Chapter 56: A Deal? Without Me?
"Are you cheating on Neve?" Kael had asked that question.
Cael frowned at the words hanging in the cold air. Of all assumptions to make or questions to ask, Kael had arrived at something like that.
Cael hoped people didn’t think that of him while he was busy walking away from the same girl who was stalking him.
"Are you saying that just to make me angry?" he said to Kael.
Kael looked at Isabella, who said nothing, who did not deny it, who just stood there with her lips pressed together and her eyes flicking between the two of them. Kael’s mouth twitched as he realised what was going on.
"I see," he said, closing his eyes briefly. "Seems I was wrong. Forgive me."
He fell into step beside Cael without waiting for a response. Cael held the empty pot against his hip, Kael carried the wrapped talon in both arms, and they walked together while Isabella trailed behind them, uninvited.
Seeing that she was still following them, Cael stopped and turned.
"Stay away," he said.
His voice hit harder than usual. Isabella flinched and stopped walking, her hand rising to press against her chest, and her eyes went glassy fast enough that Cael’s suspicion sharpened immediately. Not just Cael, but also Kael.
A few beastmen nearby noticed as their heads turned to see what was happening.
Her friends appeared from somewhere in the crowd, rushing over. "Bella, what’s wrong? Are you alright?"
Isabella nodded, sniffed, and said nothing that would answer the question but implied plenty.
"You look so pale. Only if there was someone to help you..." The other one said, sparing a glance at Cael.
"It’s fine," Bella sniffed, wiping the tears off her other eye. "I can definitely handle it."
She said, and suddenly broke down in tears again.
Kael leaned toward Cael’s ear. "Does she always do this?"
"Shut up," Cael muttered, glaring at her.
"Why would you treat me like this?" Isabella said, loud enough for the gathering crowd to hear clearly. "All I’ve ever had was feelings for you, Cael. If you hadn’t met that fake male and fallen for him, I would be yours, and you’d be mine."
A few murmurs moved through the small crowd that had formed.
Cael’s jaw tightened. He wasn’t enjoying the attention, but he knew exactly what Isabella was hoping to get. Still, he wasn’t going to let her have it. "Even if I’d never met Neve, there was never a version of this where I chose you."
"What?" Her voice cracked upward. "How can you say that to me? My father was—"
"Dead," Cael said. "Your father was a good chief. He’s gone. Stop using his name to get things that were never going to be yours."
He turned and walked away.
Kael followed, glancing back once at Isabella standing in the snow, tears still on her face, her friends fussing over her while several other beastmen gathered close to offer comfort she had clearly already secured before Cael finished his sentence.
.
.
The cave was quiet when they reached it. Kael looked around slowly, taking in the space with open curiosity, since this was his first time inside.
Cael pointed with his chin toward the corner. "Put it there."
He walked into the kitchen without waiting to see if Kael obeyed.
The thud of the talon hitting the floor followed a moment later, heavy and deliberate. Kael crossed the main cave and stepped into the kitchen space, and stopped.
His eyes went wide as soon as he stepped in. It was dark, but the moonlight was able to let him see properly.
"Where is this?" he said, looking at the shelves, the pots, the neat rows of stored vegetables and dried meat.
"Neve calls it a kitchen," Cael said, setting the pot down in the corner meant for washing later. "Stay away from it."
"You know I can’t do that," Kael said, still looking around.
Cael frowned as he watched Kael admire what Neve had done.
Cael exhaled through his nose. "I’m tired," he said. "Tired of watching different beastmen circle my mate."
"You mean, our mate," Kael said.
Cael turned, frowning. "What? What do you mean by our mate?"
"He’ll be my mate too. After winter."
"That’s not happening. I won’t let it happen. You’re just going to stay in this tribe as a guest and leave when it’s due time," Cael said.
Kael shrugged, unbothered, and stepped closer. "It will happen. That’s exactly why you need me." He crossed his arms.
"Why would I need someone like you?"
"Don’t be greedy now, Cael. Together, we make sure no one else gets close to him. You can’t manage this on your own, Cael. Not with this many tribes at the festival, not with what happened tonight. You need help. You need me."
Cael wanted to argue. He wanted to argue very badly. He didn’t want anyone close to Neve except him. He already had one rival, and that’s the dragon king. He didn’t want another. He didn’t want more. He couldn’t explain why he’s suddenly being possessive of Neve, maybe because of their bond. He stared at his wrist.
’It’s definitely the bond,’
But Kael was not wrong, and that was the most frustrating part of the entire evening. He can’t protect Neve alone. After hearing the news from his brother about how they wish to merge with the leopard tribe, just because they wish to be in the dragon king’s favour. He was sure they’d all be after Neve.
He looked at Kael, who was still standing there, waiting for an answer. He exhaled deeply as his eyes dropped to the floor.
’I guess there’s no harm in trusting this one. He’s protected Neve before, so he’s the closest stranger I could trust.’
"Fine," Cael said. "We’ll have a deal."
Kael smiled. He was satisfied with the decision Cael had made. And just when he opened his mouth to say something else...
"A deal?" a voice said from the cave entrance. "Without me?"
Both of them turned.