CHAPTER 33: BREACH

"How are you here? I thought Darek would have chained you to the bed by now."

I didn’t wait. I put my arms around him and pulled him close like I’d always used to as a rankless back at the periphery.

Even though he looked fine, I could still feel the slight weakness as he stiffened slightly beneath my arms, but his warmth remained the same. Slowly and carefully, he finally lifted his arms and enveloped me with them until I buried my head in the crook of his neck.

I inhaled him in, the familiar scent of freshness and early rain calming my mind. Three years hadn’t dulled anything. He still smelled the same as before and I yearned to go back to that time. When things were less complicated.

"You shouldn’t be here," he said, voice low and rough, the weakness still bothering him.

"You think I care?" I whispered, refusing to move and tightening my hold on him.

I felt his chest tremble, but I wasn’t sure if it was from laughter or a shudder from fear for me.

"Maeve, Darek will–"

"Darek isn’t here."

My voice cut his train of thought but it came out sharper than I had intended.

"And even if he was going to, he doesn’t get to decide who I can... who I can touch, or associate with."

That was a lie. We both knew that Darek did get to decide. My bond told me so every waking second of my life now. But in this one, stolen moment, I could pretend otherwise.

Valden’s fingers twitched against me, then finally moved and settled on the small of my back. Warmth seeped into my core and I wished to have just got mated to him. Things would have been so much more easier if I didn’t have these so-called powers that were beyond my understanding. Darek would have just flat-out rejected me in the first place, and Valden wouldn’t have had to pretend not to remember me.

And now, with every shallow rise of his chest under my palms, my lungs ached harder. I pulled back before I lost myself completely and asked him to mark me as his mate. His eyes caught mine instantly.

I’d forgotten how they looked up close. The deep brown with the Lycan green glow straining to reach the surface. There was a strange brightness that made me feel seen and skinned open all at once. His hair was messier now, falling into his face, but it only made him look more human. Less untouchable Beta Captain, and more the boy I used to...

I swallowed hard. Dangerous thoughts.

"You look..." I started, then trailed off, unsure of what to even say.

"Like a corpse?" he asked dryly, shaking his head with a smile.

I almost laughed, except the sound died in my throat. He did look worn, pale, and drained. But the fire, the Valden I remembered, still lingered under all that exhaustion.

"You look alive at least?" I said softly, palming the side of his cheek.

His gaze softened for the briefest second and my heart kicked with the familiarity. Then he turned his head away, staring at the sterile walls of the infirmary.

"You shouldn’t risk yourself like this," he said. "If Darek knows, he could–"

"Stop saying his name," I snapped before I could stop myself.

Silence stretched.

Valden’s eyes slid back to mine, careful and curious. "Maeve, what happened? Did he do something else? Did he hurt you?"

I froze.

Did he know? Had he guessed about the curse?

No, unless someone already told him about it, there was no chance of him knowing about the curse and the fact that I had already rejected Darek when Valden specifically told me not to since the bond was the only thing keeping me safe.

But no, his brows were drawn together faintly, like he was trying to read me, figure out what was going on.

"No, everything is fine."

I don’t know why I didn’t want to tell him. Maybe it was because I didn’t want him to worry anymore after everything that had happened.

"That’s good then," he said with a sigh of relief. "I’ll make sure everything goes back to normal again. Everything...including us."

Heat shot through me. My bond to Darek screamed in protest, a violent tug low in my gut, reminding me that I wasn’t as free as I wanted to be. That every word, every heartbeat I spent with Valden was treason in his books.

I should’ve left.

But instead, I reached for his hand. His skin was cooler than I remembered, but it fit perfectly against mine. His fingers tightened like they were desperate not to let go.

My pulse raced until I couldn’t breathe.

"Maeve..."

Just my name. Just that.

And suddenly, everything I had fought to bury roared alive. If there was any semblance of guilt in me for betraying the fated bond, it all collapsed under the weight of that single word from his lips.

I leaned forward before I could stop myself. His breath ghosted mine, close, and closer until–

A sharp beep sliced through the air.

I flinched back instantly, the spell shattered.

The heart monitor at his side was blaring faster, frantic, and in tune with his pulse. His chest rose and fell too quickly, his grip on my hand trembling.

"Valden?" I whispered.

He shut his eyes, teeth clenched. "It’s nothing. Just...too much."

Guilt stabbed me. I’d pushed him too far, too fast. He was still recovering, and here I was, selfish enough to...

But then his eyes snapped open, wide and alert, not weak at all. He wasn’t trembling anymore. His whole body was tense, like a predator listening for prey.

I realized it too late.

The beep hadn’t stopped. It wasn’t the heart monitor anymore. But something else. Something louder and sharper.

An alarm.

An alarm was blaring through the room and the halls outside. Footsteps resounded through the halls and the bark of orders and fear flooded the building.

The beep hadn’t stopped even then and the both of us stiffened.

We knew that alarm pretty well. Heard it multiple times since we had started living in Kargahart.

There was only one reason it ever hammered out in Kargahart to alert its citizens.

Our city had been breached by the Varcolacs.