Chapter 13: Little Viper

|||YASMIN|||

The words hung in the air between us like a challenge thrown down on a battlefield.

My wife-to-be.

The way he said it, with that lazy confidence and predatory smile, made something flutter low in my stomach—a sensation I quickly pushed aside.

I lifted my chin, meeting his mismatched gaze with what I hoped was equal confidence. "That remains to be seen, doesn't it?"

Zeirik's laugh was rich and warm, a sound that seemed to cut through the winter chill. He took a step closer, his boots crunching softly on the frost-covered ground. "Direct. I like that." His head tilted slightly, studying me with those unsettling eyes. "Tell me, Princess, what exactly do you have to gain from making me Alpha?"

The question caught me off guard, and I felt my composure slip for just a moment. I'd expected many things from this conversation—negotiation, perhaps some crude propositions, maybe even outright rejection. But not this sharp intelligence cutting straight to the heart of my motives.

I blinked, reassessing the man before me. Zeirik had seemed... simpler than his brother. The Older prince who preferred battlefields to ballrooms--mostly because he was forced to it--, who spoke to the Royal court as though he had no manners and smiled at every woman who batted their lashes at him.

But standing here now, seeing the calculating gleam in his eyes, I remembered something crucial: this was the general who had ended a decades-long war in just five years. A man didn't accomplish something like that without considerable intelligence.

How foolish I'd been to underestimate him.

"I want power," I said finally, deciding honesty would serve me better than pretty lies. "I want to watch your brother lose everything he threw me away to protect."

Something flickered across Zeirik's features—approval, perhaps, or amusement. "Revenge, then. How refreshingly honest." He moved closer still, close enough that I could see the flecks of amber in his green eye, the way his breath misted in the cold air. "And you believe you can deliver on your promise? Make me Alpha?"

"I made Cassien Crown Prince," I replied, allowing a hint of steel to enter my voice. "I know every elder in this pack, every alliance, every debt owed and favor granted. I can weave you into their hearts and minds until they see you as the only logical choice for leadership."

"Mmm." The sound was low, contemplative. "And in return, you get your revenge and a crown. But understand this, Princess—" His voice dropped, becoming something darker, more intimate. "If you become my wife, you'll be my wife in every sense of the word. I have every intention of fulfilling my duties as your husband."

Heat flooded my cheeks before I could stop it. The way he looked at me when he said it—like he was already imagining exactly what those duties would entail—made my skin prickle with awareness. I felt exposed under his gaze, as if he could see through the composed mask I wore to the tumultuous emotions beneath.

"I... I understand," I managed, cursing the slight breathiness that had crept into my voice.

Zeirik's smile widened, becoming something almost feral. "Your skin looks particularly lovely when you blush, little viper."

Little viper. The nickname should have offended me, should have made me bristle at the implication. Instead, it sent a strange thrill through my chest. There was something almost affectionate in the way he said it, mixed with the obvious admiration in his tone.

It was getting a little hard to breathe with this proximity, with the citrusy scent engulfing me in one big wave.

I cleared by throat and took a slow step back.

"Is that what you're calling me now?" I asked, grateful that my voice had steadied.

"It suits you, doesn't it? Beautiful, elegant... and deadly when provoked." He reached out, almost touching my cheek before dropping his hand back to his side. "I find myself rather looking forward to our arrangement."

I stared at him, this man who was nothing like his brother, nothing like what I'd expected. Talking to him felt... easy. Natural, in a way that conversation rarely did within the palace walls. There was no need to weigh every word for hidden meanings, no carefully maintained distance born of protocol and politics. Just honesty, sharp and clean as a blade.

"The divorce papers," Zeirik said, his tone shifting back to business. "Cassien won't make it easy for you. He's stubborn, and he doesn't like losing what he considers his."

My jaw tightened. "I'm not his anything anymore."

"No, you're not. But he won't see it that way." Zeirik's expression grew serious. "If you need help navigating the legal complexities, my wing is always open to you. I have contacts among the priests, connections that might prove useful."

I straightened my spine, pride flaring at the implied suggestion that I couldn't handle this myself. "I can manage Cassien."

I won't be leaving my fate completely in the hands of another Elysium Prince, thank you very much.

"I'm sure you can," he said, but there was something knowing in his tone that made me wonder if he saw through my bravado. "Still, the offer stands."

The sun was sinking lower now, painting the frozen garden in shades of gold and crimson. Soon, someone would notice we were both missing, would start asking questions I wasn't ready to answer.

"I should go," I said, taking a step backward. "People will talk if we're seen together too long."

"Let them talk, it's all they can do anyways," Zeirik said with a charming shrug, but he made no move to stop me. "Until next time, little viper."

I caught a glimpse of an elongated fang as he smiled at me. The sight of it left me with mixed feelings.

I turned and walked away, feeling his eyes on my back until I disappeared around a bend in the garden path. My heart was beating faster than it should have been, and I pressed a hand to my chest as if I could somehow slow its rhythm through sheer will.

Little viper.The nickname echoed in my mind as I made my way back through the palace corridors.

Perhaps that was what I'd become, a viper.