Chapter 16
Zoren
I stood at my office window, staring at the report in my hands while trying to control the hollow feeling in my chest. Lieutenant Chen's weekly briefing was thorough as always, but this time it contained information that couldn't have come from our usual channels. Information that could only have come from one source, and I didn't like coming to that conclusion one bit.
"How long?" I asked, not turning around.
Chen remained silent for a moment. "Three weeks, sir. Since the Marcus incident."
Three weeks. Three weeks of Lyrian working behind my back, connecting with my lieutenants, and building his own network within my organization. I should have been angry. Instead, all I felt was a deep, aching hurt.
He wasn't trying to betray me. He was actually trying to help me, but I couldn't make myself feel that way.
"He's good," Chen continued, each word said in such a way she didn't piss me off. "His intel has prevented two minor betrayals and identified a weak point in our security. The captains are... impressed."
Of course they were. Lyrian's empathic abilities made him uniquely suited for intelligence work. It was exactly why I'd wanted to keep him away from it. The more valuable he proved himself, the bigger target he'd become. We couldn't risk more people trying to hurt him.
"Who else?" I asked, finally turning to face her.
"Rodriguez. Santos. A few others, too." Chen met my gaze steadily. "They're discrete, sir. And they understand the need to protect him."
I laughed. Who did she think she was trying to fool? "Protect him? By encouraging him to put himself at risk?"
"With respect, sir," Chen's voice was measured, "he's protecting himself by building allies. The cartel respects strength. Right now, many see him only as your mate, your weakness. But if they saw what he could do—"
"They'd try to use him," I cut her off. "Or kill him."
"Or follow him," she countered. "Alongside you. The way Santos's team already does."
I leaned against my desk, suddenly tired. Santos. One of my most loyal captains, now working with my mate behind my back. It shouldn't have surprised me. Lyrian had a way of inspiring loyalty, of making people want to protect him while simultaneously wanting to follow him. It happened with me, too.
A knock interrupted us. "Enter," I called.
Rodriguez burst in, face flushed with urgency. "Sir, we've intercepted communications. The Vipers are planning to hit the south warehouse tonight. They know about the weapons shipment."
"How did they—" I started, but Rodriguez was already shaking his head.
"They didn't. It's a trap. They think we're moving weapons, but Lyrian sensed something off about one of the dock workers last week. He had Chen's team investigate." Rodriguez glanced at Chen. "The worker confessed to feeding false information. The Vipers are walking into our ambush."
My blood ran cold. "Where is Lyrian now?"
The silence that followed confirmed my worst fears. Dammit.
"He insisted on being there," Chen said, her words almost impossible to make out. "He can sense if anyone approaches from hidden angles. Santos has his best men—"
I was already moving, barking orders into my phone. "Lock down the south warehouse. No one moves until I get there. And find my mate!"
The drive to the warehouse district was a blur of fury and fear. Lyrian was seven months pregnant. He should be safe at home, not playing spymaster in the middle of an ambush. Yet a small voice in my head reminded me that without his intervention, we might have lost the entire shipment. Without his abilities, we wouldn't have known about the trap at all.
I wished we didn't have to rely on him so much. He was bound to use that to his advantage, trying to make me change my mind.
When we arrived, gunfire was already echoing across the docks. I spotted Santos's team in defensive positions, and there—behind a stack of containers—was Lyrian, protected by a wall of our best fighters.
He shouldn't be here. He should be safe at home, sipping his tea and taking care of our unborn children.
Our eyes met across the distance. Even from here, I could see the determination in his face, the way he was challenging me to tell him he was wrong. He wouldn't apologize for this. He was proving a point.
A point that was going to get him killed.
The firefight ended quickly. The Vipers, realizing they'd been set up, retreated in disarray. We lost no one, took minimal damage, and captured three of their lieutenants. A complete victory.
All thanks to my mate's deception.
I found him afterward in Santos's command post, calmly directing clean-up operations like he'd been doing this his whole life.
"Don't," he said before I could speak. "Don't say it was too dangerous. Don't say I should have stayed home. This worked, Zoren. It worked because I was here."
"You could have died." I could barely control myself. "All three of you could have died."
"But we didn't. Because I had protection. Because your people—our people—kept me safe while letting me do what I do best." He stepped closer and took my hand. "This is who I am. Who I need to be."
I looked at our joined hands, feeling the pulse of life beneath his skin. Everything I loved, everything I feared to lose, contained in one precious being.
"Sir," Chen appeared in the doorway. "The captains are requesting a full debrief."
I nodded, mind already working. I couldn't keep fighting this battle on two fronts—against our enemies and against my own mate. Something had to change.
I made my decision on the drive back to the compound. No matter how much he wasn't going to like it, what happened today would never repeat.
Every fiber of my being screamed to protect what was mine, and if Lyrian wouldn't do it willingly, I'd ensure it happened anyway. I spent the next morning implementing new security protocols, each one designed to keep him safe. He was going to obey me. We had been doing just fine when he was less interested in helping.
In fact, he was more helpful when he wasn't so involved in my day-to-day affairs.
"Double the guard rotation," I instructed my head of security. "No one enters or leaves without complete verification. And I want real-time tracking on all of Lyrian's movements within the compound."
The constant state of surveillance on him wasn't entirely a good thing, but still better than the alternative.
"Sir," the man hesitated, "Mr. Lyrian won't like—"
"Lyrian's safety is not up for debate." My tone left no room for argument. I didn't want anyone arguing with me. I knew what needed to be done. People needed to fall in line and understand their place. "Install the new security systems today."
By afternoon, the changes were obvious. Guards posted at every corridor leading to our private wing. New electronic locks on the doors. Security cameras covering every angle. A protective cage wrapped in velvet, but a cage nonetheless.
Lyrian noticed immediately when he returned from his morning meetings. I felt his presence before I saw him, standing in my office doorway, his face a mask of disbelief as he surveyed the new security measures. He couldn’t believe I had ordered the changes.
Honestly, he should have known I'd address his behavior.
"What is this?" His voice was quiet, and controlled, but I could hear the anger beneath it. He couldn't hide it fully, and I didn't need his powers to notice it.
"Additional protection," I replied, not looking up from my paperwork. "After last night's incident, it's clear we need better security protocols."
"Better security protocols," he repeated every word slowly. "You mean restrictions. Surveillance. Ways to control me."
Now I did look up. "Ways to keep you safe. You're seven months pregnant with our children, Lyrian. I won't apologize for protecting you."
"By turning our home into a prison?" He stepped into the office, closing the door behind him. "I saw the new guard rotations. The monitoring systems. You're tracking my movements now?"
"For your safety. You know how much I care about you—"
"Stop saying that!" His outburst startled us both. "This isn't about my safety, Zoren. This is about your fear. Your need for control. I've started to notice that a long time ago."
I stood, coming around the desk. "You went behind my back. Worked with my lieutenants without my knowledge. Put yourself and our children in danger. What did you expect me to do?"
"I expected you to trust me," he said. "To see that I can contribute more than just carrying your children. To be proud that I helped stop a major threat to our organization. I need your recognition."
"But I am proud," I insisted. "However, pride won't keep you alive. Pride won't protect our family."
Lyrian shook his head, one hand resting on his swollen belly. "You still don't understand. This isn't about pride or protection. It's about being the team we are. About trust."
"I do trust you. There has never been any doubt about that."
"No," he said, "you don't. You trust me to be your mate, to carry your children, to stay safely in whatever box you put me in. But you don't trust me to be your equal."
The words hit like physical blows. "That's not true."
But part of me knew he was right. I didn't want to admit it, but he was.
"Then why the surveillance? Why the restrictions? Why turn our home into a fortress the moment I show any independence?"
I reached for him, but he stepped back. The rejection stung more than I expected. I knew this would happen and was prepared for it, but dealing with it was harder than I thought.
"I can't do this anymore, Zoren." His voice wavered slightly. "I can't be the precious thing you keep locked away. I need to be your partner, in everything. And if you can't trust me enough for that..."
"What are you saying?" Fear gripped my chest.
"I'm going to stay in Mae's medical wing for a while." He held up a hand when I started to protest. "I'm not leaving you. I'm not ending us. But I need space to breathe, and you need time to decide if you can actually trust me."
"Lyrian—"
"The twins are fine," he continued. "Mae will monitor us closely. But I can't stay here, surrounded by your fear and control, feeling like a prisoner."
I wanted to argue. To forbid it. To lock him in our room until he saw reason. But that would only prove his point, wouldn't it? I didn't want to make him angrier than he already was.
"How long?" I managed to ask.
"Until you figure out if you want a partner or a possession." He moved to the door, and paused. "I love you, Zoren. But love without trust isn't enough. Not for me, and not for our family."
He left before I could respond, his footsteps echoing down the hallway. Through the new security cameras, I watched him make his way to the medical wing, guards trailing at a respectful distance. Even now, I couldn't stop trying to protect him.
I sat heavily in my chair, staring at the security feeds. Was this what I'd become? So focused on keeping him safe that I was willing to cage him? So terrified of losing him that I'd risk driving him away?
The irony wasn't lost on me. In trying to protect what I loved most, I might have damaged it beyond repair.
My phone buzzed—Chen, requesting instructions about the new security protocols. I ignored it. Instead, I pulled up the camera showing Mae's medical wing, where Lyrian was now. Even from here, I could see the weight lift from his shoulders as he escaped the suffocating security of our wing.
He was right. Of course he was right. But how could I balance my need to protect him with his need for freedom? How could I allow him to expose himself so much when every fiber of my being screamed to keep him hidden from everyone?