Chapter 115: Chapter 115

Adelie

We rounded up everyone and began our trek back to the pack. I stole a glance over my shoulder. The fire was relentless, determined to reduce this land to ashes.

Just like it was before Archibald and Kairos breathed life into their childhood dreams.

Our journey was marked by silence. The occasional sniffle or sob broke through, but words were scarce. Kairos, however, found the strength to answer their queries.

He was feeding them lies. Filling their hearts with false hope that their Alpha would return. He vowed to hunt down the one responsible for this destruction.

Our pack guards, along with those who had taken refuge with Archibald, returned to assist the newcomers.

We did our best to make them feel at home. We lent an ear to their sorrows. To them, the victims were real people. They were oblivious to the truth.

Suddenly, Maeve nudged my shoulder. I followed her gaze to where Kairos was heading towards the house.

I scanned the area to ensure everything was under control. “Look after them,” I instructed Maeve, before trailing behind him.

Kairos was seated in front of a half-charred fireplace. I shut the doors behind me. He must have heard the sound, but he didn’t acknowledge it.

“Kairos,” I whispered. He was hunched over, his head hanging low.

I knelt down, resting my head on the couch next to him. I didn’t dare reach out to him. I didn’t want to startle him.

I felt odd. Weak. Exhausted. But above all, I was bewildered. We should have been rejoicing. It was over. But it didn’t feel like a victory. “Are you okay?” I asked him.

He slowly turned his gaze towards me. He shook his head. “I’m not,” he admitted.

“It will be okay,” I reassured him. “We’ll make it okay.” I wanted to believe it, for the sake of our unborn child.

I was itching to share the news with him. But he had been under immense stress lately. I decided to wait for things to calm down before revealing my secret. Even if it was good news.

He gently cupped my face, his thumb tracing my jawline. “I will never hurt you, Adelie,” he promised.

I knew that. He couldn’t hurt me, because I knew my feelings for him. I would bear any pain for him, just as he would for me. “I’ll make sure I don’t.”

“You couldn’t even if you wanted to,” I teased. “Kye can attest to that.” His lips finally curved into a smile.

He took my hand in his, our fingers entwining. I recalled Fala’s words. “They say the first year of marriage is the hardest,” I joked.

“Let’s hope this year flies by.”

His expression shifted abruptly. “You could have saved him,” he blurted out, shattering the light-hearted atmosphere. “I stopped you.”

Tears were streaming down his face again. The sight of him crying made my own tears well up.

“I prevented you from saving him. You were so pure, and I corrupted you. I made you like me.” He continued to berate himself, but I couldn’t let him believe that.

“Kairos, it was my decision. I didn’t want to save him. I don’t even think I could have,” I reasoned with him.

“You always try, Adelie. You always try to salvage what’s left. But this time, you didn’t because of me. I’m ruining your goodness.”

I shook my head vehemently. “No. I won’t let you believe that. I won’t let you blame yourself for my actions. Kairos, he was not a good man,” I asserted.

“I’m not either,” he countered.

“Kairos…”

He cut me off before I could finish. “You know what I did to him. That doesn’t make me a good person.” He couldn’t meet my gaze anymore.

My voice trembled, uncertainty and fear seeping into my words. “You were just a kid.”

I felt a mix of sadness and anger. “I’m so sorry you didn’t have anyone to guide you, to tell you it was wrong. But a child can’t be held accountable for succumbing to peer pressure from the wrong crowd.

“I’m sorry that your actions had such dire consequences, but when you sit here and label yourself as a bad man, despite the countless times you’ve proven otherwise…

“It feels like you’re dismissing every person you’ve ever cared for. Every member of the pack that was under your protection.”

“They’re gone!” he yelled at me. I was too drained to even flinch.

But I mustered up the strength to yell back. “And you will bring them back. And you will mend what has been broken. Because there are people who are still here and who won’t abandon you.

“You need to stop wallowing in self-pity, and pull yourself together. Because the pack needs you, regardless of what you believe. I need you.

“And I won’t stand by and watch you drown in your sorrow while everyone else is trying to put things back together.” I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart.

“I’m not asking you. I’m telling you that I need you to do what’s right. To do what’s best for the pack.”

His eyes darted around, seemingly at a loss for what to do after my stern reprimand.

“You are…,” he began, but stopped himself. He closed his eyes, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. “Extremely dismissive of my feelings,” he finally said, causing my eyes to widen.

Was that his takeaway from my speech? Was that how it came across? “I…” I was at a loss for words.

He covered his face with his hands briefly, then lifted his head and chuckled. “I like it,” he admitted, smirking.

“I like when you put me in my place. I love when you boss me around.” His smirk softened into a tender smile. “I love when you’re there to tell me to shut up.”

He leaned back on the couch, and I nestled into his side. He wrapped his arm around me, his hand gently playing with my hair. “I love you so much,” he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.

“As you should,” I teased, earning a chuckle from him. I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, finally at peace.

“We should start rebuilding the pack first thing tomorrow,” he suggested. “The sooner we get back on our feet, the sooner we can regain their trust. We need to gather all the information we can on them for our records.”

I turned to face him. “Tomorrow…,” I interrupted. “Tomorrow we can plan. But not now. Can we just rest tonight?” I asked, voicing the desperate need I felt.

For the first time in a long time, I didn’t yearn for the outdoors. I yearned for a peaceful night’s sleep next to him.

He pursed his lips and nodded. I knew he needed rest as much as I did.

But my curiosity got the better of me. “Kairos…why did you lie to the pack about Archibald?” I asked.

“He’s gone. It won’t do them any good to harbor resentment towards him. They loved him. Let them mourn instead, and curse the day they set foot on that land.” He let out a heavy sigh.

“I did deceive him…,” he admitted in a whisper. “The least I can do is preserve his reputation for the people he cared about.”

It was almost dawn, but most were just now heading to bed for some much-needed rest. By noon, everyone would be somewhat refreshed and able to think clearly.

I headed upstairs to prepare for bed, the lure of a hot shower too tempting to resist. I needed to sleep with a mind unburdened by worries. A mind at peace. After the shower, I studied my reflection in the mirror. A tiny bump was beginning to form, a sign of the precious life growing within me.

Kairos would be overjoyed to learn we were expecting a pup. And who could tell? Maybe it wouldn’t be a wolf. But it wouldn’t matter.

We would have a little piece of us, a blend of our love, scampering around. Now, my priority was to ensure my well-being so our child could thrive.

Oh, how I longed for Kairos to be with me. Seeing other males tenderly care for their pregnant mates, I craved that. I yearned to witness that softer side of him.

After dressing, I found him on the balcony. He had arranged chairs and a small table, complete with two cups of tea. I greeted him with a warm smile. “What’s all this?” I inquired.

“Care to join me for tea?” he proposed, and I slowly took a seat, cradling the warm cup in my hands. I glanced at him and smiled. He returned my smile.

As the evening wore on, fatigue began to set in. I needed to rest, to regain my strength. “I think I’ll head to bed,” I announced, rising from my chair. “Care to join me?”

I noticed one of my witchcraft books on my nightstand. “Did you bring this out?” I asked him.

He followed my gaze to the book. “That book? No, I thought you did,” he replied. Perhaps I had but simply didn’t recall. I returned it to the closet, my special storage for such books.

We switched off all the lights and settled into bed, side by side. He tenderly kissed my forehead. “I love you,” he whispered, as if our words were not meant for anyone else. “And I always will.” He wrapped his arms around me.

“I love you too,” I murmured, sinking into his embrace and savoring his scent.

If only I knew what those three words, ‘I love you,’ truly meant to him…