Chapter 13 hurt
Kaelrix’s Point of View
I stared at the stubborn creature standing in front of me and could not help but wonder what type of wolf she truly was. She was fearless, stubborn, and annoyingly bold. She was the only one who dared to look me directly in the eyes without flinching, and for some strange reason, she amazed me. I had heard rumors about her being reckless, nonchalant, and fearless, and unfortunately those rumors were proving to be painfully true.
When I told her to walk on the Sliver Fire, I expected her to break instantly. I expected her to bow her head, beg for mercy, maybe shed a few tears like the rest of them would have. But instead she questioned me, stared back at me with that fire in her eyes, and refused to show even a speck of fear. She was the first woman to ever look me in the eyes with nothing but defiance. The more I searched her gaze and her soul, the more I realized there was no fear. None. All I saw was hatred, cold sharp hatred, and something deeper, something darker. Betrayal.
It baffled me, and for some reason, I believed betrayal was the root of her rage and her stubbornness.
Seeing her act this way made my wolf more curious than ever. What more was she hiding? What more was she capable of? Her father sold her to us for a purpose, a purpose every Alpha’s daughter before her had accepted without complaint. But Elinra was different. She was resisting, refusing, fighting everything set before her. It was as if her soul rejected the very idea of surrender.
When she stood at the entrance of the Sliver Fire chamber, I thought the heat alone would force her to collapse. The entire hall was filled with burning pressure, the sort that made even warriors sweat. Any normal wolf would bow instantly, but she did not even flinch. The heat washed over her and yet she still looked up, still held her ground, still refused to apologize.
When she saw the flames themselves, I expected her to crawl to my feet. That was the normal reaction. But she took a step forward. No screaming. No pleading. Just silent determination. It annoyed me. It impressed me. And that mixture irritated me even more because I should not be impressed by someone who disobeyed me.
What angered me most, however, was the apology she gave Candice. The softness in her eyes when she looked at him. The tenderness in her voice. It irritated me in a way I did not understand. And for reasons I did not want to admit, the sight of her caring for Candice made something twist sharply in my chest. A discomfort. Annoyance. Jealousy. No. Not jealousy. Something else. Something I refused to name.
As she walked into the fire, a strange feeling tugged inside me. I could feel her pain in my chest, like a phantom burn spreading up my legs. My heart tightened sharply. I kept trying to understand it, to push it aside, to rationalize it, but nothing made sense. It was confusing. It was wrong. It was not supposed to happen.
When she turned to come back, her tears shimmered in her eyes. It struck me harder than it should have. For a moment, for a very brief moment, I wanted to run into the fire and drag her out. I wanted to lift her up and stop the flames from touching her. But I forced myself still. I could not look weak. Not in front of them. Not in front of her. Not in front of myself.
I clenched my fists until my knuckles tightened and my jaw tensed painfully. Watching her legs burn made me uncomfortable. Deeply uncomfortable. I did not want to admit that I cared, because caring was weakness. And I am not weak.
No one had ever said no to me before. No one had ever dared. When she said no, it hit something inside me. It offended something deep in my ego. I did not want her to walk on the fire. Not truly. But I had no choice. If I let her disobey me, everyone would see me as weak. And they were already watching closely.
She came out the first time and I asked her to apologize. I even softened my tone slightly, hoping she would take the escape I had offered. But instead she went back in willingly. That nearly snapped my control. What was wrong with this girl? Did she not fear death? Did she not care for her life? Did she enjoy suffering?
Was she truly willing to destroy her delicate skin over pride?
I wanted to stop her. I wanted to grab her and drag her away from the fire. But the eyes of the pack were on me and I could not show weakness. She did not know how difficult it was for me to stand there and let her go back in.
Why was she hurting herself? What did she gain from this madness?
“You cannot hide the feelings for long. Do not fight it,” my wolf Kai suddenly said inside me, and I almost erupted with rage. Was I angry because he was wrong, or because he was right?
“That is because I do not want you to know me,” I snapped back at him.
Kai sneered, unimpressed. “Even if you refuse to speak, I know exactly what you feel. You think you hide things from me? That is laughable.”
“You are the most secretive mate I have ever seen,” he continued with dry amusement. “You do not talk. You lock everything inside. How exactly do you expect me to understand you if you never say anything?”
His words made me tense. Mate. That cursed word.
I almost chuckled out of disbelief. “I am not stupid. I can see the way you look at her,” Kai said coldly. “You like this wolf standing in that fire.”
My blood ran cold at his words. My expression darkened instantly. Like. What did that even mean? How was someone supposed to feel when they liked someone? I had never felt anything like that in my life.
“What does that even mean?” I demanded internally. “How do you know when you like someone?”
Kai burst into such loud laughter that it irritated every bone in my body. It was the first time I had heard him laugh that hard, and of course it had to be over something like this.
“I know you can feel what I feel,” he said in a low tone. “We both want her. We both want to devour her. We both want to be under her skin.”
His words hit me, and though part of me knew they were true, the darker part of me rejected it. Liking someone was ridiculous. Stupid. Unrealistic. Emotion was weakness. Weakness was death. Whatever people said about mates or fate was a lie. Ever since our pack was cursed, I stopped believing in the moon goddess or destiny. Mates, marking, ceremonies, all of it was nonsense.
Yet here I was, feeling something I refused to acknowledge.
Elinra stepped onto the fire again, and I found myself chuckling in disbelief. She was more stubborn than a donkey.
“If she were here physically, she would rip your tongue out for calling her that,” Kai murmured.
I sighed in frustration. “Kai, I would appreciate it if you shut up. You have been talking too much today.”
Elinra took her final walk through the fire. When she came out, her eyes were cold, filled with an icy hatred that stabbed me sharply. I told myself I did not care. It was for her own benefit. She needed to learn respect. She needed to learn to obey.
Candice rushed forward to grab her, and anger curled through my chest like smoke. He was too close to her. Far too close. I did not like it.
I frowned at that thought and pushed it away. Before they could ask her any questions, she fainted. I sneered slightly.
Did she have a habit of fainting?