Chapter 15 Chapter 15
Zane
The bond between us was functional and necessary for my heir. But it would never be what Leila described. It won’t ever be soft or easy or full of the kind of comfortable affection that came from decades of partnership.
Tiana would give me an heir, fulfilling her contract. And then she’d leave.
That was the arrangement and we both agreed to it.
So why did watching her expression shudder as Leila talked about her husband make my chest twist uncomfortably?
“Well,” Leila said, standing and stretching. “I should probably sleep now so I can start preparing for my journey home early. The northern territories are beautiful this time of the year, and I’m eager to see them again.” She smiled at Tiana. “You’ll write to me, won’t you? Let me know how the ball goes?”
“Of course,” Tiana said with a smile.
Leila pulled her into another hug that made Tiana stiffen in surprise before slowly relaxing into it.
Kaius stood as well. “I should turn in. Early training tomorrow.”
He moved toward Tiana, and I tracked every step.
“Goodnight, Tee,” he said, and his hand came up to briefly touch the necklace at her throat. “I’m glad you like it.”
Interesting. He now had a ‘cute’ name for her.
And Tiana? Her smile was automatic. “I love it. Thank you again, Kaius.”
The casual intimacy of the gesture made my hands curl into fists beneath the table.
He knew. He absolutely knew what he was doing.
And the worst part? I couldn’t call him out on it without revealing exactly how much it bothered me.
“Uncle,” Kaius said, turning to me with that same easy smile. “I’ll see you at training.”
“I look forward to it,” I said flatly.
His grin suggested he knew that was a lie.
They left together—Leila and Kaius, talking and laughing as they disappeared down the hallway. The sound of their voices faded gradually, leaving behind an atmosphere that suddenly became heavy.
Tiana sat across from me, her fingers still absently touching the pendant. The gift from another man that now rested against the skin I’d marked as mine.
I wanted to yell at her and ask her why exactly she was fangirling over a piece that cost nothing.
But I kept my cool, contrasting the tension growing in the air between us.
After a while, Tiana finally spoke, rising from her seat. “Alpha, I should take my leave.”
“Okay?” I replied, narrowing my eyes slightly because when did I ever say she needed my permission to go in?
She turned toward the door, and I found myself half-rising from my chair. My hand lifted slightly, an aborted gesture to call her back.
Stay.
The word caught in my throat.
Because what would I say if she did? What explanation could I give for wanting her to remain and sit back with me when I’d spent days being nothing like a loving mate?
So I said nothing.
And she left.
The door closed with a soft click and I exhaled.
I sank back into my chair, alone in a dining hall that suddenly felt cavernous.
My house. My pack. My rules.
And yet I was the one sitting here feeling like a lone cat.
My hand curled into a fist on the armrest.
My mind wandering through the fact that Kaius was intentionally testing me. Pushing boundaries to see how far he could go before I snapped.
It would be impossible to confront him without a logical reason. That would make me look weak, emotional, and compromised.
Everything an Alpha couldn’t afford to be.
I stood and crossed to the sidebar where crystal decanters held various liquors. My hand found the good bottle whiskey automatically.
I poured two fingers and drank it in one swallow.
The burn was familiar.
I poured another.
I had no intentions to get drunk. I’d never been the type to drown my problems in alcohol. But the edge needed dulling, and this was the fastest way to take it off without doing something stupid.
Like going to her chambers and demanding to know if she liked Kaius’s attention. If his kindness appealed to her more than my—
More than my what? My indifference?
I drank the second glass more slowly, letting the whiskey sit on my tongue before swallowing.
Through the bond, I could feel her. Not her thoughts—the connection wasn’t that deep—but her emotions. The general sense of her state.
She was unsettled. Restless.
Thinking about something that made her anxiety spike and then settle into something else. Something that felt almost like… anticipation?
My grip tightened on the glass.
What was she anticipating?
The ball? Unlikely, given how nervous the announcement had made her.
Kaius? The thought made my jaw clench so hard I heard my teeth grind.
I set the glass down harder than necessary.
This was ridiculous. Standing here drinking and spiraling over a woman who was contractually obligated to give me an heir and then leave.
That was the arrangement.
Except nothing about this felt simple anymore.
I’d almost kissed her this morning. Had her pinned against a wall, her breath coming in short gasps with her lips parted in invitation.
And I’d wanted to.
The only thing that had stopped me was Ezra’s interruption.
My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin, drawn by the pull of the mate bond. He didn’t care that the distance I was maintaining was necessary.
He just knew she was close. Just through that wall in her chambers.
I felt it again through the bond. That spike of emotion. Not anxiety this time.
Nervousness, maybe. Or excitement.
My feet were moving before I made a conscious decision.
I moved through the hallway. Past the guards who snapped to attention and then wisely looked away. To the door that connected my chambers to hers.
I stood there with my hand on the handle, my better judgment screaming at me to turn around.
What was I doing? What possible reason did I have for going in there now?
To check on her, my mind supplied weakly. To make sure she’s prepared for the ball. To… I paused, I actually didn’t have a reason.
My hand turned the handle, and silently, the door swung open.
The sight my eyes met made me freeze.
Tiana stood in the center of her chambers, illuminated by lamplight that turned her skin to gold.
She was naked.
Not partially undressed. Not caught in the middle of changing.
Completely, utterly naked.
And she wasn’t scrambling to cover herself or reaching for a robe or sheet or anything that might preserve her modesty.
She just stood there, facing me, her chin lifted in what looked almost like… defiance.
The wrapped gift from Leila lay discarded on the bed. Open. Whatever had been inside was—
My brain caught up with what I was seeing.
She’d been trying on whatever Leila had given her. The “personal” gift that had made my sister wink like she was sharing a secret.
And apparently it was lingerie.
My mouth went dry.
I’d seen naked women before. Had bedded enough of them that the sight shouldn’t affect me this much.
But this wasn’t the nakedness of any woman.
This was Tiana. My mate. The woman I’d been trying so hard not to want.
And she was beautiful.
Every soft curve I’d told myself I found unappealing and every inch of skin I’d pretended not to notice. All of it was on full display, and I couldn’t look away or pretend anymore.
Her eyes met mine in the lamplight. Watching me watch her.
The silence stretched between us, filled with everything we had left unfinished.
And then she spoke without any hesitation.
The words mortifying me and shattering what was left of my control:
“Alpha, are you ever going to finish the kiss you started earlier? Or are you just going to keep running every time you want me?“