Chapter 123

Kayla

I woke up to an empty bed.

The sheets beside me were cool, the indentation of Nicholas’s body already faded. He must have gotten up and left before I could wake.

For a moment, I just laid there, staring at the ceiling, my mind still hazy with sleep. Then, slowly at first but then in a torrent, the events of the previous night came rushing back—the emails, the wine, the movie, and then… Nicholas.

My cheeks flushed at the memory, a warmth spreading through me as I recalled our frantic lovemaking. It had been like we were about to get struck by a comet, trying to desperately find one another amidst the chaos before we were all reduced to ash.

But the bed was empty now, and I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of disappointment as I rolled over and felt the cold spot where he’d been laying.

Still, my disappointment quickly gave way to something else: panic.

The emails.

I sat up, running a trembling hand through my tangled hair, and glanced at the clock. It was late morning, the sunlight streaming through the curtains and casting a golden glow across the hardwood floors. Surely the news outlets would be covering the email leaks by now.

I dressed quickly, pulling on a soft sweater and a pair of leggings, and made my way downstairs. The living room was crowded, everyone gathered around the TV in rapt silence. Nicholas was standing at the center of it all, his arms crossed and his expression intense.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Nicholas turned to me, his face lighting up with a smile that made my heart skip a beat. “Kayla. Come here.”

I crossed the room, and to my surprise, he reached out to pull me into his side. His arm wrapped around my shoulders, and I leaned into him without thinking.

“Look,” he said, nodding toward the TV.

I turned my attention to the screen, where a news anchor was speaking. The headline at the bottom of the screen caught my eye: ‘Guildsman Resigns Amid Email Scandal’.

My breath caught, my fingers flying to my mouth.

The leaked emails had made the impact we’d hoped for after all, and the public was outraged. The anchor was detailing the accusations against Gray, claiming that an ‘anonymous internet vigilante’ had leaked the information. People were calling for justice, demanding that the guild take action.

And the guild was responding.

The screen cut to a press conference, where the guildsmen were addressing a crowd of reporters. “In light of recent events,” one of them said, “Mr. Gray has resigned from his position on the guild. We take these allegations very seriously and will be conducting a full investigation into the matter.”

Nicholas let out a breath, his arm tightening around me. “It’s done,” he said softly. “Gray’s out.”

I felt a surge of triumph, but it was quickly tempered by the fact that this was just the beginning. Gray was one bad seed, but the guild was rotten to its core. And we didn’t know if Gray would retaliate somehow—surely he had an inkling that it was us who had leaked the emails. We weren’t entirely in the clear yet.

Still, it was a step in the right direction—a step toward exposing the guild’s lies and getting rid of the corruption that ran rampant in our society. And now, a position on the guild was open. Nicholas could run… and perhaps soon he could finally make the changes he’d been saying he would for so long.

Suddenly, Nicholas turned to me, his eyes shining with something I couldn’t quite name. Before I could say anything, he swept me off my feet, spinning me around in a circle as laughter bubbled up from his chest.

“Nicholas!” I squealed.

He set me down gently, his hands lingering on my waist, and then he was kissing me—not deeply, not passionately, but sweetly, tenderly, his lips brushing against my forehead, my cheeks, the tip of my nose.

I blushed furiously, acutely aware of everyone watching us. But I couldn’t keep the smile off my own face, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his.

We had done it. We had really done it. And now…

“Alright,” Nicholas said, releasing me and turning to the group, “get ready to pack your bags. We’re going to Grace’s cabin for the solstice celebration. Consider it a long-awaited vacation. We’ll go in a couple of days.”

The room erupted into chaos as everyone cheered, scrambling away to make preparations. I stayed where I was, watching as Nicholas gave orders to his security officers, ensuring that our trip to the cabin would be as uneventful as possible.

When the room finally cleared, he turned to me, his expression softening.

“Kayla,” he said, taking a step forward. “Thank you.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “For what?”

“For being by my side. If it weren’t for your idea to have the baby shower—if it weren’t for you—Gray would still be on the guild. I’m glad to have a Luna like you by my side.”

His kind words took me by surprise, and for a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. I wasn’t used to having my efforts work, let alone be recognized. But then, slowly, I nodded. “You’re welcome. And I’m sorry,” I added. “For giving you such a hard time over Anna. I was just… scared. But last night…”

I swallowed, recalling how I had made him tell me that he’d missed me last night. How I’d hovered just above him, grinding the words out of him. I’d needed to hear them, but truthfully… I was the one who missed him.

Finally, I choked out, “I missed you, Nicholas.”

Nicholas stared at me for a few moments, not speaking. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just wrung my hands. I felt suddenly small and vulnerable beneath his gaze, and for a second, I thought he might laugh in my face—maybe he would finally tell me that it was just sex, that nothing more could happen between us now. That I had gotten too emotionally invested.

“I know that you deluded yourself into thinking that it would ever be real that night he fucked you,” Nora had said that night in the kitchen. “Even if your relationship ever did somehow become real, it wouldn’t last long. He’ll cast you aside once he’s bored just like every other woman he’s been with…”

The very memory of that night stung, even more so now that we had made love not once, but twice. Regardless of how I felt about Nicholas, the fact of the matter was this: he did have… that reputation.

A playboy.

“A playboy with no scruples,” Gray had said.

Nothing—no amount of sweet nights and stolen kisses in front of everyone else—could make that history go away.

But Nicholas, as if reading my mind, stepped forward and gathered my hands in his. I watched in rapt fascination as he lifted my fingers to his lips and kissed them, one by one, his mouth lingering as he held my gaze.

I felt a lump rise in my throat.

“Actually, I was hoping you’d stay by my side while I campaign to fill Gray’s spot on the guild,” Nicholas finally said. It wasn’t much of a response to my confession.

I furrowed my brow, confused. “Our contract is still in effect, so of course I’ll help you.”

“It’s not about the contract, Kayla. It hasn’t been for a long time.”

His words hit me like a slap to the face, and I felt my cheeks flush. For a moment, I just stared at him, my mind racing. Was he saying…?

“I’ll help you,” I finally blurted out before I could think twice. I didn’t want to think too much more about it, about the implications between his words.

Nicholas smiled, his eyes softening, and leaned in to press another kiss to my forehead.

And as I watched him leave the room, I felt something shift between us—something small, but something important nonetheless.