Chapter 85 Chapter 85
Chapter 85 Chapter 85
E L A R A
The guard led me through the winding corridors of the stronghold, my steps echoing softly against the stone until we reached the chamber.
He pushed it open without a word, and I stepped inside, the familiar scent of leather and woodsmoke wrapping around me like a shroud.
Kane was there, his back to me at first, shoulders tense under his dark tunic as he stared into the flames. The door clicked shut behind me, sealing us in.
He turned slowly, his eyes locking onto mine with that predatory intensity that always made my pulse stutter. But there was something sharper in his gaze now, a storm brewing beneath the surface.
"Here I was expecting a grand welcome from my Luna," he said, his voice low and edged with mockery, "but yet again, I find you in his arms."
My breath caught, heat flooding my cheeks as I remembered Hunter's hands steadying me on the training ground. It had been nothing, training, guidance, a moment of vulnerability but the way Kane said it twisted it into something sordid.
"Nothing happened," I replied quickly, my voice steadier than I felt. "We were only training."
Kane's jaw tightened, and he ran a hand through his tousled hair, the motion revealing a fresh bruise blooming purple across his forehead, stark against his pale skin.
It looked painful, like the mark of a blow from a fight, and concern flickered through me. What had happened at the border? Before I could form the question, his hand shot out, fingers wrapping around my arm in a grip that was firm but not bruising...yet.
He pulled me closer, our bodies nearly flush, his heat seeping through my clothes.
"Did he touch you?" he growled, his breath warm against my face, eyes searching mine with a ferocity that pinned me in place.
"What?" I whispered, confusion swirling with the spark of fear his proximity always ignited.
My heart hammered, caught between the pull of his dominance and the injustice of his accusation.
His grip tightened just a fraction, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Did he fuck you while I was away?"
My eyes widened, shock ripping through me like a blade. The crude words hung in the air, raw and accusing, stripping away any pretense. How could he think that?
Even if this marriage had been forged in the fires of revenge rather than the warmth of genuine love, I would never in a million years dream of fucking another man besides him. And damn it, I expected the same unyielding loyalty from Kane.
The thought of him with someone else twisted in my gut like a knife, but here he was, hurling accusations at me as if I were the one straying.
"No," I said firmly, my voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "I would never do that, not with Hunter, not with anyone. I meant it when I said I don't share."
Kane's eyes narrowed, searching my face with that piercing stare, as if he were peeling back layers to uncover some hidden lie. Doubt flickered there, raw and unguarded, but before he could press further, a low groan escaped his lips.
His hand flew to his side, clutching at his stomach, and he staggered back a step, the color draining from his already bruised face.
Worry surged through me, eclipsing the anger and shock. "Are you alright?" I asked, reaching out instinctively, my fingers brushing his arm as concern overrode everything else.
Kane's face twisted in pain for a split second before he schooled it into that familiar mask of stoic control. "I'm fine," he muttered, his voice rough, like gravel underfoot. But I could see the sweat beading on his brow, the way his free hand pressed harder against his side, and I didn't buy it for a heartbeat.
"No, you're not," I shot back, my worry sharpening into insistence. Before he could pull away or deflect, I reached out, my fingers grazing his arm solid muscle under warm skin then tugged at the edge of his shirt.
He tried to twist, his hand coming up to stop me, but I was faster, yanking the fabric aside just enough to expose the damage.
My breath hitched, eyes widening as horror slammed into me. There, gouged into the flesh at his side, was a ragged wound, a deep puncture oozing dark blood around a jagged splinter of wood protruding from the hole.
It was unmistakable, an arrow, half-buried, the shaft snapped off but not fully extracted. He'd left it in to stop the bleeding from getting worse.
"Kane..." The word escaped as a whisper, my hand hovering inches from the injury, afraid to touch but desperate to help.
He cursed under his breath, shoving his shirt back down with a wince. "It's fine," he insisted, though his tone lacked conviction. "The healer's on his way. He'll patch it up shortly."
"It's not fine!" My voice rose, laced with the fear clawing at my chest. How had he ridden back like this? Endured the journey without a word? "What happened?"
He sighed, the sound heavy with exhaustion, leaning back against the chamber wall as if the weight of it all pressed down on him. His eyes met mine, shadowed but steady.
"I was attacked on the way back. Alric's men, ambush in the pass. They got a lucky shot, but I handled it."
Kane's admission hung in the air like smoke from a dying fire, thick and choking.
Attacked.
Ambushed.
The words clawed at my mind, painting vivid pictures of shadows in the pass, arrows whistling through the night. I wanted to press him for more, how many, how close, why hadn't he called for help? but he was already moving, his steps deliberate but laced with a stiffness that betrayed him.
He lowered himself onto the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight, and I watched the subtle clench of his jaw, the way his shoulders hunched just a fraction as if every breath cost him.
He was fighting it, that iron will of his refusing to bend, but I could see the cracks. The pallor creeping under his tan skin, the faint tremor in his hand as he braced it on the bedpost.
My heart twisted, a fierce protectiveness surging through me. I opened my mouth to demand he let me help, to tell him he didn't have to shoulder this alone, but before the words could form, a sharp knock echoed through the chamber.