For name and fame

Orion's POV:

The silence stretched between us like a blade, sharp and cutting. I watched as Stella's jaw tightened, her green eyes flashing with a fire that made my wolf howl with desire and frustration in equal measure.

"Come on," she said, her voice rising with passion and conviction. "You can't be comparing yourself with me. Thieves can't be compromised with diplomacy or talking, so our kingdom's rule is to just kill them. All we ever do is for the safety of our people."

She paused, and I saw her hands clench into fists at her sides. When she spoke again, her words hit me like physical blows.

"But you—" She pointed at me through the bars, her finger trembling slightly with emotion. "You conquer kingdoms for the sake of yourself, out of pure selfishness for name and fame. You only want the world to know yourself as a monster so they will give their lands to you willingly out of fear."

Each word she spoke was like a dagger to my chest, not because they weren't true, but because of how she saw me. How the world saw me. How I had built myself to be seen.

"And if you wish to conquer my kingdom, it won't happen," she continued, her voice growing stronger, more determined. "I will not let my kingdom be taken down under your rule. We will never pay yearly taxes to you unnecessarily so that you can have one more collection in your empire."

The fierce determination in her voice, the way she stood there defending her people, her kingdom, her beliefs—it was magnificent.

Even as her words cut me deeper than any sword ever could, I found myself admiring her more with each passing second.

She was everything a queen should be: loyal, brave, protective of those under her care.

She was perfect.

And she was right about me. Everything she said was exactly what I had built my reputation on.

The fear, the taxes, the conquering for the sake of power and recognition. It had all been part of the plan, part of building an empire that would span continents.

But looking at her now, seeing the pain and disappointment in her eyes when she looked at me, I felt something shift deep inside my chest.

Something fundamental that I hadn't expected.

"I'll never conquer your kingdom, Stella," I heard myself saying, the words coming from somewhere deeper than conscious thought. "After knowing that it belongs to your parents, and your parents gave birth to a beautiful girl like you—how can I take that away from you?"

Her eyes widened slightly, and she seemed somewhat relieved that I wasn't going to conquer her Kingdom.

God's! she doesn't have to be afraid of me. How can I instill this in her mind that she has nothing to be afraid of and that she had won my heart already - and he wouldn't even lay his finger on her.

Then something like surprise flickering across her features.

But I wasn't done.

"However," I said, stepping closer to the bars until I could smell that intoxicating scent of wild roses and rain that clung to her skin, "I want you, Stella. Come with me to Valdris. You are just a princess here, but I won't just make you a queen—I'll make you an empress."

The offer hung between us like a bridge she could either cross or burn.

I held my breath, waiting for her response, hoping against hope that she might consider it.

But she shook her head, stepping back from the bars as if my proximity was dangerous. "I don't want to," she said firmly. "My principles are not the same as yours."

She looked away for a moment, and I saw something vulnerable flash across her face before she continued. "You know what? My father asked a prophet when I was young about my future mate, and he told him that I would be mated to the strongest and most powerful conqueror alpha."

My heart stopped. A prophet had seen our bond?

Had known we were destined for each other?

"I was dreading the day of meeting you," she continued, her voice growing softer, more pained. "I knew you would be against my ideology. But..."

"But?" I pressed, desperate to hear what came next.

Her green eyes met mine again, and I saw the war raging behind them. "But after seeing how you talk, how you think, I'm feeling that I am staying with my past decision. I don't want to accept the bond."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

She turned to leave, but I couldn't let her go.

Not like this.

"So you're really going to give up our chemistry for your ideology?" I called after her, gripping the bars so tightly my knuckles went white. "That's not fair, Stella!"

But she didn't stop. She didn't turn around. She just kept walking until the sound of her footsteps faded into the distance, leaving me alone with the echoing emptiness of her rejection.

I stared at the empty corridor for a long time, her words replaying in my mind over and over.

The prophet had told her she would mate with a conqueror. She had been dreading meeting me her entire life, and I had lived up to every one of her worst expectations.

"Perhaps," I said quietly, turning to look at Ricky who was watching me with wide eyes, "I should give up being a conqueror for her."

"No," Ricky said immediately, his voice firm despite his usual nervousness. "Don't let all your work go to waste. Just justify your purpose instead. Being a conqueror is part of who you are, and Stella must love every side of you, not just the parts that fit her ideals."

I nodded slowly, his words making sense even as my heart ached.

He was right. I couldn't just abandon everything I had built, everything I was, for someone who wouldn't accept me as I truly was.

But maybe there was another way.

Maybe I could show her that being a conqueror didn't have to mean being a monster.

I began pacing the small confines of my cell, my mind racing with possibilities.

How could I convince her that we belonged together?

How could I make her see that our bond was stronger than our differences?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized I needed to speak to her again.

But when would she come back?

Would she come back at all, or would she avoid me now that she had made her decision clear?

The waiting was driving me insane.

Every minute that passed felt like an hour, every hour like an eternity.

I needed to see her, to talk to her, to make her understand.

Perhaps it was time to break free from this cell and go to her bedroom, wherever she was, and convince her properly.

The bars that held me were strong, but not stronger than an alpha's determination to claim his mate.

The decision crystallized in my mind like ice forming on water.

I would find her tonight, and I would make her listen. Our story wasn't going to end with her walking away in this dungeon.

It was only just beginning.