Chapter 58: What I Had Left
Chapter 58: What I Had Left
Kade POV
The door shut behind them, and I breathed a big sigh. Delia stayed where she was for a long breath, then turned to me.
“Pathetic,” she said. “You let them walk out,”
“I didn’t let them do anything,” I answered. “They made a choice,”
“You are their Alpha,” she snapped. “Act like it. Stop her. Stop him,”
“I have stopped a lot of things,” I said softly. “They know what is at stake here,”
“You folded. You are pathetic and weak,”
“I’m recovering, Delia,” I reminded her, and she sighed. “And honestly, I’m tired of wrestling ghosts and calling it leadership. Tired of the prophecy. Tired of protecting people who would rather bleed than listen. Tired of pretending I can bend Sasha into staying when she has already made up her mind,” Delia stilled. For a heartbeat, the sharpness in her face eased.
“So, you do still love her,”
“Yes,” I said, because there wasn’t a point in lying anymore. “But it isn’t the same,”
“Hmm,”
“I mean it, Delia. I still love her, but things have changed,” Delia’s mouth parted. Delight moved through her like sunlight under ice. She crossed the space between us with quiet steps and slid onto my lap without asking. Her legs bracketed my hips; her weight settled, precise and warm. The packhouse lantern painted her hair gold at the edges.
“Then love what’s left,” she whispered. “Or let me love it for you,” I didn’t lift my hands yet. I just looked at her, at the girl who had always wanted the throne beside mine and, for a long time, the boy, too.
“You are relentless,”
“I’m honest,” she said, leaning in until her breath touched my mouth. “You want soft right now, Kade. You want a place to set it down. Put it here,” her palm pressed flat to my chest. I exhaled and gave her what she asked for. The kiss started slow, the way a fire starts in the cold: small, then certain. She tasted like mint and smoke. When her fingers slid into my hair, something in me loosened. I slid my hands around her waist and pulled her closer. The ache in my side flared; I didn’t care. She smiled against my mouth. “There he is,” we kissed again, deeper this time, and everything else fell away. I didn’t object when she removed our clothing. In fact, I welcomed her and allowed her to take the lead. We moaned in relief as I slid into her. The heat was incredible.
“Yes,” I whispered against her lips. We moved as one, and as much as I would have liked to take control, I was still recovering. Delia didn’t mind, and she urged us both to ecstasy. When she tightened around me and cried out, I was right behind her. I held onto her until the shock waves subsided. I slipped out of her, but I held her close. Delia grabbed the fallen blanket and covered us both as she settled against me. For a moment, neither of us said a word.
“Let them run into the dark if that’s what they want. We will be ready when they come back burned,” she eventually whispered. I didn’t flinch from the edge in her voice. I knew who she was. I also knew what she had carried these last days while I bled: orders, panic, the weight of a house that wanted to splinter. She had kept the bones upright. I owed her that truth.
“You did well,” I said. “While I was down,” she drew back just enough to see my face. Praise changed her posture; she sat straighter on my legs, chin tipped like a soldier at attention.
“Then let me keep doing it,”
“How?”
“Send shadows after them,” she said. “Not to guard. To see. To listen. If Sasha is walking into Valen’s mouth, I want to know which tooth closes first,”
“Spies?”
“Yes. Just two of them. Fast runners who can keep scent without breaking brush. They don’t get within arm’s reach. If Ronan smells them, he will tear them apart,”
“He will,” I said. The truth of it sat heavily. “You understand I won’t drag her back,”
“I’m not asking you to,” Delia said. “I’m asking you to lead. Information is power. If we send the spies after them, then we don’t have to wait to know what is going on,”
“Fine. Do it,” I agreed. I ran my fingers through her hair as she rested her head against my chest. We sat together for what felt like hours, and I realized just how much things had truly changed. I no longer saw Delia as a threat. I saw her as my future. I pulled back and cupped her jaw. Delia stared up at me, and I smiled. Her eyes shone bright, and I knew then that I could love her. I leaned in and captured her lips in a soft, sweet kiss.
“Again?” she asked, and I chuckled.
“No…but maybe later. If you will share my bed?” Delia frowned, and I knew she needed more. “On a more permanent basis?”
“Are you…are you sure?”
“Yes,” I said firmly. I wanted us to move forward. I had meant what I had said. I still loved Sasha, but it wasn’t the same anymore. She had Ronan now, and their drama was far too much for me. I wanted nothing to do with it.
“Then I accept,” she whispered before she kissed me. I breathed in her scent and allowed it to wash over me. Sasha was my past. Delia was my future. “Ok, I’m going to tell Silas and Brin to follow Sasha and Ronan,”
“I hope you are going to get dressed first,” I teased. Delia slipped off my lap and picked up our clothes. She shot me a playful look that washed over me.
“Only you, Kade,” she said, and her tone was filled with promise. Before, that would have freaked me out, but now I felt differently. Now I embraced our future together.
“Only you, Delia,” I said, and her eyes shone with delight. I smiled as I watched her get dressed. Sasha and Ronan had their own road ahead, and I had mine.