Five

Daisy

The palace was in controlled chaos, and for the life of me, I didn't know what to think of it.

Servants rushed through the corridors with bolts of black silk and silver threaded veils draped over their arms, while guards stood straighter when I passed, bowing low enough that their foreheads nearly touched the marble floors. Like that wasn't enough, the air also buzzed with whispers.

“She’s lucky.” someone muttered when I passed the lower hallway.

“She’s shameless.” another person has quipped while I was going up the stairs.

“One night and she caught both twins.”

I kept my spine straight and my face blank, even as their words scraped across my nerves.

Lucky. They thought I was lucky? If they only knew.

Every step toward Nathan’s father’s chambers felt heavier than the last. That room had always been the most comfortable in the pack house, wide windows, carved oak panels, with the faint scent of old cedar and authority, now it belonged to them.

To Caspian and Octavian

I told myself I was here because we needed clarity, because I would not walk into a ceremony blind, but that wasn’t the whole truth.

The truth was treacherous, and I almost felt bad for even thinking that way. Almost.

The truth had everything to do with his mouth on mine in the dark, his hands mapping my body like he had memorized it long before that night. The low, possessive sounds he made against my skin, the way I had arched into him instead of pulling away. The way he'd filled me up and called me a good girl for taking him in, the way he'd sucked on my boobs and….

Heat crept up my neck at the memory. My thighs pressed together instinctively, the wetness coating my pussy pushing against the lacy fabric on my underwear, and I forced myself to breathe.

“Focus Daisy.” I muttered to myself. “This wasn’t about last night.”

I knocked once, but there was no answer, so I pushed the door open anyway. He stood at the far window, his back to me, his broad shoulders outlined against the fading afternoon light. The charcoal suit was gone, and had now been replaced with a crisp black shirt rolled to the elbows. Ink crawled down his forearms like dark vines and for a fraction of a second,I had the urge to trace my fingers along the intricate patterns on his skin.

He didn’t turn immediately, so I took the initiative to lead the conversation.

“I want to talk,” I said. My voice sounded steadier than I felt. Slowly, he pivoted to face me, and then he just looked at me. It wasn't a glance nor was it a casual once over you gave someone at the bar. He gave me a stare so intent it felt physical.

Like fingers trailing over my skin without touching. My stomach churned under the weight of it,my pulse skipped,my skin burned and I just knew that if I spent more time than necessary under his gaze, I was going to lose it.

Say something, Daisy.

“I thought our agreement was one night,” I continued when he didn’t speak. “One night with no names, no ties and no consequences.”

He still didn't say anything. He just kept that gaze, like he was enjoying staring at me more than anything else.

“I kept my part of the bargain,” I pressed. “I left before dawn. I didn’t follow you. I didn’t seek you out. So why didn’t you stick to yours?”

Silence stretched between us, thick and deliberate, then he spoke.

“Why do you think I came back?”

His voice was lower than usual. It was quieter, and for some reason, it didn't boom.

I swallowed. “For the debt.”

A corner of his mouth curved slightly, but it wasn’t in amusement.

“Do you want the truth?” he asked.

Something in the way he said it made my throat tighten.

I opened my mouth to answer, but no sound came out.

He took a step toward me, then another and another, and immediately, instinct made me step back.

He followed each of my steps, each one of them measured and unhurried. My spine hit the wall before I realized how far he’d backed me up.

He stopped close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating off him, but he didn’t touch me.

There was space between us, barely.

His hand lifted slowly, and braced against the wall beside my head. He wasn't pinning me, not quite, but he was just close enough that I felt contained.

His scent wrapped around me, and that was when I noticed it, something was… off. He was familiar, yes, but not exactly the same as last night. Not the same intoxicating heat that had wrapped around me in the dark. This one was sharper, cooler and laced with something calculating.

My heart began to race for an entirely different reason.

“If I tell you the truth,” he murmured, leaning in slightly, “you won’t like it.”

“Try me,” His breath ghosted across my cheek as I whispered, even though my voice betrayed me with a slight tremor.

“You ran,” His eyes darkened as he said softly. “You shouldn’t have.”

A shiver slid down my spine.

“Why are you really here?” I shot back before I could second-guess myself.

“Simple.” His gaze sharpened. “For you.”

The words were straight to the point and it made my stomach twist.

“You expect me to believe that?” I challenged. “You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough.”

He leaned closer, and for a heartbeat I thought he was going to kiss me.

I braced for it, my body traitorously anticipating the contact, but he didn’t close the distance.

He didn’t touch me at all, and that’s when it clicked.

Caspian touched, even when he didn’t mean to. He was physical, commanding, with heat and instinct.

This man on the other hand, was controlled and precise and was studying and.

“Who…..”My breath caught as I started..The door opened behind him and footsteps entered the room. I tore my gaze away from the man in front of me just as another presence filled the space.

This one was stronger, hotter and familiar in a way that made my pulse spike.

“What’s going on?” I looked back at the man braced against the wall, then past him, and my stomach dropped to my feet.

Caspian stood in the doorway, his tailored jacket back on, golden eyes blazing, and power radiating off him in suffocating waves.

I turned slowly to the man in front of me. He had the same face as Caspian, the same height, the same ink, but the eyes? They were colder, with a flicker of amusement dancing in them.

Octavian’s lips curved ever so slightly as he stepped back from me, finally putting real distance between us.

“Well,” he said smoothly, adjusting his cufflinks. “This is awkward.”

Caspian’s gaze flicked from his twin, to me, to the space where Octavian had had me cornered against the wall and the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.

“I asked,” Caspian repeated, voice dangerously calm, “what is going on?”

And suddenly, I wasn’t sure which twin I should be more afraid of.

Shit.