Chapter 16
e wait,” he said simply. “We’ll have to stay here for the night. He won’t be himself again until morning”
I frowned. “And what if he finds a way in?”
Knox knocked on the door lightly. “This thing is reinforced. He’s hit it before. Never broke through.”
That should have been comforting, but it wasn’t. Not really,
Knox slid down the wall, stretching his legs out. “You should rest”
1 scoffed. “Yeah, like I can sleep after that.”
He smirked. “Fair.”
1 pulled my knees up, hugging them close. “You should rest too.”
Knox shook his head. “I’ll keep watch.”
1 frowned. “We can take turns. You’ll burn out if you stay up all night.
He considered me for a moment, then shrugged, “No problem. We’ll sw
switch 1
h halfway.
1 nodded, leaning my head back against the wall. My eyes were still wide open, my heart still unsteady, but at least for now, we were safe.
At least I hoped we were.
The dim light from the single lantern flickered against the stone walls. The basement was cold, the air damp and heavy. I rubbed my arms, trying to chase away the chill creeping into my bones
Knox stretched his legs out, rolling his shoulders. “So. are we just going to sit here in awkward silence all night?”
I exhaled through my nose. “Would you rather I entertain you?”
He smirked. “That depends. Are you good at storytelling?”
“Not particularly.”
“Then I’ll pas
I scoffed. Tsk. I am not that awful.
Knox chuckled, resting his head back against the wall. “So, little wolf, what’s going on in that overthinking brain of yours?”
I hesitated, then shook my head. “Too much.”
“Try me
I sighed. “Fine. First, I’m stuck in a basement with you.
He placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. “Wow, Hurtful.”
I ignored him. “Second, Alaric just turned into something not human right before my eyes, and I have no idea what to do with that information.”
Knox hummed. “That’s fair”
“And third.” I continued, staring at the c ceiling, “if the entire castle knows about his curse, why didn’t anyone warn me?”
Khox tilted his head. “Would you have believed them?”
a monster every night. Stay in your room,
He had a point. If someone had pulled me aside and said, Oh, by the way, the king turns into a mon
I probably would’ve thought they were trying to ware me.
I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Fine But someone should have said something.”
1/4
Chapter 16
Knox shrugged. “Alaric doesn’t exactly like people talking about it. Besides you came here out of the blue, no one knows how long you would last.”
True. I feel bad for him though, going through all that,” I muttered.
Like me. Being hurt and beaten for my own heart choices.
I didn’t want to think about my past and focus on Knox
Knox smirked. “You’d be surprised”
I frowned. “How long have you known!”
He tapped his fingers against his knee. “Since I was a kid.”
That startled me. “That long?”
He nodded. “Been like this since before he became king.”
My stomach twisted. The ruins. The inscription. Beware the cursed king
alt wit
I hesitated before asking, “Have you ever been curious about who cursed him?”
Knox’s smirk faded slightly. “No.”
I studied him, trying to see if lie was lying. He wasn’t.
“Alaric has his reasons, I can’t force him.” Knox added.
I let out a slow breath. “And he’s never told anyone?”
“Not a soul”
That didn’t sit right with me,
What kind of curse was this? And why would he keep it to himself?
Knox shifted beside me, watching me closely. “You really want to know everything, don’t you?”
“Of course,” I s
I said. “I’m his Luna–or whatever I am to him. Shouldn’t I know what I’m dealing with?”
Knox’s smirk returned, but there was something softer about it. “You’re different from the others.”
I stilled. “What?”
“The other women before you,” he said, his voice quieter now. “They didn’t ask questions. They didn’t want to know,”
I swallowed. “And what happened to them?”
Knox looked away. “You already know.”
That answer didn’t help the sinking feeling in my stomach.
Silence stretched between us. I pulled my knees closer to my chest, resting my chin on them.
“So.” Knox said after a long pause. “What do you think of him?”
I frowned. “Alaric?”
He nodded
I frutated. “I don’t know yet.”
Knox studied me. “But you want to. You chose this as the expense of your own self. Why is that?”
Revenge
I wanted to say, but I just smiled. “Yeah you may be right, I am a bit curious about him.”
9:21 AM c c
Chapter 16
He chuckled at my obvious way of ignoring his statement.
moments–small, fleeting moments–where he was something else.
Alaric was cruel, distant, impossible to read. But then there were m
The way he had held me when I cried. The way he had looked at me when I stood my ground. The way he had taken me to the stables, trying to offer me a sliver of peace.
I didn’t know what to make of him.
But I wanted to.
“I think,” I said slowly, “that he’s more complicated than he lets on.”
Knox smirked. “That’s one way to put it.”
I gave him a look. “What? You want me to say something scandalous!”
Knox leaned in slightly, his voice teasing. “Admit it. He intrigues you.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the words didn’t come.
Knox’s grin widened. “See! I knew it.”
1 groaned. “Shut up.”
“Come on, little wolf, it’s written all over your face”
narrowed my eyes at him. “You know what else is written all over my face? Annoyance.”
Knox laughed. “I try my best.”
I rolled my eyes.
Another stretch of silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable this time. Just quiet.
I glanced at Knox, who was watching me with something unreadable in his expression.
“What?” I asked.
He shrugged. “You’re not what I expected either.”
1 arched a brow. “What did you expect?”
“Someone soft. Someone scared. You saw how they were at the ball. Fidgeting”
“I am scared,” I admitted.
“But you’re still here.”
I swallowed, looking away
Knox shifted beside me, then reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
The touch was unexpected–gentle.
It made my heart spiked and my eyes widened.
My breath caught.
I turned to him, and for the first time since we met, I noticed just how close he was
Knox wasn’t like Alaric. Where Alaric was ice, Knox was warmth. He was easy, smooth, always teasing–but right now, there was no humor in his ryrs.
He looked at me like I was the only woman in his world.
Chapter 16
It made my lips tremble. My heart pounding
I should have pulled away, I should have said something–anything
But I didn’t.
i head slightly, his gaze flickering to my lips
And then–be kissed me.
ough. It wasn’t demanding
as slow, testing as if i
waiting for me to stop him.
For a second, I let myself sink into it. The warmth of him, the way he tasted like the lingering spices from the food he had made earlier, the way his hand slid to my jaw, tilting my head up.
But then reality slammed back into me
I pulled away, my breath uneven.
Knox exhaled, watching me closely.
I stared at lum, my heart still racing-
“What–I whispered.
He ran a hand through his hair, smirking slightly. But his eyes. they weren’t teasing anymore.
“Yeali,” he muttered. “I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
Ho. He shouldn’t have.
But the real problem?
Knox just became my first kiss.
色
