Chapter 41 Chapter 41
Tiana
Three days had passed since the morning Zane had asked me—no, ordered me—to convince Kaius to consider a marriage alliance.
Three days of pretending I didn’t still feel the burn of his words in my chest.
Three days of avoiding him entirely.
And Kaius too, for that matter.
Not because I was angry at him, but because I didn’t want to drag him any deeper into the mess Zane had thrown at my feet.
I had spent those days focusing on one thing only: the preparation for my womb treatment.
The second phase should have happened the morning after the Convergence, but the healers refused.
“Your body is saturated with wine, Luna.”
“We cannot risk mixing the injections with alcohol.”
“Come back once your system is clear.”
So today, three days later, was the new appointment.
Even though she had promised me that this phase wouldn’t hurt like the first ones or others to come, the air of the healer’s chamber still made my skin prickle.
The healer tied a thin band around my wrist, murmuring, “You are doing great Luna. In no time you’d carry the Alpha’s child.”
I nodded, even though I barely paid attention to what should be the most important reason I was in that marriage.
My mind kept returning to the memory of Zane leaning above me, his expression unreadable as he said, “Your opinion does not change what needs to happen.”
And to the way my chest had twisted violently at his silence when I asked whether this alliance was really political… or because of me.
By the time the session ended, my head felt heavy and my emotions heavier.
The healer reminded me to rest, drink water, and avoid stress.
I almost laughed.
Avoiding stress in Fangstain was like avoiding air.
The only way I planned to do that was to give myself some more hiding days, and I did just that. Three more days had passed since my session with the healer and I felt much stronger than I had immediately after the session.
In that time, I still stayed away from Zane and Kaius. It was easier with Kaius, compared to Zane, as our rooms were barely divided.
I could tell that Zane had possibly concluded that I was visibly avoiding him, because anytime I noticed him move towards my room through the glass wall, I made sure to fake sleep.
And every other thing I had to do including eating, I did in my room or when he was still with the elders in a meeting.
For Kaius, the only time I had heard from him was on the second day of my ‘lockdown.’
A knock had come at my door from him. “Tiana?” Kaius’s voice, muffled through the wood. “Are you alright? I haven’t seen you since… well, since the convergence.”
My chest tightened. Still, I didn’t answer.
After a long pause, I heard his footsteps retreat down the hallway.
Guilt twisted through me, but I couldn’t face him. Not yet. Not when I knew what Zane expected me to do.
But one conclusion I drew after locking myself up for days was that freedom was a very underrated blessing.
I felt sick in the stomach and I knew I had to seek out fresh air. I dragged myself out of bed and after taking a quick shower, changed into a simple blue cotton gown and cardigan.
Even my wolf, who’d been silent and withdrawn since the injections, lifted her head tentatively.
We can’t hide forever, she seemed to say.
I knew she was right.
So I slipped out of my chambers before I could lose my nerve.
The pack house was quiet in the late morning. Most wolves were either training or handling pack business, leaving the corridors blessedly empty.
I walked without direction, just needing to move, to feel like I had some autonomy over my own body again after days of being inside.
My feet carried me toward the courtyard, my safe space. Except that it was mostly safe at night, but I wanted to risk it.
I was halfway down the corridor when I heard a voice.
“Tiana!”
I turned, and there was Kaius, jogging toward me with relief written all over his face.
“Thank the goddess,” he said, slightly breathless as he reached me. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been? You just disappeared. I tried to check on you but…” He stopped, really looking at me now. “Are you okay?”
The genuine concern in his voice did something terrible to my composure.
My throat tightened. “I’m… I’ve been resting. The treatments were—” I swallowed. “They were difficult.”
His expression darkened. “I know. I am so sorry.” He stepped closer, his voice dropping. “Tiana, if there’s anything I can do, anything at all about it…”
“There isn’t,” I said quickly.
He studied my face, and I saw the moment he registered the intentional avoidance. But instead of pushing, he just nodded slowly.
“Alright. But I’m here. You know that, right?”
Some warmth spread in my chest.
Here was Kaius—kind and offering friendship even as I did not ‘owe him an heir’
Yet, Zane expected me to convince him to stop showing that care under the disguise of marriage.
All because he couldn’t stand watching another man show me basic human decency.
“You know I’m here right?” He asked again and I shook my head. “Yes.”
“Good girl,” he mumbled, pulling me into a hug.
I was not sure the exact moment I fell into it, but in a blink, I was in Kaius’ solid and warm embrace and it was only then that I realized it was exactly what I needed.
His arms wrapped around me, one hand coming up to cradle the back of my head. And goddess, the way his build made me fantasize about what romantic care could feel like coming from him.
Being there with him made me forget that I was Luna to an Alpha who despised me, and that my body was being altered with treatments to serve as a breeding vessel.
In Kaius’s arms, I was just Tiana. Just a girl who needed someone to hold.
His hand moved in slow circles on my back. His heartbeat was steady beneath my ear. And goddess help me, I clung to him like he was the only solid thing in a world that had turned liquid and unstable.
Because I knew that I was about to lose this. The moment I opened my mouth and did what Zane had commanded.
I should pull away. I should create distance before this gets worse.
But I couldn’t make myself let go.
Not yet.
Just a few more seconds of feeling like someone actually cared—
“Tiana.” A voice I had suddenly begun to detest came, cutting through the moment like a blade through silk.
I froze.
Kaius’s arms loosened slightly, and I pulled back just enough to see over his shoulder.
Zane stood approximately ten feet away, perfectly still, his hands in his pockets.
His eyes met mine and held them for a bit.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Zane said after a moment, his tone pleasant in a way that made my skin crawl. “I am glad I saw you here, with him. I believe you had something you wanted to tell Kaius.”