Kaelen POV

My right arm felt heavy, wrapped in thick bandages and throbbing with a dull, persistent ache as I drove back to the estate.

My mind had been so consumed with thoughts of that woman that I’d failed to notice the weak sneak attack from one of the men Darius and I had taken down.

It had been sloppy.

A mistake I should never have made.

And now my arm was paying the price for it.

I flexed my fingers around the steering wheel and immediately winced as a sharp pain shot from my forearm all the way up to my shoulder. The wound wasn’t deep, but it was more than enough to make the drive miserable.

After pulling into the garage, I killed the engine and sat there for a long moment, staring blankly at the steering wheel.

Once again, Ella found her way into my thoughts.

I’d been avoiding her like the plague ever since Darius’s words had struck a nerve I hadn’t realized was there.

The more I’d thought about it, the worse I’d felt.

Because of my rage and possessiveness, I’d almost broken her.

Taking a slow breath, I forced myself out of the car and headed into the main estate.

But...

"Where is she?"

It was the first question out of my mouth the moment I spotted Paul.

He was the personal guard I’d assigned to watch over her. With the growing threats creeping across the empire’s borders, keeping her under constant protection had become my highest priority.

After all, the easiest way to get to me was to go after the people I was closest to.

For years, that had only been Darius.

Now... there was her too.

"She’s still in the library, Alpha," Paul answered with a respectful bow, and my brow furrowed.

"I thought Mrs. Whitmore left about two hours ago."

"Yes, Alpha, she did," Paul replied. "But Miss Ella chose to stay behind and continue studying on her own."

So she was alone.

That was all I needed to hear.

"Wait here," I ordered before turning and making my way toward the small library.

My chest tightened with every step. I still didn’t know how to face her. The guilt from the night she collapsed still burned in my throat, making me feel unworthy of even standing in her presence.

Still, I told myself I wouldn’t disturb her. If I could just steal a quick glance from the doorway, just enough to see that she was recovering, that she was alright, it would be enough.

When I reached the library, the heavy door was already slightly ajar, so I slipped inside quietly.

She was seated at a table by the window, exactly where I had expected her to be. She wore a soft cream cardigan over a simple dress, and her hair was pulled back in a loose style that exposed the graceful curve of her neck. Warm sunlight filtered through the window, catching her skin and making the entire scene look almost peaceful.

Because her back was turned to the door, she didn’t notice me at all.

I remained frozen where I stood, taking in the sight of her.

Then I noticed her head dropping heavily to one side.

Her shoulders twitched, and she jerked herself upright, blinking rapidly. A second later, her eyelids fluttered shut again and her head tilted once more.

Was she seriously dozing off?

The sight was so unexpected that a breathless laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

I hadn’t smiled once since the day she collapsed, but watching her struggle and completely fail to fight off sleep instantly cracked through the darkness that had been suffocating me for days.

Then, despite every instinct telling me to leave, my feet moved on their own.

I walked closer and quietly took a seat across from her.

At this rate, she would need far more than two guards watching over her if she was still this oblivious to someone entering the room and sitting directly across from her.

Just as I settled into the chair, her exhausted eyelids finally gave out completely.

Her head began to dip forward toward the hard wooden table.

Acting on pure reflex, I leaned across the table and reached out, sliding my hand forward just in time to gently catch her face in my palm before she could hit it.

Her skin was incredibly soft, a stark contrast to my calloused hands.

Slowly and carefully, I guided her head down, lowering it onto her folded arms so she could sleep comfortably without waking.

Once she was settled, I stayed right where I was and simply stared at her, completely captivated as I admired every delicate feature of her face.

When I couldn’t help myself any longer, I reached out with my uninjured hand and gently brushed a few stray strands of hair away from her cheek, tucking them behind her ear so I could get a better look at her.

A rare, genuine smile curled at the corners of my lips, and a strange, long-forgotten flutter stirred somewhere deep inside my chest.

Ah.

I was really going crazy.

But it didn’t take long for that warmth to vanish.

My body went rigid, and my expression darkened as my senses picked up a familiar presence.

"Are you stalking me now?" I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

From the deep shadows near the towering bookshelves, Darius stepped out.

His expression was completely unreadable as he slowly made his way toward the table.

I kept my gaze fixed on Ella, refusing to look at him. Keeping my voice low so I wouldn’t disturb her sleep, I added, "You really can’t let me enjoy one moment, can you?"

"No," Darius replied immediately, his voice matching my hushed tone as he stopped a few feet away and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why should I? Didn’t you say you were going to stay away from her from now on?"

"I lied," I said quietly.

"Of course you did," Darius said with a scoff.

With a frustrated sigh, I finally looked up at him.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I want to make sure you’re not going to hurt her again."

My fist clenched instantly.

"What happened was a mistake," I said, doing my best to keep my voice under control. "One I deeply regret. You should know me by now, Darius. You know I don’t hurt people unless they deserve it. I regret this one. I think... I think I actually like..."

"I am taking her with me to the charity event."

Darius cut me off cleanly, and the words made my breath hitch in my throat.

I stared at him, my eyes narrowing, but he didn’t back down.

"She has been stuck in here for too long," Darius continued, glancing down at Ella’s sleeping form before looking back at me. "Letting her step out for a while is the least you can do for her after everything."

My jaw clenched so tightly it started to ache.

My immediate instinct was to refuse. To lock her down somewhere I could guarantee no outside threat would ever reach her.

But as I forced myself to think about it, I realized I would be attending that same event.

In a way, I could still keep an eye on her, even if it had to be from a distance.

"Okay," I said simply.

Darius’s eyes widened briefly in genuine shock.

He clearly hadn’t expected me to give in so easily, let alone without a fight.

But just as he opened his mouth to say something else, Ella began to stir.

Her shoulder shifted against her folded arms, and a soft, sleepy murmur escaped her lips.

I wasn’t ready to face her yet.

In a panic, I rose silently to my feet and slipped back into the deep shadows near the corner of the room, hiding myself from view just as her eyelids began to flutter open.

"Well, look at that," Darius finally said a few moments later, and my heart clenched as I watched her face instantly light up.

The exhaustion vanished from her expression almost immediately, replaced by a warmth I hadn’t seen from her in days.

And that alone hurt more than it should have.