Free Web NovelChapter 10: Chapter 10: The Wolf’s Gamble
Yue-Senn Tokio Kageyama POV
The fire in her eyes was more intoxicating than any Northern drink I have ever consumed.
She ripped her hand away from my grip, her chest heaving under that blood-red silk. "You have to stop grabbing my hand like that whenever you feel pleased," she snapped, her voice a whip-crack in the silent hall. "You do not have my permission to touch me."
I felt the corners of my mouth twitch. Most women in the North would beg for me to touch them just once. But her Princess Ryophlira looked like she wanted to reach out at anytime just so she could strangle me.
I stepped back, executing a shallow, graceful bow. "My apologies, Princess."
I turned my head, my gaze sweeping over the lingering guards, the trembling officials, and the maids who looked like they were trying to blend into the masonry. "Give us the room. I need to discuss something with my wife."
"Future wife," she corrected instantly, her chin lifting. "I am not your wife just yet."
I couldn’t help it. A genuine smile broke through my mask. She was magnificent.
My gaze shifted to the Kings of the South and East, who were still hovering like vultures. I tilted my head back, my eyes darkening. "That goes for you all as well. Get out."
There was a chorus of muttered curses and the heavy thud of retreating boots. Finally, the massive oak doors groaned shut, leaving us in a silence so thick I could hear the frantic rhythm of her heart.
I looked down at her, and for a moment, the politics and the coming war faded into nothing. The way the sunlight caught her red strands of hair through her silver hair, and the defiant spark in her mismatched eyes. She was a masterpiece of art and fire, a vision that belonged in a frame.
"What is it that you want to talk about?" she asked, refusing to break eye contact.
I stepped closer, the scent of her peach shampoo and fresh roses filled my lungs, I couldn’t help but to take in a deep breath of her scent. "I would like to discuss moving up our wedding date to... hmm. I don’t know? How about two weeks from now?"
She let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. "No."
Hearing her laugh, seeing her say exactly what was on her mind without a flicker of fear. It pulled at a string in my chest I hadn’t known existed.
"I misjudged you," she said, her voice so soft yet stern. "I thought you were a sheep in wolf’s clothing. But today showed me that you are really just a wolf."
I was caught off guard. A sheep? Me? I had spent my entire life being called a monster, a wolf, a shadow. "A sheep?" I repeated, a low chuckle vibrating in my throat.
"You intentionally provoked them to get a reaction," she continued, stepping into my personal space until I had to look down at a sharp angle to see her. "Not to mention, you are absolutely insane."
She leaned in, her heat radiating against my chest. "But I don’t back down to anyone. Not even a wolf."
There was barely a breath of air between us. I reached out, my fingers itching to touch the softness of her hair, to see if it felt as silken as it looked but I remembered her warning. I pulled my hand back, clenching it into a fist at my side.
"Can you blame a man," I whispered, my voice rough, "for going a little insane for someone as beautiful as you? For wanting her to be mine before the rest of the world tries to take her?"
She reached out one slender finger against the center of my chest, and pushed. It was a hard touch then a push that move me back a step.
"Your words don’t flatter me," she said, though I saw the slight flutter of her pulse at the base of her throat.
"Moving the wedding benefits both of us," I argued, reclaiming my professional tone even as my heart raced. "You saw the reactions today. There is no way they will sit and wait three whole months to decide if they want to start a war to take you, or form an alliance. Marrying me in secret, a little early... it would be a massive strategic advantage."
The door burst open.
King Vhaelor marched in, his 6’10" frame filling the doorway like a thundercloud. His eyes were still glowing that terrifying gold-and-blue, his aura heavy with protective rage.
I immediately raised my hands and stepped back, creating a respectful distance between myself and his daughter. I might be a wolf, but even a wolf knows when to respect the Alpha of another pack.
"Ryophlira," her father rumbled. "Come. Let’s go."
She turned, but before she followed him, she looked back at me over her shoulder. "I will think about it."
"How will I know your answer?" I called out. freewēbnoveℓ.com
She didn’t stop walking. "You’ll know. I’ll tell you myself."
Then, it happened. A small, fleeting smile touched her lips a real one. It was gone in a heartbeat as she vanished into the hall with her father, but it stayed burned into the back of my eyelids.
I stood in the empty room, the silence rushing back in. My heart was still hammering against my ribs, and all I could think about was the way that tiny smile had made the frozen North feel a lot less cold.
