CHAPTER 101: 101 - VERY SOON

101

~Rowan’s POV

Finally, I stepped back, my voice sharp. "You’re going to bring those guards back. Today. I don’t care if she’s sitting in her father’s living room drinking tea, bring them back."

Damon’s jaw clenched. "No."

"What did you just say?" I asked slowly.

"I said no," he repeated, his voice firm. "They’re staying with her until she comes back."

Kael’s voice dropped dangerously low. "Damon... don’t push this."

"I’m not pushing anything," Damon said. "I’m protecting her."

I stared at him for a long moment, my chest heaving. "You’re making a mistake you’re going to regret."

The room went quiet again, the only sound our breathing. Kael shook his head and walked away, muttering something under his breath about stupidity. I just stood there, glaring at Damon, my mind racing with how to fix the mess he’d just made. I had to leave as well.

I stormed into the lounge with Kael right behind me, my jaw clenched so hard it hurt. The moment we sat down, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

"What the hell is wrong with Damon?" I snapped, running a hand through my hair. "Since when do we start wasting guards on her?"

Kael shook his head, his eyes narrowing. "I knew it. The moment he started talking to her more than necessary, this was bound to happen. He’s... caring for her."

I slammed my palm against the armrest. "She’s human, Kael. Human. Our mate or not, she’s supposed to be nothing more than a pet we keep around for formality. We all agreed on that."

Kael leaned forward, voice low and bitter. "And now Damon’s sending guards to escort her home? Alone? Without telling us? What, are we her babysitters now?"

The more I thought about it, the more my anger burned. "Two guards, Kael. Two. As if she’s some princess who needs protection." I scoffed, shaking my head. "He’s losing it. One of us needs to snap him back to reality."

We were still fuming when the door opened and Belinda walked in, practically glowing. She was smiling like she’d just won the lottery, but the moment she saw our faces, her brow furrowed.

"What’s going on?" she asked, walking over.

Kael was the first to speak. "It’s Damon. He’s... doing too much for Lisa. Letting her go home alone and wasting two guards on her. Like she’s... important."

Belinda blinked, looking between us, and then she let out a small laugh. "Isn’t that what you wanted?"

I stared at her. "What we wanted?"

She nodded, smiling slyly. "If she leaves, then you can finally announce me as your mate without all this... human drama in the way."

"You wanted her gone," she said softly, her tone almost coaxing, almost accusing. "And so did I."

I didn’t move. My eyes stayed locked on her, but I didn’t let my expression give anything away. She wasn’t wrong.

Belinda’s lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile but held the weight of satisfaction. "I enjoyed being with you both after she left," she continued, voice low enough to make me lean in without realizing it. "That’s what I want... that’s what we want."

She said "we" as though Kael had already agreed to it. As though I had already agreed to it.

Her hand came to rest on my shoulder. It wasn’t a quick touch; it was deliberate, the kind of touch that makes you aware of every point of contact. Her fingertips pressed lightly into my shirt, dragging slowly along the muscle as if committing the shape to memory. My breath caught, but I didn’t show it.

Her eyes didn’t leave mine until the very last second, when her hand slid away from me and toward Kael. I watched her move, my gaze following her fingers as they trailed over the space between us. When they landed on Kael’s arm, she didn’t just touch him, she lingered. Her palm rested against his forearm, her thumb stroking small, absent circles against his skin like she’d done it a hundred times before.

Kael’s jaw tensed. He didn’t look at her at first. His gaze was locked on the far wall, his shoulders rigid, like he was willing himself not to react. But his body betrayed him, just a slight shift of weight toward her, just enough that I caught it.

I stayed still, deliberately still, letting my arms rest at my sides. My pulse was a steady drumbeat in my ears, but outwardly, I was stone. I wanted to see where she was going with this. I wanted to see what Kael would do. He knew there should be no intimacy with another woman until we reject our mate.

Belinda stepped closer to him, her body angled so I could see the soft curve of her cheek and the intent in her eyes. Her touch traveled higher, sliding from his forearm to the bend of his elbow, then up along the line of his bicep. She wasn’t rushing. Every movement was slow, drawn out, like she was savoring the path her hand took.

Kael finally looked down at her. His eyes were darker now, the calm blue I knew replaced by something heavier, something edged.

She tilted her head, closing the distance between them even further. Her lips parted just slightly, her breath visible in the inch of space between their faces. And then... finally... she leaned in, her mouth finding his.

It was slow at first. Just a brush of lips, soft enough that it could have been mistaken for an accident if not for the way she stayed there, pressing in again. Kael didn’t pull away this time.

Her hand slid up behind his neck, pulling him closer, and his shoulders, so tense before, began to loosen. The kiss deepened, their mouths moving together with more certainty now. I could hear the faint sound of it, could almost feel the shift in the air between them.

I watched without a word. My chest was tight, not with jealousy exactly, but with something heavier, something I couldn’t name. It was as if the room had shrunk, as if the walls had pulled in closer to trap the three of us in this moment.

Kael’s hand moved to her waist, fingers curling into the fabric of her shirt. She leaned into him, her body fitting against his like she’d always belonged there.

When she pulled back, she was smiling like she’d just won a game. "I can’t wait to be your Luna," she murmured. "And Damon... he’ll come back to his senses very soon."