Chapter 118
PRIMUS ALEXANDER’S POV
“What have you done this time?” Levi asked, slumping into the chair opposite me.
I didn’t even glance up from the goblet in my hand. “I didn’t do anything.”
“And why on earth are you drinking? I thought you stopped months ago?” he grumbled.
“Hmm.” Stopped because Aquamarine didn’t like the smell whenever I got close.
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He groaned, dragging a palm down his face. “Alexander, I just got out of a bloody three–hour death match with Count Vlad. I don’t have patience for your sulking. Spit it out, or I walk.”
The words rolled off my tongue before I could stop them. “It’s Clifford.”
That got his attention. His brows arched, waiting.
“He’s getting on my nerves,” I muttered. “Too protective of Aquamarine especially now that she’s sick.”
Levi let out a short, humorless laugh. “And? Isn’t that what you wanted? Why you chose him in the first place? A strong wolf to replace Aaron. Hybrid blood, more useful than half the warriors you’ve got.”
I shifted in my chair, jaw tight.
Yes, that had been my reason. But what Levi couldn’t see what none of them could see–was how Clifford’s shadow lingered too close to her. Always a step behind, always in her ear.
“He’s overstepping,” I said. “Yesterday he defied me. And now…” I forced the words through my teeth. “She marked him.”
Levi’s head snapped back. “So he’s officially a Kyrexeis now?”
I gave a sharp nod. The mark still burned in my mind, her lips on his skin where they had no business being.
Levi leaned back, crossing his arms. “Then what’s the problem? This way, no one can question him or Aquamarine. Not even the Elders. You should be relieved. I’ll have tons of load off my back.”
Relieved. The word curdled in my gut. He didn’t understand. None of them did.
“It’s not about that,” I said flatly. “It’s how she marked him. What if she did more? What if she exchanged blood, formed a bond, and doesn’t even realize it? You know she doesn’t understand these things.”
Levi studied me for a beat. Then his mouth curved in that infuriating smirk. “Alex… are you jealous she bit him?”
My head whipped up. “What? No. Of course not. Why would I be jealous of my mate and her Kyrexeis?”
His eyebrow rose higher, daring me.
8:27 Fri, Sep 12
Chapter 118
“I’m not,” I repeated.
“You sure you don’t have feelings for her?”
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I barked a short laugh. “I need her child. That’s it. Whatever you’re thinking–it’s just lust. You’ve said it yourself, you know how lustful I can be.”
But even as I said it, the words tasted weak. Hollow.
Levi didn’t blink. “Don’t feed me that bullshit, Alexander. I’ve seen the way you look at her. I know how you drift when she’s near, how your thoughts scatter the moment you smell her. I know how you freeze when you’re watching her from a distance.”
“I don’t love her, Levi,” I growled lowly.
“I don’t think so. I knew you fell in love before she even marked you. And after that, it grew. You cried when Gaia almost killed her,” Levi pressed, voice deliberate.
My jaw twitched. That was different. She had been bleeding in my arms–any mate would’ve snapped.
“You butchered half your men and Elders over rumors you could’ve silenced with a word.”
They deserved it for questioning me. For questioning her.
“You flew across continents in less than five hours just to get her chocolate and perfume…”
I looked away, heat crawling under my skin. That wasn’t… it hadn’t been about the perfume. I just-
“…just because you like the way she snickers and smiles at you. Or the way you purposely confuse her with letters because according to you, she looks ‘cute‘ when frustrated.”
I gritted my teeth.
He paused, letting the silence choke the air between us. Then his eyes burned through me. “Do you want me to continue?”
My mouth opened, but nothing came out.
“And no,” he went on, quieter now, “you didn’t do any of that because you need her womb. You didn’t do it to break your curse. You did it because you can’t bear to live without her. That’s why you’re trying so hard to keep your curse from touching her. Isn’t it?”
I just stared at him. My chest felt too tight, my hands curling into fists against my knees. I don’t need lectures from him. Love is a weakness, I’ve gone through that before and going through it again is something I won’t give in to.
Finally, I smirked., “I was thinking of sending Juliet to meet you at Vlad’s.”
Levi’s eyes lit up instantly. Lovesick fool.
“Changing the subject only proves me right.”
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Chapter 118
My grin faded.
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“Alexander… it’s either you tell her after this dragon mess is over, or you’ll lose her. Clifford will sway her because trust me- the whole kingdom is seeking a day with him. The women, the men, even the eunuchs.”
I laughed, sharp and low. “Aquamarine wouldn’t be swayed so easily.” She doesn’t even like me that much even with my strength and looks. Clifford is just a hybrid pup-”
Levi chuckled darkly. “Yet this boy’s presence rattles you. Why? Because he’s younger than you… and you’re an ancient artifact? A fossil wearing human skin?”
I shot him a glare, heat rising under my collar. He wasn’t wrong.
That was one thought I’d buried, shoved into the back of my mind for months. Hearing it out loud twisted the knife.
What if she finds out I’m thousands of years old? How irritated would she be?
Levi leaned back, tossing the trinket in his hand from palm to palm. “That reminds me. Why the hell are you still letting that snake slither around the castle in an Elder’s robe? I heard some of the maids even call her lady.” His face curled in disgust.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m still using her to irritate Aquamarine.”
“And it’s working?” His tone was mocking.
“Yes.” I shifted uncomfortably. “Maybe too well. After yesterday she’s acting like she can’t even catch my scent. Letting Clifford touch her openly.”
Levi stilled, eyes narrowing. “What did you do?”
“Nothing much,” I muttered, my gaze slipping away.
“I don’t trust your words.” His voice cut through, sharp as bone snapping. “What did you do to the Luna, Alexander?”
I dragged in a breath. “I… collected my main core and the weapon I forged for her. I burnt them in her presence.” The words tasted like ash on my tongue. “And I might have called her a man. Compared her to Fiona.”
Levi’s eyes widened. The trinket slipped from his hand. “You what?”
“I collected-”
“And you’re saying it again?” He cut me off, fury spitting from every word. “That’s the worst thing you could’ve done! Are you insane?”
“I thought-”
“Five days, Alex. I left you for five days, and you’ve already wrecked everything!” His voice thundered through the room. “Having sex with her again is even better!”
8:27 Fri, Sep 12
Chapter 118
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“I had no choice!” I snapped back. “I needed to end this fast. So I can finally shield her from Gwen-”
“But at what cost?” His snarl cut me down. “What if instead of weakening the bond, you unknowingly rejected her? That weapon binds both of you in more ways than one, and you just made her watch that?”
My chest tightened, a sudden hollowness spreading like rot through my
ribs.
“What if it finally snaps,” Levi’s voice dropped, low and lethal. “Or worse… what if her wolf already rejected you? That’s why she fell sick. That’s why she can’t catch your scent. That’s why it was so damn easy for her to mark Clifford.”
The words hit like claws raking across my skull, leaving my head pounding and my veins burning.
