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Chapter

Thirty-Nine

K YSON

I gently tap Azalea’s leg to climb off me, my mind racing, and I need to speak to Gannon, Liam, and Damian.

Something is amiss. But as I attempt to rise from my seat, Azalea’s hand grabs mine, her nervousness palpable.

I pause, feeling the weight of her anxiety pressing against me through the bond. Why is she nervous?

“It’s alright, love, we’ll figure it out,” I assure her softly, attempting to move past her. Yet, once again, she clings to my hand, her grip tightening, then moves in front of me, blocking me from passing her.

“Azzy, love,” I say, locking eyes with her.

“Peter is waiting for us in the kitchen,” she blurts out the words before I can comprehend their meaning.

Peter is back on the castle grounds? At first, I believed her nervousness and worry were over Crux, not over her damn brother.

The mention of her brother’s name sends a surge of anger through me.

How dare he return to the castle grounds?

And more importantly, how did he manage to bypass my guard?

“I’ll handle it,” I tell her. But she presses her hands to my chest, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear but also pleading, as I move toward the door.

“No, I want to help him,” she pleads, causing me to halt. I grip the door handle tightly, conflicted between my own anger and Azalea’s need to help everyone, even those who don’t deserve her help.

“No, Azalea, I won’t allow that,” I assert firmly, my voice laced with frustration.

Hasn’t he taken enough from us? I had reluctantly accepted her decision to spare his life before, but that is as far as my tolerance extends.

I have no desire to aid him in any way. I don’t even think I can stand to see his face again without wanting to kill him.

“Ester abandoned him again. His grandparents kicked him out. He has been staying by the stables and the river,” Azalea explains.

“The answer is no, Azalea. He is not supposed to set foot on the castle grounds again.”

“He is just a boy, Kyson,” she defends him, her voice tinged with a hint of desperation.

“And some would say you’re just a girl, Azalea. You are not much older than him. He knows right from wrong. He knew what he was doing,” I argue, struggling to understand how she fails to see the gravity of his actions. Afterall, she is the one who was stabbed by him.

“Can we just hear him out, please?” she implores.

My mate’s forgiving nature is both a blessing and a curse.

It seems that because Peter is her blood, she feels compelled to give him a second chance.

But sometimes, second chances can lead to a never-ending cycle of disappointment and heartache.

I refuse to let him jeopardize our happiness once more.

“You are not obligated to help or love him, Azalea. Not after what he did,” I remind her.

“I know that, Kyson. Peter isn’t bad. He made a mistake,” she insists, her voice quivering with emotion that I recognize instantly as guilt through the bond.

“A mistake? It was more than a mistake, Love. That so-called mistake cost our daughter’s life,” I reply, my words coming out in a furious growl. Azalea flinches at the mention of our loss, her pain clearly etched across her face.

“We all make mistakes, Kyson. He will live with his mistakes for the rest of his life. I just don’t want my brother to be one of mine. I don’t want that guilt hanging over me; I need to know I tried,” she whispers, her voice filled with anguish.

“No, Azzy. This is not about guilt or obligation. It’s about your safety and our future together,” I argue, desperately hoping she will see reason.

But deep down, I know that her need to help him stems from a fundamental part of her being.

It is a trait inherited from her mother, one that I both admire and fear.

She knows I am right. But I also know she won’t be able to handle the guilt if something happened to him if she didn’t help.

Damn, Azure’s handing that down. I learned so much reading those few passages of Cedric’s book.

Azure’s were magnificent for their ability to forgive and move on, for their elemental gifts, and for being empathetic; it makes me wonder if that was part of why Tatiana put up with Garret.

Unfortunately, she also inherited a few of her father’s traits.

I have observed that first hand and been on the receiving end of her temper.

His temper, his command, and his bite. We were yet to see all of Azalea’s moon-blessed gifts, and I think the possibilities are infinite when it comes to Azalea.

Because one thing I realized with startling clarity and why the Moon Goddess blessed both bloodlines with opposing gifts, they were to balance the other out.

They were never supposed to come together, for it would throw off the balance of power.

Opposites attract. One was benevolent and the other malevolent, but once together, they detonated.

Together, they were unstoppable and an impossible force to reckon with, and I suddenly understood Garret Landeena’s purpose of marrying Tatiana.

It was to gain what he was lacking, another power trip.

Yet, such qualities together would make it near impossible to live with.

The Landeena ego would always overrule any guilt he felt.

“You know I am right, yet you want to help him anyway, love. You hope to find some redeeming quality, but what if there isn’t one?

” I ask, my voice tinged with concern. She averts her gaze, her silence speaking volumes.

She knows deep down that I am right, but the need to help her brother outweighs all logic.

That need to know is strong within her, so I know I am on the losing end of this argument.

That Landeena stubbornness will be the death of me.

“I need to know. I can’t abandon him like everyone else has,” she finally admits.

“But are you doing this for him or for yourself, Azzy? What do you hope to achieve?” I question gently, attempting to understand the driving force behind her decision.

“Both. Kyson, I want peace. I won’t find peace by turning my back on him.

I need to know that I did everything in my power to save him,” she confesses, her words heavy with the weight of her emotions.

It becomes clear to me that this is about more than just Peter; it is about Azalea’s own inner turmoil and her quest for redemption. But from what?

Hearing her words, witnessing the guilt and anger that fuel them, I realize the depth of her struggle.

Living with such intense passion and conflicting emotions must be exhausting for her.

She needs this resolution, even if it comes at a cost. She needs to know that she did everything she could to save her brother.

I kneel before her with a sigh, wishing she could see the potential danger of getting too close to the boy who nearly destroyed us. I fear that her unwavering love and determination may be what gets her killed.

“This is your last chance, Azzy. Promise me that this will be the end of it. If he hurts you, promise me that you will not give him any more of your time. Promise me that you will let me deal with him,” I beg.

“But he’s a Landeena,” she whispers, her voice filled with uncertainty. However, she must understand that his bloodline will no longer protect him from my wrath if he brings harm to her again.

“But you are not. You may have been born into that family, but you are now Valkyrie, mine as I am yours. I refuse to watch him destroy you again. I won’t allow him to dismantle what we have built.

And I certainly won’t stand by and watch you destroy yourself over him.

So promise me, this is the last time. If Peter does anything wrong, you will let me handle it,” I declare firmly.

Azalea swallows hard and lets out a resigned breath.

“Last time,” she whispers, and I sigh in relief.

“We’ll deal with Peter first, then I need to speak with the guards, including your own. We must be prepared for anything,” I say, my tone resolute.

“Crux mentioned sending you the coordinates to Larkin,” she interjects.

“Yes, he did. But something tells me he may try to buy time or come up with an excuse not to send them right away. We must remain vigilant,” I explain.