Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Chapter 65

Chapter 65

The letter read very plainly and concisely.

"We accept your request, but under conditions."

My tone no doubt conveyed the annoyance and disappointment, a slap to my expectations as I hurled the letter away, letting the air toy with its lightweight frame. The paper spun once. Then it settled on the floor like it had never mattered.

"That’s all?"

Oh, I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s disappointed.

"Yes," I snapped, though not at Marcellan.

The letter was sealed with the flag of MoonBlade, a dreadful shade of scarlet and sandy brown, along with their signature iron-forged raven stamp. One would think there was much to expect, but it was complete trash. This was all I had been nervous for? The wax had looked important. The words inside had not.

"I don’t think we’re focusing on the right thing," Kai chimed in.

"Like...?" I asked.

Earlier, Marcellan had left us to get dressed in fresh clothing. He had sniffed out the sin in the room and ushered himself out without warning. Now we sat at the dining table, where dim light filled the space. Even the long table seemed to mirror the cold disappointment hanging between the three of us by how empty it stretched out. Plates unused. Chairs unused. The letter’s smell of wax still clinging to my fingers.

"It’s a trap where you say very little, but it means a lot, and when your audience doesn’t pay attention, he gets locked in with no choice but to do your bidding," he explained, causing me to narrow my eyes at him.

He seemed to be making sense. The sentence sat there and grew teeth the longer I looked at it.

"They wanted conditions of their own met. We don’t know what those conditions are, but it means they wish to bargain. The meeting isn’t merely a meeting anymore. It’s a negotiation. But if we’re smarter, we could be the ones who come away with the greater benefits."

"It’s really not that deep, you know. I just want access to the One Tree. I want to reconnect with my ancestral heritage," I cut in once Kai finished speaking. The want was simple in my mouth. It did not sound simple once it left.

"The bastard called Frederick doesn’t really give two fucks, you know," he said, and I sighed.

This is a mess, my inner voice muttered.

"So, I go there and make sure I meet their conditions, yes?" I asked as my eyes shifted between Kai and Marcellan, who had been awfully silent. Only the tapping of his fingers against the table reminded me he was still alive and present. Tap. Tap. The sound filled the spaces our words did not.

"A battle doesn’t begin when blood is drawn. Words can be wars too. You must be careful about what is being agreed to," Kai lectured.

Remember that time I boasted to Marcellan that strategy wasn’t necessary to win wars?

I wanted to slap myself and take back every word. I should have learned chess. At least then I’d know how to be tactical.

Jeez, there was still so much I hadn’t acknowledged about my duties as Luna. The title sat heavier now that the letter had arrived and refused to be enough.

Kai’s hand on my thigh reeled me back from my wandering thoughts. "I’ll be with you, so don’t push yourself too hard."

My mind churned as I thought through the entire situation. I might not be the smartest person in the room, but I knew when to agree or disagree, and most importantly, I knew what to choose when presented with options. The warmth of his palm made the next sentence harder.

"No, Kai. Marcellan will be there with me."

Kai’s frown lingered in the air. "And why is that?"

"You have duties to uphold here."

"As do you," he countered.

Of course.

Was I kidding myself?

He wasn’t going to let this matter go so easily. The table between us felt longer than it had a minute ago.

"You’re forgetting what you just told me. We both need to grow. We want to be together, so let’s fight for it, but we also need to understand that these conditions come with consequences, and those consequences matter..." I halted mid-sentence when Kai waved his hand, dismissing my argument.

His expression hardened, displeased by my approach, and he shifted in his seat. The chair scraped. The sound was too loud for the room.

"No. If we aren’t doing this together, then I forbid you from going to MoonBlade. It’s an order." Kai’s voice boomed through the room. It hit the walls and came back as something official. Something I did not want to obey.

As though Marcellan realized I needed intervention, he entered the discussion.

"Alex believes Count Barry has an ulterior motive. While you were inactive, we discovered some reports were either missing or never updated. You need to investigate these things, Kai. You’re the Alpha King just as much as you’re Alex’s mate..."

Before Kai could formulate a counterargument, I picked up where Marcellan left off.

"Look at me, love." My voice softened, marred with an angelic approach.

My hand stretched into the air, but the distance between us reinforced my inability to touch him. Fingers reached. Air answered.

"Marcellan is right. Me leaving the throne is already enough to cause trouble, much less you following me to MoonBlade. The Court already thinks we’re going to fail the people and endanger them because of the earlier situation with MoonBlade. I’m already in their mud. Let me not drag you into it too..."

"But..."

"Kai," I interjected. "You said you wanted your own story. Then do that. Let’s meet each other in the middle."

My chest felt tight, as though my lungs had grown heavy and breathing itself had become difficult. Yet amid the turmoil, I forced myself to focus on the future.

This was for the baby I carried. For Kai’s heir. For the family we were becoming.

We needed to outgrow the constant need to remain together simply because we were too afraid to be apart. The fear was still there. I just refused to let it speak for both of us.

Kai’s face fell, every passing second piercing my skin like flaming arrows.

"You’ve really grown, sweet peach. Even more than me."

Kai’s eyes were bloodshot, streaked with hints of red, yet they watched me with nothing but tenderness. The red of his wolf sat behind the tenderness and did not win.

"You’re right. We need to root out these impurities, and we can’t do it based on mere accusations. We need proof." Kai’s agreement became the highlight of the moment. The words landed softer than the order had. I held onto them.

In the rest of the conversation, we agreed to remain in contact and keep each other informed so no information would be lost.

I was to tame MoonBlade and reclaim the full possible extent of my power by reconnecting with the One Tree, while Kai would deal with the enemies festering within SilverFang itself.

We both had our duties, and the bond between us would suffer the distance.

It would strain, and we would regret the separation.

But it was necessary if we wanted to build the future and family we envisioned.

With the agreement settled, the image of MoonBlade stretched before me. The journey was rough but manageable, with Marcellan by my side. Roads. Fog. A Pack that had already tried to unmake us once.

My hand gripped my chest as I felt our bond itch and pull the farther I traveled from Kai. The pull was small at first. Then it was not.

Despite every difficulty, I simply held to the faith.

I had to triumph. And it had to be exactly as I imagined.

MoonBlade would heed me...