Chapter 80 First Companion
I was sitting in the castle garden, a little away from everything. The large bushes made that place more private, a place where I could breathe alone.
I gazed at the calm, crystal-clear water of the central fountain. Then I looked at my belly and took a deep breath. I was extremely happy, truly. That baby was something between me and Conrad. The result of our union.
But I was scared.
Very scared.
I had never had a family and I confess that I still hadn't gotten used to the love and care I received from Conrad. And I had also never taken care of a child.
How would I take care of one alone?
"Not to mention the war that will happen soon." I said aloud, feeling the impact of those words.
I felt a weight on my body; in recent days I had been feeling extremely exhausted.
"Nothing needs to happen!"
I heard a deep voice behind me and I stood up quickly, startled. I stared at the person in front of me with an expression of disgust and displeasure.
Steven.
His mere presence was enough to make my stomach churn.
"What are you doing here?" I ask him.
Steven walks slowly towards me, with a predatory posture. I don't move, I just cross my arms and pay attention to his movements.
"You're different, Maya. Very different." Steven begins to stare at my body.
I make a face of disgust.
"Don't you miss your old pack?" He asks, seeming to want to make me feel sensitive.
"Pack?" I ask sarcastically. "I was never part of any pack," I finally say.
"You can't deny your destiny, Maya. Your destiny is in the red pack, by my side, your first mate!"
I felt the air grow heavier as Steven approached.
"First mate?" I repeated, with contempt. "You left me because you thought I was weak. Now you come talking about destiny?"
His smile faltered for a second. It was quick, almost imperceptible, but I saw it. Steven always hated when the truth was spoken without fear.
"I left you because you weren't ready," he replied, his voice firm, as if he'd rehearsed that phrase many times. "You could barely stand on your own back then. You were always apologizing for existing."
"And that bothered you," I added. "Because I didn't fit the image of strength you wanted by your side."
Steven sighed, as if dealing with a stubborn child.
"I needed someone to keep up with the pack," he said. "Someone who wasn't a burden."
The words hurt less than I expected. Maybe because they no longer had power over me.
"And now?" I asked. "You decided to come back because I stopped being that burden?"
He observed me attentively, evaluating every detail, as if trying to fit who I was now into the memory he had of me.
"You've changed," he admitted. "You're firmer. More confident. But Conrad didn't give you that."
I let out a short, humorless laugh.
"No," I replied. "I did it myself."
Steven took another step forward, lowering his voice.
"Conrad put you in a place that isn't yours," he said. "Queen. Symbol. Target. You know this kingdom will destroy you the moment you cease to be useful."
"And you think it would be different with me?" I questioned.
"I would have protected you," he stated without hesitation. "In the red pack, you wouldn't need to prove anything. You wouldn't need to carry the weight of the world. You could be only mine."
My stomach churned.
"You don't want to protect me," I said, feeling the mark throb slightly. "You want to possess me. You always have."
His gaze darkened for a moment.
"Conrad doesn't understand what you are," Steven insisted. "He loves you as an ideal. I know you as reality."
"You knew the version of me that was afraid," I replied. "And you chose to leave."
The silence stretched between us, dense.
"Come back with me," he said finally. "Before this castle swallows you. Before you lose everything."
I placed my hand on my chest, feeling my breathing stabilize.
"I already lost you once," I said calmly. "And I survived."
Steven stared at me for a few more seconds, his jaw tense.
"So that's your choice," he murmured.
"It is," I confirmed. "And there's no going back."
He walked away slowly, his wounded pride barely disguised.
"When the kingdom turns against you," he said before leaving, "don't come saying I didn't warn you."
I was alone again, looking at the water of the fountain.
Steven thought I was still weak.
And maybe that was exactly what made me dangerous now.
I stood motionless for a few moments, just listening to my own breathing. The garden seemed too calm again, as if nothing had happened. But something had changed. Steven hadn't come by chance. He had tested limits. Measured strength. And, worse, he had taken with him the certainty that I was no longer the person he left behind.
I approached the fountain and dipped my fingers into the cold water. The contact brought me back to the present. I needed to stay centered. Strong. Not out of pride—for survival.
"I felt it."
Conrad's voice sounded behind me, low, restrained.
I turned slowly. He was standing a few steps away, his gaze attentive, worried. His shoulders were tense, as if he had arrived too late for something he couldn't name.
"Felt what?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.
"Your Bond wavered," he said. "And I saw Steven leaving."
My body reacted before my mind. I walked over to him and hugged him, burying my face in his chest. Conrad immediately enveloped me tightly, as if he wanted to anchor me there.
"Did he try to pressure you?" Conrad asked, his voice deeper.
"He tried to remind me of who I was," I replied. "And convince me that I don't belong here."
Conrad pulled back enough to look me in the eyes. There was something dangerous there. Not blind anger—decision.
"You belong where you chose to be," he said. "And you chose to be with me. With this kingdom."
I nodded, but the weight in my chest didn't lift.
"He thinks fear will make me back down," I said. "Like before."
"And will it?" Conrad asked, without defiance. Just truth.
I took a deep breath.
"No," I replied. "But that means they'll advance. Steven doesn't act alone."
Conrad brought his hand to my face, the gentle touch contrasting with the harshness of the world around us.
"So let's get ready," he said. "Because if they started pressuring you in silence... the next step will be in public."
I looked past him, to the castle towers, to the corridors filled with watchful eyes.
Steven was gone.
But the threat remained.
And I knew:
the political game had just entered its most dangerous phase.