Chapter Seven - Mine to Protect
866 Words
Chapter Seven
Mine to Protect
The hall had never felt so crowded.
Three Alphas.
One broken wedding.
Hundreds of terrified wolves.
And every single pair of eyes seemed to be fixed on me.
I hated it.
I wanted to disappear.
Instead, I stood in the centre of the ruined ceremony wearing a wedding dress I’d never get to wear again.
A bitter laugh almost escaped me.
Hours ago, I’d been a bride.
Now I was apparently important enough to start a war.
Cassian was the first to break the silence.
“So…” His blue eyes travelled over the shattered room before returning to me. “This isn’t quite how I pictured our first meeting.”
I blinked.
“Our first meeting?”
He smiled, slow and devastating.
“I’d imagined wine.”
“A dance.”
“Perhaps stealing you away before the reception.”
Ronan sighed.
“You flirt in every situation.”
“It’s one of my better qualities.”
Kael’s growl echoed through the hall.
“Enough.”
Cassian barely acknowledged him.
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
“I know exactly who you were talking to.”
“Excellent.”
Cassian flashed another grin.
“Then we’re all keeping up.”
If this had been any other day, I might have laughed.
Instead…
“I need air.”
No one stopped me.
At least, I thought no one had.
I’d barely reached the palace gardens before I heard footsteps behind me.
For one irrational second…
I hoped it was Kael.
The thought made me angry.
After everything he’d done, why would I still want it to be him?
I turned.
It wasn’t.
Ronan stood a respectful distance away beneath the silver glow of the moon.
He hadn’t followed closely.
He’d simply…
Waited.
“I wanted to make sure you weren’t alone.”
“I wanted to be.”
“I know.”
His voice was calm.
“So I’ll leave if you ask me to.”
No demands.
No orders.
Just a choice.
It shouldn’t have mattered.
Yet somehow…
It did.
“You can stay.”
He inclined his head but didn’t move any closer.
The silence stretched between us.
Not uncomfortable.
Just…
Quiet.
The night breeze carried the scent of jasmine through the gardens.
I wrapped my arms around myself.
“I’m tired.”
“I know.”
“I’m angry.”
“I know.”
“I still love him.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
My chest tightened instantly.
Ronan didn’t react.
Didn’t judge.
Didn’t seize the opportunity.
Instead, he looked toward the moon.
“Of course you do.”
I frowned.
“You aren’t going to tell me I’ll get over him?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you loved him for years.”
His golden eyes met mine.
“People don’t stop loving overnight.”
Something inside me cracked.
It was the first honest thing anyone had said to me all day.
Tears blurred my vision.
“I don’t know who I am anymore.”
“You were planning your future this morning.”
His voice remained gentle.
“Tonight you’re questioning your past.”
I laughed weakly through my tears.
“That sounds dramatic.”
“It sounds human.”
He reached into the pocket of his coat.
For one brief second, every instinct screamed at me to step back.
Instead…
He held out a pristine white handkerchief.
No attempt to wipe my tears himself.
Just…
An offer.
I stared at it.
Then slowly accepted.
“Thank you.”
His fingers brushed mine.
Only for a heartbeat.
Yet the touch sent a strange warmth racing across my skin.
Not the overwhelming pull I’d always felt with Kael.
Something quieter.
Steadier.
As though my wolf had lifted her head in curiosity.
Ronan noticed.
His expression became unreadable.
“You felt that.”
I looked away.
“I don’t know what I felt.”
Before either of us could say another word—
A deafening crack echoed across the gardens.
Every flower surrounding us suddenly bloomed.
At once.
Hundreds of white moon lilies burst open beneath the silver light.
I stared in disbelief.
“I… didn’t do that.”
Ronan looked at the flowers.
Then at me.
“You did.”
The blooms continued opening until they surrounded us in a sea of white.
A soft glow rose from every petal.
The entire garden shimmered.
Behind us, footsteps thundered across the stone path.
Kael.
He stopped the moment he saw us.
More specifically…
The moment he saw me standing in front of Ronan, surrounded by glowing moon lilies.
His jaw clenched.
“What is this?”
Ronan answered without taking his eyes off me.
“The garden is recognising its queen.”
Kael’s face lost all colour.
“No.”
Ronan finally looked at him.
“It appears the Moon Goddess disagrees with your decision.”
Kael’s gaze dropped to my hand.
To the white handkerchief I was still clutching.
Then to the few inches separating Ronan and me.
For the first time…
Jealousy flashed openly across his face.
And something told me…
This was only the beginning.
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