Chapter 49: Kieran POV

I leaned closer, recklessness burning through me, making me abandon caution. “What did you do? Tell her she’d have to step aside when Viviana comes back? Did you shove that dagger in her chest and twist it?”

It was a rough guest but his eyes flickered, a tiny crack in his armor, and I knew I’d hit close.

Vivianna.

So it was true. The rumors weren’t just smoke. She was coming back.

I had doubted it since I first heard the servants gossiping about it but Tristan’s silence was louder than any admission.

He turned away, as if I were beneath him, but the muscle ticking in his jaw betrayed him.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered angrily, fury surging in my blood. “You’re so tangled in the past you’d rather destroy her than let her in.”

“That’s enough.” His tone snapped like a whip. “Stay out of my business! What I do with Vivianna and Isla is my concern, not yours!”

I let out a humorless laugh. “Oh, really? Well, since you said Isla is your mate…. she's currently breaking into pieces in front of you, and you’re too blinded by pride to see it. If you’re so sure she’s yours, maybe you should act like it…before someone else does.”

His gaze locked on mine, ice meeting fire, and for a heartbeat, I thought he might lunge across the desk.

Instead, he breathed out through clenched teeth. “I think you forgot who you're speaking to, Kieran. Don't forget your place and who you are in this pack because I can remind you at any moment.”

I ground my teeth, resisting the urge to jump at the bait.

The tension coiled tight as I waited for him to give in, and it almost snapped until he exhaled sharply, grabbed the edge of the map, and looked away.

That means that I was dismissed.

The rage clawed at me, demanding release. I wanted to rip through the office, through him, and maybe through fate itself.

Instead, I turned on my heel, forcing my steps measured, though every part of me screamed to do more.

This was his home turf and he was in charge. Already I'm on thin ice with the elders and the community, and I have way too much work to do, so I couldn't risk it.

Thankfully, the hall was cooler, quieter.

However, my thoughts weren’t.

I could still see Isla’s pale face, the way she avoided every gaze, the way her hands trembled when she thought no one noticed.

She wasn’t just shaken. She was shattered. And Tristan, Tristan with his damn big mouth….had done nothing to stop it.

I braced a hand against the wall, breathing harshly.

The truth pressed in on me, undeniable…. the mate bond between them was cracking.

I could feel it in her distance, in her hesitation when our eyes met, in the way her wolf responded to mine in brief, dangerous bursts.

And if fate was foolish enough to hand me that crack, I’d split it wide open.

Several voices behind me caused me to stir and I turned my head to look… two guards were whispering amongst themselves as they passed.

“…Viviana’s return…”

My ears caught it like a snare.

I straightened, listening. They spoke quickly, voices low, but I managed to piece together bits of information.

Vivianna was coming.

Not rumor, not speculation. Orders were being prepared. Viviana was on her way back.

Fucking hell.

A smile pulled at my lips, sharp and merciless.

Viviana’s return would shatter everything.

Tristan’s composure. Isla’s fragile attempts to hold steady. The entire pack, already stretched thin with politics, would tremble at the ground shifting beneath them.

And in the chaos, I would thrive.

I’d carve my own space into Isla’s world, wedge myself in spaces where Tristan’s silence left her bleeding.

I’d remind her of the fire between us, the way her breath hitched when I drew near, the way she couldn’t quite pull away even when she tried.

No more waiting.

No more pretending.

Fate had bound her to Tristan. But fate had never been on my side, and I’d never bowed to it..

I learned from an early age not to want things because all it did was make sure that they were never mine, so I took them and made them mine.

If I had to do the same with Isla, I wouldn't mind.

I pushed away from the wall, my steps steady, my plan sharpening with every breath.

The storm was coming, and I intended to ride it straight to her.

Several hours later and deep into the night I became restless, tossing and turning in my spacious bed.

I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t still my wolf. Images of Isla haunted me… her wide eyes, her trembling hands, the flicker of pain she tried to hide.

I wished I had chased after her, if only to console her and be near her for a minute.

But now that I thought about it, it's probably best that I didn't.

The hunger within me was too large and consuming that if I were within breathing distance of her, I might not be able to control myself.

My wolf prowled just under my skin… restless and hungry.

I found myself outside before dawn, the cold air biting, grounding me only slightly. The trees swayed gently in the distance, their shadows thick with promise.

Viviana would be here soon.

And when she came, the ties that kept Isla chained would snap, or at least weaken enough for me to pull her free.

I closed my eyes, breathing in the night.

Her scent lingered in my memory, like an addiction that I couldn't quite shake.

“I’ll fight for you, Isla,” I whispered to the dark, to the restless wolf within me. “Even if it means burning everything down to get to you.”