Draven.
redith’s expression didn’t shift. But the silence around her was heavy and pressing.
I set the glass aside and leaned forward, steady and deliberate.
"I married you because the Council and all the other older Alphas were already circling like wolves starved for power. Each of them wanted their daughters on the throne next to since I hadn’t found my mate. And had I chosen one, the others would have risen against ."
I released a short breath and continued, "It would have torn the clans into war before I had even worn the crown. So, by claiming you, redith, I silenced them. You were the only one they could not use as a weapon, the only choice that would not ignite their greed."
A pause stretched between us, the weight of the truth settling into the air.
"That was my reason then, and I will not insult you by pretending otherwise," I said finally. "But I had wanted to tell you myself, in my own ti, and not with Wanda ruining this and completely rubbing of the chance."
I could already tell the content of the letter in redith’s hand. Though I never expected Wanda to go back in peace without causing a nuisance, this was the last thing I expected from her.
---
~**redith**~
The silence that followed Draven’s words pressed heavily against my chest.
I wasn’t angry, not even close to it which was strange. But a dull ache lingered inside , as if sothing delicate had cracked without shattering completely.
He had said it without hesitation, without trying to soften the edges. ’You were the only one they could not use as a weapon.’
His honesty was as sharp as the truth itself, and though it stung, it did not surprise . Why should it?
To , Draven had never been one to mince words. He had never been a man to cover his choices with pretty lies. So why would I expect him to start now?
I let out a slow breath, lowering my gaze to the folded paper still in my lap. A part of hated that Wanda’s venom had forced this conversation sooner than Draven had intended.
But another part of was relieved. Because no matter how much it hurt, he had not hidden from .
Draven owed that honesty, and he gave it.
My eyes lifted back to his. His expression was calm, unwavering, as though he had laid down a blade between us and was waiting for to decide what to do with it.
The silence stretched, thick and unbroken until another question stirred inside , one heavier than the first.
I licked my lower lip, my voice quieter than I intended. "I can see that you changed your initial intentions or rather, use for ."
I let the words hung there, fragile but certain. But a mont later, I finished, "Why did you do that? What made you change your mind?"
Draven didn’t hesitate long. His answer ca low and steady, but it struck deeper than anything Wanda could have written in a hundred letters.
"I changed," he said, "because I found out, and confird... that you are my mate."
My breath caught. I blinked at him, certain I had misheard, but I didn’t think I had.
A shiver ran through . All this ti, I thought I had been the only one who knew. I had carried the secret close to my chest, believing I was the one silently waiting for him to see what fate had already bound together. But all along... he had known too.
My thoughts scattered, then reassembled slowly, and painfully.
I thought of the countless little shifts in his behavior—the subtle softening of his voice, the way his temper toward lessened, the way he began to look at longer than before, as though he were seeing sothing beyond the surface.
It all made sense now. He hadn’t changed simply because he had grown fond of . He had changed because he had discovered what I was to him. His mate.
I didn’t know whether to feel hurt or relieved. A hollow ache pushed against my chest.
’So he had not fallen for out of choice, but because of destiny. Because of a bond that tied us whether he wanted it or not.’
The next question ford on my tongue before I could stop it. My voice was low, almost fragile. "And if I wasn’t your mate, would you have continued with your initial plans?"
His eyes stayed on mine, unwavering, though I caught the weight in his breath as he released it slowly.
Seconds stretched, and then finally, he nodded. "There was a high chance of that happening."
The words landed like a stone sinking deep into my chest.
Regret slamd into at once. Why had I asked that question? Why had I demanded a truth I wasn’t prepared to hold?
Because now I knew that if it wasn’t for this bond between us, I might have remained nothing more than a pawn. A shield against power-hungry wolves, and a piece he moved across the board until I no longer served my purpose.
The thought turned my stomach, and for the first ti, I wished Draven had lied. I wished he had smiled faintly, told no, and let keep my fragile comfort intact.
But he had not lied. He had given the truth, raw and unpolished, just as I had asked of him.
And now I understood sothing else: he loved , yes, but not because his heart had stumbled into it. He loved because he had discovered that fate had already chosen for him.
The realization hollowed out, leaving caught between gratitude and grief.
---
~**Draven**~
redith’s silence told more than her words ever could.
The slight downturn of her lips. The way her fingers fidgeted against the edge of the folded paper. The faint crease forming between her brows as though she were holding sothing heavy inside her chest.
I didn’t need her to speak. I already knew she was hurt.
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