Independence นิยาย & เรื่องราว

I said. “No,” he replied. “Today was about confirming my assumptions.” “And?” I asked. “And you’re exactly what I thought you’d be,” he said. I swallowed. “Which is?” “Effective,” he said. “Brilliant. And dangerously independent.” There it was. Independence. “Is that a crime now?” I asked. “It is when it threatens control,” he replied. “Control of what?” I asked. “Of narrative,” he said. “Of influence. Of power.”

“Like I need help. I don’t need anyone in my life. I am independent and I want to be like that forever.” “Independence doesn’t mean not depending on others and doing everything on your own. It means having the strength and freedom to choose when and when not to depend on others.” Our gaze was bound by the gravity tightened around us like those thorny vines in the paintings. “This world might be filled with billions of people, but in reality… it’s a very lonely place, princess.” His words sliced through my chest. He spoke as if he knew how I was abandoned in my past, how I cried and screamed at nothingness to stop haunting me.

“On purpose.” Kane’s voice was low. “That’s a strategic decision.” “Yes.” And that mattered. Because unpredictability— It was power. It made it harder to model. Harder to counter. Harder to control. “Selene,” Arden said, “this is another step.” “I know.” “Toward what?” Cassius asked. “Independence,” Kane answered. The word settled heavily in the room. Because that was the direction everything pointed to. Not rebellion. Not takeover.

“So you see Mr. Lockwood, you don’t know me like you think you do.” “Oh no I don’t, the woman I know would never wish anyone’s death. The woman I know will never do anything to hurt me, the woman I know will never attack my company, knowing fully well that it’s my family’s legacy and I won’t want its reputation getting soiled. The woman I know will never speak to me like I mean nothing to her, she would never act indifference around me. The woman I know always counts my happiness in anything she does, so if you being like this means that I don’t know you, then yes, I agree, I don’t know you.”

“Sweetheart, dependence and independence aren’t opposites,” Caroline said with a small, knowing smile. "No matter if you're human or one of us supernaturals, we're all basically pack creatures. It’s wired in our bones. We look after each other, lean on each other. Being independent doesn’t mean you have to tank every crisis alone. Sometimes learning to rely on someone is exactly what makes you stronger." Her explanation had too many layers. My brain caught maybe half of it.

This was the living, breathing core of him. “Independence,” he began, “isn’t a preference for me. It’s a survival mechanism. From the moment my family disowned me after Belgrade, the message was clear: your value is conditional. Fail, and you are alone. So I built a life where being alone wasn’t a punishment, it was the design. My skills, my instincts, my morality—they were the only constants. The only things I could depend on that wouldn’t… evaporate.”

Anabelle felt a little lighter, as if Jude’s words had lifted something heavy from her shoulders. “You always know how to make things make sense,” she said quietly. He smiled. “I just remind you of what you already know,” he said. “You’ve worked hard for where you are. Don’t let anyone rewrite your story.” His words struck deep. She nodded slowly, her fingers tracing the rim of her cup. “Thank you, Jude,” she said. “Really. I needed that.” He leaned forward, his voice softer. “Anytime. Just remember—being independent isn’t about fighting alone. It’s about standing firm, even when the ground shakes.”

He looked at me. “They believe we are rising.” “We are.” “And rising kingdoms often mistake momentum for invulnerability.” “That’s the cost of progress,” I said softly. That night, we received the sixth tremor. Not economic. Not military. Political. A minor noble in the southern territories declared independent tariff adjustments, citing “regional autonomy.” Small. Insignificant in scale. But dangerous in symbolism. Dominic summoned him immediately. The man arrived defensive. “I merely adjusted local rates for efficiency.” “Without consultation,” Dominic replied calmly.

/

He listened to the outline and nodded in the particular way he nodded when something had arrived at the correct conclusion through a process he respected. "The founding bloodline operated independently in the original framework," he said. "Not subordinate to any Alpha, any Council faction, any territorial authority. That independence was the point of it." He held my gaze. "You're right that putting it in a chair changes it. A chair can be pressured. A chair can be surrounded by people with interests. An independent voice is harder to capture." "Harder but not impossible," I said.