****************
CHAPTER 14
~Kael's POV~
Moments After Leaving Rhiannon's Quarters
I didn't walk—I stalked.
Every step echoing down the marble corridor felt like it was trying to outrun the heat she'd left burning in my skin. Rhiannon's scent clung to me—clean, sharp, wild—and the image of her, wrapped in that towel, chin high even when the world tried to bend her low, wouldn't leave my mind.
Part of me wanted to turn back.
To go back to that room, push her against the wall, strip her of the towel and the walls she wore just as tightly, and show her what claiming really meant when I kiss her deeply.
But I didn't because the other part of me—the part forged from discipline, command, and too many goddamn expectations—kept walking.
When I reached the strategy room, the others were already waiting.
The chamber wasn't large, but it was fortified—two windows, a domed ceiling lined with maps, weapons, and war plans—and it was where we made decisions—unforgiving ones.
The door creaked open and four pairs of eyes snapped to me.
Lucien didn't stand. Of course not. He leaned back against the edge of the central table, arms crossed, mouth already twisted in half a smirk.
"You fix it?" he asked.
I said nothing.
Riven's jaw ticked, barely holding his temper. "Because right now, we look like fools. Like we can't even clothe our own mate."
"She told the truth," Talon added in a neutral tone but sharp gaze. "We didn't humiliate her. We just stood by and let someone else do it."
I exhaled through my nose, slowly and sharply. "Seraphina lied."
That stopped the flow. Just long enough to matter.
Darian tilted his head, his emerald eyes unreadable. "Which part?"
I stepped to the table, placing both palms flat against the wood like I was bracing myself for war. In a way, I was.
"She said Rhiannon gave her the clothes willingly. That she didn't want them. That she said she'd rather wear rags than anything touched by an Alpha."
Talon cursed under his breath.
Lucien's brow arched. "And you believed her?"
I shot him a look. "I said she lied."
The silence that followed wasn't relief. It was calculation. Everyone in this room knew better than to speak until they saw the full play.
Riven stepped forward slightly, voice low, rough. "Then what are you going to do about it?"
I let the question sit for a second. Then I answered in a cold, even tone. "I already did. Soren is handling it. A full new wardrobe is being prepared—double the quantity, double the quality. It'll be delivered directly to her quarters before sundown. No one else touches it."
Darian nodded once. "Good. But that's just the beginning. I think there was more."
I looked at them all, then leaned back from the table. "She asked me if I was Seraphina's puppet."
Lucien snorted. "And you let her get away with it?"
I met his eyes evenly. "No, but I will prove it to her in actions and not words. She wasn't wrong. Seraphina has to pay."
They all went still.
I let the silence breathe, then straightened fully. "From this moment forward, Rhiannon is no one's lesser. Not in this house. Not in the council. Not to this pack."
Riven's gaze sharpened. "Does that include Seraphina?"
My jaw flexed. "Especially her. If she touches what's Rhiannon's again, she'll regret it."
Talon let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. "Took you long enough to wake up."
I didn't bother replying to that.
I glared daggers at him, turned and left, the matter settled—at least in this room.
But not in me, because the truth was, I wasn't sure if I'd fixed anything at all.
*****************
~Rhiannon's POV~
Evening – Velvet Suite
I didn't change out of my towel.
After Kael left, I just stood there, staring at the closed door like I could still see the words he hadn't said. He wanted me.
He didn't hide it, not really but more than that… he feared what I might become. Or maybe, what I already was.
I was still standing there, undecided, raw, too many emotions coiled inside my chest when my wolf suddenly snarled inside me.
"What is it, Ravyn?"
"Nothing. Just… deal with Seraphina. I do not think our mates will do a good job. She needs to be out in her place."
"And she will. Just trust me about it. I need to understand this place, their system and who she is connected to first. After that, I will know her allies, those to take on and manipulate to get what I want. But for now, I have to lie low. I still need to make a deal with the alphas and go home."
Ravyn tsked at me. "Even I know that is next to impossible. Rather ,why not make a deal with them to bring him here?"
After our brief discussion, I let her words carry me through as I changed into my old clothes and sat down.
It was getting boring not having anything useful to do here, whereas I could have sold the Moonroot by now.
My thoughts were interrupted when a soft knock echoed from the door. Not sharp this time but it was measured and respectful.
I walked over and opened it slowly.
A tall, immaculately dressed young man in grey and black clothes stood before me. He carried a leather satchel slung over one shoulder, and two guards behind him carried trunk-sized boxes.
"Rhiannon," he said with a faint nod. "I am Beta Soren,' he introduced himself, and I nodded. "On Alpha Kael's orders. These are yours. He said to deliver them personally before sunset."
I raised a brow. "You always obey that quickly?"
Soren gave the faintest hint of a smile, the most sincere thing I had seen since I came here. "When Alpha Kael uses that tone? Always."
I stepped back, opening the door wider for them, and the guards carried in the boxes, stacking them neatly on the bed footer by the edge of the bed.
"There's more coming," Soren added. "Jewellery, shoes, weapons."
"Weapons?"
"Alpha Kael insisted. 'She wears teeth, not chains.' His words. Just a small dagger for your safety."
I blinked, my safety? Was I in danger? And since when did he care about that? Shouldn't he be worried if I would use it against any of them? Or is it that he was testing me?
Soren gave one final nod and turned to leave, but before he passed through the door, he paused.
"For what it's worth," he said without turning back, "you wore those rags better than most wear crowns."
And then he was gone.
I closed the door, and my heart thudded. The room was quiet again. Except now, it was filled with things to keep me busy.
I walked over to the boxes, my heart tugging against my chest as though any second from then, Seraphina would burst in to seize them again.
And my mind was already working out the scenarios and how I would defeat her if that were the case.
Inside the first was a fur-lined combat jacket. Underneath it were silk blouses and dresses—one in midnight blue, one in wine red—folded, custom-fitted trousers, a velvet corset, matching gloves, and even perfume oils.
The second trunk held boots, heels, sandals and combat-grade shoes with reinforced soles.
The third held two twin daggers. My hands trembled slightly as I ran a thumb along one of the blades.
"Ravyn?" I whispered.
My wolf stirred, practically purring. "Now they're starting to understand. I say we test ot out on Seraphina's neck."
I didn't hold back my chuckle before exhaling, slowly and letting the fire that had been simmering all day sink into my blood.
"Let us wait to test it out later. For now, we have a visitor."