Chapter 12 The Anger
LIRA POV
The rejection slammed into my chest as I nodded once, cold understanding washing over me. "Of course they do," I said quietly. "Just like your needs came first last night."
Kael's jaw locked, the muscle twitching. "That's not the same thing," he said.
"Isn't it?" I shot back, my steps carrying me toward the stairs. "You take what you want when you want it, and everyone else accommodates your desires. Well, I'm done accommodating."
"Lira, wait," Kael called after me, his voice edged with both command and desperation.
"No." I turned back one last time, my voice carrying new authority. "I'm going to Silvermoon territory with or without you. I'm going to face Elias Thornfield and demand answers. And if he tries to kill me, at least I'll die fighting for something that matters instead of accepting scraps from someone who sees me as a convenient possession."
I climbed the stairs without looking back, leaving Kael alone with the chained elder and the weight of twenty years of lies.
Behind me, Garrick's bitter laughter echoed through the stone corridors.
"The child has teeth after all," he called after me. "Just like her father did."
I made it halfway to my old cellar before Kael caught up with me. His hand closed around my wrist, spinning me to face him. "We're not done talking," he said, his eyes blazing.
"I'm done listening to excuses." I twisted, trying to pull away, but his grip only tightened.
"You want to throw your life away on some misguided quest for vengeance?" His voice cracked in the narrow corridor.
"I want to honor my parents' memory," I shot back, my chin lifting. "Something you clearly know nothing about."
His eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't presume to lecture me about family honor," he said.
"Why not?" I challenged myself, the heat in my voice. "You didn't seem to have any problem dishonoring our mate bond last night."
"That had nothing to do with" His words cut off, rough with frustration.
"It had everything to do with showing me my place." Silver light flickered around my free hand, power sparking at my fingertips. "Well, message received. I know exactly where I stand with you."
"Do you?" His voice dropped into that dangerous register I was learning to recognize, low and threatening. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're preparing to get yourself killed out of spite."
"Better to die free," I hissed, "than live as your decorative prisoner."
Something snapped in his expression. Before I could react, he slammed me back against the corridor wall, his body pinning me in place.
"Decorative prisoner?" His voice was deadly quiet now, every word vibrating against my skin. "Is that what you think you are?"
His nearness sent my heart racing, the mate bond singing with unwanted awareness. I could smell the wildness of his skin, feel the heat radiating from his chest.
"Isn't it?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady. "A pretty bloodline to legitimize your rule?"
"If that's all I wanted, I could have killed you and found another Luna," he said, his free hand bracing against the wall beside my head, trapping me completely. "One who didn't challenge me at every turn."
"Then why didn't you?" My defiance wavered, though I held his gaze.
"Because you're mine." The words came out rough, almost guttural, soaked in possessiveness. "From the moment I scented you in that cellar, you became mine. And I don't let go of what belongs to me."
"I don't belong to anyone." My voice shook.
His laugh was harsh, humorless. "Don't you? Then why can you feel my heartbeat right now? Why does your body respond to my nearness even when your mind rejects me?"
And I could feel it—the traitorous quickening of my pulse, the warmth spreading through me despite my anger. The mate bond was a chain binding us both, whether we liked it or not.
"That doesn't mean anything," I whispered, almost to myself.
"Doesn't it?" His face lowered until his breath brushed my ear. "Your wolf knows who her alpha is, even if you're too stubborn to admit it."
"You're not my alpha." I forced the words through clenched teeth.
"I am your mate. Your partner. The other half of your soul, whether you like it or not," he said.
"Partners don't humiliate each other with public displays of infidelity." My voice cracked, the memory still raw.
For a moment, regret flickered in his storm-gray eyes. Then it was gone, replaced by cold authority.
"I did what was necessary to establish dominance," he said, his tone clipped. "To show the pack that I won't be controlled by sentiment."
"You did it to hurt me." My accusation was cut.
"I did it to teach you reality." His grip shifted on my wrist, thumb brushing over the frantic beat of my pulse. "An alpha's needs come first. His mate supports those needs and doesn't fight them."
"Even when those needs involve other women?" My voice trembled with disgust.
"Especially then." The words came out, but the conviction had drained from them.
I studied his face, seeing the fracture lines in his mask. "You regret it," I said softly.
"I regret nothing." His reply was too quick.
"You regret hurting me."
"I regret that you're too naive to understand pack politics," he said.
"And I regret being mated to someone who thinks cruelty equals strength." I shoved against his chest, though he didn't move an inch. "Let me go."
"So you can run off to Silvermoon and get yourself killed?" His tone was firm.
"So I can make my own choices for once in my life," I said.
"Your choices affect more than just you now." His hand pressed harder at my jaw, forcing me to look at him. "You're my Luna, whether you accept the title or not. Your death would destabilize the entire pack."
"Then reject me." The words tore from my lips before I could stop them. "If I'm such a liability, break the mate bond and find someone more suitable."
Kael went absolutely still, as if frozen in place. "What did you say?" he asked.