Chapter Ninety Nine - Sky's Choice

Chapter Ninety Nine - Sky's Choice
Kael’s POV

I stood a few yards away, close enough to hear every word, far enough to keep my temper on a leash.

Watching them was harder than I thought it would be.

Sky and the Lycan prince.

The way she looked at him, soft, patient, understanding, it clawed at something primal in me.

My wolf inside me stirred uneasily, pacing beneath my skin like it wanted to tear its way out. Every muscle in my body tensed at the sight of her fingers brushing against his face, my jaw clenching hard.

It wasn’t jealousy, at least, that’s what I kept telling myself. It was instinct. Wolves were territorial by nature. And she was mine, my mate. My calm in the storm. My everything.

Yet there she was, comforting another man.

I turned my gaze away, forcing my thoughts toward anything else, towards the men I’d stationed at the borders, the upcoming raids, the plans that demanded focus. But my mind kept dragging me back to her.

Every stolen glance felt like a blade dragging across my chest, and it was unbearable simply standing here.

I heard her voice, quiet, gentle. “How have you been, Eron? How did your father take the news after… after I was sold?”

Her words were soft, but I heard them all. I heard him too, his voice cracking under guilt. He apologized, even did it several times over, told her how he tried to save her, how he failed.

My hands curled into fists the more I listened.

He cried and she comforted him. All I could do was stand here and listen, like a jobless man eavesdropping on two people.

Every instinct screamed to move, to step forward, to remind him whose side of the line he stood on. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. Maybe not yet.

I’d promised her peace for this meeting. That was the only reason I was still standing still.

The wind picked up, brushing through the open fields surrounding us. The scent of earth and pine filled my lungs, and under it, faint but sharp, was hers.

Sky.

That scent alone steadied me, calming the storm in my chest...

Until I saw her touch him again.

This time, her hand lingered on his arm, a small gesture that should have been harmless maybe, but to me, it was enough to set my blood on fire.

I looked away, dragging in a deep breath through my teeth.

Control, Kael. You’ve learned control over and over. You don’t lose it again anymore.

I repeated it like a mantra until the sound of her voice pulled me back.

She was talking about the raids now, about the markets, the ones that still trafficked innocents, women like her. She asked him if he’d spoken to his father about it.

Eron’s answer came hesitant but clear enough for me to hear. “I’ve raised it many times. The King and the council… they refuse. They claim we’ll deal with it after the vampires.”

I smiled, thinking to myself how typical it sounded.

I almost laughed, a sharp, humorless sound stuck in my throat. The Lycans always delayed, always weighed diplomacy over justice like they were trying to change from being creatures of war to peace seekers.

Cowards, I'd say.

Sky frowned, her voice firm this time. “There are people being hurt every day because of that delay.”

Eron’s reply was quiet too. “It’s not that simple. It’s a large scale raid, Sky. We’d need an army. If we strike too soon, we’ll lose more than we’ll save.”

He was trying to sound reasonable, but all I heard was hesitation. Excuses upon excuses.

My wolf growled low beneath my skin, restless, angry at the territorial game being played.

That’s when Sky turned toward me. Her eyes met mine across the clearing, full of that strange mix of strength and calm that could silence storms.

“Kael,” she said softly, “let me speak to him alone.”

For a moment, I didn’t process it, like my mind wasn't receiving the information it was supposed to.

Alone?

The word struck like a whip. My body went rigid before I could even mask it.

“No,” I said, too sharply.

But before I could say more, Eron stepped closer, placing himself between us, between me and her. His tone was low but heavy with challenge. “Why are you asking him like that? If he’s not treating you right, Sky, I’ll take you back. I’ll fight him myself if I must.”

“What?”

The audacity.

The wolf inside me roared in fury, offended.

In one step I was close enough to rip his throat out. My hands trembled from holding back, every breath a battle.

How dare he?

How dare he stand there, acting like I was some monster she needed saving from.

My eyes burned into him, and for a heartbeat, I saw fear flicker behind his bravado. But Sky, she moved before I could.

Her hand came up and struck him across the face, the sound cracking through the air like lightning.

Eron froze, shock flashing across his features.

I froze too, but for a different reason.

Not because she hit him. But because of the look in her eyes.

It wasn’t anger or fear. It was… disappointment.

“Don’t,” she whispered. “Don’t you ever say that again, Eron.”

Her voice trembled slightly, but her words were still hard, cutting through the air like steel.

Eron blinked, his pride shattering in silence. He looked at her, really looked at her, and the realization dawned too late.

She wasn’t his anymore.

I didn’t move, I just stood there, the echo of that moment burning itself into my mind.

Something in me shifted then, not rage, not victory, but something quieter. He could have her past, all the years before me. But now, in this moment, she chose where she stood.

And it wasn’t beside him.

The silence after that felt heavy, filled with words none of us dared to say. The air between them changed, from old affection to something final, something finished.

I let out a slow breath and turned my eyes to the sky, to the fading colors bleeding into dusk. The wind had grown colder.

Part of me wanted to walk away right then, to leave them both and let time carve out whatever end this needed. But instead, I waited. And watched.

To see how it would play out.

When she finally turned, her eyes found mine again. And though she said nothing, I understo
od.

For the first time ever, seeing it in her own eyes now, she wasn't choosing between two men...

She was choosing herself.