CHAPTER 123: KAEL&CHARIS...

Kael

We walked in silence until we were deep in the garden at Rhett’s house.

The moonlight filtered through the trimmed trees, casting shadows across the manicured pathways as we walked. After walking for a few minutes, I found a garden bench tucked between two flowering bushes and guided Charis to sit on it.

Our hands remained clasped together. Her smaller fingers intertwined with mine, grounding me.

After a few seconds of rehearsing what I wanted to say to her in my head and gathering courage, I cleared my throat.

She turned to face me, and the moonlight caught the gentle curve of her cheek, the way her eyes searched my face with such trust that it made my chest ache.

Black, my wolf, was running in circles. He liked Charis so much that I had to exercise a great deal of control to keep him in check whenever she was around us.

"Ea—Charis," I began slowly, catching myself before I used her real name. Even now, knowing what I knew, I still wanted to keep her identity protected.

My eyes felt heavier due to a lack of sleep. The worry I’d been carrying all day must have been written clearly across my features because I saw her expression soften with concern.

For a moment, despite everything, I saw something that looked like joy flash across her face as she studied me. It was such a pure expression that it nearly broke my resolve entirely. How could I shatter that trust? How could I tell her that everything about me was a lie, too, and also that what I know would be the only solution to the problems?

There was something she wasn’t telling me to. I could see it in the way she stared at me. Her free hand moved to rest against her chest as if she was trying to calm something inside her. But whatever thoughts were racing through my mind, she kept them to herself, waiting patiently for me to find the right words.

I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it again. The words I’d practised during the walk here seemed to have escaped my mind completely. How did you tell someone you loved that you’d been living a double life? How can I explain that I would need to hunt her down and deliver her to my master?

Or what I wanted to do, something that would help fix everything.

"I...I started again, then stopped.

She continued staring at me patiently, as her thumb traced small circles on the back of my hand in a tender gesture that made my heart clench

"Charis, there’s something you need to know about me. About who I really am." The words came out in a rush, and then I paused immediately. I could feel my jaw working, trying to force out the rest of the confession, but nothing came.

"I’m not," I began again, then stopped. I could feel myself trembling. Why was this so hard? I’d faced down the worst of criminals, fought off rogues, shadow rogues, survived interrogations, walked into situations where death was imminent, but telling the woman I loved the truth about myself felt like the most terrifying thing I’d ever attempted.

"You see, Alpha Winters," I tried again. The words died in my throat as I imagined how she’d react. Would she think I am deceptive, too? If I told her I’d kill people at some point, would she look at me with the same fear I’d seen in her eyes when she talked about her father?

I tried again, my voice dropping into a whisper. "Charis, I haven’t been honest with you about—"

But again, I faltered. I felt like I was walking to the edge of a cliff and every time I looked down, the fall seemed more and more terrifying.

"I don’t know how to—" I started once more, then let out a frustrated breath, running my free hand through my hair. "Moons, why is this so hard?"

"Why is what so hard, Kael?" she laughed. "Maybe it’s not important, that’s why it’s so hard to say."

"No!" I shook my head, "It’s important."

"Is it about my father?" she asked.

As she asked, her body stiffened with anxiety. The question hung in the air between us, and I realised that in all my training, no one had ever prepared me for this moment. To choose between my mission and my heart.

She turned away from me and stared into the emptiness in front of us. "Do you know what I wished for my eighteenth?" she scoffed. "To never go back to my father. I don’t care how much hardship I get to face within these walls, but I want to be here in the meantime."

Then she turned to face me again. "Also, sometimes it’s a blessing not to know certain things, don’t you think?"

I nodded, reaching for her hand. "I wasn’t going to say that," I said quietly. "The things I want to tell you are just so hard to get out."

"Maybe if I kiss you, you might be able to."

I looked into her eyes, seeing mischief in there and for the first time since leaving that warehouse, I felt like I might be able to breathe again.

"I love you, Charis," I said quietly. "That’s all I can say. I thought I’d be able to get a lot of things off my chest today, but I think you’re right, sometimes, it’s easier to deal with a lot of things if you’re oblivious."

She nodded. "Everyone is happy at the end of the day."

Then she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on my lips. I wanted to pull back to tell her still that if ever in the future, I make confident choices that don’t favour her, that she shouldn’t hate me.

But as her lips touched mine, I forgot everything.

I kissed her back, allowing my hands to wander over her body, as her hands came around my neck, pushing herself into my arms. I undid her blouse, gently, nipping at the bottom lip before pulling away to suckle an errant nipple.

She groaned into my skin, overwhelming me with my desire for her. She ran her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer for another deep kiss as we explored each other’s bodies.

Our kisses were growing hot and hungry, filled with our need and passion. She pushed me away from her gently after a while, her eyes filled with desire mirroring mine.

"What?" I asked, breathing hard.

"Kael," she whispered, her hands coming up to frame my face. "I want to accept you as my mate."

I stopped breathing. I stared at her, certain I didn’t hear properly, but the sincerity on her face told me otherwise.

"Charis," I breathed.

"I mean it," she continued, her thumbs brushing across my cheekbones. "Whatever you’re struggling to tell me, whatever secrets you think you’re carrying, I don’t care. I chose you. I choose this and I choose us."

The mate bond that had been simmering between us for days now suddenly flared to life, burning brightly through our left hands. Black was running in circles within me, calling out to her wolf.

Charis had opened herself completely to our connection.

"How about the others?" I asked.

"What about them?" she asked with a shrug. "It’s not like I can accept all three of you at once. It’s one person at a time, and I feel ready for you, now."

"Are you sure?" I asked, needing to give her one last chance to change her mind. "Once we do this, there’s no going back."

She smiled radiantly at me. "I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.

I cupped her face in my hands, kissing her one last time. When we pulled away, I met and held her gaze.

"I, Kael Winters, accept you, Charis Greye, as my mate. I vow to protect you, to stand by you and to love you until my last breath."

"And I, Charis Greye, accept you, Kael Winters, as my mate," she replied with tears shining in her eyes. "I vow to trust you, to support you and to love you completely, no matter what storms we face."

The moment the words left our lips, our red thread of bond joined with each other with an intensity that took my breath away. It was like coming home and falling off a cliff simultaneously.

I kissed her again, this time, with all the passion I’d been holding back. She melted into me, winding her arms around my middle as I pulled her closer.

When we broke apart again, both of us breathing hard, I rested my forehead against hers. I could feel the mate bond humming between us.

"The marking," she whispered against my lips. "Are you ready?"

"Right here?" I asked, unsure of myself. "In the garden? Slater and Rhett will kill me. We planned to mark you at the same time."

"Worry about yourself first, Kael. Mark me, make me yours."

I tilted her head gently to the side, exposing the elegant curve of her neck. Black was practically howling with anticipation, pushing against the surface.

I pressed soft kisses along her throat, feeling her pulse racing beneath my lips.

"I heard it would hurt," I murmured against her skin.

"Yes," she nodded. "But only for a moment, I’ll be fine."