289 I Knew She was Hurt

    biDraven.1 /i/b

    Meredith’s expression didn’t shift. But the silence around her was heavy and pressing.

    I set the ss aside and leaned forward, steady and deliberate.

    “I married you because the Council and all the other older Alphas were already circling me like wolves

    starved for power. Each of them wanted their daughters on the throne next to me since I hadn’t found my

    mate. And had I chosen one, the others would have risen against me.”

    I released a short breath and continued, “It would have torn the ns into war before I had even worn the

    crown. So, by iming you, Meredith, I silenced them. You were the only one they could not use as a weapon,

    the only choice that would not ignite their greed.”

    A pause stretched between us, the weight of the truth settling into the air.

    “That was my reason then, and I will not insult you by pretending otherwise,” I said finally. “But I had wanted

    to tell you myself, in my own time, and not with Wanda ruining this andpletely rubbing me of the

    chance.” (1

    I could already tell the content of the letter in Meredith’s hand. Though I never expected Wanda to go back in

    peace without causing a nuisance, this was thest thing I expected from her.

    ~**biMeredith/i/b**~

    The silence that followed Draven’s words pressed heavily against my chest.

    I wasn’t angry, not even close to it which was strange. But a dull ache lingered inside me, as if something delicate had cracked without shatteringpletely.

    He had said it without hesitation, without trying to soften the edges. ‘You were the only one they could not use

    ias /ia weapon!

    His honesty was as sharp as the truth itself, and though it stung, it did not surprise me. Why should it?

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    To me, Draven had never been one to mince words. He had never been a man to cover his choices with pretty

    lies. So why would I expect him to start now?

    I let out a slow breath, lowering my gaze to the folded paper still in myp. A part of me hated that Wanda’s

    venom had forced this conversation sooner than Draven had intended.

    But another part of me was relieved. Because no matter how much it hurt, he had not hidden from me.

    Draven owed me that honesty, and he gave it.

    My eyes lifted back to his. His expression was calm, unwavering, as though he hadid down a de between

    us and was waiting for me to decide what to do with it.

    The silence stretched, thick and unbroken until another question stirred inside me, one heavier than the

    first.

    I licked my lower lip, my voice quieter than I intended. “I can see that you changed your initial intentions or

    rather, use for me.”

    I let the words hung there, fragile but certain. But a momentter, I finished, “Why did you do that? What

    made you change your mind?”

    Draven didn’t hesitate long. His answer came low and steady, but it struck deeper than anything Wanda could

    have written in a hundred letters.

    “I changed,” he said, “because I found out, and confirmed… that you are my mate.”

    My breath caught. I blinked at him, certain I had misheard, but I didn’t think I had.

    A shiver ran through me. All this time, I thought I had been the only one who knew. I had carried the secret

    close to my chest, believing I was the one silently waiting for him to see what fate had already bound

    together. But all along… he had known too.

    My thoughts scattered, then reassembled slowly, and painfully.

    I thought of the countless little shifts in his behavior–the subtle softening of his voice, the way his temper toward me lessened, the way he began to look at me longer than before, as though he were seeing something beyond the surface.

    It all made sense now. He hadn’t changed simply because he had grown fond of me. He had changed because

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    b /b

    289 I Knew She was Hurt

    he had discovered what I was to him. biHis /i/bmateb. /b

    I didn’t know whether to feel hurt or relieved. A hollow ache pushed against my chest.

    ‘So he had not fallen for me out of choice, but because of destiny. Because of ia /ibond that itied /iius /iiwhether /iihe /i

    wanted it or not.

    The next question formed on my tongue before I could stop it. My voice was low, almost fragile. “And if I

    wasn’t your mate, would you have continued with your initial ns?”

    His eyes stayed on mine, unwavering, though I caught the weight in his breath as he released it slowly.

    Seconds stretched, and then finally, he nodded. “There was a high chance of that happening.”

    The wordsnded like a stone sinking deep into my chest.

    Regret mmed into me at once. Why had I inquired that question? Why had I demanded a truth I wasn’t

    prepared to hold?

    Because now I knew that if it wasn’t for this bond between us, I might have remained nothing more than a

    pawn. A shield against power–hungry wolves, and a piece he moved across the board until I no longer served

    my purpose.

    The thought turned my stomach, and for the first time, I wished Draven had lied. I wished he had smiled

    faintly, told me no, and allowed me keep my fragilefort intact.

    But he had not lied. He had given me the truth, raw and unpolished, just as I had inquired of him.

    And now I understood something else; he loved me, yes, but not because his heart had stumbled into it. He

    loved me because he had discovered that fate had already chosen me for him.

    The realization hollowed me out, leaving me caught between gratitude and grief.

    ~**bDraven/b**~

    Meredith’s silence told me more than her words ever could.

    The slight downturn of her lips. The way her fingers fidgeted against the edge of the folded paper. The faint

    crease emerging between her brows as though she were holding something heavy inside her chest.

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    289 I Knew She was Hurt

    I didn’t need her to speak. I already knew she was hurt.

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