Chapter 222: Accusation.
Kai met his Beta on the snowy plains, his features etched with silent fury. An unyielding grudge simmered behind his eyes, sharp just like the cold wind. He had come here not for training, not for bonding, but for answers. And if his suspicions proved true, Coran would have no place as Beta of the King once the war was over.
"Your Majesty, why are we here?" Coran asked, scanning the endless stretch of frostbitten earth.
The landscape was a sea of white, cold, barren, and wind-swept. In other years, the shifters would have welcomed the winter, using it to sharpen their instincts and test the strength of their animal forms. But this year, everything felt... off, tense, mournful.
Kai’s voice cut through the silence like a sharp breeze. "Coran, if I fall in this war... what will you do, as heir to the Mountain Wolves?"
The question struck Coran like a slap. His breath caught. Why did that sound like an accusation instead of a trust? Had Kai’s faith in him been shaken, or cracked by the betrayals of Elaika and Zaira?
Coran dropped to one knee, the weight of Kai’s words making the cold bite deeper into his bones. "Please don’t say that," he whispered. "I would give my life for you."
"Answer my question!" Kai snapped, his voice trembling with more than just anger, it carried the edge of something brittle, something hurt.
Coran’s thoughts scattered. He had never imagined a world where Kai wasn’t leading them. "I’ve never thought about it," he admitted, his voice low. "But if that day ever comes, I’ll make sure the crown stays in the Luna Queen’s hands."
Kai’s next words hit like a whip. "Would you marry her?"