His Cold Words
1066 Words
Liora’s POV
Alpha Kael’s voice lingered in the air long after the council doors had shut behind them.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
I could still feel the echo of their presence, the weight of their eyes, the certainty in their voices when they spoke of my death. It clung to my skin like a shadow I couldn’t shake.
My lips stung unbearably.
The place where Kael had bitten me pulsed faintly, a sharp, constant reminder of what had just happened. I lifted my fingers slowly, brushing them against the tender spot.
I swallowed hard then my gaze lifted to him. He was still standing too close.
The flickering light cast shadows across his face, sharpening the angles of his jaw, deepening the darkness in his eyes. His expression was unreadable, but his presence pressed against me.
I forced myself to take a breath.
“You… saved me” I said although the words felt strange on my tongue.
Alpha Kael didn’t respond immediately, his eyes moved slowly to the faint trace of blood still lingering on my lips.
His control wavered, like a flicker of something raw and dangerous passed through his gaze and suddenly, the air changed.
My breath caught. The look in his eyes made every instinct inside me scream.
He stepped closer and my back instinctively pressed against the cold stone behind me.
“Saved you?” he repeated, his voice low.
A dangerous edge curled around the words.
“Yes…” I hesitated to reply.
His lips curved slightly, not a smile, but something darker.
“You misunderstand me” he said.
My pulse quickened as his hand lifted and before I could react, his fingers wrapped around my chin, tilting my face upward.
The touch wasn’t gentle and my breath hitched. His thumb brushed just beneath my lip, right where it still hurt.
I flinched and his eyes darkened immediately.
“There it is,” he murmured.
My brows furrowed slightly.
“What?”
“Fear.”
The word was soft but it hit harder than anything else.
“I’m not—”
“Don’t lie to me,” he cut in smoothly.
His grip tightened just slightly.
“I can feel it.”
My heart pounded. I hated that he was right. I hated that he could see through me so easily.
I lifted my chin anyway, forcing myself to meet his gaze.
“I said thank you. You didn’t have to—” I replied, quieter now.
“I didn’t save you.”
The words were sharp and they cut through me instantly.
My lips parted slightly.
“What?”
His eyes held mine, unyielding.
“I did not keep you alive to protect you.”
A chill slid down my spine.
His thumb moved again, brushing lightly across my lower lip. The sting flared and with it, something that made my breath unsteady.
“I kept you, because your life belongs to me now” he continued slowly.
My stomach twisted.
“You think this is mercy?” he asked quietly.
I didn’t answer because I didn’t know.
His gaze dropped briefly to my lips, my throat and the thin fabric clinging to my body.
I felt exposed under that look and my pulse raced harder.
“I haven’t had enough,” he said.
The words sent a ripple of unease through me.
“Enough of what?” I asked.
His eyes lifted back to mine, burning with something dangerous.
“Revenge" he replied.
The word settled heavily between us.
My breath caught.
“You don’t get to die quickly,” he continued, his voice low, almost thoughtful.
“You don’t get to escape what your family did.”
My chest tightened.
“I didn’t do anything,” I said quietly.
His grip on my chin tightened and it hurt.
“You carry their blood and I will make sure your body remembers what they did to mine” he said.
The words were almost a growl and a chill swept through me.
“I will be the one to leave every mark,” he added.
My heart slammed against my ribs, fear coiled tight in my chest but I refused to show it.
I swallowed and forced myself to hold his gaze.
“I’m not afraid of you" I lied.
His lips curved again, that same dark, knowing expression.
“Yes, you are” he murmured.
My breath hitched.
“And yet....you pretend" his thumb brushed my lip again, slower this time.
I didn’t respond because he was right and that terrified me more than anything else.
“I should destroy you now,” he muttered.
The words were almost to himself and my breath caught but he didn’t move.
“I should end this before it becomes something worse.”
My pulse raced wildly.
“Then do it,” I whispered.
The words surprised even me but I meant them because whatever this was, it felt dangerous.
His eyes snapped to mine and for a moment something flickered there but then, it vanished, replaced by cold arrogance.
“You don’t get to decide that,” he said.
His hand dropped from my chin. The loss of contact sent a strange chill through me.
“Guards.”
The word rang through the hall as footsteps approached instantly.
Two guards appeared beside us.
“Take her,” Kael ordered.
My stomach dropped.
“Where?” one of them asked.
“One of the guest chambers,” he said without looking at them.
“Lock her in.”
My eyes widened.
“What—no—”
I stepped back instinctively but the guards moved quickly. They grabbed my arms firmly.
“Wait, I’m not going anywhere with—” I struggled, pulling against them.
My words cut off and something sharp pressed against my neck.
My body froze.
“What did you—”
The world tilted, my vision blurred and my limbs felt heavy.
“No…” I tried to pull away, but my strength was already fading.
My gaze snapped back to Kael, he was watching me and my chest tightened.
“You—” my voice faltered.
Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision then my knees buckled.
The guards caught me before I hit the ground and my last thought before everything faded was the dangerous look in his eyes.
- Writer
