POV Luella
Still reeling from my encounter with Kyrell, I made my way to Tobias's chambers. I needed to reassure myself about our relationship, to remember why I was supposed to choose him.
Maybe being with Tobias will help me forget the taste of Kyrell's kiss.
"Luella," Tobias said warmly as I entered, but his brown eyes were sharp with something I'd never seen before. "Perfect timing. I have something important to discuss with you."
His scent is different. More calculating.
"What is it?" I asked, settling into the chair across from his desk.
"It's about my brother," Tobias said, his voice taking on that smooth, diplomatic tone he used in court. "His behavior has become increasingly dangerous. The fight in the garden, his constant disruptions at court functions, his drinking..."
Where is this going?
"I'm concerned about the stability of the kingdom," he continued. "And I need your help to protect our future together."
Something cold settled in my stomach. "What kind of help?"
Tobias pulled out a scroll and placed it between us. "I need you to sign this document. It's a formal statement about Kyrell's treasonous activities."
Treasonous activities? What is he talking about?
I leaned forward to read the parchment. The words made my blood run cold. It was a detailed account of fabricated evidence—secret meetings with enemy kingdoms, plans to overthrow their father, conspiracies against the crown.
None of this is true. This is all lies.
"Tobias," I said carefully, "I don't understand. When did any of this happen?"
"You don't need to understand the details," he replied smoothly. "You just need to trust me. As my future queen, your signature on this document will help protect the stability of our realm."
He wants me to lie. To help him destroy his own brother with false accusations.
"I can't sign this," I said, pushing the document away. "None of this is true."
Tobias's expression hardened. "You're questioning my judgment?"
There's something dangerous in his voice now. Something threatening.
"I'm questioning false accusations," I said firmly. "I won't be part of destroying someone with lies."
"Even if that someone is a threat to everyone you care about?" Tobias asked, his voice getting softer and more menacing. "Including your family back home?"
Is he threatening my family?
"What do you mean?" I asked, though I was beginning to understand.
"Accidents happen, Luella. Territories get attacked. Alphas die in mysterious circumstances." His smile was cold and perfect. "It would be such a shame if something happened to your father's pack while you were here, unable to protect them."
He's threatening to hurt my family if I don't help him frame Kyrell.
The artificial mate bond should have made me trust him completely, should have made his threats feel like protection. Instead, I felt sick.
This isn't love. This is manipulation.
"Of course," Tobias continued, his voice returning to its warm tone, "if you help me protect the kingdom from my brother's treachery, I can guarantee your family's continued safety and prosperity."
He's giving me no choice. Sign his lies or watch my family suffer.
"I... I need to think about this," I said.
"Don't think too long," Tobias replied. "Treason is a time-sensitive matter."
I left his chambers feeling hollow inside. The man I was supposed to marry had just threatened my family to force my cooperation in destroying his brother.
But if I don't sign, he'll hurt innocent people. My pack, my father...
That night, I made a decision that would change everything. I signed Tobias's document, but I also wrote a warning letter to Kyrell about his brother's schemes.
At least he'll know what's coming. He can prepare or flee.
I had a trusted maid deliver the warning to Kyrell's chambers under cover of darkness.
This is the right thing to do. Whatever else happens, he deserves to know the truth.
The next morning, Kyrell cornered me in an empty corridor, his black eyes blazing with fury.
"You think I'm weak," he snarled, backing me against the stone wall. "You think I need saving from my pathetic older brother."
He got my warning. But he's not grateful—he's furious.
"I was trying to help you," I protested.
"Help me?" His laugh was bitter and cold. "I don't need your pity or your protection. I've been dealing with Tobias's schemes since we were children."
He's angry that I think he can't handle this himself.
"Then why are you so upset?" I demanded.
"Because you chose him," Kyrell said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You signed his lies, didn't you? You helped him try to destroy me."
He knows. Somehow he knows.
"He threatened my family," I said, my voice shaking with anger and guilt. "I had no choice."
"There's always a choice," Kyrell said, pressing closer until I could feel his breath on my face. "You just chose your own comfort over doing what's right."
He's not wrong. I could have refused and found another way.
Our confrontation exploded into psychological warfare that quickly became physical. We were both breathing hard from the intensity of our mutual hatred and desire.
I hate him for seeing through me so easily. And I hate myself for wanting him despite everything.
In the heat of our battle, he grabbed my face roughly, his fingers digging into my cheeks.
"Tell me you hate me," he demanded, his black eyes burning into mine.
Why? Why does he need to hear it?
"I hate you," I whispered, tears of frustration burning in my eyes.
The moment the words left my lips, he kissed me with bruising force. This wasn't the desperate hunger from the night before—this was years of suppressed longing poured into brutal contact.
He tastes like anger and wine and something desperate.
When we finally broke apart, both of us were shaking from the intensity. My anger overwhelmed my confusion, and without thinking, I slapped him hard across the face.
The sound echoed in the corridor like a gunshot.
"The problem is that I kissed you?" I snarled, my wolf rising to the surface. "Stop treating me like I'm some girl who's obsessed with you."
I'm not some lovesick fool. I'm stronger than that.
Kyrell touched his cheek where my hand had left a red mark, his expression unreadable.
"Aren't you?" he asked softly.
Am I? Is that what I've become?