Chapter 20 Wen #2
“Close enough. Noble family. Connections to the council. Delusions of grandeur.” He showed me a basic stance.
“Now, when someone insults you, the proper response is not to throw water. The proper response is to strike here-” He tapped his own throat.
“Windpipe. Or here-” He pointed to his ribs. “Kidneys. Much more effective.”
I was still laughing when Mal’s voice erupted in my mind.
“Little mate, where are you? I heard what happened. Are you alright?”
I jumped about a foot in the air with a scream that echoed off the stone walls, nearly stumbling over my own feet in shock.
Aurion grabbed my arm to steady me. “What happened?! Are you hurt?”
“I-” I pressed my hand to my head. “I just heard Mal’s voice. In my head. I’m losing it. I’m actually going insane.”
Aurion relaxed and started laughing, the sound coming out in genuine amusement. “Oh. No, that is normal. Well, normal for mates. It is the bond. You can communicate telepathically.”
“What?”
“The mate bond allows for mental communication. It requires effort and energy, but it is possible.” He looked amused by my shock. “Has he not explained this to you?”
“No! He definitely did not mention that I’d start hearing voices in my head!”
“Probably because you have been avoiding him for a week.” Aurion shrugged. “Try responding. Focus on the bond. On him. Picture pushing your words through that connection.”
I closed my eyes. Felt for the bond between us. That golden thread that had become as familiar as my own heartbeat. Imagined sending words along it.
“Training room. Three.”
The effort made my head pound. Like I’d just sprinted up a flight of stairs. But I felt the words leave me and travel through the bond to him.
A few minutes later, the door slammed open and Mal stormed in. His eyes found mine immediately. He crossed the room in long strides and pulled me into his arms.
“I heard what happened.” His voice was muffled against my hair. “I am sorry. She had no right to speak to you that way. I will handle it.”
“All you say lately is that you’re sorry.” I pulled back to look at him. “That’s not working so well for me.”
He winced. “I know. But I do not know what else to say. I am sorry for bringing you here. Sorry for this situation. Sorry that woman thinks she has any claim on me.”
“Maybe you should tell her that.”
“I cannot. Not yet. Not until-”
“Until you have proof against Andreas. Yeah. I know.” I sighed. “I’m tired, Mal. I’m so tired of pretending.”
Aurion cleared his throat. “I will give you two some privacy. Though I suggest you lock the door. Training rooms see a lot of traffic.” He headed for the exit and paused to look back at Mal. “Teach her properly. She has terrible form.”
The door closed behind him.
Mal looked down at me. His expression was torn between guilt and something that looked dangerously close to pride. “You threw water on her.”
“I did.”
“The entire castle is talking about it.”
“Good.”
His lips twitched. “Do you want me to teach you how to kick her ass, little mate? I would do it myself, but I know you want the honors.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes. Teach me. But if you mention being sorry one more time, I’m throwing water at you too.”
“Noted.”
We trained for the next hour. He showed me how to break holds, where to strike for maximum impact, how to use my size as an advantage rather than a weakness.
His hands adjusted my stance, positioned my arms, corrected my footwork.
It felt good to move, to channel my frustration into physical action instead of swallowing it down.
And having him touch me, even just to correct my form, was a relief after a week of pretending we were strangers in public.
“Good,” he said after I successfully flipped him onto a mat. “Very good. Now do it again.”
We were both sweating now. Both breathing hard from the exertion. He came at me again and I used the momentum he’d taught me, hooking my leg behind his and using his own weight against him. He went down and I followed, ending up on top of him on the mat.
Our faces were inches apart. His hands had come up to catch me, settling on my waist. His chest rose and fell rapidly beneath me.
“Well done, little mate,” he murmured.
I meant to get up. Meant to step back and demand we go again. But his hands tightened on my waist and I found myself frozen there, straddling him, staring into his eyes that had gone from gray to red.
Our lips were so close. Just a breath away. I could feel the heat radiating off him, could smell his scent, stronger now with exertion. Could feel him hardening beneath me, pressing against my core through our clothes.
I shifted slightly without meaning to. The friction sent a jolt of need through me that made my breath catch.
I’d missed his touch so much. Missed this connection.
And the week of unsatisfied aching hadn’t helped.
I was constantly aware of him through the bond, constantly wanting what I couldn’t have.
His pupils dilated. His hands on my waist gripped harder, pulling me down against him more firmly.
“Wen,” he breathed. Half warning, half plea.
I leaned down and kissed him.
The kiss was desperate from the first second.
His mouth opened under mine and I poured a week’s worth of frustration into it.
His hands moved from my waist to my hips, grinding me down against him as he kissed me back with equal desperation.
I could feel exactly how much he wanted me through the thin fabric separating us.
Could feel my own body responding, growing wet and needy.
One of his hands tangled in my hair. The other slid under my shirt, finding bare skin. I moaned into his mouth and rocked against him harder, chasing the friction we both needed.
The door burst open.
“Council has requested a meeting,” Aurion’s voice said.
We broke apart. I scrambled off Mal, my face burning. Mal sat up slowly, his breathing still uneven, his eyes still red.
Aurion stood in the doorway with an expression that was grim despite having just interrupted us. “Immediately. About the incident in the dining room.”
The brief moment of heat shattered.
Mal’s expression hardened. Back to the Wolf King. “When?”
“Now. They are assembling as we speak.” Aurion’s jaw was tight. “Amaia has made a formal complaint. She is demanding Wen be punished for assault.”
“She will demand no such thing,” Mal said with dangerous quiet.
“She already has. And the council is listening.” Aurion looked at me. “I am sorry, Gwendolyn. This is going to get complicated.”
I looked between them, Mal’s furious expression and Aurion’s grim one.
“How complicated?” I asked.
Aurion hesitated. “The council could demand you be sent back through the portal. Or imprisoned. Or worse, if they decide you are a threat to the stability of the kingdom.”
My stomach dropped.
“They will do no such thing,” Mal growled. “I am king. They cannot-”
“They can challenge your judgment. Especially if Andreas uses this as ammunition.” Aurion’s expression was apologetic. “This is exactly the kind of situation he has been waiting for. Proof that you are distracted. That you care more about a human than your duties.”
Mal looked at me and I saw the war playing out across his face.
“Go to the meeting,” I said quietly. “Handle it. I’ll wait here.”
“I am not leaving you alone when-”
“You have to.” I stepped back. Put physical distance between us because I knew he’d make the wrong choice if I didn’t.
“This is what we’ve been pretending for.
This is why I’m just a servant and you’re just a king who brought back a curiosity from another realm.
So go be the king. Handle the council. I’ll be fine. ”
His hands clenched into fists. “If they try to harm you-”
“They won’t. Because you won’t let them.” I forced a smile I didn’t feel. “Go. Before they decide your absence is more evidence of poor judgment.”
He held my gaze for a long moment, then nodded once and turned to Aurion. “Have guards posted outside this room. No one enters except you or me.”
“Already done.”
They left together and the door closed behind them. I heard Mal giving orders to the guards outside, his voice muffled through the thick wood.
Then silence descended on the training room. I was alone with mats and dummies and the knowledge that a council of wolves was about to decide my fate, and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it except wait.