The moon hung low over the forest when Aria returned to her chambers.
She should have felt strong. Unshakable. She was Alpha now—respected, obeyed, feared. But behind closed doors, in the silence of her room, the weight settled in.
Two knocks broke the quiet.
She hesitated before opening the door.
Kael stood there, not in his formal coat, but in a loose black shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbow. He looked less like a leader tonight—and more like a man.
"I didn't mean to wake you," he said.
"You didn't."
He didn't ask permission. Just stepped inside when she moved aside. Aria didn't stop him.
"I spoke to Nigel," Kael said after a beat. "I told him to stop."
Her spine stiffened. "I don't need you fighting for me."
"I know." He looked at her. "But I did it anyway."
She walked past him, arms crossed. "And what? You expect a thank you?"
"No," he said softly. "I expect nothing."
His voice was steady, but there was something different in his eyes—something gentler. Not calculating. Not political. Human.
Aria looked away.
"I don't know what you want from me, Kael," she admitted. "One day it feels like diplomacy. The next—something else. I can't read you."
He stepped closer, slowly.
"Maybe that's because I'm still figuring it out myself," he said. "At first it was politics. A strategic alliance. But now…"
His fingers brushed her arm, feather-light.
"Now I think I want to be where you are. Not because of power. Not even because of your strength. But because of the way you carry pain and still lead. The way you don't flinch when men twice your age challenge you. The way you look at the moon like it's the only thing that understands you."
Aria's heart thudded painfully.
She had spent so long building walls. Not just against Nigel. Against everything.
"I don't want to be owned," she whispered.
"I don't want to own you," Kael said, voice hushed. "I just want to matter."
And for a long, trembling second, she let herself believe him.
When he leaned forward, he didn't kiss her.
He just rested his forehead against hers—warm, close, waiting.
She didn't pull away.
End of Chapter 10