“You’re so strong. Do you even realize that?”
A rush of pride filled her as Kaldrek gathered her into his arms. No one had ever truly believed she could take care of herself. But he was looking at her like he did. Like he knew she could handle anything.
She smiled softly, rested her head against his chest, and murmured, “Thank you.”
Chapter 44
They moved fast.
Time blurred as Alaric sat strapped into the wooden sled, Evelyne beside him, pulled by the pack in their relentless push forward. At first, it had been embarrassing to be hauled like baggage, but after the attack, after watching those things emerge from the walls, he didn’t care. He just wanted to get the hell out of that tunnel.
The cold bit into him more fiercely now, despite summer having begun. Trapped underground, he had lost all sense of time. He never knew how suffocating it would feel, how soul-draining it was to be swallowed by endless dark, entombed in an abandoned trade route infested with creatures born of blood magic. Creatures that wanted to kill them.
Or worse,consumethem.
He wondered what awaited them at the end of the tunnel. Were they marching toward their deaths? Toward an army of Noskari? What if Cillian wasn’t even alive anymore? The thought made his stomach twist. Evelyne had already lost her father, and if she lost her brother too… he wasn’t sure how she’d survive it. Yet she pressed on and never complained.
He had never imagined a lady of Caltheris could withstand the wild, let alone go without silk dresses, painted lips, and warm baths. But Evelyne was still here, still fighting, still pushing through. And he found himself drawing strength from her.
Why hadn’theturned back yet?
He’d wanted to. So many times. But he couldn’t. Not after what he’d seen. Not after watching Lord Duskwood—the closest friend his father had ever had—murdered in cold blood. That alone should have been enough reason to stay and fight, but deep down, he knew the truth. He stayed for Evelyne, even if they weren’t, and would likely never be, lovers. She was his friend.
But there was another reason, too, one he had been trying to ignore since she first looked his way.
Heidara.
Alaric caught himself watching her every time she walked by. She wasn’t soft or reserved like the noblewomen he’d grown up around. She was fierce, a storm wrapped in grace and grit. And every time her green eyes met his, it stole the breath right out of his chest.
The night he left in a surge of anger after Evelyne struck him, it was Heidara who found him. He hadn’t wanted company or conversation, but she didn’t press him. She sat beside him silently in the dim light of the torches, tipped her head back, and breathed a long, steady sigh.
“When I was sixteen,” she finally said, her voice quiet, “I fell for a wolf from another pack.”
Alaric frowned but said nothing, just listened.
“He had just turned eighteen,” she continued, “and he was… perfect. Strong. Dark-haired. Probably would have become an alpha one day. He made my heart race just by looking at me.” She smiled at the memory, but it was tinged with something sad. “But two days after I spent a night with him…” She paused, eyes dropping to the ground. “He said he’d found his mate and that our… relationship was over. It’s rare for a wolf to meet their mate that soon, but he didn’t give me the chance to question it. He just left.”
Alaric inhaled sharply. “Just like that?”
She nodded. “I had hoped, prayed, that I would feel the bond with him when I came of age, but there wasn’t even a chance for that. Not when I was still only sixteen and he was already mated.” She exhaled. “A year later, his entire pack disappeared. Gone. No one knows what happened to them.”
Alaric watched her carefully. “That’s when you moved on?”
Heidara turned to face him, studying him before finally smiling softly. “It’s never easy to let go of someone you once loved. But it’s the only way you can truly live. And I like to think that one day, I’ll find my mate and finally feel whole.”
Then it clicked. She wasn’t just sharing a memory; she was letting him see her pain so he could make sense of his own.
Because Alaric had loved Evelyne once. Or something very close to it. And watching her with Kaldrek had torn something open inside him. He’d felt responsible for protecting her for so long, especially after everything she’d endured. But Kaldrek… Kaldrek could protect her in ways Alaric never could.
That truth hit him hard, and in that moment, the anger he’d held on to for days dissolved, replaced by something he hadn’t anticipated: peace.
He had been wrong. The noble titles, the rules of courtship, and the hierarchy meant nothing now. These people weren’t beneath him. They were warriors. They were family.
He exhaled, his voice quiet as he said, “I’m sorry if I offended you.”
Heidara’s expression softened as she tilted her head. “We come from different worlds, Alaric. I understand that. But in mine, women aren’t seen as lesser for choosing to love someone. We’re equals. And while I know you meant no harm, Evelyne deserves to hear your apology directly.”
A reluctant smile tugged at his lips. “Yeah. I’ll think about it.”
