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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 eting. 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 gri, 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 eting 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 sa rhythm from earlier.
But this ti, I didn’t need my nose.
His scent assaulted my nose even from within my room. Kael slled of snow, pine, and command.
I crossed the room slowly and opened the door.
He stood there as composed as always—but sothing in his jaw, in the barely checked fury in his eyes, told he was two seconds from boiling over.
I leaned against the doorfra. "What do you want?"
His eyes swept over , then flicked away—just briefly. "We need to talk."
"Now?"
"Yes."
I didn’t move. "If you’re here to embarrass 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 mont, I regarded him before nodding and stepping aside. Let’s hear what excuse he has to give. I stepped aside. "Then co in. Try not to break anything."
He entered without comnt, and for a beat, we stood in silence— 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 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 co to argue."
"Then why did you co?"
"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 imdiately. 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 sches, 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 sches 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 . "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 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 t 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 seed 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 , curious.
His chest rose and fell slowly, like he was trying to leash sothing deeper—sothing raw. Sothing that I wanted.
But he didn’t touch .
When it ca 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 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 ca to fix what was done to you," he said. "Not to give you sothing 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.
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