Chapter 31: My Wife is going nowhere!

Alpha Leopold’s chambers stood at the far end of the eastern wing, separated from the rest of the palace by a quieter corridor that very few servants ever dared linger in.

Perhaps because the younger Alpha preferred his privacy. Perhaps because the atmosphere around the place had always felt...heavier. But Malachi — never for once, did not slow his pace once.

His boots struck the polished stone floor, and the silence that came after each strike carried a silent warning of what was about to happen. Rowan dared to say nothing, because after all these years, he had learned that the quieter his Alpha became, the more dangerous he usually was.

They stopped before the carved oak doors, and Malachi didn’t bother knocking or announcing himself.

His palm pressed against the wood, and the doors swung open effortlessly.

Leopold was already standing, waiting for them, because he had been expecting this to happen. He knew that after Rowan left the second time, he would come back alone the third.

His expression did not change, nor did he offer the slightest greeting. Instead, his body shifted almost imperceptibly to the side, just enough for Malachi to notice the woman standing several steps behind him.

Beatrice.

Leopold stood in front of her, shielding her from their eyes. And she didn’t bother moving to his side as though he had already warned her not to.

"So," Leopold spoke first, folding his arms across his chest, "You have finally decided to come yourself."

Silence answered him, then Rowan stepped forward instead, his posture perfectly respectful despite the tension thickening the room, "Lady Beatrice," He began formally, "By order of Alpha Malachi, you are required to accompany us for further questioning regarding the Banner investigation."

Leopold answered before Beatrice could even breathe, "My wife isn’t going anywhere."

Rowan glanced toward Malachi, and the Alpha hadn’t taken his eyes off Leopold, "I wasn’t speaking to you,"

"No," Leopold replied evenly, "You were speaking about my wife."

"I was speaking to her."

"And I answered."

Even Rowan was slightly taken aback. He hadn’t expected Leopold to still behave like this despite Malachi’s presence, and it made the room even more suffocating than it was before. Outside the chamber doors, two servants who had unknowingly wandered too close immediately lowered their heads before quietly disappearing down another hallway.

Neither brother noticed, or they just didn’t care.

Malachi finally took one slow step into the room, his voice still normal, "You’ve refused my guards."

"I did," Leopold replied strongly.

"You refused Rowan."

"I did."

"And now," Malachi’s voice remained frighteningly calm, "You’re refusing me."

"I am."

Malachi regarded him quietly, almost thoughtfully, as though trying to understand whether the defiance standing before him belonged to his younger brother...or to someone who had already made peace with whatever consequences would follow.

"You seem to have forgotten," Malachi said at last, "that this investigation concerns the entire kingdom."

"And you seem to have forgotten," Leopold answered immediately, "That she is my wife."

"Which places her above the law?"

"No." Leopold’s jaw tightened a little bit, "It places her under my protection."

Something unreadable crossed Malachi’s face.

Protection, huh? He knew that quite well, but for a reason he would never admit, the word lingered longer than it should have.

His eyes drifted toward Beatrice again. She was looked very composed, although he was far too experienced not to see the slight look of anxiety in her calm face.

Plus, she was avoiding his gaze as much as she could.

"Why won’t you let her answer a few questions?" Malachi asked quietly.

"Questions?" Leopold asked, then his eyes hardened, "Is that what you call them now?" He shook his head, disbelief in his eyes, "I still find it hard to believe that you actually chose to investigate this. The truth was clear in front of everyone that night. The Rotblood had tampered with the banner and attempted to escape! Why would you, of all people, choose to take her side?"

Malachi’s gaze didn’t falter, although he had felt an overwhelming urge to punch his brother when he had called Della, a ’Rotblood’.

"Because it’s my decision," He simply replied.

"Wow!" Leopold laughed again, and for a brief second, something old passed between the brothers.

Not anger. History. Years of it.

"You’ve always decided everything," Leopold continued, unable to stop now that the floodgates had opened, "Father made a decision, it became law. You made a decision, it became everyone’s problem. The council bends, the warriors obey, and every servant trembles. Even I..." He laughed again, bitterness dripping from every syllable. "...even I spent half my childhood being reminded that one day I might become half the Alpha my brother already was."

The room became deathly quiet.

"You know what the worst part was?" Leopold asked, his smile disappearing entirely.

"I actually admired you."

Rowan slowly looked between them, but neither Alpha noticed him anymore.

"I admired you," Leopold repeated. "I wanted to fight like you. Lead like you. Be respected like you." His voice lowered, "And no matter what I did, I was always introduced as Malachi’s younger brother."

Malachi’s expression did not change, but his eyes did become colder. Probably because it was the first time Leopold was saying all this to him, "I earned my position."

"I know."

"I earned every scar."

"I know."

"I earned every title."

"I know!" Leopold’s voice suddenly cracked through the room. "That’s exactly the problem!" His breathing became heavier. "You earned everything, and I inherited your shadow."

If Della was here right now, she could have probably felt the sharp pain stabbing at the man’s heart that was said to be ruthless to the bone. But since she wasn’t, and no one else could feel his emotions, his expression spoke instead.

Bland.

Cold.

Detached.

Neither brother moved for a while, then Malachi finally spoke, "You’ve finished."

It wasn’t a question.

Leopold stared at him for a moment, then slowly nodded in answer, "I have."

"Good." Malachi took another step forward, "Now move."

Leopold didn’t. Instead, he planted both feet more firmly against the floor, "No."

Rowan’s pulse quickened.

This...

This was no longer about Beatrice.

It hadn’t been for several minutes.

It was years of hidden resentment finally finding a voice.

"I said..." Malachi repeated, each word quieter than the last, "...move."

Leopold swallowed as his instincts screamed at him. Every lesson drilled into him since childhood told him exactly what happened when one lesser Alpha openly defied another—especially one who ruled over the kingdom. Yet he remained exactly where he was.

Because if he moved now, he would never forgive himself.

"You’ll have to go through me." He proclaimed.

Behind him, Beatrice finally reached for his sleeve with trembling fingers, "Leopold..." She looked scared now, and he quickly covered her hand with his own without looking back.

"I won’t let them take you."

Malachi looked between them again. He’s never seen his brother behave this way for anyone before. Usually, everyone called him the lesser version of him, but Malachi knew there was an estranged man inside.

"I finally understand why you’ve been refusing." Malachi’s eyes flickered toward Beatrice again, "You aren’t protecting her. You’re protecting yourself."

That struck somewhere deeper than Leopold wanted to admit, but he didn’t let the silence last long enough, "She’s my mate," He said, "I will protect her a thousand times before I protect myself, although I cannot say the same about you,"

’Although I cannot say the same thing about you’ — why was it that everything that had to do with Della irked him this bad?

"Don’t make this hard for yourself, Leo," Malachi said, then his voice dropped, "Unless of course, you know she’s hiding something."

"I heard the Head seamstress was slaughtered this morning. What if the same thing happens to my wife?"

"You don’t have to worry about that," Malachi replied, "I wouldn’t be leaving her side till I’m very satisfied. Any assassin who dares can come and attempt to kill her,"

Leopold’s breathing became uneven, and then, without another word, Malachi simply stepped around him. Leopold reacted instantly, grabbing his brother’s forearm.

The entire room froze.

For one suspended heartbeat, neither brother moved.

Malachi slowly lowered his eyes to the hand gripping his arm then he looked back up, "...Take your hand off me."

The quiet authority in those five words carried more weight than a roar ever could, and Leopold’s fingers trembled. He wanted to hold on. He wanted to prove, just once in his life, that he could stand against the man everyone feared.

But his own hand betrayed him and loosened.

Malachi walked the remaining steps until he stood before Beatrice. She still couldn’t meet his eyes.

"Lady Beatrice." He called, "You will accompany me."

She looked toward Leopold again, hoping he might do something.

After several agonising seconds, she finally nodded.

Leopold shut his eyes, devastating ripping through him as Malachi and Beatrice walked past him, her fingers slightly brushing against his.

*Please* she whispered into his head, *You need to do something...or they will eventually get the truth out of me.*

His fists tightened.

*I would try to hold on for as long as I can* she added, *But please, don’t keep me waiting too long, please, my love. I believe in you,*

*************

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