Chapter 94: A Donlon Affair 2
ALDRIC
The Ogas moved around my room in a quiet hurry. They folded shirts and packed them into my cases. Their hands shook when they touched my things. That always amused . Power changed the air around a man. It made the walls listen and the floor stiffen. Even the sunlight felt different when it shone on the right person.
My clothes were laid out on the bed. Dark suits. Clean lines. Clothes that fit a man who shaped the world instead of waiting for it to shape him. They knew better than to choose anything less.
One Oga lifted a coat with both hands like it was so holy relic. Her eyes flicked to mine then flinched away. Respect and fear lived close together. Sotis they were the sa creature.
The door opened. A softer sound than the others. Familiar.
Elara stepped in.
The Ogas bowed at once. Their backs curved low. "Luna Elara."
She ignored them and walked straight toward . She always did that. She thought it made her look unbothered. It only reminded
she hadn’t been raised mostly under my roof. Her mother’s habits lived inside her without her notice.
"Are you really going to Skollrend?" she asked.
"Yes." I watched one Oga try to fold one of my shirts without creasing it. She failed. Her hands trembled too much. "But only for a short while."
Elara crossed her arms. Her eyes narrowed the way her mother’s used to when she was annoyed. "Why?"
"There seems to be trouble brewing over there," I said. "And I have a feeling I am needed."
She huffed. "You always think you are needed."
"That is because I usually am."
Her mouth twitched at that. A small smile she tried to hide. I let her have it. Joy was not sothing I bothered to limit in my own ho.
"You can co if you want," I said.
She shook her head. "I don’t think I can pretend to like my cousin’s new bride when I am friends with Madeline."
I turned to her fully. "Your cousin’s new bride rules over you. I taught you better than to be blindly loyal to a friend."
She frowned. "I know. But it feels wrong to show up and smile in her face when I care about Maddie."
"What you feel is your business," I said. "What you choose to show the world is mine."
She stared at
for a long beat. Then she sighed. "Fine. I guess I will co. It would be rude if I do not show up for my cousin. These are trying tis for him."
I stepped closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That is more like it."
Her eyes softened. I could see her thinking. Calculating. Good. I needed her to learn how to move without dragging emotion behind her like a broken wheel.
"You should bring a gift for the Luna too," I said. "It is best you get in her good graces."
Elara wrinkled her nose. "I hear she is an Oga."
"So?"
She scoffed. "You really are good at turning off your philosophy. Do you not hate them?"
"I do not hate anyone," I said. "There is an order to life. That order is not ant to be broken."
"Then what about the Oga Luna? Is that not breaking order?"
"What I believe and stand on is mine alone," I said. "If soone else is comfortable with sothing, I do not yuck anyone’s yum."
She blinked at . "That is not the response I expected."
"if you follow , you better be nice."
She held up her hands. "I will. For your sake. And for Cian."
"Good. Now get packing. I will be leaving soon."
She nodded and left the room. The door shut behind her and the Ogas stiffened again as if the air had been released and snapped back tight.
I walked out onto the balcony. The mid morning light spilled across the maze of trimd grass below. Every hedge was shaped by hand. My hand. Order made the world bearable. Chaos made the world honest. But order made it beautiful.
A breeze brushed past my face. Clean. Sharp. The kind of breeze that made you feel alone on purpose.
"Hello, Alpha Aldric."
The voice rose beside . Too close. Too soft and almost inhuman. I turned.
Madeline stood there. Or the shape of her. Her form shimred like a half rembered dream. Slight. Pale. Her long hair moved even though there was no wind. Not a ghost. Not alive either. A spell.
"What is this new trick?" I asked.
She smiled a little. "I did not want to use a phone while I am still in the area. I did not want to be tracked. This spell felt appropriate."
I raised a brow. "You always liked dramatic entrances."
"Not always. Only when they matter." Her gaze flicked to the view behind
then back to my face. "I have killed the witch. She will not be a problem."
I looked out at the maze again. Lines and shapes. Control. "Good. Then we move to the next step."
She stepped closer. The magic around her flickered like light through smoke. "How do I enter Cian’s life now?"
"Alpha Julius Knight’s wedding is in two days," I said. "I am extending an invitation to you. Co."
She crossed her arms. "Cian will be in grief. His mother is dying."
"He will still attend," I said. "His pride will not excuse him from such an event. At the point of his ntal ruin, you will appear like a beacon of light."
Madeline’s expression softened with hope she tried to hide. "You think he will look at
the sa way again?"
"I think you underestimate him," I said. "When you learn what happened to his dear mother, you will offer to help. You are a talented Blossom witch. I am sure you are powerful enough to break the spell of alchemised poison. If you cannot, I have the cure."
She stared at . Suspicion sat in her eyes like a guard dog.
"You will save his mother," I said. "He will owe you. Old feelings will bloom."
"That makes sense." She paused. Then her eyes narrowed. "But what do you get from this?"
"Why do you care?"
"Because I will not be played by you a second ti," she said.
I laughed softly. "You threaten
knowing the power I have over you?"
"I ca to you this way for two reasons," she said. "To hide my tracks for the murder by not using a phone. And to warn you."
She lifted her hand. A curl of light shimred. In her palm rested a lock of hair.
My hair.
Interesting.
"I no longer care what you have over ," she said. "I have one over you too. You are allowed to plot. As long as it does not harm my Cian. Hurt him and I do not mind us going down together."
She looked steady. Confident. Braver than she should be. Love made foolishness look like courage sotis.
"All three of us?" I asked.
She smiled. Not sweet. Not warm. Sharp. "None of it will happen if you do not fly too close to the sun."
I let out a breath. "Of course, Madeline. We all win here."
"You better pray that is the fucking truth."
She dissolved. Her form thinned like water poured into air and then she vanished without a single sound.
The balcony was quiet again. Only the breeze moved. The hedges stood still, perfect as always.
I rested my hands on the railing and looked at the world I built. Everything beneath . Everything within reach. Every choice, every lie, every truth shaped by .
The door behind
opened. An Oga stepped out. She kept her head lowered.
"Your luggages are ready, sir."
"Take them to the car."
"Yes, Alpha."
She left and the door closed again.
I stayed where I was for a long mont.
The morning sun ward the stone under my hands. The maze stretched outward in clean lines and sharp corners. It looked peaceful, but peace was only another word for control.
Skollrend waited for .
Cian walked toward his own ruin and did not know it yet.
Madeline would step into his grief like a drop of color in clear water. Spread. Sink. Beco part of the fabric.
And I would be there. Above it all. Watching. Guiding. Pushing.
A god in this story I wrote.
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