doesn’t budge.
“Stop speaking like I’m a bone you’re fighting over,” I snap.
“Not a bone,” Alaric says, lowering his head until I can feel his breath graze my cheek. “More like the crown p>
Wade’s expression twists, some mix of rage and disbelief of what his own King is saying. “This isn’t over p>
Alaric’s smile is all teeth. “Didn’t think it was p>
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Chapter 13
Wade takes one last look at me, lingering as though he wants toy something else something sharp enough to cm–fan he swallows it and stalks off in the direction Ariel van Thank the less I suppose
The moment he’s gone, I shove at Alaric’s chest, hard “What the
“A rewire,” he says simply, his arm still locked around me
“You call that a resue? You just poured gasoline on a fire”
His eyes drop to my mouth and lick it out of consciousness. Istantly regret it thought when I see how much his gaze burned when I did “I like fire.” he mutters, amber orbs not leavy my mouth
This pervert
Heat climbs my neck, traitorous and infuriating. “I told you belie, Your Majesty–I’m not interested”
“You keep saying that,” he murmurs, leaning closer, voice dippi low, meant for no one but me. “And yet you don’t pull away”
I shove again, harder this time. “That’s because I don’t like mak a scene in front of an audience. Now let me go”
Finally, he releases me, but the loss of his warmth is almost worse than the hold.
“You’re welcome, by the way,” he says, straightening,
I glare. “For what p>
“For telling everyone my pen pal would be my queen. Makes it sier now that they know who you are p>
I freeze. “You… what p>
His smirk curves slow, deliberate. “Crowd seemed to enjoy when that bastard announced it. Especially the part where they realized you’ve been mine longer than they thought p>
My voice spikes and I immediately grimace at the thought of the imperial crown over my shoulders. This is insane. “I am not going to be your queen p>
He tilts his head, studying me though I’m something he’s already decided belongs to him. “We’ll see about that, sweetheart.” He smirks and I immediately want to smack that off his handsome face. This is ridiculous, why would he announce he’s going to make his own penpal his Queen?
Blush creeps on my face at the nickname.
“Sweetheart” lands like a brand. I’m tempted to slap it off his lip
We hold each other’s gaze, the air between us thick and charged until the slam of a back door snaps my head around.
Two pack warriors march out, dragging a struggling figure between them p>
My stomach drops. “Edith p>
She’s pale, eyes wide, arms wrenched behind her by two men twice her size.
“Let her go!” I’m moving before I can think, boots pounding agst the stone. “It takes two of you to manhandle one woman? You must feel so fucking proud p>
They throw her onto the grass like she’s trash.
“I’m sorry, Luna,” she says, voice cracking. “I did everything I cold p>
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Chapter 13
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I drop to my knees beside her, cupping her face gently She’s st wearing my clothes to act as me when I escaped for a moment. She must have been scared. “It’s okay now You did more than enough”
She sniffles and I stand and turn on the guards “As my last request, I want your word she won’t be punished. She only followed my orders p>
They exchange a glance, the hesitation clear in their eyes, before they both give a short nod.
A tight smile pulls at my lips. I did lead them well once.
Then I lift my wrists, offering them forward. “Take me p>
His partner plants himself in the hallway, blocking my way out. They’re about to snap the silver around my wrists when a shadow moves across behind me from the field–tall, broad, dangerous. The air instantly changes.
Alaric.
Why is he still here?
“I’ll go with her,” he says, and his voice is… lethal calm. He’s no asking, he’s deciding.
Both guards freeze mid–step. Their heads drop so fast it’s a wonder they don’t break their necks. “Your Majesty,” they murmur in unison, though the title itself is holy.
I roll my eyes so hard I almost sprain something. “Oh, please. You’re going to follow me all the way up to the attic? Don’t you have a throne to sit on and a kingdom to glare at now that you’ve announced to everyone you have a penpal here p>
His eyes flick to me–slow and menacing–before that dangerous mouth curves just slightly. Not quite a smile, but sharp enough to cut. “Who says I can’t? ”
I could feel the eyes of the guards switching between us, shocked of how I was addressing the King and how the King himself is doing nothing against it. Eh, we’ve been at this for months.
“You?” I snort, crossing my arms. “Climbing four flights of narrow stairs? Your royal ass would quit halfway up p>
His gaze drags down my body and back up again, blatant and hot enough to make my stomach tighten despite my best efforts. “Try me,” he says, voice low, a little smug. “I’d carry you the whole way p>
I hate the way my skin heats and I hate it more that he knows. Before I can come up with something vicious enough to wipe that look off his face, one of the guards shifts awkwardly.
“Um… Your Majesty…” He scratches the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact as if we’re about to make his day worse. “Luna Ariel… has changed the order p>
My chest tightens, but my face stays neutral. “Changed what p>
“You’re not to be taken to the attic now that she’s known of your escape,” he says carefully. “She’s ordered you returned to the same dungeon you were in before p>
For a heartbeat, I don’t move. Not because it’s a surprise–Ariel’s petty little power plays are predictable—but because for a split second, I’d actually let myself believe I was avoiding that hellhole. Rookie mistake.
Behind me, Edith lets out a sharp, outraged gasp. Of course Arie would make my life an even bigger hell, I just humiliated her in front of the entire pack.
“Of course she did,” I mutter. “Lead the way, gentlemen. Let’s no make the Queen of Insecurity wait p>
The guards exchange a glance, and I see it–the hesitation, the faint glimmer of guilt. They know I don’t deserve this. Though it doesn’t change a thing.
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Chapter 13
Edith’s voice rings out behind me. “I’ll find a way! I swear it, Lu! I won’t stop until 1-
“I know,” I call back without turning “I can see the steam coming out of your cars already ”
That earns a faint laugh from her–small, but enough to steel my spine.
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We start down the stairs. The further we descend, the cooler and heavier the air becomes, carrying the sharp tang of damp stone and rusting metal. My boots scrape against each step, the sound echoing too loudly in the suffocating silence.
Alaric walks beside me like he owns the ground itself. His presence is a wall of heat against my side, and I can feel his eyes on me more than once.
“What’s wrong, King?” I finally say, my tone light, too light. “Can stand seeing me in chains? Starting to feel claustrophobic p>
His jaw tightens. “I’m getting you out of here. Now p>
I smirk. “And yet… I still see stairs p>
That’s when his hand closes around my arm–warm, firm, unyielding. I stop short, meeting those golden eyes.
“You still mean what you said before?” His voice is quieter now, but edged. “That you’d kill yourself if I interfere and you’re denied a trial? ”
He wants to help me. I’m sure with just one word from him, I’ll be out of here in a second.
The words hit harder than I expect. For a second, I can’t breathe–not because I regret saying it, but because there’s something raw in his expression. Something that’s not just possessiveness, but fear.
But I don’t want to get out just yet. That would prove whatever Ariel said is true.
“I don’t bluff,” I say finally, my voice even. “And I’m not letting you ruin my last chance to prove I didn’t try to poison Wade. My father’s name deserves that much p>
His exhale is rough,he’s holding something back. A muscle ticks in his jaw.
The guards fumble with the keys at the heavy dungeon door, the metallic clank echoing in the stairwell.
I step inside. The air here is colder still, thick with mildew and the coppery scent of old blood. Chains rattle faintly in the far corner, someone shifting in the dark.
I turn back to him, forcing my voice steady. This time, there’s no snark between us. “I don’t want you to do anything p>
His fists curl tight at his sides, the veins in his forearms standing out. “Don’t expect me to sit idly by while you rot in here, sweetheart. If I have to burn this entire pack to the ground, I will
The door slams shut between us with a heavy, final thud.
I sit on the cot–thin mattress, lumpy enough to feel every inch of the wood frame beneath it. The stone wall at my back is so cold it seeps into my bones. I focus on the sound of my breathing, the slow drip of water somewhere down the hall, the scratch of rats moving in the shadows.
Minutes pass. Hours, maybe. My eyelids grow heavy.
Then-
Heat,
Not the faint warmth of my own breath or the thin blanket over my lap. A sharp, suffocating wave of it.
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Chapter 13
My eyes snap open.
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The dim walls are washed in orange Shadows flicker and dance like they re alive Shif
I murmur to myself
Somewhere above me, wood groans under strain, a long, splitting crack following the sound The smell of smoke is instant thick, bitter, filling my mouth until I can taste the ash
I push up to my feet, my pulse hammering in my ears.
BANG
The dungeon doors outside jolts on its hinges, the sound ricocheting off stone.
Another BANG–louder, more violent. Something heavy crashes to the floor outside.
Voices shout above the growing roar of fire, too muffled for me to make out the words.
Then–silence. A silence so wrong it makes the hair on my arms stand up.
The heat presses closer. Smoke creeps in under the door, curling around my ankles.
Something–or someone– is coming.
“Who–who’s there? ”
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