CHAPTER 5 — THE WAY HE LOOKS AT ME
1273 Words
Ember’s POV
Magnus doesn’t slow down.
Not when we reach the stairs.
Not when servants bow with confused, wide eyes.
Not even when whispers ripple behind us like a wave we both pretend not to hear.
He simply keeps my hand in his—steady, warm, unshaken.
As if I belong there.
As if I was always meant to walk beside an Alpha.
But all I can think about is the blood.
The memory hits again—the way my heart dropped when I saw the crimson stain on the sheets. My cheeks burn all over again.
I am twenty-three years old.
I am a wolf.
And yet I had saved that last fragile piece of myself for a man who… threw me away.
Kieran’s face when he saw the sheets flash in my mind.
Shock.
Hurt.
Embarrassment.
Possessiveness—not love—burning in his eyes.
He has no right.
No. Right.
Magnus must feel my tension, because he pauses at the bottom step, his thumb brushing my knuckles.
“You’re quiet,” he murmurs.
“Just thinking,” I manage.
“About the sheet?”
My face flames. “Magnus—”
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” His voice is deep, steady. “You gifted me something precious. I don’t take that lightly.”
I swallow hard.
Gifted.
Not lost.
Not wasted.
Not stolen by someone who never valued it.
He leans down, his breath warm against my ear.
“And I cleaned the rest the moment you stepped into the bathroom. You didn’t have to lift a finger.”
My heart tightens painfully.
No man has ever gently cared for me.
Not like this.
Not with intention.
Not with pride.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He studies me for a heartbeat longer—like he’s memorizing the way I look when I’m grateful—then he leads me into the dining hall.
And everything goes silent.
Kieran’s POV
I shouldn’t be here.
I should’ve skipped breakfast.
I should’ve run into the woods.
I should’ve done anything except sit here waiting for my father to walk in with—
Her.
The girl who used to laugh beside me.
The girl who used to wait for me outside training.
The girl who used to love me.
The girl who—
No. Stop.
I stare into my untouched plate as heavy footsteps approach.
Every muscle in my body tenses.
Then I hear Magnus’s voice.
Strong. Confident. And annoyingly… pleased.
“Good morning.”
I force myself to lift my head.
And there she is.
Ember.
Walking beside him.
Hand in hand.
Her hair slightly damp, cheeks flushed, lips swollen—
No.
No, no, no—
The room spins and my stomach knots painfully.
My father only looks like that after—
I grip my fork so hard it snaps.
Everyone hears it.
Everyone ignores it.
Magnus pulls out Ember’s chair for her.
He has never done that for anyone. Not even my mother.
Servants freeze. Warriors stare. One bold omega in the corner whispers behind a tray:
“I heard the Alpha had someone in his room last night—”
Another hushes her. “Not someone. Her.”
I feel my blood boil.
Ember doesn’t look at me.
Good. Because if she did… she’d see everything.
Shock.
Confusion.
Regret—no, not regret.
Determination.
Because she is mine.
She was mine.
And I will never—
Never—
Call her mother.
Magnus’s POV
Kieran is radiating fury.
I can feel it from across the table, thick and sour like a storm refusing to break.
He is fighting his wolf.
Barely holding the shift back.
But I ignore him.
Instead, I focus on Ember.
The way she touches her hair when she’s nervous.
The way she sits straight but not stiff.
The way she tries to hide when people stare.
She’s not used to being seen.
She has no idea she was born to be.
I let the silence stretch until the entire hall is waiting—breath held, eyes on us.
Then I place my hand over hers.
“Everyone,” I say calmly, “I would like you to meet Ember.”
A loud gasp breaks from one servant.
Someone drops a glass.
Kieran grips the table like he might tear it apart.
Ember swallows hard.
“She,” I continue, “will be staying with me.”
A murmur spreads like fire.
“But Alpha,” the warrior at the far end says cautiously, “does that mean—”
“Yes,” I cut in smoothly. “It means exactly what you think it means.”
Ember stiffens.
Kieran stands abruptly, chair scraping the floor.
“This is insane,” he growls.
I finally look at him. “Sit.”
“No.”
My voice drops lower. “Kieran.”
He hesitates—one heartbeat, two—but he sits.
Barely.
His jaw clenched so tight a crack echoes in his teeth.
I don't acknowledge it.
Instead, I turn to Ember.
“Eat,” I tell her softly.
Her eyes widen.
She obeys.
And Goddess help me—
I almost growl with pleasure.
Zara’s POV
(Magnus’s Beta and childhood friend)
I’ve known Magnus since we were young.
I’ve never—not once—seen him look at a woman the way he looks at her.
Soft.
Possessive.
Like someone stole the air from his lungs and replaced it with her name.
I lean closer to the gamma beside me, whispering under my breath:
“Oh, this is going to ruin the entire pack hierarchy.”
He nods grimly. “Kieran won’t accept this.”
“No,” I agree. “But Magnus? He will burn down the world before letting anyone take that girl from him.”
And honestly?
I don’t think the girl realizes she just accidentally became the most powerful female in the pack.
Ember’s POV
I try to eat.
I do.
But Kieran’s stare feels like a blade on the side of my face.
I finally look at him.
He looks away instantly, jaw tight, shoulders tense.
A tiny, horrible part of me feels… vindicated.
But mostly?
I feel sad.
He was supposed to be my future.
Now we are strangers again.
Breakfast continues, tense and quiet until Magnus finishes his meal, wipes his mouth, then stands.
And when he offers me his hand again—
I take it.
Not because I’m playing a part.
Not because I’m trying to make Kieran jealous.
But because…
It feels right.
We walk out of the dining hall together.
But right as we reach the door—
A hand grabs my arm.
Kieran.
His voice is low, torn, desperate.
“We need to talk.”
Magnus turns instantly, eyes dark.
But I lift my chin, slowly pulling my arm free from Kieran’s grip.
“About what?” I ask quietly.
Kieran swallows hard.
“You know what.”
I hold his gaze.
For the first time since everything shattered, I don’t look away.
“No,” I say softly. “I don’t.”
His eyes widen.
Magnus steps between us, blocking his son from my view, voice deep and lethal.
“She doesn’t owe you anything.”
Kieran growls. “She was my mate.”
Magnus doesn’t blink.
“Was.”
A single word.
A blade.
An ending.
Kieran flinches.
I stand there, breath shaking, heart pounding.
Magnus glances back at me, voice gentler.
“Come, Ember.”
And I go with him.
Not because I’m running.
Not because I’m afraid.
But because I finally understand:
Being chosen feels very different from being tolerated.
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- Writer
