290 How A Mate Should Act

    iDraven.1/i)

    Rhovan rumbled faintly within me. “You gave iher /iiwhat /iishe /iiinquired /ifor. It iwas /iithe /iionly /iichoice/ii./i”

    “I know, “I answered. “But that doesn’t imean /iI ishould /iilet /iiher /iidrown /iiin /iiit/i.”

    The flicker of pain in Meredith’s eyes tightened something in my chest. I had given her the truth, yes, but

    truth could cut as deep as lies.

    I drew a slow breath and reached across the narrow space between us, taking her hand firmly in mine. Her fingers twitched at first, but she didn’t pull away. (1)

    “I am sorry, Meredith,” I said quietly. “Not for being honest, but for the way my choices in the past made you feel, for making you question whether you were ever just a pawn on my board. You deserved more than that.”

    Her gaze lifted to mine, guarded, but I didn’t look away.

    “I love you.” The words came without hesitation, steady and certain. “And you should know this. I was raised from the time I could walk to withhold affection, to guard myself, to give nothing of my heart to anyone. All I was trained to see was vision, power and leadership. That’s why the only person I could ever truly love is my

    mate.”

    I gave her hand a gentle squeeze, my thumb brushing over her knuckles. “If, in some cruel twist, I had taken

    one of the daughters the Elders shoved at me, I could never have loved her. Not then, not ever. Because my

    heart was already reserved for you.”

    Her lips parted, and I saw the faintest tremor cross her expression.

    I leaned back slightly, though I kept her hand in mine. “Politics is cruel, Meredith. Every move must be

    calcted. Every bond weighed for the war it might spark. It was unfair of me to drag you into that storm

    when I believed you were only a shield, an innocent caught in the fire. For that, I am truly sorry.”

    I let the words settle, unpolished, and unguarded. She needed my sincerity, not a king’s armor.

    “But I want you to believe me in this. Recognizing the mate bond didn’t force me to love you. It only forced

    me to abandon the ns that would have destroyed us both. My love for you came after that, slowly,

    naturally, the way a me catches and refuses to die.”

    Her breath hitched, her eyes widening slightly as I continued.

    “As for my love for you,” I said, my voice lower now, firm with conviction, “it is unquestionable. Don’t ever

    think it is conditional. Don’t ever think it is something fate trapped me into. You are my choice as much as

    you are my mate.”

    The silence that followed was heavy, but different from before. She gazed into me, her eyes searching, as if

    trying to measure the weight of every word I had spoken.

    Finally, her voice broke through, soft but steady. “When did you find out that I was your mate?”

    Her questionnded like a de I had no shield for.

    I drew in a deep breath, leaning back against the sofa for a moment. Of all the things she could have asked,

    this was the trap I hadid for myself long ago, not by her doing, but by my silence.

    I wished she hadn’t asked, but now that she had… there was no path but truth.

    “I first found out the moment I saw you at the Lunar Ball,” I admitted quietly.

    Her eyes widened, shock shing across her face. Before the sting of betrayal could grow in her expression, I

    continued.

    “My wolf, Rhovan, recognized you instantly,” I exined, my voice steady but low. “But I doubted it. I never

    expected that the cursed, wolfless woman everyone whispered about would be my mate… my future queen.”

    Her lips parted, but no sound came.

    “I thought Rhovan was mistaken,” I went on, forcing myself to give her the full truth. “So I refused to believe olliit. I chose to live in denial, convincing myself I could ignore the bond. Until I couldn’t anymore. The signs /li/ol

    grew too clear, and monthster, I confirmed it for myself. You were my mate.”

    Her breath wavered, but she held my gaze.

    “And, Meredith,” I added, softer now, “your attitude towards me back then made it harder for me to ept it.

    The way you talked back, how rude you could be… it made me perceive that surely this was not how a mate

    would act.”

    00:26

    For a heartbeat, silence stretched between us again. Then-

    A soft sound escaped her lips. A chuckle.

    I blinked, watching her features soften in a way that made my chest loosen. She raised a hand quickly, covering her mouth as though she were trying to stifle herughter, but it was toote.

    Her eyes glimmered, the tension breaking around us like a fragile ss that had finally cracked.

    I found myself smiling, unable to resist. The sight of her face lit with amusement, even at my expense, made

    everything worth it.

    I exhaled slowly, relief threading through me, and thought, ‘If ithis /iiis /iithe /iiworst /iiof /iiher /iianger/ii, /iithen /iiI /iiam /iia /i

    fortunate man indeed.‘

    Meredith’sughter lingered in the air between us, soft and disarming, and I discovered myself staring at her

    as though I’d never seen her properly before.

    But then she lowered her hand, her smile turning faintly thoughtful. “I guess you being my mate exins why

    my pheromones suddenly ceased going wild when you arrived at the Lunar Ball.”

    I tilted my head slightly, curiosity sparking. Before I could respond, she added quietly, “And I should confess

    something to you too. I already knew we were mates a few months ago.”

    Her words stunned me. My brows arched in genuine surprise. “You knew?”

    She nodded once.

    I thought quickly, piecing it together. ‘It imust /iihave /iibeen /iiafter /iishe /igot iher /iwolf. iThat /iiwould /iiexin /iiit/ii./ii‘ /i

    “When did you find out? And how?” I asked carefully.

    Her

    gaze

    softened. “It was after Valmora came to me. She told me herself.”

    I nodded slowly, the pieces falling neatly into ce. But a question tugged at me, one I couldn’t resist asking.

    09.36