Chapter 135: Chapter 19

KAIROS

I studied the latest note they’d sent us. ~ ‘The clock is ticking. We don’t want trouble, but if you force our hand, you’ll make an enemy.’~

“Adelie’s safe for now,” Leonard assured us. “They’re just getting antsy.”

Collin chimed in, “But they’re not releasing her. And we’re not handing over their book.”

We were at a standstill. We couldn’t fight them. We didn’t even know their location. All we knew was that Adelie was unharmed.

The doors swung open and Maeve entered, her gaze fixed straight ahead. I noticed Collin’s eyes tracking her every move. She was deliberately avoiding him.

Something had transpired between them. “Maeve, you’re looking well,” I commented.

I remembered how frail and unusually pale she’d appeared the day before. Collin had noticed too. I assumed Collin had found her blood. So why was she acting so distant? She wouldn’t even look at him.

She glanced at me and managed a forced smile. She took her usual seat, directly across from Collin, pointedly avoiding his gaze. “The vampires are getting curious.”

Leonard furrowed his brow. “They were here?” he questioned.

She shook her head. “I went to them.”

“Alone?” he asked, visibly taken aback.

She raised an eyebrow at him. “…I am one of them…” she said, her voice wavering.

“No, you’re not!” Collin interjected, but she didn’t react.

“They don’t want a fight. But they’re desperate for that book. They were quite insistent.”

“We’re as clueless as they are,” I pointed out.

She nodded. “Well, they don’t care. They’re taking matters into their own hands. They’re recruiting wizards and witches to help find Ebenezer, kill him, and locate Adelie so she can reveal the book’s location.”

“Why did you go to them?” I asked.

“Because they had no reason to trust us. And they never trust anyone without a substantial price.”

“What did you do?” Leonard inquired.

“I did what I do best. I negotiated.”

“Maeve…” I began cautiously. “I think we all know that keeping secrets doesn’t solve anything. What did you promise?”

She was silent for a moment. “If any of us oppose them or interfere with their plans…then I’ll join them.”

“You can’t!” Collin objected.

“It’s inevitable.”

I leaned in. “What do you mean?”

She looked at us. “You heard me. I’ll eventually become a full vampire. And that’s where I belong. With my own kind.”

I let out a forced laugh. “Good luck convincing Adelie.”

“She means a lot to me. But I’ve made up my mind. Once my wolf is gone, I’ll join them.”

“You despise their lifestyle,” Collin pointed out. “You’re just going to abandon everything you love?”

Her eyes finally met his. “You don’t know what I love. How I feel. What I hate.”

I cleared my throat, breaking the tension between them. “I don’t want to state the obvious. But I’m sure you all realize…” I gestured between the two of them. “You can sort this out later, but please don’t let it distract you from what’s important right now. Which is Adelie. And getting her back. Everything else can wait.”

Collin turned to me. “She’s giving up her life and you think it can wait?”

“Maeve would never give up. What she would do is sacrifice herself,” she shot me a look. “Foolishly, she thinks that will make things better. I’m not sure how. But it’s what she does. Unfortunately, she doesn’t understand that we all care about her and want her to be safe and happy. And she believes that whatever pain she’ll cause us by leaving is worth it because she’s doing it for us. But she’s wrong.”

I slowly turned my gaze to her. “I know. And I’ll never get those years back. I wish I’d found a different solution.”

“Wouldn’t you rather be resented than know you caused pain?” she asked me.

“Who did you cause pain to?” I asked.

“…you…”

She had. It wasn’t her fault. But it was her doing.

“But you were there. You’ve always been there, Maeve. You’re always there for everyone. For me when I was alpha and for Adelie when I left.

“Maybe it was guilt or obligation. But you were there, and you did a damn good job. But if you think you’d be doing anyone a favor by leaving, then you’re only feeling sorry for yourself.”

“But that’s what you did.”

“I know.” There isn’t a day when I don’t wish I’d fought harder against my own mind. Suppressed the thoughts. At the time, I didn’t see any other option.

I stood up, changing the subject. “What can we do?”

“Not much…” Leonard admitted. “We have nothing.”

“So we just wait?” I was frustrated. We were utterly powerless.

“The vampires have a better chance of finding their location,” Maeve said. “And even if we get there, I doubt it’ll be an easy fight.”

“Are you scared?” I asked. She looked at me with a smirk on her lips.

“Never,” she said. That was the Maeve I knew. An unbreakable woman.

The castle was filled with a gloomy atmosphere. Laughter was scarce. Even the children were quiet. I checked Elias’s room. He wasn’t there. Maeve had sternly instructed him to stay within the castle. He wasn’t stupid. Just reckless.

I wandered around the castle. I was starting to worry, but then I saw him entering Adelie’s room. I leaned against the doorframe, watching him rummage through her drawer. “Need help?” I asked.

He didn’t even jump. He knew I was there. He didn’t stop his search either. “No,” he replied curtly.

“What are you looking for?” I asked.

“I’m just a kid playing. You shouldn’t be asking me that. Kids do all sorts of random stuff,” he retorted.

“I heard you don’t play.”

He then moved to her dresser. “If you must know, I’m looking for clues to find Adelie.”

“Do you always call her by her name?” I asked.

“You know her as Adelie, don’t you?”

“I know she’s your mom.”

He rolled his eyes. “And Adelie is her name.”

“I wouldn’t want my son calling me by my name.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you don’t have a son, Kairos,” he said, emphasizing my name.

“If I did, he wouldn’t be calling me that.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t, Kairos,” he repeated, as if trying to annoy me by saying my name.

I decided to let it go. “I doubt she left any clues,” I told him.

“You doubt, but you don’t know.”

I sighed. “Why are you so snappy?” I asked him. “It’s very annoying.”

“Then don’t talk to me.”

“I promised Adelie I’d look after you,”

“Do you think your promises mean anything to her?”

“Why would you say that?” I asked, finally stepping into the room.

It seemed like he hadn’t found anything, so he walked over to the bed and sat down, eyeing me suspiciously.

“You broke your marriage promise.”

So he knew everything.

“You don’t like me very much then?” I asked.

“What’s there to like?” he retorted.

“Touché.”

He rolled his eyes again as he stood up and left the room. Angry little kid.

I took out the marble and called out to her. “Adelie.”

“Yes,” she responded.

“How are you?” I asked.

“Fine,” she replied tersely. She didn’t elaborate, just quickly ended her response.

“The vampires are on their way to find you,” I informed her. She still didn’t respond. “They’re angry at you, but they shouldn’t harm you. They still need that book.”

It felt like I was talking to a brick wall. “Elias was rummaging through your room. Trying to find something.”

“How is he?” she asked.

“He’s fine,” I chuckled lightly. “He said he didn’t like me.”

“What’s there to like?” she echoed, and all I could do was laugh at how they both said the same thing.

She didn’t laugh. “We have the same guiding crystal, but only one of us can use it. It wouldn’t be wise.”

They’d attached the crystal to the last note. I could just go there myself. But if I died, I wouldn’t be able to save her. “We’ll find a way to save you. When the vampires find your location, we’ll be ready to fight.”

“…Adelie…” I began. “…I never meant to hurt you.”

“I have nothing to say to you, Kairos. Leave me alone,” she said.

I dropped my head into my hands. Why was the Moon Goddess punishing me for rejecting my second chance mate? Perhaps she finally realized I was never deserving of a second chance in the first place.

MAEVE

I perched on the edge of the pit where they discarded the nymphs. They ceased their actions once they captured Adelie. Now, they were simply biding their time for the book. It was only a matter of time before they targeted one of us.

I let my legs swing freely over the edge.

Suddenly, the sound of crunching leaves echoed from behind me. I instinctively reached for my dagger, which was secured at my side.

As the footsteps drew nearer, I sprang up, pulling the dagger toward me. It was Collin. He recoiled in fear.

I maintained my defensive stance. Once he regained his composure, he gingerly touched the tip of my dagger. “No, thank you. I’m not ready to die just yet.”

I sheathed my dagger and turned to leave.

He quickly caught up to me, matching my pace. “Are you avoiding me?” he inquired.

He fell silent for a moment. “Because of our kiss.”

“It was nothing,” I retorted, struggling to maintain my composure.

“Do you always kiss people when you’re bored?” he asked, amusement lacing his voice.

“Yes,” I replied nonchalantly.

“Are you bored now?” he teased, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

I spun around to face him. “It was nothing. I was just overwhelmed and vulnerable. It meant nothing.”

“Then why are you avoiding me?” he pressed. “If you don’t care then why?”

“You’re imagining things.”

“A passion like that can’t be imagined, only felt,” he countered. I could feel my cheeks heating up, so I turned to continue walking, and he followed.

“You’re too strong to be swayed by fleeting emotions. I doubt you would have kissed me if you didn’t feel anything. And let me remind you, you were the one who initiated the kiss.”

“You have no idea what I feel and let’s be clear, there is nothing to feel toward you. I suggest you stop inflating your ego,” I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, fearing he might see something.

“Do you have someone waiting for you at home?” he asked. “If not, then I don’t see why it’s such a problem for you to admit it.”

I halted and turned to face him, noticing the smug smile playing on his lips. “I don’t care for you, Collin. I don’t feel anything for you. You’re just another werewolf I have to work with. Nothing more. So stop pretending there’s something when there isn’t.”

“Prove it,” he challenged, lifting his chin defiantly.

My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Prove to me that you didn’t feel any kind of spark when we kissed. Prove to me that it was just another meaningless kiss.”

“And how do you propose I do that?” I crossed my arms defensively.

“Kiss me,” he stated. I expected him to laugh it off, but he didn’t.

I clenched my jaw and turned to leave, only to be stopped by him grabbing my wrist. “Kiss me once to show me that it was just that. A simple kiss. And I’ll leave you alone. I’ll only approach you to discuss Adelie. I won’t bother you ever again.”

I tried to pull away, but his grip was firm. “Or are you afraid that you might enjoy it too much?” he smirked.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes. I’m terrified that the sparks would be too overwhelming for me to handle.” I replied as sarcastically as I could.

But deep down, I knew my sarcasm was misplaced.

“Well, what do you have to lose?” he asked. “Just kiss me and I’ll leave.”

“I have my dignity to lose by kissing someone as immature as you.”

He pulled my wrist toward his chest, his gaze locked on mine. “No one will know. No one will see. If you can prove that it means nothing to you, then I’ll leave you alone. Until then, I don’t believe that you felt nothing for the kiss we shared.”

His voice echoed through the forest, growing softer with each word. “I can’t believe that you didn’t stay awake replaying it. That it didn’t consume your thoughts more than it should have. Tell me that your body feels nothing.”

I forcefully yanked my hand from his grasp but remained rooted to the spot. My teeth gritted together. “Fine!” I snapped.

Despite my obvious irritation, he looked utterly pleased with himself. “One kiss and I won’t have to hear any more of it.”

He shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. He placed his hands on my waist and pulled me closer. Now only inches apart, he looked down at me.

He gently lifted my chin with his index finger. He was smiling. An innocent smile as he studied my lips. “You’re lying, Maeve,” he said, smirking.

Before I could protest, he closed the gap between us. I was expecting a slow, simple kiss. But this was anything but…

His hand tangled in my hair, guiding my head, while his other hand pulled me closer to him.

His lips moved against mine. I was hesitant, he wasn’t. He knew what he wanted, and he was getting it. He wanted me to surrender. To abandon my resistance.

He backed me against a tree, his lips moving expertly against mine. He was warm. And breathing heavily. So was I. Our chests were pressed together and I was struggling to control my breathing. To hide the erratic beating of my heart.

And it hurt. It hurt to deny it. My lips responded to his and my hands found their way to his chest. I clenched my fingers in his shirt, gripping it tightly.

My lips parted and his tongue quickly found mine.

I had come to the forest to listen to the sounds of nature. To the rustling of the bushes and the bending of the tree branches in the breeze. Now, all I could hear was the pounding of my heart.

Of course, I had thought about our kiss. Of course, it had kept me awake at night.

His hands held me tightly, as if afraid I would run away.

This was wrong. I knew it was. But I didn’t have the strength to pull away because I knew that I would never allow it to happen again. Even this time should have remained a figment of my daydreams. The ones I couldn’t shake off.

I was supposed to be thinking about Adelie, not him. Not Collin.

I didn’t move. Only my lips did. They followed his without needing any guidance. His hand massaged the back of my neck while his other hand slid up my rib cage, stopping just short of my chest.

He took a sharp intake of breath before crashing his lips back onto mine. This was supposed to be a quick kiss to prove I didn’t care, didn’t feel. But it was proving the exact opposite. I thought I was stronger.

He pulled away, but before I could gather my thoughts, he brushed my hair away from my neck and gently tilted my head to the side. His lips began to trail kisses down my neck. I let out a sharp exhale as he passionately kissed my skin, his hands roaming my body.

My voice trembled. My eyes were squeezed shut. It felt good, euphoric. I knew I would only feel this way with him.

He continued to kiss my neck until he found my sweet spot. I let out a soft moan, feeling his smirk against my skin…but then…I felt his teeth graze my skin.

My eyes flew open and I instinctively reached up to grab his neck, forcing him to pull away.

Once I realized how tightly I was holding him, I loosened my grip. But I kept my hand on his throat and the other clenched in his shirt.

I noticed a drop of blood on his teeth. I let go of his shirt and touched my neck. It was barely punctured by one of his fangs. It must have happened when I jerked his head away.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my breath coming out in short gasps.

He was going to mark me… I wasn’t his mate. And he was ready to mark me. Someone he barely knew. Someone the Moon Goddess hadn’t chosen for him. He was ready to claim me.

If not destined, it was weaker. But still blissful to feel. And it faded over time apart. For real mates, it didn’t. And for a werewolf like me, even less. Others could still smell him on me if he marked me.

I didn’t care that it was temporary. It was the fact that he was ready to do that.

I wasn’t his…no matter how much I wanted to be. I couldn’t be.

He looked at me, fear evident in his eyes. “I…I apologize, I didn’t mean to… I lost control.”

I slowly released my grip and stepped back. He watched me as I retreated. “Don’t ever…come near me,” I warned him.

“Maeve!’ he called out. “I know that you feel the exact same thing that I do! Why do you keep lying?”

“Who are you to tell me what I feel?” I retorted, matching his anger.

“What do you have to lose by trying?” he asked. “To see what it would feel like to not deny me. What do you have to lose?”

“My sanity,” I confessed, my voice betraying me. I couldn’t bear the thought of living with someone who was a cold-blooded killer. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone else.

He looked at me, his eyes filled with confusion. “Does everyone in your pack lead loveless lives?” he asked. “Because here, we love. We make a promise to the gods to love until our last breath. We fight tooth and nail for our feelings. We take care of our hearts. We let them live and feel.”

He took a small step toward me. “I know you’re powerful and complex, and I’m just a werewolf. But that shouldn’t matter if there are feelings involved. You’re walking away and hurting two people. But when you look back on your life, you’ll only remember how much you hurt yourself. You won’t know how I feel, what I do. But you’ll feel the emptiness in your heart. In your mind. For the chances you never took.”

“You have no idea how many chances I take based on my heart!”

“Just not the ones that matter to your heart. If this is your way of protecting yourself from the hurt or pain that unending love causes…well then all your powers mean nothing and you’re just a little girl feeling sorry for yourself.”

He walked right past me, not even giving me a second glance.

KAIROS

^ONE WEEK LATER^

~ ~

Nothing had changed. She was still there and we were still at the king’s pack. Adelie was okay. But it was only a matter of time. Adelie told us to let them think we didn’t need her. That we weren’t trying to get her back.

They weren’t hurting her, just keeping her.

The marble shimmered, signaling that she was alone. “Adelie,” I called out.

“Yes,” she responded.

“What did they want?”

“They brought food.”

I glanced at the clock on my wall. “They never bring you food at this time.” They had a routine. I had it memorized.

“They must have changed it.” She sounded different.

“Do they hurt you?”

Had I jinxed it by thinking she was okay? That she was just being kept there like a doll, untouched?

“No,” she answered bluntly.

“They did something. Tell me.”

There was a long pause. “They just draw my blood. They take what they can while I’m here.”

“How much do they take?” I asked.

“Not a lot.” But it didn’t sound like it. She was weakening over time. Her voice had slowly become more distant and delayed. If in the first days she was ready to tear it all down, then now she was just existing there.

She was there. I could talk to her. I knew she was alive. But I didn’t know where she was.

“How’s Elias?”

“He’s worried,” I told her.

“You’re lying, he wouldn’t show that. He never shows his emotions.”

I smiled weakly at that. “He doesn’t. But he is worried. I can tell.”

“Kairos…if I don’t make it out.”

“You will…”

“If I don’t…,” she repeated and this time I let her. “When he finds out. You will need to lock him in his room. Because when he is overwhelmed he will try to run away. And he doesn’t know these packs’ grounds. When he returns to my pack with Maeve and Esty he can let it all out. He will know his way around. But not while he is there.”

“He is smart.”

“And he is also very stubborn and he will do whatever he wants to do.”

I laughed, letting us sink into silence. “No matter what happens…I just want you to know that I am sorry for every tear you shed for me. A lover shouldn’t be the one making you cry. But I did. Many times. And you still loved me. I am sorry I kept your heart from happiness.”

I heard her breath hitch. “You didn’t do that…” her voice slowly faded. “I gave my heart to you. I gave you every piece of me. And I must be completely stupid. Because…even if I went back to the first time we met… I wouldn’t want to stay away from you.”

I felt myself cry, letting the tears fall. “I was scared,” I admitted. “And ashamed to return. I hoped you would have found someone who could treat you better. And I didn’t want to come back and ruin everything for you. I didn’t want to stand in your way of finding someone…”

“I never looked, never would look for anyone. Kairos, you ruined me for anyone else. You took a part of me that I could never get back. I could be a hundred years old and you would still be the only one for me. And you could do anything you want. You can run, you can break our marriage but until I am still breathing I will still have you in my heart,” she cried quietly.

Just like I was. But I didn’t let her hear it.

“And you in mine.”

She fell silent and after a while, I figured she had fallen asleep, so I left my room.

I walked down the hallway, passing the staircase I noticed Elias sitting at the top of the stairs.

I sat next to him, his head bobbed up to see me. He had his usual angry stare on him.

“What’s up, kid?” I asked lightly.

He rolled his eyes at me. “How is Adelie?” he asked.

“She is okay,” he mumbled something under his breath as I said that. Probably not believing me.

“We will find your mom,” I said to Elias.

“You don’t know that. She is in danger. You don’t know if she will come back.”

He was just a child. “You can’t think that. A kid’s mind should be filled with hope.” I tried to make my voice as upbeat as possible.

“Did my mom tell you that my age is just a number?”

I nodded at him. “I know you’re a wonder, kid.”

“I know much more than others think. She is the only one who gets it. Who doesn’t treat me like a child? Did she tell you how old I am?”

I nodded. “You are eight.”

He shook his head. “I’m five.”

I looked at him, my eyes half-closed. “Why did she lie?” Not like anyone cares that much about how old her kid is.

“So you wouldn’t put two and two together.”

I was even more confused. “About what?”

“About why we have the same birthmark.” He pulled up his sleeve revealing a dark birthmark. A single dot with a line dragging from it. I looked at my arm revealing the same symbol.

My mind must have short-circuited for a moment. I had no idea what he was trying to tell me.

I was gone for five years and Elias was five years old…

“You are…” My breath hitched. This couldn’t be…she would have told me…she would have found me.