Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Kai’s voice flowed as smoothly as a stream beneath the stars of a night sky, outwardly undisturbed. The fluidity carried the aura of a mist laden forest, fluttering like hushed whispers in my ears.

"I never wanted to say I love you, because to say it means to define it. The love I have for you is more than anything words can define, where definition means limitation."

If this had been any other situation, I would have been laughing my ass off at his choice of words.

"But since you wanted me to say it, there, I’ve thrown it at you, Alex. I love you."

"Did you read that from a poem?" I asked, the urge to break character so strong I could barely restrain myself.

"It was that easy to catch me?" He chuckled, grabbing his stomach in deep laughter. "Yes, but I did a little paraphrasing to make it mine."

"That was cringe as hell," I replied.

I sat on the bed and Kai followed suit. My elbows rested on my thighs while I stared at the wardrobe as though it held answers to everything I yearned for.

"This is a taboo between us. What we’re doing, I mean."

"It didn’t have to be." He spoke to reason.

I adjusted so I could look into his eyes. Thankfully, he stared back at me.

Good. I needed the truth.

"Could you go against society for us?"

"Yes, darling. Once, I didn’t have the stomach for it, but now I can." He replied swiftly, like he did not even need to think twice about it. Though it sparked warmth in my gut, I still feared the possibility that he could change. "How about you, Alex? Will you accept us for who we are and stop fighting it?"

"What’ll happen with Leo?"

"It was never meant to be. The feelings we shared would have happened with or without Leo in the picture, and you don’t need to hate yourself for falling in love." Kai cooed, drawing closer to me.

When we were inches apart, he pulled my head against his pecs, letting me breathe in his Alpha scent, and my head instantly swelled, my hormones stirring, my dopamine levels spiking.

"It was never your fault, just as it was never mine. Remember when I told you you smelled different in a way that pulled me to you?" He asked, and I nodded within his embrace. "I think you understand now what I meant back then."

"But there is so much more we haven’t figured out about ourselves. We need to be realistic. I have my life to figure out, my future to shape. And you have a crown to watch over, people to protect, duties you cannot afford to neglect. While it is true we’re drawn to each other, we still need to consider the odds against us."

"Then let’s leave," Kai stated.

I pulled away from him and frowned, but seeing as he did not budge, I asked, "You mean it?"

"Yes. I have a penthouse by the countryside. A worthy getaway to figure things out."

"You don’t know what you’re saying, Kai." I turned my gaze back to the suitcase. "I’d just leave. Me alone."

To my surprise, Kai stood and began arranging my clothes into the suitcase. I tried to stop him, but his muscles were not a fair opponent. When he finished, he zipped it up and placed the suitcase upright.

"Does this situation look like one that warrants jokes?" He questioned, earning a slow shake of my head. "Then you know I’m not joking."

Kai held out his hand. "Give me one week of your time, Alex. One week to know me better. One week to see why we could work out. Then you can decide if you want to leave or stay."

His offer was tempting.

Scratch that. Kai himself was the king of temptation.

He knew how to dig beneath the floor where my shields were buried and find a way in without even breaking them. Just like now, without making me feel chained, he was giving me a chance not to drown in guilt.

"This is wrong, Kai. I’m sorry, I can’t..."

"Judge all you want after that week. Just one week, Alex." He repeated it this time, firmer.

My chest released a long sigh, my blood moving with ominous intent inside me, yet even within that chaos, Kai’s presence eased the tension and made things feel lighter.

"Okay."

His lips tugged to the side, a warm smile reaching beneath his eyelids. "Let’s go."

"Like right now?"

"Uh, weren’t you initially packing to leave right now before?" He asked.

I blinked. "Yeah, but that was because I wasn’t thinking."

He should have known I had not been in my right mind then. I had been trapped in the look Leo gave me, my conscience devouring me alive.

And wasn’t it insane how one minute ago I hated both myself and Kai, and now I was falling into the trap again? I had somehow become a hypocrite who could not stick to his own words. Someone who failed every attempt once Kai entered the picture.

"Well, let me do the thinking for you then, sweet peach," he said, and I smirked.

Kai made a few calls before we left the apartment. When we stopped in front of the building, a Mercedes-Benz G Wagon was waiting for us. Kai opened the door for me, his other hand still handling my suitcase. After I hopped in, I watched him discuss something with a familiar face. Clawface, I think the mean faced man was called.

Afterward, Kai took the driver’s seat beside me and started the engine. "Are you ready, sweet peach?"

"Oh, please. Don’t sexualize me."

He chuckled in response. "There’s nothing sexier than you, so..."

"Oh, shut up and just drive."

"Yes, ma’am." He caught my eyes and laughed. But as he drove out of the space, I sensed the unfiltered joy in his composure.

It was clear. Kai was happiest whenever he was with me. And wherever it was we were heading, I hoped to learn more about him, and perhaps even more about myself.

Yet internally, there was another truth: if this path ends in tragedy, I deserved it.