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Chapter Twenty-One

T he door opening has me looking over my shoulder from where I sit in my seat by the fire. Damian walks in and glares at the glass in my hand. He knows better than to say anything. “Ivy finally came out of the room,” he tells me as if I don’t already know. Saying nothing more, he sits across from me.

“I noticed,” I say simply before bringing my glass to my lips and draining the last remnants. Damian sighs and stands back up when I hold the glass out to him. He moves toward the bar area and pours another glass before handing it back to me.

“Do you plan on just drowning out the bond?” he asks. I hum mindlessly, and he snarls at me. His aura slips out in his anger, although it has no effect on me.

“You have already destroyed her bond toward you. She had little to no reaction when she saw you,” Damian spits as if I’m not aware of that.

“If only I were so lucky to have it break,” I tell him, earning another growl.

“You’re a fucking idiot. There are no second chance mates like the werewolves; Lycans don’t get those, nor can you reject her, either. The bond won’t sever for you, Kyson; it will always be there, so why do you choose to ignore it?”

“Because I can,” I tell him, sipping my drink and enjoying the taste as it coats my tongue.

“If that were true, why is it that every time I see you, you have a drink in your hand?” he asks, glaring at my glass of whiskey. He shakes his head and clutches his hair in frustration while pacing in front of the fireplace.

“My relationship with Ivy is none of your business, so leave it,” I tell him, not caring for his input.

“She is my queen,” he bellows, his face turning red in anger and his claws slipping out. He fists his hands and takes a deep breath, closing his eyes before dropping back into the seat across from me.

“She is your mate and queen. She should be ruling alongside you, not rotting away in a room by herself.”

“And what good is her being queen when she can’t even shift? I can’t even change her now, so there is no point in getting attached to her when she will be dead in fifty years, anyway. Then what, Damian, you seem to think you know everything?” I ask him.

“She can fucking shift; you just severed the bond, forcing her wolf-side dormant. You know as well as I do, if you spent time with her, you could lure it back out,” he fumes while I scoff.

“We don’t know that. Ivy was a rogue for so long; that is probably why she can’t shift.”

“Then mark her!” he bellows at me. I shake my head at his words.

“You are making a mistake, Kyson. She may not accept you back if you leave this too long. You could ruin any future you thought you would have with her,” Damian says.

“She isn’t going anywhere; I am not stupid. Do you think I would let her leave the castle or me and have her weaken me?”

“You’re selfish. You can’t expect Ivy to just wait around for the day you will change your mind, Kyson. Don’t be fucking cruel; you can’t live without her, you will grow weak, and this whole kingdom will grow weak. Remember, her not being able to shift puts her at risk of not only her werewolf-side remaining dormant but the bond completely severing for her; she will feel nothing toward you, then what? A few years down the track, and you pull your head out of your ass, you think she will just take you back?” he asks.

“If that happened, which it won’t, she wouldn’t have a choice. I will force her or use the damn calling on her.”

“You disgust me,” he spits at me, and I shrug, uncaring for his words.

“I am king. I can do as I please with my mate.”

“Then do the right thing. You’re better than this,” Damian snarls.

“And if I’m not?” I ask him as he goes to walk out. I look over the back of the lounge to see him stop by the door.

“Then you’re not my king,” he says before yanking the door open and leaving my room. I glare at the burning fire, angered that it had to be this way.

She didn’t even react when I saw her earlier. I expected some emotion, anything from her, but all I got was a blank stare. I can hardly feel her anymore, although the bond and pull to her have only grown stronger, crushing my chest and heart more with each passing day. With that, I get up and pour another drink, trying to drown the ache the bond causes.

When the alcohol can no longer satiate the urge, I do what I do every night and go to sit by her door. It’s the only thing that drives the pain away. I walk toward her room before peering inside.

Only when I do, I see the lights are still on. I check the closet, but she isn’t in there or any of the rooms next to the main one. I furrow my brows when I notice her guard is also not around. I told him to remain unnoticed while up here, but that didn’t mean hiding from me.

‘Dustin, where are you?’ I ask through the mindlink.

‘In Beta Damian’s quarters, My King. Ivy has gone into Abbie’s room. She hasn’t come out for a while,’ he answers, and I sigh. At least she is with Abbie.

‘I take it Abbie has returned from visiting her mate in town?’ I ask him.

‘No, My King. I peered into the room before she had fallen asleep in Abbie’s bed; Gannon also left to go find Abbie.’

I chew my lip. Gannon had taken the news pretty badly. He really had fallen hard for the girl, which is surprising.

Gannon isn’t one for feelings and hardly leaves his station, but I have noticed he follows Abbie everywhere when not busy. I always catch him wherever she is, though she is oblivious to him shadowing her.

Abbie seems over the moon to have found her mate, though I worry about what will happen when the Alpha leaves to go back to his pack. We don’t really associate with other packs, but he always offers a lending hand and has been the biggest help when coming to the hunters and rogue issues.

No doubt he wants to remain in my good graces, but an ally is an ally, and we don’t have many amongst the werewolf packs. Sure, they obey orders, but only a couple go out of their way and seek me out, offering to help in any way they can.

Gannon has expressed concern for her already. He, too, is worried about her leaving with Kade, but if she asks, I can’t deny her. Mate bonds aren’t to be denied if they both want the same thing, so I would tell her yes if she asked.

Alpha Kade is a well-known man whore. I know he is already married, though he never marked the woman. They have three kids together, and he has countless women on the side. I know Gannon tried to tell Abbie that, but she refuses to believe him.

The mate bond has a good grip on her, and Abbie refuses to see him any other way than the bond will allow. God knows what he has told her. She will see for herself if she decides to leave with him. Yet I also wonder how Ivy will take that news. He is scheduled to go in a couple of days, if not sooner.

Not realizing I left the mindlink open, I jump when I hear Dustin’s voice flit through my head. ‘Is that all, My King? ’ he asks.

‘Yes, and you can leave your station. Damian will probably be down there soon, and I am on my way, anyway,’ I tell him.

‘I don’t mind staying,’ he says. Of course, he doesn’t. He would lay his life down for her over the pact my main five guards made.

‘You can go; I am only a few minutes away,’ I tell him, cutting the link.