CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 69: ONE CONDITION

IVAN’S POV

Again, I exhaled slowly. "And why would she do that, Mother?"

"Revenge! She hates us. She hates me. She hates you. She hates everything Ash Creek stands for. Why wouldn’t she?"

"Asha," I answered simply. "Have you seen the way she looks at him? Mother, would you jeopardize and incite chaos when you know it’d put me in the line of danger? Would you move across packs with me if your intention was to burn down that pack?"

She frowned to herself then, as though she knew the answer.

No. She wouldn’t. No mother would put their child in that position.

"She cares about Asha, and maybe not Ash Creek, but... Maeve is a good person, and I wish you could see it eventually and ask her forgiveness. Asha is well on his way to being the heir to the throne. Burning down Ash Creek would be jeopardizing his place as alpha. She won’t do something so selfish."

"You seem to trust her a lot." She stared almost pitifully at me.

Against myself, I smiled. It was my first smile since the day I had gone on the spontaneous trip with Asha.

"The only thing I’m certain about is her devotion to our son. I know for a fact that she’d never do anything to hurt him. I trust Maeve as the mother of my son."

She scoffed. "If you say so, but do not be too surprised when your very words bite you where it hurts the most."

"Good night, Mother."

She walked toward the door, then stopped suddenly.

"I’d like to request a favor, Ivan."

I tilted my head at her. "Humor me."

"I was thinking of resuming my position as the official Luna of Ash Creek, until your coronation. With my health improvement, it is only fitting."

I frowned, eyeing her for any hidden agenda, then slowly asked,

"Are you... sure? Does Maeve approve this for your health? She ruled you as insane during her last—"

"I am not insane!" she screeched, eyes snapping to mine in fury. "And you do not need her permission for me to sit on my throne! You can very much see for yourself that I am fine!"

"Okay..." My wary eyes never left hers. "You are welcome back to office, Mother. But... on one condition—you do not act without my approval. One unsanctioned cruel move from you, Lydia, and you’ll be locked up in the cells, chained down till the last of your days."

Mother smiled then—a twisted, mischievous thing.

"You have my word, son. Thank you."

After Mother left, I tried to settle into bed, but like it had been in the days before, I could only toss and turn in my new sheets—restless, haunted, nearly ready to drive my head into the wall just to stop the swarm of thoughts.

Unable to stop myself, I left my room and, for the first time in days, walked through the public halls.

The castle was winding down for the night—torches burning lower, shadows stretching longer across the stone walls.

The faint buzz of distant voices drifted from the kitchens, where the usual clatter of pots and utensils had quieted to the occasional muted clang.

Here and there, servants moved about in hushed efficiency, snuffing out candles or pulling curtains closed against the night air.

For the first time, I noticed the stares following my every move—the little whispers, the cautious side glances, the evident fear.

Even the maid tidying up near the stairwell froze mid-polish, rag poised in hand, eyes fixed on me until I passed.

I ignored all of it and wandered aimlessly until I found myself standing before the one place I dreaded.

As I brought my knuckles up to knock on the door, I could feel my heart hammering loudly in my chest. The wait that followed my knock was worse.

I swallowed the thickness in my throat, trying—and failing—to keep my breathing steady.

A few more seconds passed before the door finally flung open.

Right in front of me was Asha.

He was even more beautiful than the last time I had seen him—beautiful, cheerful, and full of life. My heart lurched painfully in my chest when I caught sight of the joy in his eyes.

He was happy to see me.

He was actually happy to see me.

"Ivan!" he cried in excitement, jumping up and down a couple of times.

Because it was Asha—and because I was susceptible to his charms—I laughed out loud at his antics.

"Hey, buddy. Yes, it’s me in the flesh."

"Are you here to play with me?" he asked, his voice hopeful.

There was a desperation in his tone that told me he was lonely—holed up in his rooms all day with no one his age to play with.

Again, my chest gave that painful lurch, but I pushed it aside and smiled big for his sake.

"Actually, I’m here to take you fishing with me. Tomorrow," I told him, savoring the way his eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Really?" he breathed, pressing his fists to his chest.

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. But first, I need to ask permission from your mother. Is she inside?"

My heart rate spiked at the thought of coming face-to-face with Maeve once more.

After the mess in the forest, I wasn’t sure what to expect—the last time before that, she had accused me of purely wanting her for the sex.

Why did everyone seem to think that? Was I really that much of an asshole?

Well... maybe I was. But I knew this time their assumptions were wrong. I needed Maeve. I wanted Maeve.

And at this point, having her mere forgiveness would feel like breathing—even if she refused ever getting back with me.

Nonetheless, I was nervous.

"Yeah. She’s—" Before Asha could finish, the doors swung open wider, revealing the primary bane of my existence.

Her eyes found mine, and just like that, the air was gone—ripped clean out of my lungs.

My body forgot how to stand, my mind forgot how to think, and somewhere in the mess of it all, I turned into a fool—staring at her like I hadn’t spent days swearing she was the last person I wanted to see.

One look. That’s all it took.

And suddenly, I wasn’t Alpha, or King, or anything worth fearing. I was just a man standing in front of the only woman who could undo me without lifting a finger.