Chapter 4

Irwen’s POV

The silence in the guest room was heavier than the throbbing pain at the side of my head. A healer stood nearby, her hands glowing with a faint golden light as she worked on the gash near my temple. The cool sensation of her magic slowly numbed the ache, but nothing could touch the hollowness spreading in my chest.

Her touch was gentle, almost motherly. “Done,” she murmured, pulling her hands away and giving a small nod of approval.

I returned her nod with a quiet, almost broken, “Thank you.”

She gathered her tools without a word, offering me a final glance before slipping out the door. The soft click of the door closing echoed through the chamber, and only then did I allow my shoulders to slump. Alone at last.

I released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. My fingers brushed the edge of the bandage. The blood had stopped, but the sting remained. Not from the injury—but from everything else. From the betrayal, the humiliation, the public unraveling of a life I’d tried so hard to hold together.

I was just rising from the cushioned seat near the window, ready to leave this place behind, when the door opened again—this time without warning.

I froze.

Alpha King Kairos stepped into the room with quiet authority, his presence filling the space like a sudden storm. He wore black reinforced armor with silver inlays along the edges, and his aura—cold, sharp, unyielding—clung to him like a second skin.

I stood quickly. “I—I greet you, Alpha King.”

He raised a hand, silencing any further greeting. “Sit.”

I obeyed without protest, heart pounding. I wasn’t sure if it was fear or anticipation that made my breath catch. Maybe both.

He crossed the room, slow and composed, stopping a few paces away from me. “Where do you plan to go next, Lady Irwen?”

"I blinked. I never expected him to ask that. The Alpha King had helped more than I had anticipated. Getting half of Darien's fortune— that was beyond my plan, and he surely wouldn't let it go."

“I…” I hesitated. “I haven’t decided yet.”

“You cannot return to your pack,” he said flatly, his voice a blade of truth. “Darien will not forgive what you’ve done. You’ve destroyed his image in front of the Council. That kind of humiliation doesn’t go unpunished. If you return, he’ll torture you—or kill you.”

The bluntness in his voice didn’t shock me. It grounded me. I swallowed and nodded slowly.

"I had thought about it. He had lost his respectful demeanor and was expelled from the alliance. At least I knew that Darien was a man who liked to seek revenge."

“I know,” I said, quieter now. “That’s why I won’t go back. I’ll disappear. Find somewhere far enough that even his shadow won’t follow.”

His dark eyes studied me for a long, unreadable moment. “Do you consider him weak?”

The question pulled me upright. My gaze met his. “No. Not in strength. He’s formidable in battle. I’ve seen him break bones without blinking. But strength without wisdom is a beast without direction. He’s reckless. Cruel. And in matters of the mind, of leadership… he lacks discipline.”

A flicker of something passed over Kairos’s face. Amusement? Approval?

“You have a plan?”

“I always do,” I replied, lifting my chin slightly.

He crossed his arms over his chest, and his gaze sharpened like a blade. “I know Lady Irwen is brilliant.”

The compliment stunned me more than it should have. People had called me many things: manipulative, frigid, calculating. But never brilliant. Never with respect.

I stared at him, unsure how to respond.

“I want to offer you sanctuary,” he said, voice calm. “You could stay in my pack—Ashwood Howler.”

The words struck harder than I expected.

“Your Majesty… I can’t accept that. It’s—too much.”

“You think yourself undeserving?”

I looked down. “I don’t think the world will let me accept something like that. Not after what’s happened. I’ve already been called a disgrace. A Luna who broke the bond. A woman who aired her pack’s shame for all to see. If you take me in… they’ll call me your whore.”

His silence was deafening.

I risked a glance upward. But there was no anger in his eyes. No revulsion.

“I don’t care what they say,” he said, his tone final.

That stilled me completely.

“You’re not just any Luna. You’re a woman born of ancient blood.”

My heart froze. “How do you know that?”

"Even Darien didn’t know about it, I kept it hidden. Like... well, that’s what I’ve been doing all this time."

“I make it my business to know what matters,” he said coolly. “And you matter. I’ve seen the way your presence disturbs shadow magic. You suppress energy that others can’t even sense. It’s in your blood.”

People always say that Alpha King Kairos is terrifying and powerful. I’ve never seen him fight, but I know now that he truly is. A mysterious power, like being in a darkness that offers no chance of escape.

“I won’t force your secret into the open,” he continued. “But I need you to understand something. That gift—your lineage—it’s not just rare. It’s vital.”

“To what?” I asked, voice quiet.

“To keeping me alive.”

His words slammed into me.

“What… do you mean?”

“There’s a curse in my bloodline,” he said evenly. “A slow petrification of the heart. My heartbeat is already changing. One day, it will stop. And when it does, I will die.”

The room felt colder. Alpha King Kairos had just revealed his secret.

“No healer can touch it,” he added. “No magic has slowed it. But you might.”

I stared at him, heart pounding. “You want me to heal you? But.. how…?”

“I want to offer you a bond,” he corrected. “A marriage of protection and power. We would stand together—not for love, but for survival. I need an heir. And I believe that your presence, your power, could stop the curse long enough for that to happen.”

The words sank in like stones. There were many things happening today, and with all the surprises, I was frozen for a moment.

“You… want a child?”

“I want a future,” he said. “Not just for me, but for the kingdom. And I don’t want a dozen wives to get there. I want one partner. A single agreement.”

I couldn’t breathe for a moment. Everything he said made sense, and yet it felt unreal.

“And in return?” I whispered.

“I’ll give you sanctuary. Authority. A place no one can question. You’ll have your freedom. And I will never take another woman, not even for politics. You will not be a pawn. You’ll be a queen.”

I didn’t know what to say.

This man, feared across the kingdoms, was offering me something I’d never dared dream of: safety, power, and a place beside him.

“I need time,” I whispered, still stunned.

Kairos inclined his head. “Of course.”

But as I looked at him, the clarity came. My fate had changed the moment I stood up in that council room and refused to be silent. This—this was my new path.

“If I agree,” I said slowly, “we seal it with a blood vow.”

He met my gaze without flinching. “Naturally.”

I took a breath that didn’t tremble this time.

Then it’s time I stopped running. Time I started building something of my own, even if it began not with love, but with power.

I look at his eyes, a set of golden orbs that leave no hesitation.

Didn't I start with love before, only to be shattered incredibly? It was so painful.

This time, I will act to my advantage. I must keep living and get what I want.

I said, “I agree.”