Chapter 18 All I Could Give
Dane’s POV
She was full of surprises.
Every. Damn. Time.
I stepped into the library expecting silence, maybe the faint scent of old parchment and dust… not her.
Meira.
She stood by the far shelf, reaching for a stack of books. I had visited the library to come select few books to read in my study. She was clearly sent to clean. Her back was to me, her long dark hair pulled into a messy braid that exposed the delicate curve of her neck. A servant shouldn’t have looked this captivating doing something so simple.
But what truly froze me wasn’t her appearance.
It was her voice.
She was singing softly and unconsciously one of my favorite songs from a book I’d read years ago.
“All I Could Give.”
A song almost no one remembered anymore.
Her voice wasn’t loud; it didn’t need to be. There was a richness to it, a deep, warm alto that slid into my bones and eased every knot of tension I carried. For a moment, I forgot the political wars outside these walls, the pressure of the throne, and the prophecy that hung over my neck like a blade.
For a moment, there was only her voice and the way it melted something frozen inside me.
She turned the second she sensed me. The singing died instantly, replaced by that stiff, reserved posture she always tried so hard to maintain. But I’d heard her now. I’d seen another piece of the woman hiding under the silence.
Even in those worn servant clothes, she looked… breathtaking. Soft curves, subtle strength, the kind of beauty that wasn’t flashy but pulled you in before you realized you were already gone.
I spoke to her; they were simple questions at first. And for a brief second, she let her guard slip. The same woman I’d seen in the forest appeared again: expressive, sharp-minded, and unafraid to speak with emotion. She talked about the book she had been holding, about pain and love, as if she’d lived a thousand lives and carried every lesson in her bones.
I didn’t want her to stop. I didn’t want that part of her to fade.
But of course, a moment later, she retreated back into that quiet shell. Too aware of who she was… and who I was.
Still, I found myself wanting to ask questions—personal ones. Dangerous ones. Questions meant to confirm what I had felt since the forest.
Questions meant to confirm whether she was truly…
my damnation.
My gaze drifted to her eyes—those rare moonlit lavender eyes. Unnatural. Ethereal. Eyes that felt like a story written before either of us was born. Eyes that felt like a prophecy creeping toward its climax.
I opened my mouth—
And of course, that’s when my father arrived.
“Dane.”
His voice cracked like thunder through the library.
I stiffened automatically. So did she.
He stood at the entrance, anger carved deep into his aging features. His skin was pale—too pale—and the slight sway in his stance told me the sickness was eating him faster than he admitted. He was trying to stand tall, trying to look strong… but I could see past all of it.
“Father,” I said, tearing my gaze from Meira.
He didn’t look at me. His eyes—cold, poisonous—landed straight on her.
Disgust twisted his mouth.
“There was a meeting with the elders,” he snapped. “Why weren’t you there, Dane? ”
“I was occupied,” I replied, glancing again at Meira without meaning to.
That was the mistake.
His eyes darkened. “I’m talking to you, and you’re looking at this filth?”
The word slapped the air.
Filth.
Something burning and unfamiliar coiled in my chest. Rage. Real, violent rage.
“Father,” I warned.
“Why is that sparking a reaction in you, Dane? That is what she is. Filth. A servant girl who doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as royalty.”
My hands tightened at my sides. I tried very hard to keep my voice steady.
“Father, I won’t tolerate you calling her that.”
He didn’t care. He never cared about my anger. He was the Alpha King. The most feared man in the kingdom. And he believed himself untouchable.
He stepped closer, his gaze drilling into Meira now like she had offended him simply by existing.
“I only allowed you to judge her at the courtroom because I didn’t want us arguing in front of the members of the council, the elders, and the pack members,” he said sharply. “But now I see it clearly.”
His nostrils flared with realization.
“Is she the reason you ignored the meeting? ”
I didn’t answer, mostly because I didn’t trust myself to speak without saying something treasonous.
“You know I’ve never cared for those meetings. I never will,” I muttered instead.
The admission poured gasoline on his fury.
He turned on Meira like a predator scenting weakness. Tears shimmered in her lavender eyes, clinging to the edges but refusing to fall. She looked so small then… but something inside me reacted violently to that helplessness.
“You! ” he thundered.
Meira flinched so hard she nearly dropped the books.
“I never want to see you near my son again. Do you hear me? If I ever catch you within even a breath of him—”
“Father—” I stepped forward.
“Silence! ” he barked without looking at me.
His voice dropped, dangerous and icy.
“If you defy this command, girl… if you so much as look at him again…”
He leaned forward, his aura swallowing the room, choking the air from her lungs.
“I will not hesitate to slit your throat myself.”
Meira’s eyes widened, terror flooding the lavender.
I moved without thinking, my instinct, anger, and something primal tightening every muscle in my body.
But before I could step between them—
My father turned.
His gaze locked with mine, cold and knowing.
And he smiled.
A slow, deadly smile.
“Unless…” he said quietly, “there is a reason you’re protecting her, Dane.”
Everything inside me went still.
Meira sucked in a shaky breath.
My father’s eyes narrowed, recognition dawning dangerous, sharp, and unstoppable.
“Tell me, son,” he whispered, “what is she to you? ”
The world seemed to freeze.
Nothing! I said with rage—I didn’t know when the words escaped my mouth; I didn’t know why, but I referred to it immediately after it left my mouth.