Chapter5
1146 Words
Kael’s pov
She fainted again.
I walked away from the room that held my prisoner into my dimly lit room and closed the door behind me with a soft click. The scent of blood and burning herbs clung to the air, faint, but unmistakable. My thoughts went back to her, pale and raging with hatred for me and my kingdom. It’s expected.
"Why did you keep her alive?" Axel, my Beta, asked with venom in his voice coming into my room. His glare was fixed on me like. "We could have killed her along with the rest of Verneville!" His voice cracked with something deeper than anger... fear, maybe. "Why the hell did you bring her back here?"
I touched my temples. While the tapping of my boots echoed against the stone floor as I turned to face him.
"Enough with your questions, Axel," I said coldly. "That wasn't our plan. Thorne suggested we spare her. Our target was Lilith and Verneville, not necessarily her."
Axel's eyes narrowed, disbelief showing across his face. “Are you even listening to yourself? Since when did you start taking orders from Thorne?” His tone was piercing. “She is Verneville, Kael. She’s the heir. Don’t even lie to me! I’m sure you’ve noticed her powers. She’s not some fragile princess. She’s powerful, just like her mother. You saw what she did to one of us, to you!”
I sighed and closed my eyes briefly.
He was right, even if I didn’t want to admit it. I should have killed her. She was the enemy. I hated her. But something... something ancient, maybe divine, stopped me. That something pulled at me like a rope, and instead of ending her life, I brought her back here.
And now I had no idea what to do with her.
The creak of the door broke my thoughts. Kaida, my sister stepped inside, her silver hair glimmering in the faint light.
“Lord Thorne is here. He’s asking to see you,” she said briskly.
I glanced at the door leading to where she was held.
“Watch over her,” I said to Kaida, then turned and walked from the room. Axel followed closely behind.
Thorne.
He was nowhere to be seen during the invasion, and I’d bet anything he was hiding like a coward. But now, of course, he appeared smiling like the war had been a game.
I stepped into the hall where he waited, loitering with that damned smirk on his face.
“My Alpha,” he said mockingly with a sarcastic bow.
“Thorne,” I said, irritated. “What are you doing here?”
“Ahh… don’t we deserve a little celebration?” he grinned, arms wide. “After all, Verneville has fallen.”
“You’re mistaken,” I said, my jaw tightening. “I defeated Verneville, My pack. Not us.”
Thorne laughed, a dry rasp. “Oh, come on now. If not for me, if I hadn’t told you the secrets of Verneville, if I hadn’t revealed their weaknesses, you wouldn’t have tasted victory.”
My fists clenched at my sides.
“I never realized betrayal could bring a man so much joy,” I said, my voice sharp. “You destroyed your family. Aligned yourself with the enemy.”
"You don’t know what I went through," Thorne growled, stepping forward, his eyes flashing. "I was once a werewolf, one of you. But now I’m nothing but an empty shell. I can't shift. I’ll never find a mate. Do you know who did that to me? Lilith! She cursed me. Bound me to her like a pet. So yes, Kael, betrayal earned me joy. And I’d do it again.”
Not being able to shift or to find a mate was a torment no wolf should endure. I understood his hatred… but I didn’t respect it.
He stepped back, smoothing his tunic.
“Now, to the matter at hand. The princess.I can’t keep her locked up forever, you suggested I spared her, though I didn't do it because you asked but what do we do with her?” I asked
“And who said anything about keeping her a prisoner?” he asked, his voice laced with malice.
I stared at him. “What are you getting at?”
A sly grin curled his lips. “I have a plan.”
“Spit it out,” I said, growing impatient.
“Make her a member of the pack.”
I blinked. “What?”
That finally pulled a reaction from Axel.
“Are you out of your damned mind?” he barked, stepping forward aggressively.
“Show some respect, little wolf,” Thorne snapped, squaring up.
“I’ll—”
“Axel,” I said firmly, throwing him a warning look.
Axel clenched his jaw but stepped back.
“Go on,” I told Thorne.
“Thank you,” he said smugly, shooting Axel a look of contempt.
“Yes, Kael. Make her a part of the pack. In fact,” he paused, “make her your Luna.”
The room went still. Even the flames in the sconces seemed to flicker in protest.
“What?” I said, eyes narrowing.
Axel was seething now. “You want us to make our greatest enemy our Luna?” He let out a hollow laugh. “You are insane.”
“Think,” Thorne said, stepping forward. “You know what they say, keep your enemies close. And besides… she’s powerful. More powerful than Lilith. You haven’t even seen what she’s truly capable of. She hasn’t unlocked everything yet.”
Axel scoffed. “You think Kael can just waltz up to her and say, ‘‘Be my Luna’’? She’ll slit his throat first.”
Thorne chuckled. “I never said she’d agree willingly.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Then what are you suggesting?”
He leaned in, voice low, like he was savoring the taste of his own manipulation. “We wipe her memory and then slowly gain her trust, make her grow to like you and by then, I’m sure she’d be ready herself to be your Luna”
The weight of his words hung thick in the air.
He continued, “Kaida has been working wonders with her divine healing. She’s not just any healer. She’s touched by the moon herself. I’m sure she knows a thing or two about memory suppression.”
Axel looked like he was ready to tear Thorne apart.
I said nothing, the silence pressing in on my chest.
The moon god had been silent about my fated Luna. That didn’t mean I had no future. But this... this felt like playing god.
Still, I couldn't deny that the idea had a dark charm.
One thing was clear.
Whatever path I chose, there would be no going back.
- Writer
