Chapter 14: A hammer
Kai’s expression remained unfazed as he assessed the depth of her audacity. Elaika’s rudeness had crossed a line. She had forgotten her place. His icy gaze darkened, shifting into a mischievous and unforgiving glare. The air around him thickened with a palpable tension, the weight of his aura pressing down on her like a storm. It was suffocating, an invisible force that left her trembling under its influence. She had dared too much, and now she would feel the full brunt of his wrath.
His piercing eyes burned with a dangerous fire as he spoke, his voice a low growl. "Elaika, I warned you not to fall in love with me. I’ve never made a promise to you, have I?"
Elaika’s breath hitched, her throat constricting as though an iron fist was closing around it. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, each beat a reminder of her desperation. Internally, she screamed at herself for showing such vulnerability, for allowing herself to hope. When he rose from his seat and began walking toward her, her knees gave out, forcing her to collapse to the floor. She barely managed to catch herself on her hands, her blonde hair cascading down. The sheer force of his aura was overwhelming, wrapping around her like a vice.
"Please," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. Tears threatened to spill from her wide, pleading eyes. "Let me stay by your side. I... I can be your concubine. I have no problem with it."
Kai’s footsteps halted just inches from where she knelt. The suffocating pressure in the air lightened as his aura receded, but the chill in his gaze remained. "Don’t even think of pushing this further," he warned, his tone as cold as the air that surrounded him. "If you do, I’ll send you back to the mountain castle. Have I made myself clear?"
Elaika’s head bowed, her eyes squeezing shut in frustration and humiliation. Her fists clenched tightly, nails digging into her palms as she struggled to contain her simmering rage.
"Do you love her?" she blurted out, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and despair.
Kai turned away from her without answering. His boots echoed sharply against the marble floor as he walked toward the door, the question hanging unanswered in the icy air. He owed no one an explanation, especially not her. Yet the thought of his wife tugged at something deep within him. Ren was different. She had slipped into his life and lodged herself in his mind in a way no one else ever had.
Outside the hall, he stopped in front of Coran, his cold demeanor unshaken. "If you don’t want me to doubt your loyalty, convince her to step back. I’ve made no promises to your family. My only vow is to protect this land and the people who reside in it."