Semua Bab The cursed mate's return : Bab 221 - Bab 230

Maia's povA woman’s voice spoke through the tinted glass, very sharp and almost amusing.“Kael,” she said. “You really should know better than to wander into Rydan’s nest.”Veyra.Kael stiffened. “You shouldn’t be here.”“And you shouldn’t bring her here.” Her voice tilted into a smile I could hear even through the wall. “Does she know what this office means?”My pulse quickened. I whispered, “What office?”Kael didn’t answer.Veyra’s tone sharpened. “This is where he offered Kael the position she begged him for. This is where Kael declined me and ruined my standing. And this......” her voice softened to something venom-sweet “.....is where he asked Rydan to intervene with you.”My chest tightened immidiately.Kieran swore under his breath. “She’s stalling. She wants us rattled.”Kael didn’t move, didn’t breathe. I stepped up beside him.“Is it true?” I whispered.His jaw clenched. “Not the way she says it.”“That’s not a no.”Before he could answer, Veyra spoke again—closer now.“Co

Kael's povThe first thing I noticed once we reached the new safe space was how small it felt.Not because the room was physically small, if anything, it was too open. An unfinished executive floor with glass edges, exposed beams, and dust that caught the faint evening light. Wide windows wrapped the room in a reflection of the city lights far below.But Maia made the space feel tighter. The moment she stepped inside, the air changed.She walked toward the far window with slow, deliberate steps, the worn soles of her boots whispering across the concrete. She didn’t hesitate. Didn’t look behind her. Didn’t check whether Kieran and I were close.She just needed distance from us, from what we’d seen, from whatever she found in that folder that she still hadn’t shown.I should have given her space. Instead, I followed.Not close enough to crowd her, enough that she’d think I wanted something she wasn’t ready to give.Just close enough to feel the gravity of her presence tug at me like it

Kael's povKieran returned after an hour, though the quiet around Maia and me made it feel shorter. He paused when he saw us sitting along the window ledge, shoulders almost touching, neither of us speaking.His eyes flicked between us, taking in the shift he couldn’t name. He didn’t comment. He never did when something mattered too much.“We can’t stay long,” he said, placing a fresh stack of encrypted tablets on a table coated in plaster dust. “They’ll notice we slipped through the side access sooner than later.”Maia straightened, but slowly, as if her muscles didn’t want to. She pushed her hair behind her ear with a tired motion and stood.I rose beside her without thinking.Kieran watched me for a second, and I knew he was cataloging every detail, storing it the way he did with anything that could turn into either an advantage or a problem.“We need to talk,” he said. Not to Maia. To me.I nodded.Maia glanced at us, reading the unspoken tension instantly. She never missed anythi

Maia's povKieran suddenly walked in front, tablet in hand, scanning the route. Kael stayed behind me, close enough that I felt the heat of him every time the corridor narrowed.I should have been focused on the path, on the mission, on Rydan’s agents who could be a few turns behind us.But my mind kept circling the same question.What happened between us before the wipe.Kael knew.Kieran probably knew too.Everyone seemed to know except me.The thought unsettled something deep inside my ribs.The tunnel bent to the right. Kieran paused at a rusted junction box, tapping in coordinates.“We’ll reach the old metro control room soon,” he said. “We can rest there. Ten minutes at most.”Kael nodded but kept his attention on me. He always did that when he wanted to say something and didn’t know if he should.I didn’t give him the chance.“When were you planning to tell me,” I asked.Kieran froze. Kael stiffened behind me.I kept walking, forcing both of them to catch up.“Tell you what,” K

Kael's povI knew something was wrong the moment she said his name.Aeron.The way it left her mouth, weighted—told me more than any story Kieran could ever brief me on. It wasn’t the name of a stranger. It was the name of a wound.And the moment he stood there looking at her with empty recognition, something inside me tightened.He didn’t know her but she remembered everything and the difference made the hallway feel colder.After we put distance between us and that office wing, Maia walked ahead with her shoulders held too straight, too controlled. Anyone else might have thought she was calm. I knew better. Her silence wasn’t peace. It was pressure.Kieran keyed another door open. “Stairwell. Two floors down. Less risk.”Maia nodded and stepped inside. I followed her, closing the door behind us. The stairwell smelled like metal and concrete, nothing delicate enough to soften her expression.She sat on the second step and rested her elbows on her knees.Just tired in a way people onl