Chapter 126: Chapter 10

ADELIE

I sank into my bed, my gaze fixed on the ceiling. How could he utter those words without truly knowing me?

After our kiss, I had stormed off, wanting to be alone. I was unsure of what was happening between us.

I reached for the note on my nightstand, scanning it once more.

They were after that vampire book. But why? Aldred was after it too. Why were they so concerned about the vampires’ actions?

The following day, Esty showed up around noon. King wasn’t thrilled about her presence. I could tell by the way he kept glancing at her and had Collin keep an eye on her.

Leonard called for a meeting. Everyone was there, including Kairos. I knew he had been avoiding me. Even now, he wouldn’t look at me, but he did shoot Esty a glare.

Esty glanced my way. “Is that Kairos?” she whispered to me.

“Memory loss,” I quickly replied, not wanting to divulge too much. But she had other ideas.

“Hello, I don’t think we’ve met,” she said, approaching Kairos with her hand extended. “I am Esty,” she said, her smile wide.

Kairos’s face was stern, clearly annoyed. But this Kairos didn’t know Esty. He didn’t know she had killed his friend. “Kairos,” he responded curtly, shaking her hand.

Leonard clapped his hands together. “Now that we have the next letter, I don’t think it’s wise to approach the vampire coven. They won’t just hand it over and blood will be shed.”

“They won’t stop the killings,” I countered.

Leonard nodded. “We can create a replica. Adelie, you’ve seen it, right?”

I nodded in agreement. “I don’t think they are that naive, but if I pretend I don’t know what it looks like, they can’t really harm me.”

Esty chimed in. “They need Adelie, I doubt they’ll harm her. Just play dumb, and tell them you’ll bring the real one. Tell them that the vampires had a fake. What will they do? Kill you? Doubt it. Not at first.”

I turned to Esty. “Esty…what’s in that book? The vampire book?” I asked her.

She looked at me through half-closed eyes. “Vampire…stuff. How to kill, how to become one. Vampire family tree. But I’m not sure. Haven’t seen it.”

“Yeah…no one has seen it. Aldred wanted that book like nothing else. I don’t think it’s about vampires,” I said.

“Would vampires have it? Why would they protect it?” Esty asked.

“Maybe we’ve misunderstood this whole time. They were never keeping their secret. Rather saving us all.”

I didn’t know what was in it, but I was determined to find out.

“Given the high risk of this operation, I would like to write my will.”

Leonard nodded. “Standard procedure. I’ll have my accountant speak with you.”

“No need. Just tell them that all my properties go to Maeve.”

I glanced over to see Maeve’s shocked expression. “And Elias goes to shared guardianship under Maeve and Esty.” I looked at Esty. “Will you do it?” I knew Maeve was already on board.

She lifted her chin. “There is no question being asked there. Of course.”

Kairos stood up. “I apologize but… I heard stories of Esty putting your life in danger. Is that not correct?”

It was the first time he had looked at me since the kiss. “You seem to be a fan of me,” I pointed out, aware of how much he had heard.

“Just observant. Why would you trust your child to her?”

A wave of anger washed over me. I stood up, my chair screeching against the floor. “Because she was there when I raised him!” I yelled at Kairos. The room fell silent. Even Kairos seemed taken aback.

I realized how immature and unprofessional I must have seemed. I cleared my throat, straightened my posture, and looked around. “I apologize. But it is not anyone else’s business.”

MAEVE

I leaned against the castle’s wall, idly tossing an apple in my hand. I watched the people, lost in thought, minding my own business.

He was there again, watching from a distance. His eyes were scanning me. “What?” I called out, loud enough for him to hear from where he stood.

A smirk played on his lips as he walked away. “You snooped in the king’s study,” he said. I had hoped no one had seen me. I thought I had gone unnoticed.

I slowly pushed off the wall. “I didn’t mean any harm,” I admitted. There was no point in denying it.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked.

“No,” I replied honestly. He moved closer to me.

“What was it? Maybe I can help.” He was trying to trick me into revealing information. But I had nothing to hide. I was being honest.

“I don’t know him. The king. And too many times, I’ve learned that you can’t trust anyone. I didn’t find anything, but that doesn’t mean I think he’s an ally.”

I tossed the apple into the air and he caught it effortlessly. But I wasn’t about to be treated like a child. I grabbed his wrist and pulled it toward me, but he quickly switched the apple to his other hand and spun me around, trapping me in his arms with my back against his chest.

I could feel his breath on my cheek as he took a bite of the apple. “You know, for a vampire and all that, you’re not very careful when snooping.”

I quickly jabbed my elbow into his stomach, causing him to drop the apple and groan in pain. I turned to face him.

He was right. But not about the vampire part. I had always been good at sneaking around. No one ever suspected me. Collin was the first.

I didn’t even realize I had been caught this time.

“I didn’t do anything,” I said.

He recovered from my hit quickly. “But you were there,” he retorted. His tone was angry, but his eyes didn’t hold the same anger I had seen in him before.

“What do you want?” I asked, looking straight ahead. I was waiting for his grand plan. He wouldn’t be here telling me he saw me if he didn’t want something from me.

“You,” he said, causing me to whip my head toward him.

“Excuse me?”

He looked at me smugly. “I want you.”

I gritted my teeth. “Who do you think I am?” I shouted. “You think just because you’re a beta, women will just bow down to you?” I could feel my blood boiling.

“…your eyes…,” he started to say, but I wouldn’t let him belittle me.

I walked toward him as he backed away. “Do you think you can just boss everyone around?” My hand closed around his neck, but I wasn’t hurting him yet. Even his smile showed that he was okay, enjoying my outburst. “I am stronger than you…”

“What’s the meaning of this?” a loud voice shouted from a distance.

I looked over, my hand still on his neck. It was the king. He was looking straight into my eyes. He had the same look that Collin had when he mentioned my eyes. “I order you. Let him go!” I did as he commanded, but my anger didn’t subside.

The king was really staring into my eyes, as if mesmerized. What… I glanced at the house’s window and saw my eyes reflecting a bright red. From the anger. I dropped my gaze to the ground. “Are you all right?” he asked his beta, who was holding his neck.

I hadn’t hurt him enough for him to be in pain. I barely applied any pressure.

“Maeve. I demand an explanation!” he said. I glanced at the beta. I could swear he was trying to hide a smug smile. “I won’t tolerate you harming my people!”

He looked at the beta. “How long has this been going on?”

“The first time.”

“Any other complaints about her?” he asked.

Collin shook his head. Even when he had the most to gain, he didn’t mention my visit to the king’s study.

The beta spoke up. “If I may, I would suggest putting her to work in the pack’s crop warehouse. A little pea sorting might help her temper.”

“Sorting peas…,” the king repeated. “Then I will need to assign someone to watch her from there. I doubt anyone would feel comfortable knowing she likes to fight.”

“I’ll do it,” he volunteered.

“She just hurt you.” The king echoed my thoughts, just as confused as I was.

“I am not afraid of her, Alpha King, but I would like to ensure that no one else is harmed.” For a split second, his eyes met mine. He was playing with me.

The Alpha King looked at me. “It’s my beta’s call. But Adelie will hear of this.”

The king left us and I looked over at Collin. “Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked.

He gave me a smug grin. “Confess, lady. You’re itching to kill me, aren’t you?” he asked, rubbing his neck.

“Why didn’t you expose me?” I repeated my question.

His gaze locked onto mine as he moved closer. “Listen… I didn’t mean to upset you… I just want a fresh start. Maybe the crop warehouse will give us a chance to understand each other better.”

I was taken aback. “You manipulated the king into punishing me just so you could get to know me?” I questioned. “You’ve despised me since the day I arrived!”

“No, I haven’t,” he denied, as if it was the most absurd thing he’d ever heard. “You just assume that everyone hates you and that you were the one who wanted to kill me.”

“Let me face the consequences of my actions. We don’t need to become acquainted. We don’t need to be friends, Collin.”

His brow furrowed. “Why are you so against the idea?”

“You won’t fool me, Collin…”

He cut me off. “Do you always assume that everyone is out to get you?”

“You have no reason to want to know me…”

He smirked, interrupting me. “I find you extremely attractive,” he confessed. I frowned in confusion. “And you’re incredibly intelligent, powerful, cunning. I find that very appealing.” He wasn’t joking or laughing.

He couldn’t possibly mean that.

“Stop it!” I snapped.

“I’m serious!” he retorted, mirroring my tone. “I find you incredibly attractive and intriguing. I want to spend more time with you.” His voice grew louder with each word. “And I’ll be waiting for you tonight at nine. We’re going for a walk! It’s settled. I expect you to be there!” he practically yelled at me. He was commanding me.

He left immediately after saying that.

I was utterly confused about what had just transpired…

ADELIE

I was busy sketching the image of the book. It was easy to remember. Kairos entered the library, glancing around to ensure we were alone.

He placed some sort of document on the table in front of me. I looked at him, waiting for an explanation. “Your will.”

I readied my pen and opened the document to sign it.

“I don’t think she’s the right one.” I looked up at him. “For Elias.”

“I trust her.” I signed the document and slid it across the table toward him.

“You could find someone better.”

“Who?”

“I can take care of him.”

I tilted my head. “You don’t know me. And I don’t know you. Can you dispute that?”

Another man wouldn’t want to take a child from a woman he barely knew.

“She hurt you.” She did. But she was also there.

“But she also saved my life when I was on the brink of death.”

I wouldn’t have survived Elias’s birth if she hadn’t been there.

“When?” His sudden interest and relentless questioning made me suspect he was lying to my face.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m fine now and hopefully will be for a long time.”

I slid my sketch toward Kairos. “Give this to whoever is in charge of making the replica.”

He gave me a sidelong glance. “I’m not your servant.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, I don’t know what you are. I don’t even know your rank,” I said.

“I don’t have one.”

“You’re the king’s right-hand man. Why not?” I asked. “Could you be a Delta? Maybe a beta?”

“Since I lost my memory, the king didn’t want to assign me a rank until I recovered.”

“Recovered?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes, I could regain my memories at any moment.” I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. Maybe I’d rather not know why he wanted to forget me.

I was torn between feeling guilty, thinking he was lying, and still being angry with the old Kairos who chose to forget.

“And you want that?”

He paused for a moment. “I would like to know who I was.”

“Maybe it’s better if you don’t force it.” If he truly didn’t remember, it was better for him not to know the things he wanted to forget.

“Why do you say that?” he asked me.

“Some people would give anything to forget their past.”

“Would you?” I looked into his eyes. The same eyes that once claimed to love me. To care for me.

“Parts of it. Not necessarily people or events, but the feelings they caused. The negative feelings.”

“What happened in your life that was so terrible you want to forget?”

“I was once naive and foolish. I believed love was eternal.”

“Were you hurt by someone you loved?” Would he ask me these things if he knew the truth?

“Not by him. By my own choices.”

“Didn’t you love again?”

“Love is a complex word. It has many meanings. And I love many things, some of which still cause me pain. I don’t think true love ever fades. We just forget about it. I’m not ashamed that I loved. Only ashamed of how I let it hurt me. And I learned that love might not be for me. Not the kind of love you’re asking about.”

“But you have a son.”

“And?” I didn’t see his point.

“The king said you took him as your own.”

I leaned back in my chair. “I did.”

“Doesn’t he have a father?” I knew someone would eventually ask that.

“He has me. I’m giving him everything.”

“I have no doubt.” He then began to stroll around the room. “Are you done with love?”

“Is that an invitation?” Let’s play, Kairos.

His eyes widened in surprise. “I doubt you’d accept if it was.”

I stood up and approached him. He looked utterly bewildered. “Do you have something to tell me, Kairos?”

He swallowed hard. “Like what?”

“Thoughts that keep you awake at night? Guilt?” His eyes darted across my face. “Do you?” Why was he so nervous?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I stepped back from him and put on a simple smile. “I hope so.”