Chapter 16 How Dare she!
DAGNOTH DRACULIS
Night had always been my solace. The only time I could silence the noise of the court, the endless politics, the fake smiles of nobles, and the whispered prayers of those who feared my wrath. But tonight was different. I was restless.
My thoughts kept circling back to her.
Dahlia and I hated it.
The name rolled off my tongue like a curse and a confession all at once. I’d spent the day pretending to ignore her, pretending she didn’t exist, pretending that the woman standing in my hall didn’t unsettle me the way no one had in years. But the truth was, from the moment I saw her eyes, my body reacted in a way I hated to admit.
I leaned against the balcony railing of my chamber, staring out at the dark sprawl of my kingdom. The moon hung high, full and heavy, casting its silver glow across the palace grounds.
My wolf stirred beneath my skin, impatient and loud. After the agreement I made with her, Dragan hadn’t left, but I knew he would very soon.
You’re thinking about her again.
His voice rumbled inside my head, low and knowing.
“I’m thinking about a lot of things,” I muttered, though it was a lie.
No, you’re thinking about her.
I exhaled slowly. “She’s… strange. I can’t explain it. I’ve seen countless women, shared beds with none, and yet—”
Yet you crave her.
My jaw clenched. “Crave is a strong word.”
Is it? My wolf’s tone was edged with amusement. You keep glancing toward her quarters every five minutes, waiting for a reason to summon her. You didn’t even touch your dinner. Admit it… you want her.
I pressed my fingers against my temples. “She’s an omega.”
So was the other one.
That made me still. My heartbeat stumbled.
The other one.
The masked woman from five years ago. The one whose scent had burned itself into my memory: wild lavender and smoke.
My wolf shifted, restless. You think it’s her.
I looked down at my hands, curling them into fists. “I don’t know. Her face is different. Her scent is… close, but not the same.”
Maybe her wolf hides it. Maybe she doesn’t even know what she is.
“She’s an omega,” I snapped, though the conviction in my voice wavered.
You’re not so sure, are you?
I wasn’t. And that terrified me.
Because if she was the woman from that night, if fate had brought her back to me disguised in a different shell, then I didn’t know whether to thank the gods or curse them.
I ran a hand through my hair, my skin burning hotter with each thought.
She wasn’t supposed to get to me; Omega’s never did.
But she did.
And I hated it.
You don’t hate it, my wolf murmured. You hate that you can’t control it.
I turned away from the window, muscles coiling tight. “Enough. I don’t want to talk about her.”
"You're going to her tonight," he said, smug now.
I ignored him, crossing to the table where a half-empty glass of wine sat untouched. My hands trembled slightly as I lifted it to my lips, the bitter liquid doing little to calm the fire inside me. It wasn’t enough; I needed more.
The fire that had her name written all over it.
By the time the moon reached its peak, I couldn’t resist any longer. I needed to see her. To confirm that this obsession was just that madness. That once I looked her in the eyes again, the fever would break.
I stripped down to nothing but my pants; I didn’t mind putting on any shirt. I was going to spend a night with her anyways. By the time I was ready to go to her, Drogan had gone faint again.
I headed her
The halls were silent, bathed in silver light. My steps echoed faintly as I made my way toward her chamber. Every instinct screamed against it, but something stronger pulled me forward.
She was my enemy and my salvation at the same time. How cruel can the universe be?
When I reached her door, I hesitated. My hand hovered above the handle for a long moment. My pulse was thunder in my ears.
Then I opened it.
The room was empty.
At first, I thought I was imagining it. The bed was untouched, the sheets smooth. The window curtains fluttered softly, letting in the cool night air. But there was no Dahlia. No sign of her or the pups.
A sharp pang shot through my chest, followed quickly by something darker. It was anger.
Had she run?
After everything? After daring to stand before me and bargain like she had any right to, had she chosen to flee?
I felt my wolf back; it was an on-and-off relationship with Dragon since I set my eyes on her.
She wouldn’t, my wolf said, his voice behind my mind faint, though even he sounded uncertain. She wouldn’t run without reason.
“Don’t defend her,” I growled.
You don’t know her. Not anymore.
“I don’t need to,” I bit out. “All omegas are the same. Fragile and fickle, they run when they’re afraid.”
She didn’t look afraid today.
I ignored him, pacing the room. My mind raced, fury clawing at my throat. She had the audacity to stand in front of me and make demands, my pups stay, my pups are treated as yours, and then she disappears the same night?
It made no sense.
Unless she’d planned it all along.
My chest tightened, the air thick with rage. I slammed my hand against the wall, the stone cracking under my strength.
“She wouldn’t,” I muttered again, half to myself, half to the beast inside me.
You sound uncertain.
“I’m not.”
But I was.
Because beneath the fury was a flicker of something far more dangerous: it was worry.
Why was I worrying?
I didn’t worry about anyone, not my warriors, not my council members. Not even the Luna who wore my mark only for formality’s sake.
But her?
The thought of something happening to her twisted something deep inside me I didn’t want to name.
“Find her,” I ordered myself under my breath, already storming out of the room.
If she runs, will you kill her? my wolf asked quietly.
I paused mid-stride. “If she ran, she betrayed me.”
That’s not what I asked.
My silence was the only answer.