KHAI’S POV “So, in other words, this entire meeting was useless,” Alpha Samuel said as he pressed the bridge of his nose with his fingertips. It had been an hour since I sent Soraya back to the pack. The rest of the meeting had been characterized by back-and-forth bickering. I did not say a word after Soraya’s little show in front of them. No one had ever challenged me like that — not in public, and not with Ragnar sitting right there, savoring every second. She didn’t just speak out of turn; she undermined me, cut straight through my words, and slapped me in front of alphas who would kill for less. And I let her walk away. That’s the part I can’t shake. Not the slap. Not the look in her eyes when she said I was becoming what I hate. But the fact that I didn’t end it right there. If it had been anyone else, their blood would already be cooling on the floor. She doesn’t understand this war, the cost of it, the weight of the graves I’ve had to bury. And still, she stoo
SORAYA’S POV “Why are we taking a different road?” I asked the driver. “This other one is a private road, reserved exclusively for alphas in transit,” he explained, his eyes remaining solely on the road. Of course. I was no alpha. I was nobody. I sank deeper into my seat, wallowing in the pain Khai had carelessly inflicted on me. The last time I felt this much heartache was the day I found Ragnar’s shrine—right before he revealed the bitter truth of why he truly married me. He married me because I looked like the woman he truly loved. He admitted to only using me, sleeping with me only because of my face and nothing more. That could break any woman who had genuine feelings for her husband—especially after she had given her all to an emotionless marriage for over a year. Yet after all of that, nothing could compare to the hurt I felt right now. Somewhere deep within me, I had believed that Khai was different and that he would treat me better than my ex-husband. How
SORAYA’S POV Aggressively, Khai rose to his feet. The fury radiating off him was enough to drop a block of fear on all our shoulders. I had never seen Khai look at anyone the way he looked at Ragnar in that moment — like a wounded animal willing to spend its last breath on revenge. “Don’t you dare lie, you bastard! Don’t you dare deny the lives you’ve taken. Own up to the fact that you’re a murderer!” Khai’s voice thundered across the table. “I’m not denying the raids on your villages,” Ragnar said evenly, though his jaw ticked. “But those bombs are none of my doing.” Khai leaned forward, both palms braced against the table. “You expect me to believe that? Coward—” “Enough!” The word burst out of me before I could stop it. “I can’t believe the both of you are willing to risk innocent lives over this meaningless ego war.” Silence fell. Khai’s head turned toward me slowly. “What did you just say?” I swallowed, but I didn’t look away. “This isn’t about me. This is abo
SORAYA’S POV I felt like royalty. True royalty. That was one of the things Khai had made me feel and Ragnar had not. The way he always made sure I was dressed like a queen, the way he always wanted me by his side, the way he held my hand in front of everyone... it was all so surreal to me. Some may think of it as the bare minimum, but after a year with a closed-off husband, this was the definition of princess treatment to me. We arrived at the location of the conference in a convoy. Khai’s men filled the three cars ahead and the five behind. And for some reason, I was starting to believe there was a bit more security than that. A valet opened the door for Khai. Once he stepped out, he held out his hand for me. Gently, I took it, and he helped me out of the car. My eyes wandered over our surroundings. The conference was being held at one of the hosting alpha’s palaces, but I was able to recognize some of Ragnar’s men in the security. Good Lord, he was here. My bod
KHAI’S POVHammers and drills.That was the sound that filled the air as I made my way through my pack. The scent of wet cement and sweat lingered in the air, along with the grunts of my working people. Everyone was busy — it didn’t matter if they were builders or not. In order for my pack to return to what it used to be, everyone had to help.And one thing about my people? They always cooperated. We were a family.But I knew it was only a matter of time before that trust and cooperation started to waver. If these attacks from Ragnar carried on, my people would start to lose faith in me. Asides from that, this reconstruction was taking a lot from the royal treasury.More reason to fuel my desire to kill that scumbag.“I want Ragnar’s palace crippled. His armories, his barracks, his supply routes — I want them gone. Every move he makes should cost him blood and resources,” I ordered Ronan as we made our way through the under-construction halls.Ronan looked at me with uncertainty.“
SORAYA’S POV The door to the room came bursting open, and my eyes locked with Khai’s. He rushed to my side, wrapped his arms around me, and placed my head on his chest. “Ssh, ssh. It’s okay,” he said soothingly as my body trembled against his. My shaky hands gripped his shirt so hard, one would think I was scared to let go. And I was. The tears spilled out of my eyes like a waterfall. The sob that wracked my throat was almost equivalent to the one from yesterday. But Khai didn’t complain. He said nothing, actually. He just held me there tightly, whispering words of comfort in my ear. “Nothing is going to happen to you, darling. You’re safe now. You’ll always be safe with me,” he said in a tone so gentle, it was hard to believe he was the one speaking. I don’t know how long we sat there, wrapped in each other’s arms, but when I finally calmed down a bit, he cupped my face in his hands. He didn’t say anything for a while — just stared at me in silence. His attention most