Chapter Eight

Kia

I didn’t sleep. Every time I tried, my body reminded me why that wasn’t happening. 

The pain in my shoulder wasn’t dull or fading like it should have been. It was sharp and constant, like it wanted me to remember every second of what they did. 

I lay there staring at the ceiling for a long time, then I gave up and sat up slowly, biting down on a breath when the movement pulled at the burn.

When the knock came, I didn’t answer. I didn’t move. I just stared at the door like maybe it would go away if I ignored it. It didn’t. The lock turned anyway, and the door opened like it always did, like I had no say in anything anymore. 

A guard stepped in and looked at me like I was already late for something. “You’re expected downstairs,” he said, and I almost laughed because expected sounded so normal, like this was just another day.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, but my voice came out quieter than I meant it to.

He didn’t react. “You weren’t asked.”

I pushed myself up, slower this time because I knew what would happen if I moved too fast. The burn pulled again, sharp enough to make my jaw tighten. I didn’t make a sound. I wasn’t giving them that. Not again.

“Move,” he added, and I did, because arguing wasn’t going to change anything.

I kept walking, trying not to think about it, trying not to think about anything at all. That seemed easier now. If I didn’t think, I didn’t feel as much. At least that’s what I told myself.

I turned the corner into the main corridor without really paying attention, my head slightly down, my mind somewhere else, and that’s when I walked straight into someone.

 Not a light bump, not something I could brush off, I hit him hard enough that it knocked the breath out of me for a second, and pain shot through my shoulder so fast I sucked in a sharp breath.

“I’m sorry,” I said automatically, already stepping back, my hand lifting without thinking, but I didn’t even get the chance to move away properly.

A hand grabbed my arm, tight and sudden, and yanked me forward again. My back hit something solid and I barely managed to keep my balance. “Watch where you’re going” a voice snapped, low and sharp, and I looked up properly this time.

The man holding me wasn’t someone I recognized, but I didn’t need to.

“I said I’m sorry,” I repeated, my voice tighter now, trying to pull my arm back, but his grip didn’t loosen.

His eyes moved over me like he was assessing something, like I was already a problem he needed to deal with. “That’s not good enough,” he said, and something in the way he said it made my stomach drop.

“I didn’t mean to,” I started, but he didn’t seem interested in hearing it.

His hand shifted slightly, not letting go, but tightening just enough to make it clear he could do more if he wanted to. My body tensed before I could stop it, every instinct kicking in at once, but I didn’t move. I knew better.

“Enough.”

The guard froze instantly, his grip loosening just enough that I could pull my arm back, and I did, taking a small step away before I even realized I was moving.

I knew that voice.

I didn’t want to turn, but I did anyway.

Lycan King Xander stood a few steps away, calm and composed like always, like nothing ever touched him. He looked exactly the same as he did that night. Same face, same eyes, same everything.

Except now, those eyes were cold… Completely cold.

His gaze shifted from the guard to me, slow and steady, like he was just taking in the situation. Like that was all this was.

For a second, everything in me just… stopped.

This was it. This was the moment. He was going to recognize me. Say something. React. Anything.

His eyes met mine, It was like looking at a stranger.

“She’s nothing,” the guard muttered, sounding annoyed now, like I’d wasted his time. “Just another…”

“I said enough.”

Xander didn’t raise his voice, but something in it sharpened just slightly, enough to shut him up immediately. The guard stepped back without another word.

I stood there, still trying to process it, still waiting for something that wasn’t coming.

There was nothing, If anything, he looked bored, like this whole thing was beneath him.

“Be more careful,” he said finally, his tone flat, like he was addressing a stranger in a hallway.

My chest tightened, but I didn’t react. I didn’t say anything. I just stood there, holding his gaze for a second longer before he looked away first.

“Let’s go,” he added, already turning, his attention shifting completely like I didn’t exist anymore they walked past me… Just like that.

I didn’t turn to watch them go. I didn’t need to. I already knew what I’d see. Him walking away without looking back. Without caring.

I stood there for a second after they were gone, my arm still slightly tense from where the guard had grabbed me, my shoulder still burning under the fabric of my shirt. But that wasn’t what I was focused on.

It was the way he looked at me, I let out a slow breath, forcing my hands to relax at my sides.

Of course.

What did I expect?

That he’d say something? That he’d acknowledge me? That one night meant anything to someone like him?

Stupid.

That’s what that was.

I shook it off, or at least I tried to, and started walking again because standing there wasn’t going to change anything. Nothing was.

“Move,” the guard behind me said again, like I’d forgotten, and I did, my steps steady even though my chest felt tight.