Chapter Nine
The Beta stepped into the cleaning like he owned it, shoulders squared, mouth curled in a smirk that tasted like old betrayal.
“I see you’re still good at finding trouble,” he said, eyes flicking from me to Kade, then back again.
Kade didn’t speak. He didn’t have to. The air around him thickened, his presence radiating a cold sort of warning. I felt it in my bones. But I lifted a hand, subtle. Not yet.
“Beta Arlo,” I said, stepping forward. My voice didn’t shake. Not this time.
He bowed his head slightly. “Selene. You look… feral
I smiled, all teeth. “You look like bad news.”
Arlo’s expression didn’t shift, “Your father sent me
Of course he did I crossed my arms. Kade was still behind me, silent and still. A force. A shadow I drew strength from it
“And what does my dear father want now?“%
“You know what he wants,” Arlo replied smoothly, “You made the call. The alliance is still and fulfill your obligation.“}]
I heard the unsaid words–before they choose someone else.
standing. The Alpha is waiting. You’re to return
Arlo stepped closer. “The council will make it official next moon. Your father has asked that you return before then. You’ll be wed in weeks.”
Two weeks.I swallowed. My throat felt tight, like hands pressing in. “You think I’ll just go back?”
He gave a half–smile. “I think you know better than to run from fate.”
Behind me. Kade exhaled, a sound sharp and low. I felt his tension coiling in the air)
Arlo saw it too. “Your new trainer doesn’t scare me.“}}
“He should,” I murmured.
Arlo’s jaw twitched. “Don’t be stupid, Selene. You’re n
not a rogue. You’re a princess. You don’t belong out here bleeding in the dirt“?
I looked at Kade. At the forest. At my hands, still raw from training. I remembered the sound of my own laughter breaking through pain for the first time in years. I remembered Kade’s breath on mine, the whisper of want buried under all that restraint.
And still… I remembered Ronan, My first mistake. My biggest.
I faced Arlo. “Tell my father I’ll think about it.7!
Kade stiffened.
“You’ll think about it?” Arlo echoed, surprised. Hope crept into his eyes. “You’ll come back?“1⁄2
I nodded slowly. “Maybe.”
Arlo studied me. Then gave a short nod. “We’re camped by the old ridge. I’ll give you until morning”
He turned, melting into the trees as quickly as he’d come $
Kade didn’t say a word.
Neither did I.X
The fire burned low that night. I didn’t eat. Couldn’t :
Kade cat across from me, arms resting on his knees, watching the flames like they owed him answers.8
He finally spoke, “You’re going “”
I didn’t deny it. “I said I’d think about it.”
“You’re not that good at lying.
I met his gaze. “You think I should stay?”
He looked away. That silence said everything. I got up w
without another word.
The trees welcomed me, cool and dark. I needed air. I needed to not feel like my skin was too tight. My chest too small. My world closing
My feet camed me toward the stream. The moon shimmered on the water, silver and soft
Then I saw him Kade
Naked Waist–deep in the stream My breath caught.
His back was to me Muscles flexed as he lifted his arms, water cascading over his head, down his neck, down his back. The moon turned every drop into molten light. His tattoos shimmered like ancient runes.
I should’ve tumed around. I didn’t.
He moved slowly, water lapping against his hips, his head tilted back as he rinsed his hair. Moonlight kissed the sharp edge of his jaw, the line of his throat, the taut muscles of his back.X
Heat pooled low in my belly. My pulse fluttered.
He turned. Saw me Didn’t cover himself;
Didn’t Hinch
He watched me watching him, something wild flickering behind his eyes. I felt the shift between us, slow and sharp, like gravity changing direction
“You lost?” he asked, voice like smoke |
I stepped forward I could ask you the same thing
He raised a brow. “Thought you’d be with the Beta Planning your royal wedding.”
I stepped closer. “That’s not funny”
He didn’t laugh. “Why are you here, Selene?“)
I didn’t answer He took a step toward the bank. The water slid down his chest, across his abdomen, lower¦¦
I couldn’t breathe He saw it. The way Hooked at him. The way I trembled, just slightly
“Say it,” he murmured “Whatever excuse you’re going to give tomorrow Say it now
I moved Slowly Deliberately I stepped down into the water.k
His eyes darkened I mached him, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his skin
“I don’t want to marry him,” I whispered. “Not because I’m afraid but because I’ve tasted
ed what it’s like to be free. And I’m afraid of giving that up
His hand came up, brushing my wet hair back, his fingers trailing down the line of my jaw⠀
“You’re not free yet,” he said softly
Lleaned in “Then make me forget.
lips crashed into mine The world fell away
We kissed like drowning things, like we needed it to breathe. My body pressed to hes, his arms wrapping around me, lifting me. I wrapped my legs around his waist, water sloshing as he carried me to the edge, laying me down on the moss.)
Hands Mouths. Heat Hunger. It was all heat and need and the crackle of something ancient rising between us. He growled against my throat. “Tell me you want this.”
I gasped. “I want everything”
Clothes vanished My name on his lips was a promise and a prayer. I cried out as he sank into me, deep an
and slow, like
ke he was claiming something lost. We moved together, wild and desperate. His body grounded me, his touch unmade me. It wasn’t just sex
It was fire. It was ruin. We come apart in each other’s arms, panting and gasping under the moonlight. My body trembled with the force of it of him.
I lay there after, sprawled against him, his fingers tracing circles on my back X
For once, I felt… whole I didn’t want it to end.
But morning always comes.
–
I returned to the ndge just after sunrise. My hair still damp, lips bruised, body aching in the best way, Kade hadn’t said a word when I left
the stream. He didn’t need to X
I found Arlo standing by the fire, already waiting.
He took one look at me and snorted. “You reek of him.“%
I didn’t flinch. I made my decision.”
“Of course you did, he said bitterly. “You never learn,”
I stiffened X
He stepped closer, eyes hard. “Throwing away your birthright again? For another man? You’re a fucking fool, Selene.“>
I didn’t move.
He sneered. “I don’t think you deserve that Alpha:7!
I smiled sweetly. “Good, I wasn’t planning to share.”S
He turned on his heel and vanished into the trees, leaving silence behind
But it wasn’t silence in my head Because I’d made my choice And I had no idea wha
