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CHAPTER 12
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Rhiannon's Quarters – Velvet Suite
Rhiannon's POV
I had just finished drying off after the council meeting. All I wanted to do was bathe and wash away the stench from those old dusty clothes, and I did.
The water in the bath had long gone lukewarm, but it had done its job—peeling off the grime, the tension, the last remaining threads of Seraphina's insult.
I stood in the centre of the room, wrapped in a thick white towel, my hair damp, and my skin still warm from the bath.
My old clothes had dried off on the chair, and the "new" outfit I'd worn to the council meeting was already back in the basket, soaking in suds.
I was considering whether to just lie back and pretend the day hadn't happened when a sharp knock echoed through the chamber.
Three firm raps. The same rhythm from earlier.
But this time, I didn't need my nose.
His scent assaulted my nose even from within my room. Kael smelled of snow, pine, and command.
I crossed the room slowly and opened the door.
He stood there as composed as always—but something in his jaw, in the barely checked fury in his eyes, told me he was two seconds from boiling over.
I leaned against the doorframe. "What do you want?"
His eyes swept over me, then flicked away—just briefly. "We need to talk."
"Now?"
"Yes."
I didn't move. "If you're here to embarrass me further, sorry, I have taken off your clothes."
"I am not here to embarrass you, Rhiannon."
"Then what are you here for?" I asked rather sharply as I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "'Cause you're a little late."
"I'm here now."
For a moment, I regarded him before nodding and stepping aside. Let's hear what excuse he has to give. I stepped aside. "Then come in. Try not to break anything."
He entered without comment, and for a beat, we stood in silence—me in a towel, him in that black buttoned shirt he wore like armour, leaving the first four buttons undone and giving anyone who dared look a glimpse of his godly sculptured chest.
Finally, I spoke. "Let me guess. Seraphina spun a lovely tale about how I gave her my things, and you swallowed it whole."
His eyes narrowed. "She said you didn't want them. That you—"
"Save it," I cut him off. "If you believed her for even a second, you deserve the fool's crown."
He inhaled slowly. "I didn't come to argue."
"Then why did you come?"
"To fix it."
My brows lifted. "You?"
Kael nodded once. "New clothes are already being prepared. You'll have them by sundown. No one touches them but you."
I crossed my arms over the towel. "And what about Seraphina?"
He didn't answer immediately. His silence was the only proof I needed.
"She stays," I guessed.
"She's part of the estate. She won't interfere again."
I let out a quiet laugh. "You can command wolves. Not ambition, AlphaKael. And if you're too naive to see through a woman's schemes, then you are dumber than I thought."
My insults registered as Kael's gaze darkened, and he stepped closer, stopping just within reach.
"Are you sure it is her schemes I need to see through or yours?"
I was about to retort when my words choked in my throat. "I…" I inhaled and smiled. "Believe what you want, but I see you acting the way she wanted right now. I hope you are happy and keep believing her because then, I can easily walk away from this circus joke."
I turned, ready to walk away, when his voice stopped me. "Rhiannon."
"What?" I snapped sharply.
Kael inhaled deeply before responding. "First, you re going nowhere. You belong here, with us, your mates. I won't allow it."
I scoffed, then let out a small bitter laugh. "If it helps you sleep better at night, then keep believing."
His expression softened and he closed the gap between us. I could feel the heat radiating from his skin like electric fire bursting across my skin, making me more aware of his scent and heartbeat even without touching his neck and chest.
"This pack doesn't understand you yet. But they will. And when they do, they'll know not to cross you."
I met his gaze evenly. "What about you?"
His voice lowered. "I already learned."
"Did you? Or are you just a puppet in your mistress's hands?"
Kael didn't flinch. He didn't blink. But I saw it—the way the vein in his jaw ticked. The way the air between us seemed to thicken.
"I'm no one's puppet," he stated, voice low and cold, but not cruel. "And I've never been anyone's fool—not until today."
His words hung between us like a blade. His eyes never left mine.
I expected him to turn away, to deflect, to leave with whatever Alpha pride he still clung to.
But Kael stepped closer instead.
One inch. Then another.
Until the space between us vanished like smoke. I could feel his breath ghost across my skin, and Ravyn stirred within me, curious.
His chest rose and fell slowly, like he was trying to leash something deeper—something raw. Something that I wanted.
But he didn't touch me.
When it came again, Kael's voice was quiet, more controlled. "You want to test my patience, fine. But don't question what I feel for a second longer than you can handle it."
My breath caught.
The way he said it—like he was warning me or himself.
"You're standing so close," I murmured, not backing down. "If I tilted my head an inch, I'd taste your regret."
His eyes flickered to my mouth for the briefest second and then back to mine.
His control snapped tight again like a snapped collar.
"I came to fix what was done to you," he said. "Not to give you something else to twist. This isn't the council."
I tilted my chin, refusing to look away even as my pulse jumped beneath my skin. "So that's what I'm doing? Twisting things?"
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NB: The last 2 chapters have been edited.