"Kael."
Kael looked up at the sound of Ramona’s voice. She stood a few steps away, smiling brightly. There was once a time he would have given anything for her to smile at him like that. But now, it seemed irrelevant.
The truth remained that it didn’t matter if she was his fated mate or not. He had given up on her and let the knot in his heart go. The only reason he was here this morning was his brothers.
He gave her a small nod to acknowledge her and then looked toward Councilman Raymon, who was standing beside her.
"Councilman Raymon," he said.
The older man bowed slightly. "Your Highness. How are you today?"
Kael nodded once in reply. That was his way, brief and to the point. Everyone knew he was not one for long greetings.
Still, his quietness made the air around them a little tense, especially when Ramona kept looking at him as if waiting for him to say something more.
He stared at her. She stared back with a small smile on her face.
The silence stretched until her smile began to fade a little. She shifted slightly, her fingers brushing the side of her dress. The moment was starting to feel awkward, and Kael had no intention of correcting it.
"Your Highness," Councilman Raymon said, cleared his throat with a practiced smile. "Ramona was just telling me that you invited her to breakfast today. To join you."
He paused for a second, his tone turning mildly scolding as he continued, "My daughter can be a little silly sometimes. I think she was expecting you might bring her something- a small gift or maybe flowers. That’s what people usually do for such occasions. A small gesture when a gentleman invites a lady out."
Ramona’s face turned slightly pink. "Father..." she said softly, though she didn’t look away.
The councilman smiled faintly but didn’t drop the matter, his eyes staying on Kael, waiting for a reaction.
Kael didn’t speak. He’d done that each time previously... only for all his gifts to be found in the trash on the next morning. He said nothing, simply staring at the two people. If they thought they could make him apologize or promise to bring something next time, they were mistaken.
He looked at the time pointedly and then back at Ramona who was staring at him stubbornly. Finally, he sighed," Since you are not ready, I will take my leave."
With that, he turned around and left the two people standing at the top of the stairs until a moment later, Raymon pushed her forward, almost causing her to stumble as she called out," Wait for me, Kael. I’m ready."
He said nothing, only continuing to walk until she reached him. However, he could not help but frown at her excitement. Why was she brimming with excitement today?
Was it true that she wanted him to woo her and that is why she had finally complained to Lance. But if that was the case, why had she spent years rejecting him, even so until last week. What changed overnight? And why?
There was one way to find out if she was putting on an act... To test her, he placed his hand at her waist, guiding her gently toward the trail he had intended to take.
She stiffened at first, and he braced himself for the familiar wave of disgust that usually came from her whenever he got too close. But this time, much to his surprise, nothing came. Instead, she relaxed under his touch, letting him lead her without resistance. It surprised him so much so that he almost stumbled.
What was wrong with her? For a moment, he considered opening his mind to hers to see what she was thinkin and confirm what had shifted, but then he stopped himself. There was no need.
Whatever she was trying to prove or play at didn’t matter. He was only doing what was required of him until he no longer had to do it. They’d not told anyone about Zen’s return and he was already looking into things in the Scroll room and should find some clues soon.
They walked in silence for a while and though Ramona tried to fill it with an occasional glance or faint smile, Kael didn’t return either only answering when asked a question. And once again, she surprised him by continuing to chatter and not complaining or whining.
His mind was elsewhere when he heard her say, "Kael. What do you think of letting Emira make preparations for our mating ceremony?"
He turned slightly toward her and looked at her with an unreadable expression. He didn’t like her sudden interest in Emira. In fact, he had yet to question her about pushing Emira towards that playboy dog Cassian Redwood and she was already thinking of creating more trouble for Emira?
Before he could question her, Ramona continued, "I’ve been talking to Ryn actually, regarding the invitation to all the werewolf packs and organising their stay etc. After all, its too short a notice. And I don’t want to be tired arranging things. Ryn said Emira is quite good at organising things, and since she is free these days, maybe she could take charge of ours too."
Kael narrowed his eyes slightly, then shook his head, not even considering the request. It was out of the question. For some reason, he had a feeling that she would not like this job. "No," he said. "She’s busy these days."
Ramona frowned. "Busy? With what? She hasn’t been transferred anywhere else yet, has she? And Lance told me that he does not want anyone to go to the Scroll Room for now..."
Kael didn’t answer for a moment before saying," I have work for her so she will be..."
Ramona stopped walking then, forcing him to pause as well. Placing her hand lightly on his arm, she tilted her chin toward the courtyard below. "Kael. I can see that you are protective of her due to the slave bond... But I am not going to hurt her. And what is she even busy with? Look...even now, she’s socialising with the wolves from the Redwood pack."