By the time I returned to my room, the pendant felt hot against my skin.
Not physically. Not really.
But emotionally — like it pulsed with something trying to rise.
Magic. Memory. Blood.
I didn't know.
I didn't want to.
I changed into a soft grey sweater and dark jeans, the closest I could get to casual while still feeling presentable inside a castle where half the staff looked like they belonged on the cover of Vogue or a battlefield.
A chime sounded on the wall panel near my door — a direct message from the Alpha's assistant.
The King requests your presence for dinner in the West Solarium. Formal setting. One hour.
Subject: Elion's academic structure.
I stared at the message for a long time.
Formal.
Kael never used formal for anything but Council.
And Elion was currently building a fort under the table in the library.
I pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose.
"This is not about education."
"This is about me."
"This is a test."
I went anyway.
Because saying no to Kael wasn't an option.
Not yet.
The West Solarium was lit by gold.
Actual gold light — enchanted lanterns that mimicked sunset through glass, casting a warm haze over the crystal table and low, elegant music humming in the background.
Kael was already seated.
Dressed in black. Again. His shirts were always tailored, his sleeves rolled precisely. Every line of his body spoke of control. Discipline.
And the worst part?
He was beautiful.
Dangerously so.
Like something carved from the night sky and taught to walk like a man.
"You came," he said quietly as I entered.
"You summoned."
"I invited."
I took the seat across from him. "Same thing."
Dinner arrived in three quiet waves — lemon-herb risotto, seared greens, and small rounds of spiced bread. I ate slowly, carefully. He barely touched his plate.
"Is Elion okay?" I asked.
"He's thriving," Kael said. "Which is what concerns me."
I blinked. "...Sorry?"
"You show up, and he stops screaming. He starts sleeping. Smiling. Bonding."
"I thought that was the goal."
"It is."
He leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing.
"But why you?"
I swallowed.
"I don't know."
"That's not an answer," he said.
"It's the truth."
"You've never had training in child psychology. No medical background. No experience with trauma therapy. But he clings to you like you're air. Why?"
"I don't know."
My hands clenched under the table.
"You're hiding something."
I looked up, meeting his gaze head-on.
"So are you."
The air between us thickened. Again. Like static before a lightning strike.
"I'm not the one with glowing eyes," he said, very softly.
My heart stopped.
"What?"
"In the library," he murmured. "The book. You touched it. You lit up. Not visibly. But your skin… changed. Only for a second."
He saw it.
He saw it.
I stood abruptly. "Dinner was a mistake."
"Sera—"
"I'm not your experiment."
"You're Elion's everything," he said, standing too. "That's the only reason I haven't—"
He didn't finish.
And I didn't ask.
Instead, I turned to leave.
And as I passed him—
Something in me snapped.
Emotion surged — panic, grief, rage, confusion — and for a split second, my body reacted.
The air crackled.
Just one breath of heat. One flicker of light. Barely enough to spark a candle.
But Kael noticed.
He froze.
And I ran.
I didn't stop until I was outside — the balcony just above the gardens.
The night air bit at my skin, sharp and bracing. The pendant burned now, a weight against my heart.
"He knows."
"He saw."
I wrapped my arms around myself and stared out at the cliffs.
And behind me, I heard the door open.
Kael didn't speak.
He stood near. Not close.
I didn't turn.
But I felt it again.
The pull.
Like I was something he wanted to touch but couldn't name.
After a long silence, he said quietly, "You don't have to be afraid of me."
"I should be."
He didn't argue.
But when he left, the air felt colder than before.