Chapter 42: Chapter 42: The one who crossed the line

Chapter 42: The One Who Crossed the Line

Kael’s POV

I didn’t move from where I stood.

The soldiers had already gone to bring her, but I stayed exactly where I was in the courtyard, the blood still running down my side, the cold air pressing against the wounds like it was trying to remind me of every mistake I had made tonight.

I should have stopped this earlier.

I should have seen it earlier.

And now someone had tried to kill my Luna inside my own fortress.

My jaw tightened.

Footsteps echoed somewhere in the corridor, followed by a voice I knew too well.

"Are you out of your mind? Let me go!"

Isolade.

Her voice grew louder the closer they came.

"Release me this instant! Do you even understand who you are touching?" she snapped, struggling against them. "Kael would never allow this. You will regret this the moment he hears about it!"

"It’s a command from the Alpha, my lady," one of the soldiers replied firmly.

"Kael will never order that I should be dragged like this!" she shouted again. "You’re making a mistake. A very big one!"

The soldiers stepped into the courtyard, and the moment she saw me, she froze.

Then she broke free from their grip and rushed forward.

"Kael!" she said, her voice changing instantly. "What is wrong? Why do you look like this?"

There was panic in her eyes. Real panic. And something else too. Concern.

For a second, I just stared at her.

I wanted to believe it. I wanted to believe she didn’t know what had just happened. That she was still the same girl I had grown up with. The one who had followed me everywhere, the one who had once sworn she would protect this pack just as much as I would.

But the whispers I had heard earlier were still echoing in my head.

Lady Isolade will kill us if we fail.

Something inside me snapped.

"You," I said quietly.

Before she could react, I grabbed her and slammed her against the wall behind her. Not hard enough to kill her. Not even hard enough to seriously hurt her. But enough to make her stop pretending.

Her breath hitched. "Kael—what are you doing?"

My hand closed around her throat, just tight enough to make her realize how serious I was.

"I know it was you," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "No doubts. No second thoughts. You ordered them."

Her eyes widened. "Ordered what?" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Don’t lie to me," I growled, tightening my grip slightly. "I told you not to lay a hand on her. I warned you. And you still did it. How dare you?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about!" she snapped, trying to push my hand away. "You’re accusing me without proof!"

"Without proof?" I repeated, my jaw tightening. "They said your name. They said they were afraid you would kill them if they failed."

Her eyes flickered. Just for a second. That was all I needed.

"You really thought I wouldn’t find out?" I continued quietly. "You thought you could send them to kill her and pretend you knew nothing about it afterward?"

"I didn’t send anyone to kill her!" she shouted, her voice rising. "You think I would do something like that?"

"Yes," I said without hesitation.

The word hit harder than anything else I had said.

Her expression changed. The anger didn’t disappear, but something inside her cracked slightly.

"You believe that?" she asked quietly. "You really believe I would try to kill her?"

"You already did," I replied. "You just failed."

Silence fell between us.

The soldiers behind me didn’t move. They didn’t even breathe too loudly. Everyone understood this was no longer a private argument. This was something much bigger.

Her hands stopped struggling against mine.

For a moment, she just stared at me.

Then she laughed.

It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t even bitter. It was tired.

"So that’s how it is now," she said softly. "You believe her over me."

"This isn’t about belief," I replied coldly. "This is about what you did."

Her eyes hardened again.

"And what if I did?" she asked suddenly. "What if I did order them? What then, Kael? What are you going to do to me?"

The courtyard went completely silent.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

"You admit it?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm.

Her lips trembled for a second before she forced them still.

"Yes," she said quietly. "I did."

The words felt heavier than I expected.

"I told them to kill her," she continued, her voice shaking slightly now but still stubborn. "Because you’re making a mistake. A huge mistake. And someone had to stop it before it was too late."

My grip tightened without me even realizing it.

"You tried to kill my Luna," I said slowly.

"She’s not your Luna!" Isolade snapped. "She’s a weak girl who can’t even shift! She doesn’t belong here. She doesn’t belong beside you. She certainly doesn’t deserve to carry your heir!"

The soldiers shifted uncomfortably behind me, but I ignored them.

"You think this is about her?" I asked quietly. "This is about you."

"Yes, it is!" she shouted back, her voice finally breaking. "Because that place was supposed to be mine! I was the one who was supposed to stand beside you. I was the one who was supposed to be Luna. Not her!"

Her words hung in the air, raw and desperate.

For a second, I remembered everything. The years we had spent together. The expectations everyone had forced on us. The promises that were never actually spoken but still understood.

And then I remembered Liora standing in front of those wolves with her eyes closed, waiting to die.

"You crossed a line tonight," I said quietly. "A line you can’t come back from."

Her eyes filled with anger again. "So what now? Are you going to kill me too? Is that what she wants?"

"This has nothing to do with what she wants," I replied coldly. "This has everything to do with what you did."

I released her throat slowly, but before she could move away, I grabbed her wrist and pushed her back against the wall again.

"This is the last time I am saying this to you," I said, my voice calm but deadly serious. "From this moment on, there is nothing between us. No friendship. No past. No second chances."

Her expression froze.

"You are nothing to me now except someone who tried to kill my Luna," I continued. "And if you even look at her the wrong way again, I won’t hesitate next time."

Her breathing became uneven. "You wouldn’t dare."

"Try me," I said quietly.

The words were not loud, but they carried enough weight to make the soldiers behind me stiffen.

"I am sparing you tonight because of what we used to be," I added. "That is the only reason you are still standing here. But don’t mistake that for weakness."

Her eyes burned with anger and humiliation.

"You’re choosing her over me," she whispered.

"I am choosing what is right for this pack," I replied. "And right now, you are the biggest threat inside this fortress."

The words hit harder than I expected. Even I could feel how final they sounded.

She laughed again, but this time it sounded broken.

"You think she will stay forever?" she asked quietly. "You think she won’t leave the moment things become too hard? You think she won’t betray you the same way you just betrayed me?"

"She didn’t try to kill anyone tonight," I replied simply.

Silence followed. The soldiers shifted again, waiting for my next order.

I finally let go of her wrist.

"Take her back to her chamber," I said without looking at her. "She is not to leave it without my permission. Two guards outside at all times."

Her head snapped toward me. "You’re putting me under guard?"

"Yes," I replied calmly. "And if you try to escape or cause any more trouble, the next time we talk won’t end like this."

The soldiers moved immediately, stepping forward to take her arms again.

She didn’t fight this time. She only looked at me.

"You’re making a mistake, Kael," she said quietly. "You think protecting her will make you stronger. It won’t. It will destroy you."

I didn’t answer.

Because I had already made my decision.

They led her away slowly, her footsteps echoing through the corridor until the sound finally disappeared.

The courtyard became quiet again.

Too quiet.

I exhaled slowly, the pain in my side finally catching up to me now that the anger was fading.

But I didn’t fall.

Not yet.

Because this night wasn’t over.

And something told me the consequences of what just happened were only beginning.