Chapter 7

I headed back to the Blackwood Estate, exhausted and discouraged.

The sun was already beginning to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and gold.

I hadn't found a place.

Not a single one.

Everywhere I went, doors seemed to close the moment people recognized my name.

I wrapped my arms around myself.

Staying at the estate was becoming a problem, but leaving seemed impossible.

And after the conversations I had overheard in town, I couldn't afford to stay much longer.

People were already talking.

I couldn't let them think Alpha Kael was keeping me.

The thought alone made my stomach twist.

As I approached the gates, one of the guards immediately straightened.

Relief flashed across his face.

"Thank the Moon Goddess you're back, Miss Aria."

I frowned.

"What happened?"

The guard shifted awkwardly.

"Alpha Kael was considering sending wolves to look for you."

I blinked.

A search party?

Surely that was unnecessary.

Unless...

"Aurelia?" I asked.

The guard nodded.

"Young Miss has been asking for you since she returned from school."

Guilt immediately settled in my chest.

I thanked him and hurried inside.

The estate felt different.

Too quiet.

Even the servants seemed tense as they moved through the hallways.

Something was wrong.

I headed to my room and dropped my things before making my way toward Aurelia's room.

The closer I got, the more uneasy I felt.

When I pushed open the door, my heart sank.

Aurelia was curled beneath a blanket covered with embroidered moons and stars.

Her cheeks were flushed.

Her usual bright eyes looked dull and tired.

The sight alone was enough to break my heart.

The moment she saw me, her eyes brightened.

"Aria."

Her voice was weak.

Far too weak.

"I've been waiting for you."

I crossed the room immediately.

"I'm here now, sweetheart."

I brushed a hand against her forehead.

My heart dropped.

She was burning up.

"Aurelia..."

I looked at her in alarm.

"You're running a fever."

She gave a tiny shrug.

"I know."

"Where's your father?"

"He went to get medicine."

Her eyes were already drifting shut again.

"He'll be back soon."

I sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand.

It felt too warm.

"When did this start?"

"At school."

She sniffled.

"My teacher called Daddy."

Then she squeezed my fingers.

"I kept waiting for you."

The words hurt more than they should have.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"It's okay."

She smiled faintly.

"You're here now."

Then her expression turned serious.

"You're not leaving, right?"

The question stole my breath.

I looked down at our joined hands.

I didn't know how to answer.

I couldn't stay forever.

But looking at her now, pale and sick and searching my face for reassurance, I couldn't bring myself to tell her that.

The door opened before I could respond.

Kael entered.

His gaze immediately found Aurelia.

Then me.

Then our joined hands.

Something unreadable crossed his face.

"Aria isn't leaving tonight."

His voice was calm.

Certain.

As though the matter had already been decided.

.

Aurelia's shoulders visibly relaxed.

"See?" she whispered, giving me a small smile.

I wasn't sure whether she was talking to me or herself.

Kael placed a small paper bag on the bedside table.

"The pack doctor said the fever should break by morning."

Aurelia made a face.

"The medicine tastes awful."

"It still needs to be taken."

His tone left no room for argument.

I almost smiled.

Even sick, Aurelia wasn't exempt from her father's rules.

Kael picked up the bottle of medicine and poured the required amount into a small cup.

Aurelia immediately turned her face away.

"No."

"Aurelia."

"No."

His voice grew firmer.

Her refusal became equally determined.

"No."

For a moment, father and daughter simply stared at one another.

I had to bite back a laugh.

The feared Alpha of the territory was losing a battle against a seven-year-old.

Aurelia crossed her arms.

Kael's jaw tightened.

The silence stretched.

Then both of them looked at me.

I blinked.

Why were they looking at me?

"Aria," Aurelia said pitifully.

I sighed.

"Sweetheart, if you take the medicine, I'll stay until you fall asleep."

Her eyes immediately narrowed.

"You promise?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful. Now she'll expect rewards every time she takes medicine."

I nearly choked.

Did Alpha Kael just make a joke?

Aurelia apparently thought so too because she giggled before accepting the medicine.

The victory looked expensive.

She swallowed it and immediately grabbed the cup of water.

"Terrible," she declared.

"Yet you're still alive," Kael replied dryly.

I stared at him.

Maybe all those rumors about him being made entirely of ice weren't completely accurate.

Aurelia accepted a few spoonfuls of porridge before deciding she had suffered enough for one day.

When she refused another bite, Kael surprisingly didn't push.

The doctor had probably warned him not to.

Once she was done, I helped her into the bathroom.

She leaned heavily against me.

The poor thing was clearly exhausted.

By the time we returned, her eyelids were already drooping.

Kael had adjusted the blankets and dimmed the lights.

For some reason, that small act touched me more than I expected.

Most Alphas would have left such things to servants.

Kael had done it himself.

Aurelia crawled into bed and immediately reached for my hand.

I sat beside her.

"Time to sleep, Moonbeam," Kael said.

"No bedtime story." she said.

His brows lifted slightly.

That seemed to be a first.

She yawned.

"I just want Aria here."

A silence followed.

I looked at Kael.

For a brief second, something unreadable passed through his expression.

Then he nodded once.

"If Aria agrees."

Aurelia immediately looked at me.

Hope filled her tired eyes.

I smiled.

"Of course I'll stay."

The relief on her face was immediate.

Within seconds, she settled deeper beneath the blankets.

Still holding my hand.

Still refusing to let go.

I looked down at her and felt my chest tighten.

Maybe finding a place to stay could wait one more day.

Just until she got better.

Just until she stopped looking at me like I was someone she couldn't bear to lose.

Across the room, Kael was watching us.

When our eyes met, something strange passed between us.

Then he looked away first.

"Get some rest, Aurelia."

His voice was quieter now.

Softer.

Aurelia mumbled something unintelligible.

A few moments later, her breathing became slow and even.

She was asleep.

I carefully brushed a strand of hair from her face.

Neither Kael nor I spoke.

The room felt strangely intimate in the silence.

And for the first time since my rejection, I wasn't thinking about Lucas.