Dear readers, if you’ve gotten to this Chapter and suddenly can’t read forward, don’t panic. 23 more Chapters are waiting to be written and uploaded. 👀✨

So... how about we make a little gift trade?

You send gifts that would boast this book popularity, and I’ll rain Chapters. 🤭

The more support of votes and gifts this book gets, the faster I’ll start releasing the locked Chapters one after another. Trust me, things are about to get intense, and you do not want to be left hanging where this story is headed.

Deal? ❤️

......

A flicker of disbelief passed through Beta Kole’s eyes. Then more darkness followed the look of disbelief.

Aire saw it.

She didn’t step back.

Her spine remained straight. Her chin stayed lifted. However, everything inside her tightened anyway, instinctively preparing for what she already knew could come next.

He had never tolerated defiance, especially not from her.

"You’ve grown bold," he said slowly, his anger visibly rising.

Aire held his gaze.

Beta Kole snapped at her silence. He moved immediately. His move wasn’t fast enough to be unseen, but it was fast enough to catch her off guard. His hand came up, sharp and deliberate, the same way it had so many times before.

Aire’s breath caught.

Her body remembered before her mind could.

She remembered the angle, the force, and the inevitability. Her fingers curled in preparation. She did not flinch as she waited for the impact of his slap.

Surprisingly, his hand stopped. It froze mid-air as something else had entered the room.

The new presence was heavy, cold, and controlled.

"Is there a problem here?" Nate’s voice cut cleanly through the moment.

Beta Kole’s hand dropped instantly.

Aire’s breath released slowly. She relaxed a bit. She didn’t turn immediately. She felt Nate presence.

Nate stood at the doorway. His presence alone shifted the room, pressing down on everything in it.

His gaze moved once, slow, and deliberate from Beta Kole to Aire, then back on Beta Kole again.

His gaze was unforgiving.

Beta Kole straightened immediately.

The shift in him was immediate and almost jarring.

His shoulders pulled back, and he corrected his posture. The same man who had been ready to strike her seconds ago now stood contained and respectable.

It was almost insulting.

"Your Highness," Beta Kole said, inclining his head. "Alpha Nate."

Nate didn’t acknowledge him. His attention remained on Aire.

"Is anything not in place here?" Nate asked. His voice was calm now.

Aire swallowed. She could feel the tension coiling in the air, tight and waiting. She knew what that tone meant. She had heard it before.

The day Madam had hurt her, and the day he had acted on Madam without hesitation, and without question.

Her fingers tightened slightly at her sides.

Beta Kole immediately parted his lips. "Nothing—"

Nate cut him off. "I am speaking to Her Grace." The interruption was sharp.

Beta Kole froze completely. He bowed lightly, respecting himself. The room seemed to still around that single sentence.

Aire’s breath caught slightly.

It wasn’t just what he said. It was how. There was no room left for Beta Kole in the conversation.

Nate’s gaze did not move from her.

"Answer me," he said quietly.

He wasn’t angry, not yet.

Aire felt his words press against her. She also felt what would happen if she said the wrong thing or the right one.

Her thoughts moved quickly.

If she spoke, if she told him, this might not end with words. It never did with Nate.

She had seen enough of him to know that.

Her fingers tightened again. He had been cruel. He had been harsh. He had raised his hand.

Her chest tightened slightly.

Still, he was family.

Aire lifted her gaze fully to Nate.

Her voice, when she spoke, was steady. "Nothing is wrong."

Nate didn’t respond immediately. He watched her longer than necessary. His eyes searched her face.

He was looking for a crack, a hesitation or a lie.

Aire held still.

His gaze shifted slowly back to Beta Kole.

The temperature in the room dropped.

"What were you discussing?" Nate asked. This time, his tone was different, and more dangerous. He was barely holding himself back.

Beta Kole opened his mouth again. "I was merely—"

"I am still speaking to her." Nate cut him off again, irritated.

Beta Kole stopped immediately. He took a step back.

Aire inhaled slowly. "I came to see him," she said. "He requested an audience."

Nate’s gaze returned to her. His eyes softened a bit. "And?"

Aire hesitated for half a second. "He asked for assistance," she continued. "For his daughter, my cousin."

Nate’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"What kind of assistance?"

"A match," Aire said. "And... influence."

Nate gaze shifted again to Beta Kole. This time, he didn’t hide the disdain.

"You came into my castle," Nate said slowly, "to demand from her."

Beta Kole straightened further.

"I came to speak with my niece."

Nate’s eyes darkened. "She is not just your niece." His eyes flashed red, disappearing almost immediately.

Beta Kole didn’t respond. No, he couldn’t reply.

Aire stepped in.

"It’s alright," she said softly.

Nate didn’t look at her. "It is not," he replied.

Aire’s fingers tightened slightly. "It is," she insisted gently. "He didn’t overstep."

Nate finally turned to her again. This time, his gaze was sharper. "You are protecting him."

Aire didn’t deny it. "He’s family," she said quietly.

Nate looked at her differently for a brief moment. Then it was gone. His wolf slowly let go reluctantly.

Beta Kole spoke then, carefully this time. "I meant no disrespect to Her Grace."

Nate didn’t respond to him. His gaze remained on Aire. "If something is wrong," he said, slower now, "you will tell me. Promise?"

Aire nodded once. "I will. I promise."

Nate held her gaze for a moment longer. Then finally, he stepped aside.

"You will leave," he said, this time to Beta Kole. The command was quiet, but it was there.

Beta Kole hesitated, just for a second. Then inclined his head. "Of course."

He turned, and moved toward the door. Yet before he stepped out, his gaze flickered once to Aire.

There was no gratitude in it. He made her a cold promise with his eyes, then he left. The door closed behind him.

The room fell silent again.

Aire exhaled slowly. She hadn’t realized she had been holding her breath.

Nate didn’t move. He stood where he was, watching her. "You lied," he said after a moment of watching her. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Aire didn’t deny it this time. "I still need him," she replied softly.

Nate’s jaw tightened slightly. "That man," he said, "was about to raise his hand to you."

Aire stilled. "You saw that?" she asked quietly.

"I did." Nate replied. "For his sake, I’ll ask you to tell him to treat you with respect. I’ll kill him."

Aire looked down briefly. "He didn’t," she said.

"That does not matter."

"It does to me."

Nate’s gaze sharpened. "Aire?"

Aire held his gaze. "You asked me to make you a promise, and I did. To keep that promise, I ask you to never have such thoughts about my family."

Nate ran a hand through his hair. He shook his head, in refusal. "No." he responded. "You don’t have the best people around you, so I can’t promise that."

Aire raised a brow at him.

Rather, Nate gently pushed her to the side, and walked out of the room.