Chapter 130 The Leader’s Son

Chapter 130 The Leader’s Son
Yorick greeted the man, bowing his head respectfully.

Though shocked to learn that Leader Austin was Yorick’s father, I quickly bowed as well. "Good evening, Leader Austin."

"Why are you still dressed like that, Yorick? Show some respect to our guests. Go on, go change," Leader Austin instructed before turning his attention to me. "And you are...?"

"Kina, sir..." I replied politely.

"Ah." Leader Austin glanced at Azi. "So this is the companion you mentioned. You didn't mention how stunningly beautiful she is." He let out a warm laugh.

Yorick looked between Azi and me in realization. "Oh! So you're the person Kina was looking for earlier. She's been searching for you. I'm Yorick..." he introduced himself, extending a hand.

My heart sank when Azi didn't respond. His piercing eyes remained fixed on me, sending an unmistakable warning.

I swallowed hard before reaching out to slip my arm through Azi’s. "I've been looking everywhere for you, Max," I said sweetly, before turning to Yorick. "Ah, Yorick. This is Max. My husband..."

There. The act continued.

Yorick’s face lit up in surprise. "Really?!"

I took a deep breath, grabbing Azi’s hand and placing it gently over my stomach. "In fact, we're expecting a child," I added.

"Wow!" Genuine joy flushed across Yorick’s face. "Congratulations! That's so unexpected. I was actually planning on courting you," he joked, breaking into a hearty laugh.

"Why don't you try it?" Azi challenged, his voice dangerously low.

My throat tightened. Shit. He's about to start a fight.

"You're quite the joker, Yorick..." I covered my panic with a nervous laugh. "May we be excused to rest, Leader Austin? We're quite exhausted from the journey."

The leader agreed immediately. "Of course. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask our people. You're welcome to stay as long as you need."

I dragged Azi away before he could say another word. He remained dead silent the entire walk back to our quarters. Once inside, I locked the door and secured the shutters before spinning around to face him. He remained standing, stiff as a board.

"What is your problem?!" I demanded, frustration boiling over. "Are you actively looking for a reason to snap? Trying to pick a fight so you have an excuse to start a slaughter? Is that it, Azi?!"

Silence.

I forced myself to breathe and calm down. "T-these people are peaceful, Azi. Please don't ruin this. If you want them to align with us, do it without spilling blood."

I tried to keep my composure, but his continued silence pushed me past my limit. I stepped closer, grabbing the collar of his shirt.

"A-are you really going to slaughter them?"

A dark, menacing smirk curled on his lips. "You're giving me every reason to..."

"What?! I did what I was supposed to do, didn't I? I pretended to be your wife—"

"That's just it," he cut me off harshly. "It didn't feel genuine. But when I caught you staring at that guy, you were giving him all the fucking sincerity in this shitty world. What? Is that part of the plan? To flirt with some random man? Oh, wait—not just a random man, but the leader's son."

"Jesus Christ, you're unbelievable, Azi!"

I let go of his collar and turned to walk away, but his hand lashed out, gripping my arm tightly. He pulled me around roughly, forcing me to look straight into his eyes.

"Why, Shekina? Are you intimidated by me? Is that why you withhold that from me? Is that why you can't look me in the eye with any real sincerity? Do you hate being around me? Do you hate me?"

"That's how it's supposed to be! I should be scared of you! I should be intimidated by your terrifying power and how short your fuse is, because whenever someone pushes you, you do the absolute worst thing possible!"

"Fuck that. That's so damn stupid!"

"Then what the hell do you want from me?!" I screamed into his face.

"To see me differently!" he roared back, his chest heaving heavily. "I want you to look at me the way they can't. Like I'm not a monster. Like I'm not... Azekiel Vancourt."

I froze. The anger drained out of me, replaced by sudden shock.

Azi let out a ragged breath, running a hand over his face. "I'm tired of being Azekiel Vancourt." He let out a bitter, lifeless laugh, shaking his head. "They take away everything I value. Always..."

"A-Azi..."

He shook his head again, stepping back. "The truth is... I'm just buying more time with you. I don't even know what I want to do with you anymore. You're confusing me, Shekina. You're taming the evil inside me."

He turned and walked toward the door, pausing just as his hand touched the frame.

"If there's one thing I'm certain of right now... it's that I value you. And if possible... I want you to be a secret. My secret."