No Way

Kael raises an eyebrow with something that looks momentarily like surprise but then he blinks, and just like that, whatever it was is gone. Replaced by that familiar, polished nothing.

I sometimes forget to account for just how beautiful and how hollow he is. If he doesn't move for long enough, he looks like a very expensive mannequin.

The silence stretches between us and I let it. I've gotten good at that.

"This is deeply inconvenient," he finally says.

I exhale slowly and nod.

Yes. Thank you. Very helpful.

"More than you can imagine," I tell him, keeping my voice controlled and direct, because that is the only register he actually responds to. Anything warmer and he stops listening, "You need to mark me. As an Omega, I don't have the energy this baby needs to grow as a strong wolf. Your mark will ensure the safety of both me and the baby."

He says nothing for a few seconds, his gaze fixed on me with cool detachment. Then, without warning, he lets out a deep sigh and leans back in his chair, crossing his arms, narrowing those pale eyes at me.

Beautiful and cold. Always both, always at the same time.

"I take precautions every time," he murmurs, almost to himself, like I'm not standing right in front of him, "So explain to me how this is possible. We haven't even been intimate in a while."

We haven't been fucking as regularly as normal. That's what he means. He just can't bring himself to say it plainly, which I find interesting given how plainly he says everything else.

My thoughts drift, briefly and against my will, to a night about a month ago.

"I can remind you," I begin, letting just a little of the bedroom into my tone… for just one second.

"That won't be necessary," he snaps, looking defensive all of a sudden as if he’s in the presence of a temptress, "The last thing I need is you distracting me like this."

Right. Of course.

I press my lips together and say nothing. I've learned when a door is being shut in my face.

When he continues, his voice has already shifted, as if he's decided this conversation is a logistical problem rather than a personal one.

"Whatever is going on there," he says, and he gestures toward my stomach. A vague, dismissive wave of his hand, like he's pointing at a spreadsheet error, "Doesn't matter right now. I am not marking you. Not yet."

I feel my fingers curl at my sides, nails pressing into my palms.

I'm not surprised. I want to be clear about that—I am definitely not surprised.

Kael has always had an extraordinary talent for denying his wolf's needs, locking them somewhere so deep down that even the bond can't reach them. And because I don't have a wolf of my own, I have nothing to push back with.

The bond is weaker on my side, but sometimes it feels like it doesn't exist on his at all.

"Just reject me, then," I murmur, shrugging in defeat.

There's a tight knot in my stomach as I say it, like something small and stubborn is protesting the words. But rejection is the only other option. The doctor was clear about that.

Something shifts in Kael's expression, barely.

"That is also not an option. Not at this time. You have to wait."

I stare at him.

He is dismissing both solutions. As though marking me and rejecting me are equally inconvenient scheduling conflicts, and I should simply pencil myself in for a later date when he has more availability.

Something breaks open in my chest. I've been controlled and composed for this entire conversation, and I am suddenly, completely done.

"I know you don't love me," I snap, and my voice comes out harder than I planned, "but this could be life or death for me. Do you really not give a single shit?"

His expression pinches. He doesn't like it when I swear, but I’m not currently interested in things Kael doesn't like.

"And it isn't even just about me, it's about your child as well. If you—"

"Can't you just wait?" he growls, and those icy eyes lift to mine with something that actually looks like frustration. Genuine frustration. It's rare enough that it almost stops me. Almost, "Now is not the time, Elara. It's the worst possible time for a pregnancy. I haven't touched you in about two or three months, so I don't even—"

"I haven't gone to check exactly how far along I am," I cut in, "but I remember the last time we fucked. About a month ago. You were drunk."

He blinks.

Kael doesn't get drunk very often. It's one of those things he considers a loss of control, and Kael doesn't lose control. Except that once.

"You were very out of it," I add, carefully.

He frowns. Then something crosses his face and he lets out a low growl, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He always does that when he's stressed.

I remember that night with a clarity that is embarrassing.

He came home later than usual, louder than usual, the rigid lines of him softened so much, he was almost unrecognizable. He'd just been told he was eligible for the Worldwide Council—the youngest candidate in its history—and for the first time since I'd known him, he was happy. Genuinely, unguardedly happy. I didn't know his face could do that, to be honest.

He slipped into bed clumsy and warm, collapsed half on top of me, and then he giggled.

I think that's what undid me. That ridiculous, uncharacteristic giggle.

Something in me defrosted and I let him touch me however he wanted. He was uncontrolled that night, and so thoroughly, genuinely himself beneath all those thick armored layers he carries everywhere.

I felt the bond more alive than ever before and I let myself sink into it, enjoying it way more than I should have.

I think I loved him for the first time that night.

And then, stupidly—so stupidly—I let myself believe that the change was permanent. That the man underneath had just needed the right moment to surface. That maybe this was the beginning of something different.

It wasn't.

The next morning, Kael was himself again.

The armor back in place, the distance restored, the giggling man replaced without a word of acknowledgment. Like it never happened.

That was what started the cold war. Not anger, exactly, just the exhaustion of hoping for something and being proven wrong again.

"Sit down," Kael says now, tapping the spot on his desk where Seraphine had been perched when I walked in.

I give him the flattest stare I own and don't move.

"Suit yourself," A brief pause, "Look… I had a conversation with Alpha Andreas a few days ago. Apparently, my approval ratings have gone down. I've been too focused on other things and we haven't been seen together as much, so people are back to thinking I'm an asshole."

I wonder why, I think, very loudly, inside my head.

I say nothing. I let him continue.

"You know I need the votes to get into the Council," he starts, and gives me a pointed look that I receive without expression, "And it's possible that I won't get them, if we don't do something about it."

"We?" I ask.

"Yes. We," He takes a breath, "There is a reality TV show I’m sure you’ve heard about. Mate or Break. It’s a high-profile production with direct ties to the Council's public evaluation system. Participation will significantly influence perception ahead of the Alpha ranking."

I blink. I'm not sure I heard that correctly, "A reality show."

"Yes. We will say you want to divorce me because I don’t give you enough attention, I’m too busy with work, I’m too cold, not romantic enough for you… Whatever, I’m sure we can come up with something,” he waves his hand, as if he didn’t describe exactly why I would actually like to divorce him, “But throughout the show we will present ourselves as the stable and devoted couple we are. You will pretend to fall back in love with me and then we’ll become the it couple again. I know it’s too much, but public approval is not optional if I intend to secure my position. It’s a must. I need the fucking votes, Eli. I’m not letting this opportunity pass me by.”

He pauses, and his gaze softens just slightly as it settles on me. He’s not completely unaware, he knows exactly when to show me something real to manipulate me.

"During the show, you have to behave as the perfect fated mate… and I’m sure you’ll do a great job,” he adds, voice deceivingly sweet. I don’t buy it for a second, “Because any deviation will directly affect my standing, and I will not allow unnecessary variables to interfere with something I have spent years building, okay?”

Unnecessary variables.

He means me. My feelings. My needs. My pregnancy, possibly.

I am an unnecessary variable to my fated mate.

I stand there absorbing that when something tugs low in my stomach—the weak, stubborn little thread of the bond, complaining about something it can't put into words.

"What happens after the show?" I ask. Because if he's going to treat this like a transaction, I am at least going to hear the full terms before I agree.

He holds my gaze, and this time there's no hesitation.

"Once I secure my position in the council, it's unshakable," he says, steady and certain. "So… if you help me, I will do whatever you want. I can either mark you or dissolve the bond. At that point, you will have complete freedom to choose what happens between us."

I let that sit for a moment.

Everything that matters to me, reduced to something built around everything that matters to him.

As always.

"I understand," I say. My voice comes out even. Calm.

Kael watches me, and for just a moment something moves through his expression. Like he expected something else. Resistance, maybe.

"I'll do it."

I don't wait for him to respond. There's nothing else to say, and I've spent enough of this morning in rooms I don't want to be in.

I turn and walk out.