Chapter 18 kiss
Kaelrix’s Point of View
Hearing Micheal mention that it felt like he had tried to attack a secret box I had been protecting almost made me lose control. Not because he was entirely wrong, but because he was getting too close to the truth. They all were. Every passing day, every passing moment, they were slowly beginning to see my weakness, and I could not afford that. I could not allow even the slightest crack to show. If they discovered what I truly felt for Elinra, everything would crumble. My enemies would take advantage. My pack would question my strength. And I… I would lose everything I had sworn to protect.
I turned to Micheal sharply, my expression colder than ice, and he immediately stiffened, his attention snapping toward me.
“What did you say?” I asked, my voice dropping into a tone that made the entire woods feel like winter.
He bowed at once, trembling with fear. “I am sorry, your highness. I do not want to die. Forgive me if my words offended you. I will know my boundaries next time.”
I frowned, my jaw tightening with irritation.
“There is no such thing as me having feelings for her. Feelings do not exist. They make someone weak. Do not get any ideas. The fact that I did not kill her does not mean I will not do it in the future,” I said coldly.
“Keep telling yourself that. I have never seen someone who tries so hard to prove that he does not have feelings for someone, while he clearly loves her,” Kai suddenly said from behind.
My blood turned to solid fire.
“Kai, this is your last chance. Do not speak again,” I warned him in a dangerously calm voice.
“The truth hurts. The more you try to fight it, the deeper you fall for her. That is how love works,” Kai replied, and I felt my temper rise so hot it could burn down the forest.
“You fool. What do you know about love? Do not annoy me this evening unless you want me to do something we will both regret,” I snapped.
Kai raised his hands slightly in surrender. “Alright. As you wish. Deny your feelings if that makes you sleep better.”
I ignored him.
“I fully understand, your highness. I am sorry for asking such a question,” Micheal said again, bowing deeply.
I did not reply. Instead, I continued walking, letting the cold silence swallow every trace of emotion. My mind was turning, calculating. I could not let anyone know my weak spot. I could not let them see what Elinra was becoming to me. If I were ever exposed, they would use her to destroy me and bring my pack down.
We walked through the forest path that led back to the pack. It took over forty minutes before we reached the pack gates. The enormous steel doors opened automatically as soon as I approached, responding to my presence. I strode inside without slowing down and headed straight for the courtroom.
Once I reached the majestic throne-like seat, I sat heavily and rubbed my temples. My mind needed clarity. I needed to regain full control of myself.
But before I could gather my thoughts, the door burst open and one of my most trusted advisers hurried in, holding a rolled map. His face looked tense. He immediately knelt before me and extended the map. I took it, frowning, sensing trouble.
“Alpha Kaelrix,” he said, his voice steady but urgent. “Some strangers passed through our lands last night. One of our pack members allowed them into his home and gave them shelter. But this morning, the entire family was found dead.”
My eyes darkened completely.
“How many deaths were recorded?” I asked, my tone dropping into a deep, deadly growl.
“Six deaths, your majesty. A husband, his wife, and their four children,” he replied.
A wave of boiling anger shot through me. They had the audacity to kill an entire family in my territory? To stain my land with innocent blood?
They chose the wrong pack to provoke. The Zarek Pack was not one to toy with.
“Where are their bodies?” I asked.
“In their house, your highness,” the adviser responded.
I stood up slowly, my fury simmering like molten steel beneath my skin.
“I will make whoever did this pay. Murdering a family who showed them kindness, offering them shelter? They will regret the day they were born,” I said coldly, my voice echoing across the courtroom.
“Take me to the house,” I ordered.
The adviser nodded and rose quickly. Micheal and several soldiers fell into formation behind us as I strode out of the courtroom. I walked for forty minutes again, pushing through the night air, but this time I did not take a horse. Using one would attract attention, and I wanted to investigate quietly.
When we arrived at the house, the smell of blood hit me immediately. The door was pushed open, revealing the gruesome sight inside. Bodies scattered across the floor, their throats slit cleanly by blades.
I stepped inside slowly, my expression turning hollow and cold. I walked toward one of the bodies and knelt beside it, placing my two fingers gently on the man’s forehead.
Within seconds, the vision surged into me.
I saw everything.
The attackers entered at night. They moved with precision, striking the sleeping family without hesitation. They slit their throats, one by one, not even sparing the smallest child.
My blood boiled.
My eyes snapped open, glowing with pure rage.
Crawshore Pack.
Of course. Those animals. Why had I not sensed it earlier? That foolish alpha was obsessed with destroying me and my pack. He survived only because I allowed him to breathe. Yet he dared to send his wolves into my lands.
“It is the Crawshore Pack,” I said sharply.
Everyone gasped and frowned with disgust and anger.
“I do not understand what Simon Hawel’s problem is,” Micheal muttered. “He spends every day trying to take you down.”
A dark, sickening grin spread across my lips.
“We will return the favor,” I said calmly. “We will visit his pack. And we will kill fifteen of his people. Arrange the warriors who will be going. Now.”
“Yes, your highness,” Micheal replied instantly.
I turned to my adviser. “Bury the bodies. And inform the entire pack to remain alert. No one should allow strangers from any pack into their home again.”
“Yes, Alpha,” he said, bowing deeply.
I walked out of the house, followed closely by Micheal and a unit of soldiers. My fury still burned, but beneath it, something else was beginning to tug at me.
A thought and A face.
Elinra.
When we returned to the pack house, I walked straight into the courtroom again and sat, trying to regain focus. But my mind kept drifting. No matter how much I tried to shut it down, my thoughts returned to her.
I clenched my jaw and signaled to a soldier standing a few meters away.
“Where is Elinra?” I asked.
“She is in Candice’s room,” he replied.
My chest tightened unexpectedly.
“And where is Candice?”
“He is in the room with her.”
Something snapped inside me.
Without hesitation, I strode out of the courtroom and made my way down the long hallway, each step echoing loudly in the silent air. My pulse quickened. I did not understand the sensation but could not ignore it.
I reached Candice’s door, grabbed the knob, and unlocked it.
The sight that met my eyes made me freeze.
Candice was leaning in, his face dangerously close. Elinra was beneath him on the bed, her lips slightly parted in surprise. He was about to kiss her.
And that single image ignited something savage in me.
Something dark.
Something possessive, Something I had been denying for far too long.