Chapter 104

Alpha Kenzo's hand dwarfed mine, nearly twice its size, yet his grip was impossibly gentle, as though cradling something fragile. I managed an awkward smile and squeezed his hand harder, subtly trying to prove I wasn’t made of porcelain. His response was immediate—his hold shifted, firming in a way that sent an unspoken challenge while his eyes bore dangerously into mine. We stood locked in a strange, electric silence, the air thickening around us.

His thumb traced slow, deliberate circles against my palm, igniting a cascade of shivers that flooded my body. The sensation was unbearable, and I jerked my hand back, hurriedly scratching the spot where his touch lingered, as though I could erase it. He smirked.

“So… Lady Thalassa, do you wander this garden often?” His voice was laced with amusement, his chuckle soft.

“I’ve never been here before,” I admitted, forcing my tone to remain steady. “It just looked like a good place to... clear my thoughts.”

“Is something troubling you?” His voice carried a surprising thread of concern.

I met his gaze with a faint smile, saying nothing.

He spread his arms, a gesture of surrender, though his words came with the sharp edge of insistence. “I get it. You don’t trust me. But I’m not the villain you’ve made me out to be.”

I studied him, searching for a tell, a crack in the mask he wore. Was he cunning and calculated, or was there sincerity hidden behind those words? Either way, I couldn’t ignore the uneasy pull he had over me.

“Tell me, Alpha Kenzo,” I began carefully, locking eyes with him, “do you think it’s possible to trust someone who tried to buy you like some sort of... possession?”

“It wasn’t like that,” he sighed, his frustration evident. “I never bought you. You were given to me as part of a peace offering—something Alpha Cassius proposed.”

“That doesn’t make it sound any better,” I retorted, crossing my arms and glaring at him.

Kenzo’s expression darkened slightly. “Alright, I’ll admit it. I was... intrigued. Having a strong heir would mean securing my pack’s safety for generations to come. But when I accepted those terms, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was furious, Thalassa. I didn’t want any of it—not like that.” His words were tinged with agitation, but they didn’t feel entirely convincing.

“Then explain it to me,” I said, pressing him for more, unwilling to let him off so easily.

He leaned back against the tall hedge, exhaling deeply as if preparing himself. “I’m the son of Alpha Galen Lockridge, who was the son of Alpha Silas Lockridge, and he, in turn, was the son of King Alpha Tiberius Lockridge. For centuries, my pack—the Blue Moon Pack—was considered the strongest in the werewolf world. We were unmatched until my grandfather, Silas, lost a duel to another pack’s Alpha. That loss broke everything. The wolves became divided, and what could’ve been a united kingdom fractured.

“Of course, other packs eventually rose in strength—like the Blood Moon Pack, led by Alpha Calliope, and the Southern Moon Pack under Cassius Marwood. But they only gained their reputation after the packs began merging.” He paused, watching me closely.

At the mention of my father’s name, my body stiffened, and he noticed. His lips curled into a shrewd smirk, his eyes sharp and unrelenting. I clicked my tongue, annoyed.

“I didn’t know that,” I muttered, my tone clipped. “I never cared much for the other packs—I was too busy running from my so-called father.” The bitterness in my voice was palpable, my teeth gritting at the memory.

He snorted.

“What?” I snapped.

“Nothing,” he replied with a mischievous grin, though his eyes held secrets. He inhaled deeply, resuming his story.

“Cassius hated my father. He even challenged him once, trying to claim our lands, but he lost. That defeat only fueled his hatred. For years, he kept his distance—until he orchestrated an ambush. My father didn’t stand a chance. He was overwhelmed by thirty of Cassius’s best warriors, all under the guise of a rogue attack. They ripped him apart.”

Kenzo’s voice grew darker, each word heavy with anger. “Cassius might’ve gotten away with it, but one of his men fell into our hands. That’s how we learned the truth. I was just sixteen when I took over the pack, and my first act as Alpha was to declare war on the Southern Moon Pack.”

A faint smile crept onto my lips. I couldn’t deny a small sense of satisfaction hearing of Kenzo’s animosity toward my father.

“Did you… fight against the Southern Moon Pack?” I asked, my heart hammering.

“For three years, it was endless bloodshed,” he admitted. “We might have fought until the last wolf, but the Southerners reached out with a peace treaty. My mother begged me to accept it, to put an end to the war and properly mourn my father. Reluctantly, I agreed.

“Cassius handed over territory—land that once belonged to the Blood Moon Pack. But he also gave me what he called his ‘greatest treasure.’” Kenzo’s eyes pinned me in place. “You.”

A heavy exhale escaped my lips as a sudden wave of dizziness hit me, making my legs buckle beneath me. Pain surged through my body, anger rising alongside it like a storm I couldn’t contain. I stumbled, struggling to stay upright, only for Kenzo’s arm to dart out, steadying me before I collapsed completely.

But his quick movement only served to pull me closer, and I found myself falling directly into his arms.

“Are you all right?” His deep voice resonated through me, sending ripples of awareness to every corner of my body.

“Y-yes…” I stammered, quickly pushing away from his solid chest, desperate to regain my footing—and my composure.

Turning my face away, I forced myself to focus on slowing my erratic breathing. But the heat rising to my cheeks betrayed me, the blush refusing to fade as quickly as I wished. I could feel his eyes on me, studying me with an unreadable intensity and a sly grin that sent my already racing heart into overdrive. I clenched my teeth, silently cursing my own body for reacting like some untamed, desperate creature.

Thalassa, get a grip! Remember who you’re dealing with! my inner voice scolded, snapping me back to reality.

Clearing my throat, I met his gaze head-on, willing myself to appear calm, confident—anything but the emotional wreck I felt inside.

“So…” I began, my voice sharp with barely contained bitterness. “You decided to accept a slave that was handed to you?”

His expression darkened slightly, and a bitter smile tugged at his lips. “I foolishly believed that taking you would hurt Alpha Cassius. You are his blood, after all.”

“And what, exactly, did you plan to do with me?” The words escaped before I could stop them, and my chest tightened as I realized I wasn’t prepared for his answer.

“I…” His voice faltered, and he looked at me, his expression twisted with something that almost resembled guilt. “I thought of making you my slave. I wanted to hurt you as much as I wanted to hurt Alpha Cassius.”

The truth hit me like a slap, and I recoiled, taking a step back as if the distance could shield me from the weight of his words. My heart pounded wildly, a whirlwind of emotions threatening to pull me under. Fear sparked in my chest, but it wasn’t the strongest feeling clawing its way to the surface.

Beneath the fear, there was something uglier—a deep, searing anger at my father. Kenzo’s words only confirmed what I’d long suspected: Cassius Marwood hadn’t been ignorant of my fate. No, he had known exactly what would happen to me, and he hadn’t cared.

For years, I had convinced myself I was done with the pain my father caused me. I thought I’d buried it, that it couldn’t touch me anymore. But hearing the truth now was like ripping open an old wound. It dragged me back to the terrified eighteen-year-old who had been nothing more than a pawn in her father’s cruel games.

I had always assumed he sold me for money, at least giving me some value in the transaction. But this? This was worse. He hadn’t even fought for me. Instead, he handed over stolen land—land that wasn’t his to give—and threw me in as a bargaining chip to save his own skin.

“Fucking bastard,” I muttered, my voice cracking as tears spilled from my eyes.

My body trembled, the years of pent-up pain and hatred bubbling over, unstoppable. My breathing turned ragged, my chest tightening as though it was being crushed from the inside. My vision blurred, and the edges of the world spun dangerously. I took another step back, but my legs gave way as the panic attack consumed me.

“Don’t cry.” Kenzo’s voice reached me just as his arms wrapped around me, catching me before I hit the ground.

He held me gently, lifting me as though I weighed nothing. His warmth seeped into my shivering body, his embrace a strange balm to the chaos within me. Without thinking, I clung to him, burying my head against his chest. His heartbeat was fast, frantic, but it steadied me in a way I couldn’t explain.

“Please don’t cry, Thalassa,” he murmured, his voice soft and filled with regret. “I was a fool, blinded by my rage. I didn’t know who you were back then. I’ll never hurt you, Thalassa. Never. So please… don’t cry.”

His words were like a gentle tide, washing over me as he wiped the tears from my cheeks with careful fingers. His touch was soft, almost reverent.

And, to my surprise, I believed him.