Chapter 18 The truth between us
1075 Words
The car carved its way through the forest road in silence, tall pines casting long shadows over the windshield. Avane sat stiffly in the passenger seat, her arms wrapped around herself. Daxus kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the gear, his knuckles pale from restraint.
When the Blackwood Mansion came into view—massive, old, yet intimidatingly elegant—she inhaled sharply.
The wrought-iron gates opened before them. The house loomed like something out of a storybook and nightmare both: slate rooftops piercing the sky, stone walls alive with creeping ivy, windows glowing amber like watchful eyes.
Daxus said nothing as he parked.
He came around to open her door and held out a hand.
She hesitated, but took it.
Inside, the mansion was warm, dimly lit with soft chandeliers and sconces along the walls. Every footstep echoed in wide halls lined with paintings too old to name. It wasn’t cold, but she shivered.
He didn’t lead her to a throne room or office—but to a quiet lounge near the back of the estate. The walls were lined with old books, and a fire crackled in the hearth.
“Sit,” he said softly.
Avane didn’t.
Daxus ran a hand through his hair and turned to face her fully.
Only then did she really look at him—his guarded expression, his tense posture, the heaviness in his eyes. He didn’t look like the same man from the gala. He looked… deeper. Older. Worn. And yet, somehow, closer.
“I never expected this,” he said.
Her jaw tightened. “Neither did I.”
He took a step closer, his eyes searching hers. “I brought you here because I couldn’t stand the thought of you alone. Of you making that kind of decision—without knowing everything.”
She swallowed but didn’t respond.
“I’ve ruled for a long time, Avane. Led people, made enemies, lost more than I can name. But I never once thought I’d be standing here, looking at someone like you… knowing you carry my blood.”
She flinched slightly at that.
He reached for her—fingers grazing her wrist, then her waist.
“You’re carrying my child, Avane.”
His voice trembled slightly at the end. Not with fear. With something deeper.
Awe.
Something close to love.
His lips found hers—soft at first, then insistent. Years of instinct and power beneath that one kiss. But she pressed a hand firmly against his chest and shoved him back.
“I want answers,” she whispered.
Daxus stilled.
His chest rose and fell slowly. “I’ll give them to you. You only need to ask.”
She stayed silent.
So he gave her the truth anyway.
“You’re right to be angry. I should have told you who I was. What I am. But I didn’t know this would happen. I didn’t think… I didn’t feel the way I do now.”
He closed the space between them slowly, giving her time to step away—but she didn’t.
“I’ve never felt like this before,” he continued. “The night at the gala, I felt something shift. It wasn’t just desire, it was—”
“Fate?” she asked bitterly.
“No. Not fate.” His voice was firm. “Choice. And I choose you.”
She looked at the fire, away from him. “Then start with what you are. What I saw. What happened back there "
His shoulders rose and fell in a slow, deep breath.
“I’m not just a sponsor. Not just a man who lives in the woods. I’m King of the Lycans—those who were born of both man and wolf. I command the packs who bow to our line.”
Her heart slammed against her ribs. “A king,” she repeated, barely able to believe it.
“Not in the way humans understand royalty. We don’t wear crowns. We hold power—old, brutal, inherited. I didn’t choose it. But I live it.”
She let that sink in, her mind spinning.
“You’re serious.”
“I am.”
She turned to him then, eyes wide and suddenly wet. “You should’ve told me. You should’ve said something.”
“I didn’t want to scare you.”
“Too late for that,” she murmured.
Daxus stepped forward again. “You’re still free to make your choices. I’m not here to bind you. But I needed you to know that you're not alone. That this life growing inside you—it’s part of something powerful. And it matters.”
He reached for her again, gently.
This time, she didn’t push him away.
But she didn’t move closer either. She remembered she had dropped the pill in shock.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she admitted, her voice small.
“That’s okay,” he said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Just don’t shut me out.”
The fire cracked again, casting long shadows on the floor as silence stretched between them.
And somewhere deep in her chest, a new kind of fear bloomed—one that wasn’t just about her future, but about how much she already cared.
Avane sat on the edge of the velvet chaise, her arms still tightly wrapped around herself. The firelight cast soft golden hues across her skin, but her mind was far from calm. Her gaze wandered the sprawling room—its shelves of ancient books, the faint scent of cedar and leather, the quiet hum of something vast and old. Nothing about this place felt real.
Finally, her eyes found Daxus again. He stood by the fireplace, watching her. Guarded. Like he expected her to bolt.
She drew in a breath. "That man who attacked you... outside my dorm. Who was he?"
Daxus’s jaw ticked. He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he looked into the flames for a long moment, as if hoping they held better answers.
"Alec," he said at last. "My Beta."
Her brow furrowed. "What's a beta?"
" He's someone I trust to get things done. He's my closest ally "
Avane stared at him. "Then why did he try to kill you?"
Daxus walked slowly toward her, then stopped a few feet away. "I don’t think it was me he was reacting to."
The silence stretched as the words sank in.
- Writer
