Chapter 125
Chapter 125
Winter was shocked.
'What? Their baby was gone?'
“It happened that night,” Kallias continued quietly. “At your wedding party. Crystal and I argued, nothing serious, or so I thought. Then the incident happened.”
Winter said nothing. She hadn’t expected him to continue, but he did. His shoulders sagged beneath an invisible weight, desperation etched into every line of his face. The regret in his voice was unmistakable. And for the briefest moment, an unsettling thought crossed her mind.
What if he’s right?
What if Crystal truly was hiding here?
“She isn’t only angry at me,” Kallias went on. “She’s angry at you as well.”
Winter’s gaze sharpened.
“She knows I would search for her everywhere, including here," he said. “Knowing no one would believe me. Crystal knew I would confront Valtor and that if I failed to find her it would push me toward war, a war that would endanger both our people.”
Silence fell.
Winter absorbed his words slowly, weighing each implication.
“And would you?” she asked at last, her voice calm but edged with steel. “Would you go that far for her? Would you shatter the peace of my land, endanger my innocent people, to bring her back?”
Kallias didn’t answer.
Winter already knew what Valtor would do if challenged. Her mate would never back down from a threat of war from any Alpha. He would accept it without hesitation.
And if that happened, Crystal’s plan would succeed.
“No,” Kallias said suddenly.
The word startled her.
“I won’t,” he continued. “Not if you’re willing to help me. And I know you can, you hold real power here, Winter.”
Her expression remained unreadable. “What kind of help?”
That 'No' would have been enough. She could have dismissed him, ended the conversation, and refused to involve herself in his ruin and Crystal’s disappearance. Even if Crystal truly was here, Winter had every right to walk away.
“Help me find her,” Kallias said. “Send your people quietly without Valtor knowing to search for her.”
Shame bled into his voice as he pressed on.
“And when you find her, keep her safe. You can imprison her anywhere. I don’t care. Just keep her untouched. Safe from… from your people.”
Winter studied him. “You know Crystal and I are no longer friends,”
“I know,” Kallias replied. “Even I know you could use this to capture her. To take revenge for everything she did to you.”
Then he met her eyes.
“But I know that you will never do that.”
Something sharp flared in Winter’s chest.
She didn’t like the way he said that. Didn’t like the assumption that he still had the right to understand her.
“Winter-"
“I can't.” she cut in. Her voice was resolute.
“I wouldn't lie to my mate. If Crystal reveals herself and comes to me willingly, then perhaps I’ll consider what you’re asking. But if she remains hidden…” Winter paused, her gaze unwavering. “Then let fate take its course. Whatever happens to her will no longer be my concern.”
The finality in her tone left no room for argument. Kallias inhaled sharply. Relief and defeat tangled in his expression at once.
He opened his mouth to say more, then closed it.
In the end, he only nodded.
“Of course,” he said quietly. “You wouldn’t lie to your mate. You love him too much.”
The words were simple, but something in them fractured. Regret flickered across his face before he looked away.
Winter watched him. She should feel triumphant. Her ex-mate was broken now, reduced to regret and longing by the very choices he once wielded like weapons.
But instead, she felt nothing. Only calm.
True victory, she realized, didn’t need validation.
“So much,” she said softly.