CHAPTER 99: PROVING A POINT

Josie

For a moment, I thought he hadn’t heard me. Kiel just stood there, his eyes on mine, unreadable, his jaw flexing like he was trying to decide between walking away or tearing the entire building apart.

Then, in a sharp tone that cut through the air, he snapped, "Guards! Bring the elders back here. Now."

The sudden command hit me like a slap.

"What?" I turned to him, blinking. "What are you doing?"

His mouth twitched into something dangerously close to a smirk, though the fire in his eyes was no joke. "Watch and see," he said, voice low and brimming with an energy I didn’t quite know how to name.

"Kiel—" I started, but he held up a finger, silencing me without even looking my way.

The guards obeyed in seconds, their heavy boots thudding across the floor as they disappeared down the hall. I stood rooted in place, arms crossed over my chest more out of instinct than defiance. The sound of muffled protests floated toward us before the elders were marched back into the room.

They looked annoyed, confused... and then wary when they saw Kiel’s expression.

"Alpha?" one of them started, but Kiel didn’t give him the chance to finish. His hand shot out, curling around my waist with firm, unshakable possession, yanking me flush against him.

My breath caught. "Kiel—"

"Since you seem to have trouble hearing," he bit out, his voice razor-sharp, "let me make this perfectly clear to all of you... who I have chosen to be in my life."

And before I could even think about what that meant, his lips were on mine.

It wasn’t just a kiss—it was a full-blown claim, the kind that would leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that I was his. His mouth moved against mine with an intensity that left me breathless, stealing every rational thought I had. His hand stayed firm on my waist while his other cupped the back of my neck, tilting my head so he could kiss me deeper, harder, until I swore the ground could have given way beneath my feet and I wouldn’t have noticed.

The world blurred. My pulse roared in my ears. And the only thing I was aware of was the fact that Kiel was kissing me like he was trying to burn his name into my soul.

When he finally pulled back, my lips tingled, my knees felt like water, and my brain... well, that had clearly decided to take a vacation.

I blinked at him, trying to catch my breath, but before I could say anything, I glanced toward the elders.

The gasps still lingered in the air. They were staring at me as if I had sprouted wings, their faces a mix of shock and—oh, this was rich—embarrassment.

A tiny part of me, the petty, slightly vindictive part, wanted to smirk and say, See? He still kisses me even when I’m in ’men’s clothes.’ But I didn’t have to. The message had landed with the subtlety of a brick to the head. Their shame was written all over their faces.

Good.

Kiel’s voice cut through the awkward silence, cold and sharp. "If any of you think you can speak about her with disrespect again, you’ll find out exactly how short my patience runs."

They bowed their heads quickly, mumbling things that might have been apologies but were so mumbled they were barely words.

"Get out," Kiel ordered.

They didn’t hesitate, turning and leaving in a quiet shuffle that felt more like a retreat than a dignified exit.

The moment the door shut, I exhaled slowly. "I can’t believe you just did that."

Kiel turned back to me, eyes still dark but softer now. His hand came up to tilt my chin, forcing me to look at him. "You can’t even imagine what I’m capable of doing for you," he murmured, his voice low enough to make my skin prickle. "No one—and I mean no one—makes my mate feel insecure. I love you as hard as I ever have, and that is never going to change in this world."

The words sank into me like warm sunlight after a storm, and before I could stop myself, I surged forward and kissed him. Hard.

His arm slid around my waist again, and the kiss turned messy, urgent. I felt the desk behind me suddenly as my back hit it, his body pressing into mine. His fingers skimmed the edge of my dress—no, not a dress, my so-called men’s clothes—with a kind of deliberation that sent heat flooding my cheeks.

We might have crossed a very dangerous line right there if it hadn’t been for the sharp sound of someone clearing their throat.

We broke apart, both of us turning toward the door.

And there stood Varen.

Of course.

Heat rose in my chest, embarrassment wrapping around me like a second skin. I couldn’t even look at either of them because I already knew what was about to happen.

Kiel’s jaw clenched. "You’ve got ten seconds to walk out and pretend you didn’t just interrupt something important."

Varen didn’t even flinch. "She’s my guest too," he said casually, leaning against the doorframe like he owned it. "I’m allowed to stay close to her. Or is intruding on other people’s private moments only a problem when you’re not the one doing it?"

I groaned inwardly. The fake fight was coming, and honestly, I did not have the energy for it.

Before either of them could start trading barbed comments, I stepped in between them, pushing gently at their chests. "No. Absolutely not. Cut it out, both of you. No one wants to see you two trying to one-up each other like teenage boys."

They both gave me looks—Kiel’s was pure irritation, Varen’s a smug little smirk—but at least they stopped glaring at each other like they were about to shift and fight right here in the middle of the room.

Varen’s expression shifted, just a touch, as he straightened. "We have a visitor," he said, his tone suddenly carrying that little edge that meant he was holding back details on purpose.

I narrowed my eyes. "A visitor?"

"Yes," he said, and the corner of his mouth curled upward again. "And I think you’ll want to know who it is."

Something in his tone made me pause. "Is it Marcy?" I asked, a little skeptical.

That earned me a chuckle. "Marcy?" Varen tilted his head, pretending to think. "I never knew she acted like a visitor. First time I’m hearing that."

And just like that, the question of who this mysterious visitor was hung between us like a storm cloud waiting to burst.