Of course he’d say something so self-important. The arrogance was unbearable. But still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that his interest in this subject wasn’t just about leadership.
She should have left it at that, should have walked away and ignored him. Instead, she kept talking.
“Alaric and I… care for each other,” she admitted. “But we’re just friends. And will only ever be just friends.”
Kaldrek hummed, expectant. And damn him—she gave him more.
“There was a moment between us. Just one stupid and impulsive moment. And somehow, it ended in an engagement. I know that sounds absurd.” She paused, swallowing. “Then I found out it was arranged. And he knew. He knew the whole time… and never said a word.” Her voice stayed even, but the hurt slipped through anyway.
“I see.” His voice had dipped lower, a shade rougher. Was that the answer he wanted to hear?
“Is this the kind of information that keeps you up at night, Alpha?” she drawled, dragging out the word to irritate him.
A muscle in his jaw ticked, and she swore the corner of his mouth lifted. “I just find it interesting that your betrothed spends half his time sneaking glances at Heidara when he already has a beautiful fiancée.”
The compliment should have made her blush, but it didn’t, because he was right. Alaric did look at Heidara.A lot.And for some reason, that realization didn’t make Evelyne jealous. It made her happy. Hopeful, even. Maybe he could move on, and she wouldn’t be holding him back.
She shrugged. “Heidara’s gorgeous. I catch myself looking at her, too.”
Kaldrek chuckled.
“Does it bother you when he looks at her?” she asked. “Do you have feelings for her?” The thought made her a little jealous.
His smile grew, and she immediately regretted asking.
“Heidara? No. She’s like a sister to me.” That was oddly comforting. Then he said, “But it would bother me if his glances upset you.”
“Why?” Evelyne didn’t see why her feelings mattered to him.
“I honestly don’t know. Especially since that attitude of yours is irritating as hell.”
She laughed. “Yeah, well, you deserve it.”
He was still smiling. She could tell his guard was down, and she wasn’t about to waste it.
“Why go north?” she asked. “You know my reasons, but I don’t know yours.”
His smile vanished, expression hardening. After a pause, he answered. “Because she has taken too many of my loved ones and continues to corrupt our lands.” He spoke softly, but with an edge. “We need to band together and get revenge, or else we will all die.”
Vaelora.Evelyne’s mind raced. Who had she taken from him? A lover? A sibling? Then she remembered their first real conversation—when she’d asked if he liked being alpha.
The words slipped out before she could stop them. “She killed your father?”
His eyes flashed with fury, the kind that burned deep and never truly faded. But she didn’t flinch; his rage wasn’t directed at her.
“And my mother,” he added quietly.
The pain hung between them, thick and unspoken. His loss, his grief, was something he carried with ruthless control. She saw it now, in the sharp line of his jaw, in the tension winding through him like a wound that had never healed.
Evelyne swallowed down the urge to press further. He didn’t want to talk about this.
Instead, she exhaled softly, reached out, and placed her hand gently atop his. “I’m sorry.”
Kaldrek dipped his head, sorrow shadowing his features. She missed his smile, the teasing, the banter, that infuriating spark in his eyes that always made her chest tighten. She had to shift the mood and bring back the part of him that made everything feel lighter.
So, she did the only thing that came to mind.
She turned slightly and gave him a slow, knowing smile. Then she let her eyes move over him—staring at his chest, pausing there, then drifting lower, all the way to his boots, before lazily making their way back up.
