Chapter 81 Chapter 81

Chapter 81 Chapter 81
E L A R A

We ate in companionable silence for a moment, the only sounds the distant murmur of the keep and the crackle of the low fire in the hearth. But my thoughts wouldn't settle. Kane's absence gnawed at me, a hollow space where his heat should have been. 

I wondered about the dangers at the border. Alric's raid, had it been just a probe, or the start of something that could tear this fragile union apart?

"Do you know anything about what is going on at the borders," I said finally, pushing my bowl aside half-finished.

Lila paused, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She shook her head, her expression turning thoughtful. "No, miss, but Miss Sera left to one of the borders when the Alpha left. The Alpha must have informed her to scout for information."

Right, Sera. I had completely forgotten about her.

Lila continued speaking, her voice steady as she gathered the empty bowls. "If you want, I can make my findings from the guards. They're loose-lipped after a shift, especially with a bit of ale."

"If you can, please do," I said, relief flooding me at the prospect of action, however small. "I would love to know what is going on instead of just sitting and waiting."

She hesitated, the empty bowls balanced in her hands, then added quietly, “But if you want, you can also get information from Sir Hunter. He usually knows things around here. He hears more than most.”

For a moment, my mind went strangely still.

Hunter.

It was odd how he hadn’t crossed my thoughts at all. With Kane gone, with the bond still humming through my veins and the weight of responsibility pressing down on me, my world had narrowed to immediate dangers and the fragile safety of this keep.

Hunter had slipped into the background of my mind, steady, watchful, ever-present, yet somehow invisible.

I frowned slightly, more at myself than at Lila. Why hadn’t I thought of him?

“Hunter…” I murmured, testing the name on my tongue.

Lila nodded. “Yes, miss. If anyone knows what’s truly happening beyond what the guards gossip about, it would be him.”

Something shifted in my chest, a quiet, unsettled feeling I couldn’t quite name. Instead of asking more about the borders, the question slipped out before I could stop it.

“Does Hunter have a mate?”

Lila froze.

She stared at me for a second, clearly caught off guard. “A mate?” she echoed, blinking. “I… I don’t know, miss. If he does, he’s never spoken of her.”

She tilted her head, thinking. “But he doesn’t strike me as the one to keep one.”

Not the one to keep one.

The words stayed with me long after she said them.

I looked down at my hands, fingers loosely laced together in my lap. Hunter always seemed like a man carved from duty, quiet, controlled, carrying the weight of more than he ever shared. The kind of man who watched from the edges and stepped in only when absolutely necessary.

A man who didn’t allow himself attachments.

And yet… that wasn’t entirely true.

Despite Hunter’s confession of love toward me, spoken in a moment of raw honesty I hadn’t been prepared for, he had stepped aside without hesitation.

He had done it for Kane. For the pack. For whatever larger plans Kane carried on his shoulders.

He had chosen loyalty over his own heart.

So why was I even thinking about whether he had a mate?

The thought unsettled me, and I shifted slightly in my chair, as if I could shake it from my body just by moving.

Lila had been watching my face more closely than I realized.

Her eyes softened, and she tilted her head. “Do you want me to find out if he has a mate?” she asked carefully.

My head snapped up, my eyes widening. “No,” I said too quickly. “No, Lila. If anything… I never asked you that question.”

The words tumbled out sharper than I meant them to, driven by a sudden wave of panic. As if speaking it aloud, allowing it to exist in the open, would somehow make it dangerous.

Lila blinked, then immediately lowered her gaze, nodding. “Of course, miss. I understand.”

I exhaled slowly, rubbing my palms together in my lap. The room felt too warm all of a sudden. Too close.

Before either of us could say more, a firm knock sounded against the door.

My heart skipped, as though my thoughts had summoned him.

“Come in,” I called, my voice steadier than I felt.

The door opened, and Hunter stepped inside.

He looked as he always did, hair pulled back, armor partially unfastened, his presence quiet but commanding.

His gaze flicked briefly to Lila, then settled on me with that familiar intensity that always made me feel like he saw more than I wanted him to.

“I hope I’m not intruding,” he said, his tone respectful, measured.

“Not at all,” I replied quickly, pushing myself to my feet. “We were just finishing.”

Lila moved at once, gathering the plates and bowls. She bowed her head politely toward both of us. “I’ll take these to the kitchens, miss.”

Her eyes met mine for a brief second, knowing, observant before she turned and slipped out, closing the door softly behind her.

The room felt different with just Hunter and me.

Quieter. Heavier.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Hunter remained standing near the door, his broad shoulders tense beneath his half-unfastened armor, as if he hadn’t fully decided whether to stay or be ready to leave at a second’s notice.

The silence stretched until it became too heavy to ignore.

“Is everything alright?” I asked finally, breaking it.

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly before he nodded. “Yes. Everything here is fine.” Then he paused, his gaze sharpening. “But I received some information about the borders. Alric’s men have been seen moving deeper than we first thought.”

My stomach clenched. “What do you mean?”