Semua Bab FORBIDDEN BOND: The Alpha's Desire : Bab 131 - Bab 140

(Kael's POV)I didn’t wait for her to speak again.Didn’t look at her face, didn’t give her the grace of watching me break anymore.I turned my back on my mother.The same way she had turned hers on the truth.My feet moved faster than my thoughts. I pushed through the thick forest without knowing where I was going, heart hammering, eyes trying to focus on the path I'm walking but all I could see—Was the look in her eyes: Shame, yes.Guilt, maybe.But no real answers. Not the ones I needed. Not the ones I deserved.The moment I reached the palace walls, it felt like the world slowed.Guards at the gates stiffened. Their gazes fell, pretending not to notice me, but I could see it—The flinch.The awkward hand movements and throat clearing.The pity.The curiosity.As if I’d grown two heads.But what had I expected? I'm pretty famous now, I was the prince’s lover, the festival’s honored guest, no longer just Kael—But the boy who had slept with his own brother.A bastard.A mistake.A

(Kael's POV)𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒔, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒆—𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒔. 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈… 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒊𝒕?---He kissed me again.Softer this time, slower, like we were relearning the shape of each other’s mouths. There was nothing rushed. Nothing demanding.Only a quiet ache.When his hand slid from my cheek to the back of my neck, I didn’t stop him. I didn’t want to. His palm was warm against my skin, grounding, steady, so unlike the storm inside me.I wrapped my arms around his waist and held on. Maybe too tightly. Maybe like I thought he’d vanish if I let go.“I can’t lose you,” I whispered into the crook of his neck.“You won’t.”“You don’t know that.”His arms tightened around me. “I’m still here.”I pulled back just enough to look at him. “But what if they t

(Kael’s POV)The quiet lingered even after Aaron was gone.I stood there, my hand still in Alaric’s, trying not to cry again. My heart ached, not just because Aaron was leaving, but because goodbyes, even the softest ones, had a way of scraping old wounds raw. I don't know why I'm thinking too much about it but disputes between kingdoms aren't known to end well. I don't want him in any sort of danger. He's too much of an angel for that.He was my safety net. My anchor through the worst of it. And now he was returning to a kingdom that needed him — as he should. But it still hurts. I sometimes forget that he's not Veridian.Alaric didn’t say anything. He didn’t rush me or tell me to sit or speak. He just held my hand.When I finally turned to look at him, his eyes were already on me.“He’s always been there,” I said softly.Alaric nodded. “He loves you. You know that, right?”I nodded too, I know Aaron loves me, and sometimes it makes me wonder what I've done in a past life to deserve

The vaulted chamber smelled faintly of polished steel and parchment, red and gold banners hanging heavy in the still air. The sound of boots against the marble floor echoed as Alaric approached the long table where King Theron sat at its head, his fingers steepled, eyes sharp as if weighing every breath that entered the room.Silas lounged in his chair to the king’s right, sprawled like a bored cat, swirling the wine in his goblet even though it was barely past sunrise. He had been there for an hour and had yet to contribute more than a sigh.King Theron didn’t bother hiding his impatience.“Eldoria expects our answer,” he began, his deep voice filling the court. “They have sent for our aid against the Selvane threat. The alliance with Eldoria has strengthened our borders over the past few years, but now it has also placed us directly in Selvane’s path.”Alaric’s jaw tightened. “Selvane doesn’t negotiate.”“They never have,” Theron said. “They speak their own tongue and trust no one o

Kael didn’t hear the voices around him anymore. The pounding of his heart drowned out the world, each beat a reminder that Alaric was gone. His knees dug into the cold stone, hands clutching the ground as if it could anchor him, but nothing could stop the shuddering sobs that tore out of him. Alaric is gone without a date of return and Kael can't just deal with it.“Kael.” A voice called out to him. The voice was deep and steady, the kind of voice used to command armies, but it softened when it said his name.He didn’t look up. He just couldn’t. His chest felt like it was splitting apart, and the ache only grew heavier with every breath.King Theron stood over him for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly, not with anger, but with something that almost looked like… concern. “Alaric asked me to look after you,” he said, low enough for only Kael to hear. “You shouldn’t be out here like this.”Kael shook his head, the motion sharp, desperate. “I’m fine,” he rasped, though his voice broke hal