Chapter 396

Chapter 396
LINA'S POV

I woke up the next morning feeling like I had not slept at all.

Every muscle in my body ached from the previous night's tension, my mind still replaying fragments of conversation with Cole on the balcony, the way his words had settled somewhere deep in my chest that I still had not fully processed. I barely made it through washing up and dressing before my mother appeared at my door, ushering me downstairs for breakfast with an urgency that told me the second day of ceremony preparations had already begun without my permission.

I had barely taken two bites of toast when three elderly women from a neighboring territory settled around our breakfast table like they owned the place.

"Such a shame about her condition," one of them said, not even bothering to lower her voice despite me sitting right there listening. "An omega who cannot shift. In my day, that would have made finding a match nearly impossible."

"Nonsense," another replied, patting my hand with cold, papery fingers. "Her family's influence more than compensates. Any alpha would be fortunate to overlook such a small flaw."

Small flaw. I forced my expression into something resembling polite gratitude while internally screaming at the casual cruelty wrapped inside what they clearly believed was a compliment.

"She really should decide soon though," the third woman added, studying me like I was livestock at auction. "Waiting too long only makes prospects more difficult. Nobody wants an omega who has aged past her prime years."

"I am seventeen," I said quietly, unable to fully hold back the words.

"Exactly my point, dear. You should be securing a match now, while you still hold some appeal."

I smiled tightly, excusing myself before I said something that would embarrass my entire family, years of practice keeping composed despite conversations that treated me like an object rather than an actual person with thoughts and preferences of my own.

Desperate for any escape from the constant commentary about my worth and marriageability, I volunteered to help organize the afternoon activities planned for younger visiting guests, hoping the responsibility would keep me sufficiently busy and away from prying elderly relatives.

That plan lasted approximately twenty minutes before another alpha found me anyway.

"Miss Lina," he said politely, appearing beside the activity table where I was arranging games for the children. "I noticed you organizing everything yourself. Might I offer assistance?"

Unlike many others I had encountered, this one seemed genuinely polite, his tone respectful without the condescending undertones I had grown accustomed to expecting. Still, I had absolutely no interest in encouraging conversation that might lead toward the exact kind of expectations I was desperately trying to avoid.

"That is kind of you, but I have everything managed."

"I insist. It would be my pleasure."

He remained beside me regardless, helping arrange chairs and decorations while making polite conversation about his territory, his family's business interests, careful questions about my own interests that felt entirely too much like formal courtship despite his gentle approach. I kept searching for excuses to end the conversation without appearing rude, my patience wearing thinner with each passing minute.

"Lina."

Cole's voice interrupted before I could formulate another polite deflection, and I turned to find him standing directly beside me, his presence immediately shifting the atmosphere between myself and the visiting alpha.

"This is a private conversation," the alpha said, though his confident tone wavered slightly upon recognizing Cole's identity.

"Is it?" Cole's expression remained perfectly calm, though something dangerous simmered beneath his composed exterior. "I was under the impression Lina was working, not entertaining suitors."

The visiting alpha's eyes darted between us, clearly picking up on tension that had nothing to do with the actual words being exchanged. Within moments, he offered a stiff bow and quick excuse about needing to check on his family's arrangements, disappearing swiftly toward the main courtyard.

I immediately spun toward Cole, irritation flooding through me despite the relief I secretly felt at his interference. "Are you seriously chasing away every single person who tries speaking with me?"

"Only the ones I do not approve of."

"You do not get to approve or disapprove of anyone I speak with!"

"I disagree." He crossed his arms, entirely unbothered by my growing frustration. "I did not like how he was looking at you."

"How he was looking at me? He was being perfectly polite!"

"He was looking at you like you were something to acquire rather than someone to actually know."

His blunt honesty caught me completely off guard, momentarily silencing whatever argument I had been preparing. Something about the directness of his admission, the complete lack of pretense in acknowledging his own possessive behavior, left me struggling to formulate an appropriate response.

"That is not your decision to make," I finally managed, though my earlier conviction had noticeably weakened.

"Perhaps not officially. But I made it anyway."

We continued arguing as I gathered the remaining decorations, moving toward the private garden to store supplies for the afternoon's activities. He followed alongside me, our conversation growing increasingly heated despite the underlying current running beneath the surface tension.

"You act like we belong to each other," I said, setting down a box of decorations with more force than necessary. "But we are nothing, Cole. We are not officially anything."

"Are we not?"

"No! We spar together sometimes. We talk sometimes. That does not make us anything official."

He stepped closer, close enough that I instinctively took a step backward, my spine eventually meeting the rough bark of a nearby tree as he continued advancing until barely any space remained between us.

"Whether we are officially anything or not," he said quietly, his voice dropping to something low and intense, "you already occupy far too much space inside my mind for me to pretend otherwise."

My heart stuttered painfully in my chest, breath catching as his words settled deep into places I was not entirely prepared for. He remained standing there, close enough that I could feel warmth radiating from his body, his dark eyes holding mine with an intensity that made rational thought increasingly difficult to maintain.

"Cole," I whispered, though I had no idea what I intended to say next.

Before either of us could continue, I quickly pressed my palm against his chest, pushing him back with more force than the moment probably required, desperate to create distance before my racing heart betrayed exactly how deeply his words had affected me.

"I need to finish organizing the activities," I said quickly, refusing to meet his eyes as I gathered the remaining supplies and hurried away from the garden.

I did not look back to see his reaction, though I could practically feel his amused, satisfied gaze following my hasty retreat.

Walking briskly toward the main courtyard, I pressed my palm against my still racing heart, desperately trying to steady my breathing while his words continued echoing relentlessly through my thoughts. You already occupy far too much space inside my mind for me to pretend otherwise.

I told myself repeatedly that his words meant nothing significant, that I was simply overreacting to typical possessive behavior he displayed toward literally everyone who approached me.

But no matter how many times I repeated that reasoning internally, I could not shake the warmth spreading persistently through my chest, could not stop myself from wondering exactly what those words truly meant coming from someone like him.

I was so lost in my swirling thoughts that I nearly collided directly into my mother as I rounded the corner into the main courtyard, her expression tight with something that immediately pulled me from my distracted daze.

"Lina," she said urgently, grabbing my arm with unusual intensity. "We need to speak privately. Right now."

"Mom, what is wrong?"

Her eyes darted nervously around the crowded courtyard before lowering her voice to barely above a whisper. "Someone matching your description was seen near the eastern gardens last night, speaking with an unfamiliar visitor after the ceremony ended. Security believes there may have been a breach in our protection detail."

My stomach dropped instantly, ice replacing the warmth that had filled my chest only moments earlier.

"What kind of breach?"

My mother's expression grew increasingly grave, glancing around one final time before answering in a voice barely audible even to me.

"They found evidence suggesting someone attempted to access your room while you were occupied at the balcony last night. Someone specifically searching for something they believed you were hiding."