The fire had died overnight, but the room wasn’t too cold. I settled on one end of the sofa, tucking my legs beneath me. Caelan took the other end, leaving space between us.
“So,” I said.
“So.”
Silence. This was going well.
Then he exhaled.
“I want to tell you everything,” he said. “From the beginning. The threats, the notes, the poison. All of it.”
“Okay.”
He did. He started with discovering I’d been poisoned. Then the notes demanding he reject me or watch me die. The impossible choice, my heart or my life, and how there was no choice at all. My life would always win.
The staged rejection came next. How he closed the bond so I wouldn’t feel his agony. How every word he said was a lie designed to save me. How he wanted to run after me the moment it was done but couldn’t, because my safety depended on the deception being complete.
Finally, the antidote. Sending it with Thessa. Learning I’d been kidnapped and nearly tearing the realm apart to find me.
Through all of it, his voice stayed steady. His eyes never left mine. It was, frankly, the most romantic explanation of emotional devastation I’d ever heard. I should take notes for my next book.
When he finished, I was quiet.
I was hurt. Angry. All those emotions were still there, simmering beneath the surface. But I couldn’t hold onto them, not when I knew why he did it. Not when every terrible thing he said was spoken to keep me alive.
“I understand,” I told him. “Why you did it. I do.”
Relief flooded his features.
“But.” I held up a hand. “Trust takes time to rebuild. I know it wasn’t real, but I felt it. The rejection. The abandonment. That doesn’t just go away because I understand the logic behind it.”
His expression fell, but he nodded. “I know. I’ll wait. However long you need. I’ll prove myself.”
“You will.” I tried to sound stern. Probably failed. It’s hard to be stern when someone’s looking at you with those golden eyes full of desperate hope.
“I’m sorry.” His voice cracked. “I’m so sorry I hurt you. I never wanted-”
“I know.” I reached out, touched his hand. Just briefly. “You didn’t want to hurt me.”
He captured my fingers before I could pull away. Held them gently.
“I’m really, really happy you’re with child,” he said, his tone softening. “I know it might be overwhelming right now - everything that’s happened, everything that’s still happening. But I want you to know I’m here. For you. For the baby. For whatever you need.”
My heart squeezed. Damn him for being sweet when I was trying to maintain appropriate emotional distance.
“Thank you.”
“And...” He hesitated. Took a breath. “I want to make you my queen.”
I stared at him, certain I’d misheard. “What?”
“My queen.” He said it with that infuriating calm, completely matter-of-fact. “My father is scheduling the coronation. I’ll be king soon. And I don’t want to take that throne without you beside me. Without you ruling with me.”
“Caelan, I-” I shook my head, overwhelmed. “What the hell do I know about ruling? I’m a romance author from the human world. I’ve been a wolf for two weeks. I don’t know anything about politics or diplomacy or-”
“You know people.” He cut me off gently. “You understand them. You see through pretense. You’re brave. You’re kind. You’re strong. You’re resilient. You’re compassionate.”
My cheeks flushed. “That’s a lot of adjectives.”
