Chapter 14

Feya’s POV

I stood at the balcony, my arms crossed tightly against my chest, watching them from a distance. There they were—Killian and Zane—sitting together on that bench in the garden, like some perfect pair, laughing, talking. His laughter, a sound that used to feel like home, now grated against my nerves like sandpaper. The way Zane lounged against him, as if it was normal for them to be so close, so comfortable.

I couldn’t take it. My stomach churned. I hated seeing them together like that. Especially with Zane. I really don’t like her. The thought echoed in my mind like a mantra. I hissed several times under my breath, the anger bubbling beneath my skin, like a hot wire I couldn’t control.

I felt so exposed standing here, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. I should’ve been used to it, used to the way she always managed to slip into places she didn’t belong. But I wasn’t.

"Why are you snickering, Feya?"

The voice came from behind me, cutting through my thoughts. I stiffened, turning slowly to see Alpha Fenrirson standing in the doorway, his deep-set eyes focused on me. His presence loomed in the room, though he didn’t approach me. He stood there, as always, with that authoritative air. But today, it was different. Something about the way he asked the question, his tone slightly amused, made my skin crawl.

"Nothing," I replied quickly, a forced smile spreading across my lips. "Just... thinking." I didn’t want to engage. I didn’t want to answer. But the Alpha, as always, wouldn’t let me off that easily.

He stepped forward, his heavy boots barely making a sound on the floor. His gaze softened, just for a moment, before it hardened again. "You’ve been quiet, Feya. I know that look on your face."

I tried to mask the growing irritation, the heat building inside me. It was hard to look at him—his presence always so commanding, always so... omnipresent. But he was right. I hadn’t been myself lately, not since everything with Killian started to unravel. It was as if something deep inside me was starting to shift, and I didn’t know how to control it.

"I’m fine," I muttered, forcing the words past clenched teeth. It was a lie. But it was the only one I could give without revealing too much.

Fenrirson tilted his head slightly, studying me with an intensity that made me want to squirm. "You remind me of your mother sometimes. Strong-willed. Determined." His voice had a quiet reverence to it, like he was recalling something that he held dear.

His words made my chest tighten. I didn’t want to hear it. Not now. Not from him.

"My mother," I repeated, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. "I don’t see how—"

"You carry her strength," Fenrirson interrupted, his gaze softening again. "I’ve seen it in you from the moment you were born. But sometimes, Feya, strength is also about knowing when to let things go, when to release the burdens you carry."

The last sentence struck me, a painful truth I didn’t want to acknowledge. He was right. I carried something heavy, something I couldn’t put down, not even for a second.

"You remind me of her," he repeated. "But you are stronger than she ever was."

His words sent a jolt through me, the weight of them making me feel smaller, weaker. The confidence I tried so hard to hold on to suddenly seemed fragile, like it could break with just one wrong word.

But he wasn’t done.

"And yet," alpha Fenrirson continued, his voice now carrying a sharper edge, "I sense something in you that I don't fully understand." He paused, his expression unreadable. "It’s something I’ve seen before, and it’s been bothering me."

I felt a cold knot form in my stomach, but I kept my voice steady. "What do you mean?" I managed, though every part of me wanted to back away.

Fenrirson’s eyes met mine, sharp and knowing. "I’ve seen the way you look at Killian."

The words hit me like a slap across the face. My breath caught in my throat, and my stomach dropped. I took a step back, but he didn’t let up.

"You and your brother… there’s more than just sibling affection between you two, isn’t there?" Fenrirson’s voice was low now, as if he was finally cutting through the layers of the façade I’d built.

I couldn’t breathe. The words hung in the air like poison, thick and suffocating. I wanted to scream, to deny it, but I couldn’t. Because somewhere, deep inside, I knew it was true. It was becoming undeniable.

But the words wouldn’t come. How could I say it out loud? How could I admit that the bond between Killian and me was not just familial but something else, something twisted and impossible? That I had kissed him, that I wanted him, that this desire, this pull, was becoming too strong to ignore?

"I... I don’t know what you’re talking about," I finally said, forcing the words past my lips. But my voice cracked, betraying me.

Alpha Fenrirson wasn’t convinced. His eyes bored into mine, searching for something deeper, something I was desperate to hide. I turned my face away, looking out the balcony again, avoiding his gaze, hoping he would stop.

"You don’t have to hide it from me," he said softly. "I know. I’ve seen it in the way you act around him. The way your eyes linger. The tension. Feya, you’re not just his sister anymore, are you?"

I was frozen, the blood draining from my face. My mind screamed for me to say something, to explain that it was wrong, that it couldn’t be true, but the words wouldn’t form.

"I think you should go," I whispered, barely able to hold the tremble in my voice.

Fenrirson didn’t move immediately, though his eyes softened, pity creeping into his expression. "Feya, whatever this is, it won’t end well. Not for you, not for him. You both deserve better."

I couldn’t stay there any longer. I couldn’t listen to his judgment, his knowing look that made me feel like I was suffocating under his gaze.

"I said, please go," I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper.

Fenrirson hesitated for a moment longer before finally nodding and turning to leave.

As soon as the door closed behind him, I collapsed onto the railing of the balcony, clutching it with trembling hands. The anger was gone now, replaced by a wave of cold fear. What did he know? How much did he see? And why did it feel like everything I had been trying to hide was slipping through my fingers?

But there was no time to think about that. The truth, the unbearable truth, was that I was mated to Killian. I didn’t know how it had happened, or when exactly the line between sibling affection and something else had blurred. But I couldn’t deny it any longer.

I could feel him, even when he wasn’t near. The pull between us was growing stronger, something I couldn’t fight. And the more I fought it, the more it consumed me.

I heard my father’s voice from downstairs, calling my name, but I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. Not now. Not with everything falling apart around me.

I turned away from the balcony, stepping back inside the room, and closing the door behind me. I needed to be alone. I needed to think, to process this before it consumed me entirely.