Chapter 53 Mate

Chapter 53 Mate
Fiona

The world swims around me for a moment. I pause as I get down the stairs. Anger drives me forward; all I can think about is finding my father. The guards had been nice enough to lead me down the stairs, apparently no longer afraid that I would beat them up or try to run away. 

The corridors are quiet and cold. I shiver but ignore it. The guards we pass are all wide-eyed. I must look ghastly, but I don’t care. 

The dungeons reek of damp stone, silver, and blood. The last is new from the last time I was here. The guard unlocks the heavy door that leads into the dungeons, and in the first cell, I see him. My father is barefoot, unshaven, sitting on a pile of straw.

He looks up and has the nerve to look concerned. “Fiona?”

“How dare you?” I hiss, crossing the distance until the iron bars are the only thing between us. The echo of my voice fills the corridor. “You greedy, self-serving idiot! Is your pride so important to get us all killed?”

His expression hardens. “I did what was necessary—”

“Necessary?” I shriek. “You allied with traitors, you brought war to Solara, you risked Elara’s life—you risked mine! For what? For a taste of power that you can’t even wield?”

He jumps to his feet, slamming his hand against the bars. “You don’t speak to me like that! You have no idea of the decisions I have made. I could have—”

“Don’t you dare say it.” My throat burns. “Don’t you dare make it seem like you had no choice! You chose to attack Caldara. You chose to sign a treaty you had no intention of keeping. You chose to sell us both, and you’ve nearly doomed all of Solara for your pride and greed!”

I glare at him, meeting his gaze. “The people of Solara will know it’s your fault Caldara came down on us. Whether Varek has you killed or not, you are no longer king of Solara.”

“You have no right—”

“Shut up.” I don’t shout, but the words feel louder like thunder. My vision flares white, the air trembles around me. Heat licks up my spine, burning through my veins like molten glass. “Shut up and comply. Do as Varek commands for breaking the treaty.” 

My father gasps, his knees buckle. He falls to the ground, clutching his chest, eyes wide with disbelief. The entire corridor is silent. The echo of that command reverberates through my bones.

A spear clatters to the floor behind me. 

“Alpha…” someone whispers.

I want to ask, but I can’t look away from the bars in my hands. The metal glows an eerie, molten red where my hands grip it. I pull back and stare at my palms. The skin isn’t burned or marked.

“What…” I whisper.

My father was staring at me from where he knelt on the floor, his eyes wide with fear. I take a shaky step back, the faint shimmer of heat still dancing on my skin. The glow from the molten bars is still fading when I feel Varek coming toward me. I turn to see him. The torchlight carves sharp shadows across his face. He looks exhausted but relieved, staring at me as if he doesn't think I'm real. Then he's crossing the distance. His hands tremble as they grip my shoulders. He pulls me into his arms and sweeps me off my feet.

"Hey!"

"You don't need to be down here." Varek turns, carrying me before saying over his shoulder. “If he so much as looks like he means to escape, kill him.”

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

“I can walk.”

“You’ve done more than enough walking for now. You shouldn’t be out of bed.”

“Varek—”

“You’ve been unconscious for days. You should be in bed.”

I let out a frustrated sigh, but I don't fight him as he carries me up from the dungeon. His heartbeat thuds steadily against my ear, fast but strong, and I am too tired to resist the pull of warmth his body radiates.

He says nothing as we climb the stairs, through the colder hallways, until we reach the door of the chambers I'd woken up in.

He sets me on the bed.

"About reparations…"

He sighs, sitting beside me, the mattress dipping under his weight.

"You don’t need to worry about that."

“I want to give Caldara viable farm land,” I say, my voice thin but steady. “Elara and that young alpha she's going to court will need guidance. Solara is—"

He pulls me close, pressing his mouth to mine in a kiss that burns away all my thoughts. I shudder as he presses me firmly to his chest, devouring my mouth with deep thrusts of his tongue. My nipples harden. I get wet enough that I can smell it. My heart hammers in my chest as the heat of his body sinks into mine. The ache from that dream pulses hard and painfully in me even as I know that this kiss is probably all I can take in my current state. 

He pulls back. 

“Say you’ll stay,” he pants against my mouth. 

I blink, dazed, and meet his gaze. “What?”

The full intensity of his desire for me blazes in his eyes. He cups my face and stares into my eyes with glowing eyes as his wolf turns his voice into a low rumble. 

“You’re not bound here. There’s a debt between us. You saved my life, and I owe you for that. If you want to go home, I’ll see you safely there, but tell me you’ll stay.”

I search his eyes. I want to tell him yes, but I know that if I do, this will be how it always is. As much as I admire his strength, I’m not a woman to be commanded.

The quiet between us stretches thin as a blade. My heartbeat thunders in my ears. The heat in his eyes turns desperate. He draws back slightly.

“Do you want me to go?” 

“No,” he grit out, baring his teeth. “Do you think I would say this if I did?”

“Honestly, Varek…” I hesitate and look away. “You should know me well enough by now to know that commands don’t work on me.” I look up. “So what are you offering?”

He stares at me. His eyes seem almost haunted. They flicker with grief. For a moment, I think he might actually say the words I need to hear, but he looks away, exhaling through his teeth. He stands as if going to leave. I swallow and look away, blinking back tears of disappointment.

“Did you know?” I frown and look at him. He’s not looking at me. “About Dante’s interest in Liora?”

That makes me smile. “Maybe.” 

He scowls at me. “Maybe?” 

I shrug.

“Did you also maybe suspect that I thought you and he had a romantic history?”

I blink at him with my most innocent look. “Now, why would you think that?”

I let a faint, wicked smile play at the corner of my mouth. He groans and stands.

“You’re impossible.”

“Maybe.”

He shoots me a look that is almost fond. I try not to let it turn my guts to butterflies, fail, and look away. My lips are still tingling. 

“What do you want from me?” I look back at him. “To… stay.”

I swallow, fighting a smile. “What are you offering… other than the sunny climate?”

His eyes narrow, and his gaze drags over me. He clenches his fists at his side. I can see him warring with himself. 

“I was meant to marry once,” he says suddenly. “A noblewoman from the south. I thought we were in love.” A humorless smile twists his mouth. “The night before the wedding, she poisoned me with the same poison Lucian used on you. I found her letters to Lucian during the investigation. They were in love. After that, I didn’t trust anyone, especially if I couldn’t compel them.”  He turns. “You’re uniquely terrifying, Fiona.” He let out a low, humorless laugh. “I can’t compel you, and for some reason, I don’t want to. For some reason… I trust you.”

I swallow past the dryness in my throat, wishing he weren’t so far away, wishing I was certain I could get up and go to him. His voice is haunted and raw, like he’s scraping the words out of the core of his body.

I swallow. He looks so uncomfortable, but he’s trying. His mouth opens slightly before closing. He’s stumped for words again. 

“Ask.”

His eyes widen. He flinches, but I wait, just watching him and hoping that my expression is encouraging enough that he already knows the answer. 

“Will you stay, Fiona?” He steps closer. “Will you be my wife and queen?”

I smile at him. He seems stunned, staring back at me. 

“Yes.”

A hungry grunt escapes him, and he closes the distance between us to kiss me again. The world drops away as he leans me back.  The bond hits like a pulse, snapping taut between us and surging with energy, spreading through every nerve with every beat of my heart.

And then my wolf growls one word.

Mate.

Varek jerks back, breathless. I stare at him, my pulse hammering in my ears.

“Did you—?” We both start at the same time.

“—hear that?” he finishes, eyes wide.

I nod, grin and wrap my arms around his neck.

“I’m going to use that against you every chance I get.”