Chapter 98 Chapter 98: Nominations
Senna’s POV
I stood outside of Kalev’s private chamber for a moment. I inhaled a deep breath. Butterflies were dancing around in my stomach. I didn’t think I’d be so nervous.
It had been weeks since I’d seen Kalev, except for the odd time on TV. And now that I was about to see him face to face, my palms were sweaty.
The contract that Endrick brought me had come as a shock. I still wasn’t sure what to think of it. I understood that Kalev was just trying to protect me. But he never should have signed that contract. He should have known me well enough to know that I could look after myself.
And he should have told me.
I had my nomination clutched tightly in my hand. I’d thought about changing it. Since Kalev had changed the games, I could send anyone onto the island. But the only other man I would want to send, Viktor, had already volunteered.
So I stuck with my initial decision.
“I know you’re there, Senna,” Kalev’s voice came from inside the room. “Our mate bond is broken but I can still smell you.”
I turned the knob on the door and entered the room.
The moment I saw Kalev in the flesh, my breath hitched in my throat. He was just as handsome as I remembered. His scent flooded over me and for a moment I felt dizzy. Verity perked up. But when she noticed that Orrin wasn’t there, she laid back down and rested her head on her paws.
Kalev stood at a table in the middle of the room, with one hand resting lightly on its edge. When I looked closer at him, I saw that he looked worse than I remembered.
He looked even more broken, his sad eyes turning towards mine, his lips pressed together.
“God you’re beautiful,” he whispered. The door closed behind me with a soft click.
We were alone. I walked to the table. Kalev kept his eyes on me the entire time. Glancing down, I noticed that his hands were visibly shaking.
“I’ve come to give you this,” I said, holding out my nomination form.
“A Victor nomination form?” he said.
I nodded. His eyes flicked to my hands.
“And?” He asked. He took it from me and read it. He saw the name and a bemused smile crossed his lips.
“Good choice,” he said.
“I think so,” I agreed. I was sending Kalen into the games. Just like I’d originally planned. He would get killed. I was sure of it. He deserved it. I was still very angry at him. And even more so because Mira had told me that he was trying to sell Junie to the games with a forged contract, the same way he’d done with me.
“I’m not done being angry,” I said simply.
“I doubt you ever will be,” Kalev replied softly. I’d been speaking about Kalen, but the way Kalev said it made it sound like he was talking about himself.
“Senna,” he said. “I need to tell you something. About the games. About the island.” My brows furrowed. He placed the form on his desk and turned fully towards me. He exhaled slowly, as if choosing his next words carefully.
“You want you to enter the Games,” he said.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
“Why would you ask me to do that?” I asked.
His voice lowered.
“Because these games are different. I’ve changed the island. I’ve structured it as a living thing. It will react to your wolf. She’ll be able to control the island in ways she hasn’t before.”
That caught me off guard. he’d changed the island? For me?
There was something so sweet about that. So touching. He really did care about me. He’d only broken the mate bond because he had to. He’d been forced into it. I should have known better. I should have known that he would never hurt me. Not on purpose.
The air between us was tense. He continued speaking, his hands still shaking.
“I want you in the games. You and I can work together. We can save all the sector participants and kill the noble ones. I’ve learned things about Viktor while you were gone. Things about the capital. It will change everything.”
I looked at him skeptically. I had a hard time trusting him, after what he’d done to me.
“I want you to play in these games.” He paused and locked eyes with me. “Because these will be the last games ever played. I’ve rigged it that way. And I need your help to keep the sector participants safe. I can’t do it alone. I can’t save all of them.”
My heart tugged. This was the Kalev I knew. The one that I’d grown to love. This was the man who hated the capital, and the games. I saw a flicker of his old self, the one who I trusted and loved.
And my emotions were so complex, I could barely process them.
“Please,” he said. “I need you.”
He fell silent then. We stared into each other’s eyes. All the hurt I’d felt was washing away. Being this close to him, I remembered everything. The touch of his hands on my skin. The feel of his lips.
“You really built the island for me?” I asked.
“I changed it, yes,” he nodded.
“Kalev, I know you signed a contract. That’s why you broke the mate bond. Because you thought you were saving me.”
His eyes widened for a beat. I took a step toward him. His scent flooded over me.
“How did…”
“Endrick,” I said. “He showed me the contract. You shouldn’t have done that. I’m not weak. I can look after myself.”
“I don’t want you to die.” The words hung in the air between us.
Then, without warning, he crossed the room in three large, purposeful strides. Before I could react, he pulled me towards him, his arm wrapped around my back.
He looked down at me, fire in his eyes.
“I won’t let you die.”