Chapter 12
811 Words
Liana’s POV
I didn’t sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw them—Selene underneath him, Kairo above her. It played in my head like a twisted nightmare, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t tear the image away.
That girl was a curse. A snake in silk skin. She had bewitched him, seduced him, made him forget everything—his duty, our bond, our future. He let her. He wanted her. And what stung most was that it wasn’t just s*x. I saw it in his eyes. He felt something for her.
I couldn’t let her win.
At sunrise, I stormed into my father’s office. He stood near the window, hands clasped behind his back, eyes scanning the training grounds.
“He slept with her,” I snapped.
He turned slowly, calm as ever. “With who?”
“Selene. The enemy’s daughter. That pathetic slave he keeps protecting. I saw it with my own eyes. In his chambers, on his bed.”
His face darkened. “And you’re certain?”
“She’s manipulating him,” I spat. “She’s ruining everything. He’ll lose his focus. Our pack—our bloodline—it’ll suffer.”
Father’s eyes narrowed. “Then we remind him of his place. Of what he owes us all.”
He didn’t need to say more. I knew he’d take it from here.
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Kairo’s POV
I was barely through my morning training when I returned to find my Beta and several council members waiting for me. Their expressions were tight, unreadable.
“Is something wrong?” I asked, wiping sweat from my brow.
“We need to speak, Alpha,” my Beta said, tone firm.
I led them into the council room. As soon as we were seated, my Beta started.
“You’ve forgotten your duty.”
I frowned. “Excuse me?”
“Selene,” he said. “You’ve allowed her to distract you. To cloud your mind. She is the blood of the ones who murdered your parents. Have you forgotten that night?”
The room fell silent. My stomach twisted.
“No,” I said quietly. “I haven’t.”
“Then act like it,” another elder snapped. “Your people need a leader, not a man chasing a ghost of lust. She’s a prisoner. Her blood is tainted. You cannot build a kingdom with her.”
“She’s not her parents,” I said, though even I wasn’t sure who I was defending.
“But she carries their legacy. Do you think they would’ve spared you? Your mother? Your father?”
“You were chosen to lead,” the elder continued. “It’s time you fulfill your duty—start planning the bonding ceremony with Liana. We need an heir. Stability. Unity.”
“An heir,” the Beta echoed. “One born of loyalty. Not weakness.”
I nodded slowly. “I’ll think about it.”
But I already knew what I had to do.
***********
Kairo’s POV – Later That Day
The sun was beginning to set when I found myself walking toward the far end of the palace grounds—toward the place I rarely visited, the place I feared.
My parents’ graves stood side by side beneath a canopy of ancient trees. Two simple stones. No gold. No crowns. Just names, dates, and the ache of everything I had lost.
I knelt before them, the cool breeze brushing against my skin.
“I’ve been failing you,” I whispered. “I let my emotions lead me where my duty should’ve stood firm.”
I closed my eyes and rested my hand against the stone.
“She’s not you. I know that. But I still see her face in every quiet moment. I remember the way she laughed. The way she touched me. And it kills me that I feel this way.”
I clenched my jaw.
“I won’t let it happen again. You were murdered by her bloodline. I owe you more than this confusion, this weakness.”
The cold stone beneath my palm grounded me. I had to do better. Be stronger. For them.
“I was chosen to lead, not to feel,” I said, rising to my feet. “This kingdom needs a king, not a man torn in two. And I won’t let your memory be dishonored.”
The wind picked up, rustling the leaves like whispers of the past.
From that moment on, I made a vow: I would not let my feelings cloud my judgment. I would avoid her, resist her, crush whatever softness I still carried for her.
Because she wasn’t just a girl.
She was my enemy’s daughter.
And I was the Alpha.
This wasn’t about love.
This was about justice.
And revenge.
Even if it meant breaking myself to do it.
- Writer
