Chapter 62 Ironing Things...
Bambi's POV
The guards marched me back to my room like I was some criminal. Their footsteps echoed in the quiet hall, heavy and final. I kept my head down, tears blurring everything. Sable tried to follow follow, but one guard blocked her. "Alpha's orders," he said flatly. She gave me a helpless look before they shut the door on her.
The click of the lock sounded louder than anything. I stood there, staring at the wooden door, my chest tight. Dawn's face—hurt, angry, cold—kept flashing in my mind. "I trusted you." Those words hurt more than any punishment.
I walked to the bed slowly and sat on the edge. The room felt smaller now, the walls closer. My old servant room. Not his warm one with the cedar scent. Just plain walls, a small window, my few things. It felt like going back in time, before everything changed.
Minutes passed. Or hours. I didn't know. I just sat, hugging my knees, replaying the library scene. The map in my hand. Odessa's smirk. Dawn's growl. "You were going to her to break us?" His voice had been so quiet at the end, like he couldn't believe it.
Something sounded in the room. I looked to the corner to discover it was our secret wall. The one that led to Alpha Dawn's room. We hadnt used it for a very long time. No, Dawn hadn't used it for a very long time. It was because he hadn't been staying in that room.
"Bambi?" It was Dawn. His voice was low, muffled through the wall.
I wiped my eyes quickly. "What?"
"Can I come in?"
I hesitated. Part of me wanted to yell no, to make him feel a little of what I felt. But another part—the bond, maybe—pulled me. "Fine."
The wall opened slowly to reveal him on the other side, in his bedroom. He stepped in alone, no guards. He looked tired. His hair was messy, like he'd run his hands through it too many times. His eyes were dark, but not angry now. Just... sad.
He closed the door gently. "Hi."
"Hi," I muttered, looking at my hands.
He stood there for a moment, then walked closer but stopped a few feet away. Like he wasn't sure if he should touch me. "Are you okay?"
I laughed a little, but it sounded bitter. "No. You locked me in my room."
"I know." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I... I didn't know what else to do. When I saw you with that map..."
"I wasn't leaving," I said quickly. "I mean, I went to the library because I needed to think. Sable gave me the map, but I hadn't decided anything."
He nodded slowly. "Calandra. My aunt."
"Yes." I looked up at him. "Sable found out she's your family. I thought... if I could talk to her, maybe understand the power better. Or... or break it if I had to."
His jaw tightened. "Break us."
"I was scared, Dawn." My voice cracked. "Everyone keeps saying you'll hurt me. Odessa, Sable... even my own head sometimes. And then you show up, and it's all real and good, but what if it's the bond making me feel that way?"
He took a small step closer. "Is that what you think? That everything between us is just the power?"
"I don't know." I hugged myself tighter. "Last night... this morning... it felt real. But then Sable told me about Calandra, and I panicked."
He sat on the chair across from the bed, not too close. Giving me space. "Tell me what happened in the library. From the start."
I took a deep breath. "I couldn't sleep. You were out cold, and my mind wouldn't stop. So I went for air. Ended up at the library. Sable was waiting. She had the map. Said if I wanted out, now was the time."
"And you took it."
"I did. But I was just holding it. Thinking." I met his eyes. "Then Odessa showed up. Out of nowhere. She said she wanted the same thing—to get rid of your hold. But her way was to steal your power. With me."
His eyes flashed. "She said that?"
"Yes. 'Join me, you get freedom, I get the throne.'" I shivered remembering her smile. "I told her no. I wouldn't betray you."
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "But you were there. With the map."
"I know how it looked." I wiped a tear. "I'm sorry. I should have talked to you instead of sneaking."
He was quiet for a long time. Then, "Why didn't you?"
"Because... I was afraid you'd be mad. Or that you'd say no to me seeing Calandra. Or that everything would fall apart."
"I am mad," he said softly. "But not just at you. At myself too. For not seeing how scared you still are."
I blinked. "What?"
He stood and came to sit beside me on the bed. Not touching yet. "Bambi, look at me."
I did. His face was close, serious.
"I told you this morning—from now on, tell me what you're thinking. No more keeping me in the dark. I meant it. But I have to do the same." He took my hand gently. "I'm scared too."
"You?" I whispered.
"Yeah. The Onyx Power... it's stable now because of you. But if you leave, if you break the bond... it could kill me. Slowly. Painfully. Calandra told me that."
My heart stopped. "She did?"
He nodded. "Before the breeding. She said my mate has to choose to stay. Willingly. Or the power consumes me."
I pulled my hand back a little. "So... you need me to stay or you die?"
"It's not that simple." He caught my hand again. "Yes, I need you for the power. But I want you for you. The girl who brushes her hair back when she's nervous. Who eats strawberries like they're the best thing ever. Who makes me laugh when I didn't think I could anymore."
I swallowed hard. "Dawn..."
"Let me finish." His thumb rubbed my knuckles. "When I saw you with that map, it wasn't just the power I was afraid of losing. It was you. Waking up without you. Not hearing your voice. Not seeing your silver eyes light up when you're happy."
Tears fell now. I couldn't stop them. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Then don't leave." His voice was rough. "But don't stay just because you have to. Stay because you want to."
I stared at our hands. "What about Odessa? She's still out there. Planning."
"I'll handle her." His tone hardened. "She ran, but she can't hide forever. And Sable... I'll talk to her too. No more secrets."
"Sable's my friend," I said quickly. "She was trying to help."
"I know. But helping you sneak to my aunt? That's dangerous. For everyone."
I nodded. "I get it."
He shifted closer. "Bambi... do you want to see Calandra? To ask about the bond?"
I looked up, surprised. "You'd let me?"
"If it helps you trust this—us—yes. But I go with you. No sneaking. Tomorrow. We'll go together."
"Really?"
"Really." He smiled a little. "But tonight... can I stay? Not as Alpha. Just as Dawn. The guy who wants to hold you."
My chest warmed. "Yes."
He pulled me into his arms slowly, like he was still waiting for me to pull away. I didn't. I leaned into him, breathing in his scent. Cedar. Pine. Safety.
"I'm sorry," I whispered against his chest.
"Me too." He kissed my hair. "For locking you in here. For not listening sooner."
We sat like that for a while. Just holding. No rush.
"Tell me something," he said after a bit. "What were you thinking about before you left the bed?"
I thought back. "How warm you felt. How I didn't want to mess this up."
He chuckled softly. "Same."
I pulled back a little. "Dawn... what if Calandra says the bond can be broken safely? What then?"
He cupped my face. "Then we talk. You decide. But know this—if you walk away, I'll let you. It'll hurt like hell, but I won't force you."
"You'd die."
"Maybe. But I'd rather die free than keep you trapped." His eyes were steady. "You're not my prisoner, Bambi. You're my mate. My choice too."
I kissed him then. Soft. Slow. Pouring everything into it—sorry, fear, hope. He kissed back the same way. No heat, just comfort.
When we pulled apart, he rested his forehead on mine. "Better?"
"Much."
He lay back on the bed, pulling me with him. I curled into his side, head on his chest again.
"Talk to me," he murmured. "Anything. Your day. Your thoughts. Whatever."
I smiled in the dark. "Okay. Um... I like when you brush my hair. It feels nice."
"I like doing it." His fingers played with the ends now. "Your hair smells like vanilla."
"It does?"
"Mhm. Drives me crazy. In a good way."
I laughed quietly. "Good to know."
We talked like that for hours. Simple things. His favorite color—deep green, like the forest. Mine—soft blue, like the sky on clear days. Childhood stories, careful ones. He told me about a time he found a bird with a broken wing in the rogue camp. Hid it, fed it scraps. It flew away after a week.
"I was proud," he said. "Like I'd done something good."
"You did." I traced his arm. "You're good at taking care of things."
"Only the things that matter."
I yawned eventually. "Dawn?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For coming back. For talking."
"Thank you for letting me." He kissed my forehead. "Sleep now. We'll face tomorrow together."
I closed my eyes, his heartbeat steady under my ear. The room didn't feel small anymore. It felt like a beginning.