Chapter 30 A Letter For The King
Isabella’s POV
꧁𓃙𓃠𓃥𓃚꧂
I shut the door to my room and leaned against it, breathing hard.
My lips were still tingling.
My cheeks were still hot.
And my wolf was practically dancing.
He almost kissed you, she teased, tail flicking.
Our King almost kissed you.
“Stop,” I hissed under my breath, pacing the room. “It meant nothing.”
Oh, it meant something.
My wolf stretched lazily like she’d just heard the best gossip of the year. Did you see his eyes? He looked at you like you were honey and he was starving.
I groaned and buried my face in my hands.
“This can’t happen. He can’t feel anything for me.”
Why not?
“Because he’s him!” I snapped. “Leon— the Lycan King— a part of the nightmare that destroyed my life. Do you think I forgot? That invasion? That betrayal? Everything I lost because of him and his brothers?”
My wolf went quiet for a moment.
Then calmly said:
But… you didn’t push him away.
I froze.
“That was reflex,” I muttered. “Shock. Confusion. Nothing else.”
Reflex, huh? So if he leaned in again, you’d move?
“Yes!”
Lie.
I grabbed a pillow and threw it at the bed.
“This is bad. This is really bad. I’m supposed to keep my cover, find a way out, and plan my return. Not… not fall into his arms like some stupid puppy in love.”
You’re not falling, my wolf murmured. You’re scared. There’s a difference.
I didn’t answer.
Because she was right — and I hated that she was right.
Leon couldn’t fall for me.
I couldn’t fall for him.
I wasn’t here for romance.
I wasn’t here for comfort.
I wasn’t here to heal.
I was here for survival — and later… revenge.
Everything he represented, everything he led, played a part in the ruin of my old life.
So no matter what happened…
No matter how warm his eyes got…
No matter how gently he touched my cheek…
I couldn’t afford to melt.
My enemies lived under this very roof.
And Leon —
No matter how kind he suddenly seemed —
Was still one of them.
I sat on the bed, hugging my knees, trying to swallow the fear twisting inside my chest.
Stay focused, I told myself. Stay hidden. Stay smart.
My wolf curled up beside my thoughts with a quiet sigh.
Just don’t lie to yourself, she whispered. Because one day… he’s going to kiss you again.
And she was right.
That was the part that scared me most.
꧁𓃙𓃠𓃥𓃚꧂
Leon’s POV
The palace was quiet.
Rogers had already finished showing off Sierra.
Kennedy and Damon were in their respective Chambers.
The guards had changed shifts.
But my mind wasn’t quiet at all.
It was full of her.
Isabella.
Her soft steps in my room.
Her shy eyes.
That white dress that completely stole my breath.
And the moment—
That too-brief moment—
When our lips almost met.
When she left, the scent of her skin lingered in the air, warm and distracting. I’d stood still for nearly a minute, trying to calm myself, trying to understand why she got under my skin like this.
I didn’t have an answer.
But I didn’t have time to think about it either.
A guard knocked at my door.
“My King, a letter arrived from the Evergreen Pack. Urgent message from… Luna Clara.”
I raised a brow.
“Give it to me.”
When I opened the envelope, Clara’s elegant handwriting filled the page.
“Your Majesty,
Everything is under control. Edmund now practically worships me.
The pack sees me as their perfect Luna.
No suspicion. No resistance.
When the time comes for the takeover…
The Evergreen Pack will fall into your hands easily.”
I let out a breath and folded the letter.
Good.
Exactly as planned.
The Evergreen Pack had been a thorn in my side for years — too proud, too loud, too blind. Their Alpha made foolish decisions, trusted the wrong people, and left himself weak.
Clara was playing her role perfectly.
Just a little more…
and Evergreen would be ours.
I placed Clara’s letter in the firebox and watched the flames swallow it until it turned to ash.
Everything was moving according to plan.
Except…
Except Isabella.
She wasn’t part of any plan.
And yet she pulled at me stronger than anything else.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose.
“What are you doing to me…” I muttered to the empty room.
For the first time in years, I couldn’t read my own heart.
And that —
that was dangerous.
Very dangerous.