Chapter 30

Tori’s POV

I stood there, watching the both of them carefully as their eyes met for a brief moment. She broke eye contact first, my eyes slowly moved to her side and it was quite obvious.

I wasn’t sure if the both of them had talked before.

It felt like there were words sitting behind it that neither of them wanted to say out loud.

Kael’s expression had already hardened, his jaw tightening in that familiar way that told me he was irritated.

And Laura? She looked almost too calm, but it wasn’t especially with the way her hands are clenched to the hem of her shirt.

"What secret are you two keeping from each other?" I asked, my voice cutting through the tension before it could grow into something heavier.

"Uhm—" I started, but before I could even form a proper sentence.

"It’s just a friendship thing," Laura cut in quickly, her tone light, almost too quick to be natural. "Something we wouldn’t want to share."

Before I could react, she moved behind me and wrapped her arms around me in a sudden embrace, her chin brushing lightly against my shoulder like everything was normal.

Like she hadn’t just tried to kill me.

My body went stiff for a second, but I forced myself to stay still, my lips pressing into a thin line.

I knew exactly what she was doing.

Playing it off and trying to make sure everything was okay, and he was definitely going to fall for her fake acting.

But the more I thought about what had happened, the more the anger crept back in, sharp and relentless.

She had watched me sink and struggled. She led me to my death just to prove a point. What the hell came over her exactly?

"We’ll be leaving tomorrow," Kael said suddenly, his voice flat as he turned away from us. "Our business here is done."

He didn’t say anything else as he walked out of the room. He didn’t try to force us to say what we were hiding and that was very unusual of him.

A breath I didn’t realize I was holding slipped out of me. I felt relieved, I wasn’t ready to see his rage especially towards Laura.

Because honestly, I was tired.

Everything had started off so well, so simple, and yet it had twisted into something I never expected. I thought things were going to be that way until I left.

The moment the door closed behind him, Laura let go of me.

Silence filled the space for a second before she spoke again, her voice lower now.

"Even if I did something wrong..." she began, her words slower this time, heavier, "I did it out of anger. And jealousy."

I turned to face her fully, my expression unreadable. At least, she accepted she did something wrong.

"You wanted to see if he would come for me," I said, my tone steady but sharp. "And I guess you got your answer."

I paused briefly, letting the weight of my words settle before continuing.

"But that doesn’t mean anything."

Her eyes flickered slightly.

"Even after everything, after yesterday, after everything he’s done, I’m still nothing more than a slave in his world," I continued, my voice tightening slightly despite my effort to stay calm. "So whatever you were trying to prove... it was pointless."

"I know," she replied quietly. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

That alone caught me off guard. She didn’t say anything further again.

"Even if he doesn’t know what you did," I added, my gaze locking onto hers, "I don’t think he’ll ever look at you the same way again."

Something in her expression shifted at that, something fragile threatening to break through, but she held it back.

"As long as you keep your mouth shut," she said, her voice firmer now despite the slight tremble beneath it, "we won’t have a problem."

I stared at her for a moment before shaking my head slowly.

This was self-sabotage in its purest form.

She had destroyed something on her own, and now she was trying to hold the pieces together by force. Without another word, she turned and walked out.

I wouldn’t blame her. I should have held on to the promise like I told her I was going to.

I let out a long breath, running a hand through my hair as the weight of everything settled on me again.

I wasn’t going to expose her, not because she asked or because she threatened me. I would be doing it for the sake of the few days we were friends.

That’s it.

*********

The journey back felt shorter than before or maybe because I wasn’t paying attention or probably too exhausted to notice it.

Every part of my body ached, a dull reminder of everything that had happened, and by the time we reached the castle, the only thing I wanted was to collapse.

"Did she try to help you when you fell into the sand?" Kael’s voice interrupted my thoughts, just when I thought he wasn’t going to ask about this throughout the entire journey.

"I thought we promised each other that we are not going to talk about this." I lied, a slight chuckle escaped from him.

"What? I can’t remember discussing that with you! Did you really make up such a funny scenario in your head?"

"Oh! Can we just avoid discussing it then? I thought we moved past it already. Why is this still up for discussion?" I was doing everything in my power to avoid such discussion with him.

"Hmm! She was covered up in mud that night, but the color looked different from the one you were covered with."

Oh woah! Who’d have imagined she went that far just to make herself look innocent.

"Oh! That’s left for you to figure —" I was unable to complete my sentence before the carriage stopped all of a sudden.

That could only mean one thing. We were at our destination already. I was finally back to the place I had belonged to.

I stepped down from the carriage, reality hit me again. What it meant to be here and what was waiting for me inside.

"You should get some rest," Kael said, his voice calmer now, though still distant. "I’ll check on you later."

He gestured toward the maids nearby. "Take her to her room."

I nodded slightly, too tired to respond properly..Just as I started walking, a man approached him quickly and whispered something into his ear.

The man who I had always seen everytime. Either that was his beta or his right hand man. It’s quite surprising I don’t even know his name.

I didn’t hear what was said, but I saw the change.His entire demeanor shifted instantly, and I could tell something was wrong and he was also annoyed.

His eyes flickered toward me briefly before he turned and left without another word.

I followed the maids quietly, the long walk to my room only reminding me of how massive the place truly was. By the time we finally arrived, I was already drained.

"She’s back!" The voice caught me off guard.

I looked up to see him standing right there at the entrance.

Alpha Nicole. At least, someone was excited to see that I was back.

A soft smile spread across his face, a flower in his hand as he stepped closer. The maids moved aside, giving us space, and he opened the door for me gently.

My heart skipped slightly. I hated how obvious it felt.

"Everything happened so fast," I said softly as I stepped inside, trying to sound normal. "I didn’t even get to say goodbye before I had left and I am so sorry for that."

He handed me the flower, and I took it slowly, my fingers brushing against his.

"I missed you," he said simply. "How was it?"

I hesitated for a second.

"Laura and I... got closer," I replied carefully. "She was nice."

The words felt strange coming out of my mouth, but I didn’t show it.

"Oh Laura! How is she now? It has been a long time since I have seen her." His face lit up when he mentioned her name.

How could I not remember that they all knew each other beforehand. I’m also wondering what his reaction was going to be if he found out what she did to me.

"What happened while I was gone?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. "Kael seemed off."

Nicole exhaled lightly, shaking his head.

"Let’s not talk about Kael," he said, his tone softer now. "Not right now.Let’s talk about you."

I understood what that meant. He wasn’t ready.and space between us felt different suddenly.

His hand found my waist gently, his touch warm, steady, sending a subtle wave through my body that I couldn’t ignore.

"What?" he murmured, a small smile playing on his lips. "Haven’t I done enough to impress you?"

My breath hitched slightly. He impressed me a lot and I’m afraid I might sleep with him at this rate.

And before I could overthink it, before I could pull away or remind myself of everything else, I leaned in.

Our lips met softly at first.

The kiss deepened slowly, naturally, like we had both been holding back for too long. His hand tightened slightly at my waist, pulling me closer as my fingers curled lightly against his chest.

It felt different. I wanted this badly. I think I might want him too.

The quiet intensity building between us. We finally pulled apart, my breath was uneven, my heart racing in a way I couldn’t explain.

Kissing two brothers in a week is insane work.