Chapter 72: Meeting the Prince
Kael walked towards his own house with heavy steps, his mind restless and his heart in turmoil as he thought about how cruel life could be. Ramon’s eyes glistening with tears and her uneasy feelings due to his nearness haunted him. And his own inability to comfort her rubbed salt in to the wound.
Lost in those thoughts, he only realised after a while that his feet had carried him to Zen’s house instead of his own. He let out a sigh. He’s planned to talk to Zen later in the evening, regarding Lance’s wish for Emira. But now, that he was here, it was better to talk about Ramona.
Ramona had walked out of Zen’s house with tears in her eyes. The sight made something twist painfully inside him. What a cruel twist of fate.
He, who could not stand to see her sadness, was the one she pushed away and hated by her. While Zen, who seemed to hurt her on purpose, was still the one she ran to the moment they returned.
He had been selfish long enough, letting Zen follow him into this mission. It was time to make their younger brother stay behind and finish the bond.
After all, a two-way completed bond was still better than having no bond at all.
Besides, it couldn’t be delayed any longer. For Alphas like them, a bond with a healthy Omega was not just about tradition, it was about survival.
Without it, the power of their wolves would eventually turn unstable, leaving the Alpha exposed.
And a vulnerable Alpha meant a weak pack. So, Lance and Zen should be able to...
His wolf growled at the thought of being left out, but Kael simply ignored the animal and its instincts and walked in purposefully to talk to Zen. Better to complete the talks before the celebration.
However, he had not imagined the scene that would greet him when he entered.
"Why are you kneeling here?"
"I am being punished," Emira answered softly, her head lowered.
Kael frowned. "Where is Zen?"
"His Highness is asleep in the other room."
Kael’s eyes narrowed. It wasn’t like Zen to punish someone this way. His brother enjoyed binding his partners, yes, but he never left them unattended like this, tied and kneeling by the door, unable to even protect herself if there was an emergency.
Without another word, he moved to the couch and sat down. Even as he did, his mind was already reaching for Zen through their bond. Perhaps his brother had only told the girl he was going to sleep. But as Kael reached out, his frown deepened. Zen really was asleep.
His gaze shifted back to the Omega. "Why did he punish you?"
Emira’s eyes flickered away, her voice barely above a whisper. "I... I don’t know."
Kael’s tone dropped, colder. "Do you need me to remind you of the consequences of lying?"
She winced at the words, her head bowing lower. "I really don’t know."
When she finally lifted her face, her eyes were wet, tears trembling on her lashes. Her voice cracked, filled with both confusion and hurt. "I don’t know why he was angry. He was fine when we returned earlier. But then... there was a visitor. He told me to wait for him in the bedroom."
"And then, he went out, and when he came back, he was suddenly different. He said I needed to be punished. So he tied me up and told me to kneel here until he said otherwise. And then walked back inside."
"Come here."
Emira nodded and was about to stand up when Kael spoke up," I didn’t order you to stand."
He watched as the Omega struggled for a few moments and then came towards him still on her knees, her back ramrod straight.
He looked her over carefully. She was all skin and bones, hardly any flesh on her other than her breasts. But seeing her like this, tied, and kneeling and still clinging onto her stubborn pride, stirred something in him. Even his wolf, which had been irritated with him just now, looked on with interest, eager to see what he was going to do.
His hand moved forward and he hooked a finger under her chin," Did you wait quietly on the bed for him?"
Emira nodded slowly. "I did." Her lips pressed together as if she wanted to stop there, but after a long pause she forced herself to continue in a low and trembling voice. "I overheard... an argument between Prince Zen and his visitor."
"Could it be that he was angry about that?", Emira asked in question. But without giving him a chance to reply, she continued, "But I didn’t mean to! Truly, I didn’t. The door was left open, and they were speaking so loudly I could not help but hear them."
Her eyes darted up to Kael, uncertain if she should go on, but he remained silent. He knew she was being truthful. She had indeed overheard the conversation. He stared at her slowly, waiting for her to continue. And she did... "The lady was furious. She even slapped Highness across the face. But he did not react to that at all. Instead, he... he told her she should not have come at all, that she was wasting his time because he wanted to... that he wanted to sleep with me, and that she had interrupted us. The lady left after that..."
Kael’s jaw tightened as the pieces fell into place. So that was why Ramona’s eyes had been red, why she had been crying. It must have hurt her to see her mate like this.
So, that is why Zen insisted on bringing back Emira. He wanted to use her as a tool to hurt Ramona. His wolf clawed angrily at him then.
How dare he hurt their mate? No wonder Lance had wanted to send her away. He mist have already guessed Zen’s motive. As much as he wanted to go and shake some sense into Zen, but confronting him would do no good. Instead, he would only make this more troublesome.
He looked at the kneeling Omega, and made a swift decision.