CHAPTER 87
1225 Words
The day after the battle, the packhouse was louder than usual. People were still shaken, still restless. Some were celebrating survival, others were cleaning up the wreckage. Blood had dried on the courtyard stones, and the smell of smoke hung in the air.
Elise walked the halls quietly, avoiding eyes. She had barely slept, but she knew she couldn’t keep running. Kai’s silence was worse than any wound. She needed to speak to him, even if it broke her.
She found him in the council room. Papers scattered, maps unrolled, warriors waiting outside for orders. But Kai wasn’t speaking to them. He sat at the head of the table, leaning forward, his hand pressed against his temple as if holding back a storm. His jaw was clenched, his eyes dark.
Elise swallowed her fear and stepped inside.
“Kai,” she whispered.
His head lifted slowly. The look he gave her was cold enough to stop her steps. For a long moment, he didn’t say anything. Then, his voice cracked the air.
“Why are you here?”
Her heart thumped. “Because I need you to hear me. Please—”
“Don’t.” He pushed back from the table, standing. His voice rose. “Don’t start with me, Elise. I’ve had enough of lies.”
The warriors outside turned toward the sound. A few stepped in, uncertain, but Lucien motioned them back. He walked in himself, silent, leaning against the doorframe. His eyes were sharp but unreadable.
Elise’s chest tightened. She took another step forward, wringing her hands. “It’s not what you think. Luka tricked me, he—”
“Stop!” Kai’s fist slammed the table, the wood rattling under the force. “Do you think I don’t see what’s right in front of me? Do you think I’m blind? He touches you, and you don’t push him away. He corners you, and you let it happen. And then you look at me like I’m supposed to believe you?”
Tears filled Elise’s eyes. She shook her head quickly. “No, no, that’s not true! You know me—”
“I thought I did.” His voice cracked for the first time. “But maybe I was wrong. Maybe you’re not the person I thought you were.”
Her knees weakened. She reached out as if touch might calm him. “Kai, please—just listen. He fooled me. It was dark, I thought it was—”
“Don’t say it!” His eyes burned. “Don’t you dare say you thought it was me.”
Her lips trembled. The room felt smaller, the air heavier.
Lucien shifted slightly, his eyes flicking between them, but he didn’t move or speak.
And then Becky stepped in. She looked perfect as always, her face touched with false concern. She glanced at Kai, then at Elise, then at Luka, who hovered just outside the door.
“Enough,” Becky said softly, walking forward. “Kai, she’s hurting you. She should stop talking.”
Elise turned sharply. “You—”
But Becky cut her off. “Luka, what you did was disgusting.” Her voice was loud enough for the warriors outside to hear. “I told you to stay away from her. I warned you.”
Luka lifted his hands, smirking faintly. “I didn’t force anything. She didn’t say no.”
The words landed like a blade. Elise gasped, shaking her head. “That’s a lie!”
Kai’s chest heaved. His hands curled into fists at his sides.
Becky touched his arm gently, lowering her eyes as if in shame. “I didn’t want to bring this up, but… I saw it. I saw it with my own eyes.”
Elise froze. “You what?”
Becky looked at her, feigning sorrow. “You were in the courtyard, late at night. I didn’t mean to watch, but I couldn’t stop myself. I saw you with him. And… I’m sorry, Elise, but I can’t lie to Kai.”
Her hand slipped into her pocket, pulling out a small device. She pressed a button. The screen lit, showing a blurred but clear-enough video—Elise, cornered by Luka, his mouth on hers, her frozen stillness looking almost like response.
The room went silent except for the faint sound of the recording.
Kai’s eyes locked on the screen. His face twisted. His breath hitched, rough, uneven.
“No…” He shook his head once, then again harder. “No.”
Elise’s body shook. She lunged forward. “It’s not what it looks like! She planned this! Both of them! Becky, you—”
“Don’t.” Becky’s eyes glistened with fake tears. “I wish it weren’t true, but I saw it.”
Kai’s voice broke. “Enough, Elise!” His chest rose and fell quickly. “Don’t stand there and blame her. Don’t drag Becky into your excuses. I saw it. I saw you.” His throat tightened. “You betrayed me.”
Tears rolled down his face before he could stop them. He wiped them roughly, but they kept coming. His anger made them look sharper, not weaker.
Elise’s heart shattered. She stumbled toward him, reaching for his arm. “I didn’t. Please, Kai, you have to believe me. I swear to you, I never—”
He shoved her hand away. “Don’t touch me!” His voice cracked, raw with pain. “I gave you everything. I trusted you. And you made a fool of me.”
The crowd outside was whispering now, the sound growing louder. Elise could feel every pair of eyes burning into her.
Her chest filled with fire. She turned, glaring at Becky. “You snake. You planned this with him. You wanted this. You wanted me destroyed.”
Becky gasped dramatically. “How dare you—”
Elise’s hand flew before she thought. The slap cracked across Becky’s cheek, loud enough to silence the entire hall.
Gasps filled the air. Some stepped back, others leaned in. Luka’s smirk widened, barely hidden. Becky’s hand pressed her cheek, but instead of anger, her lips curled into the faintest smile Elise had ever seen.
Kai saw it too, but all he reacted to was Elise’s hand.
“Don’t you touch her!” he roared, stepping between them. He turned on Elise, eyes blazing, chest heaving. “After everything, you dare raise your hand to her? She’s the only one who’s been honest with me!”
Elise’s whole body shook. “Honest? Can’t you see? She’s smiling! She wanted this. Look at her, Kai!”
Kai didn’t look. His hand went to Becky’s shoulder, protective. “She’s not the one who kissed another man behind my back.” His voice lowered but stayed sharp enough to cut. “You are.”
Elise’s mouth opened, but no words came. Her tears blurred everything, yet the one thing she saw clearly was Becky’s faint, victorious smile and Luka’s smug grin at the door.
Lucien stood still. His jaw was tight, his eyes cold, but he didn’t step in. He only watched, silent and unreadable.
The room was chaos—voices rising, whispers spreading, gasps echoing. Elise’s humiliation was complete, painted in front of the entire pack.
And Kai—broken, angry, and betrayed—turned his face away from her.
- Writer
