CHAPTER 223: _ DUTY OVER LOVE

~Amias’s Point Of View~

Dawn crawls into Amias’s room like an unwanted guest. The sunlight hits his face even though he purposely left the curtains half-drawn to avoid sensory responsibility. He opens his eyes slowly in the way a person does when sleep didn’t help, didn’t heal, and didn’t erase anything, but instead decided to marinate him further in emotional exhaustion.

His wolf, Vark, is too quiet, and silent wolves are basically walking red flags.

Amias lies still for a moment, staring at the ceiling like he’s expecting it to drop a life manual. His body feels heavy, like everything inside him has decided to move in slow motion. His chest aches with that horrible, persistent pressure that comes from the truth he doesn’t speak, half-formed grief, and emotional betrayal he placed upon himself.

The worst part is that he already misses her. Which is stupid.

And pathetic.

And unfair.

And completely true.

Heidi’s face drifts into his mind even though he tries hard to think about anything else like tragic weather forecasts, unpaid duties, tomorrow’s class, termites, literally anything... but his brain is a rebel and rebels don’t follow emotional instructions.

There she is in his mind, smiling at him in that soft way like she sees something good in him he never sees in himself. She looks at him like he’s a person, not a political cautionary tale. The memory makes his chest squeeze tight.

"That’s enough," he mutters, rubbing his hands over his face like he could wipe memory off the skin.

Vark sighs like someone who has lived through a thousand heartbreak documentaries. "You can lie to everyone else. Not to us."

"I’m not lying," Amias whispers back.

"Then admit it," his wolf pushes.

Amias breathes deep, jaw clenching involuntarily.

"She deserves someone who can actually love her the right way, not someone who has to ask permission to exist."

He means it too.

Vark goes silent again, which is somehow worse than arguing.

Amias forces himself to sit up. Today matters. Today is the day he chooses duty. Today is the day he starts building the life that ensures his mother’s sacrifice is not wasted and that his suffering turns into something meaningful.

Today is the day he formally proposes to Lira.

He will help Heidi in the shadows. He will protect her through others. He will not allow the prophecy to swallow her whole. He will not let grief write his decisions like ink spilled over his future.

He stands, stretching his arms until his muscles protest. He feels older than he is, like he skipped from twenty-five to middle-aged politician in one miserable night.

He pulls open the window a little wider, letting fresh air slap him into full consciousness. Sunday morning in the pack is too peaceful for the level of drama that constantly haunts this place. The training grounds are quiet, the patrol wolves are swapping shifts, the younger ones are playing near the lower courtyard, unaware of how badly destiny wants to snatch someone’s wig soon.

His stomach tightens again. He wonders what Heidi is doing right now. Probably sitting somewhere clueless of the snake-pit waiting for her.

He promised Darien, Morgan, and Grayson he would help protect her. He meant it. But he’s now the guy who must pretend every day that he doesn’t want her, doesn’t think of her, doesn’t feel the bond tightening like an invisible rope around his chest.

He almost laughs. He feels like a man trying to quit oxygen while being locked inside a greenhouse. That is when his phone buzzes.

He expects his brothers. He expects something concerning training schedules, prophecy updates, and whispers from the Elders.

Instead

— it’s Lira.

’Good morning, Ami 🖤

Are you free today? I’ll be coming by after lunch. Daphne asked for me and I told her I’d visit. It’ll be a plus to see you and discuss this relationship further.’

’This relationship’? Amias can’t help but scoff at that. If he wasn’t doing this for his mother, there was no relationship to begin with!

He stares at the message like it’s a trap and a solution in the same bubble.

Lira has always been gentle when she’s not being a bitch to him whenever he disagrees with her. On the outside, she’s sweet, perfect on paper. Perfect for politics. Zero chaos. Great public image. He can already see her in the future, smiling in photos, touching children’s heads at charity events, giving speeches without shaking, wearing Luna crowns without collapsing under the weight.

He replies after a long delay.

’Yes. I’ll come.’

Three dots appear instantly. She is waiting. She is excited. He can tell.

But why?

Did Daphne spill the tea already? Of course, she would. It is Daphne, after all.

’Also... I’d like to talk to you about something important today. 💍’

Amias freezes so hard his breath forgets how to leave his body.

He didn’t put the ring emoji. Lira did. His throat burns as if the room suddenly lacks a proper air supply. He sits back down on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing.

Vark whispers tiredly like he’s done trying to change Amias’s mind. "You are going to regret this."

"I already do," Amias answers.

A soft knock interrupts the mental boxing match.

"Amias... may I come in?" The voice is gentle, shaky, familiar, and no doubt belongs to Clarissa.

He stands quickly and opens the door, shocked to see her dressed, hair brushed, lips lightly colored, like she forced herself alive using pure maternal stubbornness.

"Mother, you should be resting."

"And I will," she says with a bright, odd smile that doesn’t match her feverish eyes. "But today is important. You need to be ready."

She walks inside without waiting for permission because she’s the type of mother who still sees him as her baby cub even though he now towers above most of the pack.

She sits on his bed and pats the space beside her. He obeys, because how could he not? Her presence has always been a strange balance now that he thinks of it. Before her scandal, she was always harsh but loving, demanding but protective.

She reaches into the tiny jewelry box in her hand and opens it.

Inside is an old-looking silver ring.

"This belonged to my grandfather," she beams. "And he gave it to my mother, who gave it to me. I believe you will give it to Lira."