Kaelan’s mind was far from the battle.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Liana. Her bravery on the battlefield had caught him off guard. She had fought with a ferocity he hadn’t expected, inspiring the soldiers around her and turning the tide when hope seemed lost. And now, standing in the dim silence of his chambers, he couldn’t deny the new respect he felt for her.
A knock at the door broke his thoughts.
“Come in,” Kaelan said, his voice flat.
Liana stepped inside, her presence a stark contrast to the turmoil in his mind. She wore a simple dress, her golden hair pulled back into a braid. Her face, usually composed and proud, was softened by a faint trace of sadness.
“Kaelan,” she began hesitantly, closing the door behind her. “I need to talk to you about Mira.”
Kaelan’s expression darkened at the mention of her name. “What is there to talk about? She betrayed the pack. She betrayed me.”
“I know you’re angry,” Liana said, her voice steady but tinged with a hint of pleading. “And you have every right to be. But she’s still my sister. Despite everything, I can’t just stand by and watch her waste away in that dungeon.”
Kaelan turned to face her, his eyes narrowing. “She put this pack at risk. She put me at risk. And you’re asking me to let her go?”
“I’m asking you to let her leave,” Liana clarified, taking a step closer. “Send her away, far from here. Let her start over somewhere else. But don’t let her die in there.”
Kaelan crossed his arms, his jaw tight as he considered her words. His anger burned bright, but so did his guilt. Despite everything, Mira had once been his mate, someone he had trusted and cared for deeply.
“She doesn’t deserve forgiveness,” he said finally, his voice low.
“I’m not asking you to forgive her,” Liana replied, her voice breaking slightly. “But she’s still family. She’s still someone I care about, even after everything she’s done.”
Kaelan’s expression faltered as he watched tears form in Liana’s eyes. Her vulnerability caught him off guard, and for a moment, he saw her not as a strategist or a soldier, but as a woman deeply torn by loyalty and pain.
After a long silence, Kaelan nodded. “Fine. She’ll live. But she’ll never set foot in this pack again.”
Liana’s eyes lit up with gratitude. “Thank you, Kaelan. Truly.”
Kaelan’s voice hardened. “Don’t thank me yet. She won’t leave as she came. She’ll be stripped of her wolf and cast out as an outcast. Packless. Wolfless. She’ll have nothing.”
Liana hesitated, her face carefully neutral before she nodded. “It’s better than the alternative.”