Chapter 101

Aurora's POV

Dawn painted the Alpha King's stronghold in shades of gold and crimson as Kane and I approached the massive gates. The ancient fortress rose from the mountainside like something from a fairy tale, its towers piercing the morning sky. Guards patrolled the walls with practiced efficiency, their movements sharp and alert.

My legs trembled beneath me, exhaustion weighing down every step. The journey had been brutal, but nothing compared to the tension crackling between Kane and me like lightning before a storm.

The gates opened as we approached. News of our arrival had clearly spread, with guards and officials gathering to meet us. Their expressions lit up when they saw Kane, genuine smiles gracing stony faces.

"Kane!" Captain Morrison called out, striding forward with obvious pleasure. "We weren't expecting you back so soon."

Other guards joined the greeting, their camaraderie with Kane evident in their banter and jokes. They fought beside him and trusted him with their lives. Their warmth was clear.

Their expressions turned cautious as they saw me with him. Conversations stopped, and smiles became neutral. They seemed to process Kane's unexpected return with a woman they'd only heard about in reports.

"Is this...?" Morrison's question trailed off diplomatically.

"Luna Aurora," Kane said stiffly, his voice stripped of the warmth he'd shown moments earlier. "She requires accommodation and immediate audience with His Majesty."

The formal introduction felt like a slap. No explanation of our partnership, no acknowledgment of what we'd been through together. Just bureaucratic necessity delivered with military precision.

Morrison's eyebrows rose slightly at Kane's cold tone, but years of military discipline kept his response professional. "Of course. The Alpha King has been expecting you both."

Walking through the stronghold's corridors, I saw the guards' friendly attitude toward Kane didn't extend to me. They nodded respectfully but kept their distance, showing wariness rather than welcome.

Kane sensed their discomfort and increased the distance, walking miles ahead of me, acting more like I was a prisoner than a partner.

"I need my own accommodations," he said to the housing coordinator without looking at me. His voice carried that crisp, professional tone that had become his default since our escape.

The casual dismissal hit me like a physical blow. After everything we'd endured together, he was already rebuilding the walls between us.

"So we're back to professional distance?" I asked, unable to keep the hurt from my voice. "After everything we've been through?"

Kane's jaw tightened, and for a moment I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes—pain, maybe, or regret. But when he spoke, his tone was cutting and final.

"It's appropriate given our current circumstances."

The words stung worse than any physical wound. He treated me like a stranger, as if our partnership was just a convenient arrangement that had outlived its usefulness.

Several guards exchanged glances at our obvious tension. Kane noticed their attention and stepped even further away, making our dysfunction visible to everyone present.

"The Alpha King will see you immediately," Morrison said, his discomfort obvious as he tried to navigate the awkward situation.

The Alpha King received us in his private study, a room that managed to be both luxurious and intimidating. Ancient weapons decorated the walls alongside portraits of former kings, their painted eyes seeming to judge everyone who entered.

"Luna Aurora," he said carefully, his greeting notably lacking the warmth he'd shown Kane. "Kane. I understand you've had some... difficulties at Blood Moon."

I could tell he'd already heard reports about my supposed "mental breakdown"—probably from Giana's network of lies that seemed to reach everywhere. His expression was carefully neutral, but his eyes held the sharp calculation of someone assessing a potential threat.

Kane stepped forward slightly, his posture rigid and professional. "The Luna was experiencing significant stress during recent political developments, Your Majesty. The situation became untenable."

I stared at him in disbelief. That was his explanation? After witnessing Giana's betrayal firsthand, after gathering evidence of the conspiracy, he was reducing it to "stress" and political difficulties?

"Kane witnessed everything I did," I said desperately, turning to the Alpha King. "He knows about Giana's meetings with rogues, about the plans to eliminate pack members—"

"I can confirm surveillance activities took place," Kane interrupted smoothly. "However, I cannot comment on interpretations of observed events without proper analysis and verification."

The diplomatic language was a knife to my heart. He undermined my credibility while protecting his, casting doubt on me in front of guards who had known him for years and trusted him completely.

The Alpha King's expression grew more skeptical as he processed Kane's carefully neutral response. "I see. And your decision to leave Blood Moon territory?"

"A tactical withdrawal given the deteriorating security situation," Kane replied without hesitation.

"Tactical withdrawal?" I exploded, my composure finally cracking. "We escaped because Raymond was about to have me declared officially insane! Because Giana's conspiracy was about to eliminate the last person who knew the truth!"

Kane's face remained impassive, but I caught the slight tightening around his eyes. "The Luna's concerns about her safety were legitimate."

Even his acknowledgment was cautious, aimed at protecting his position without giving anything real. The guards felt the tension, shifting uncomfortably, unsure how to respond.

A messenger arrived during our initial meeting, his breathless haste suggesting urgent news. The Alpha King read the formal demands with growing concern, his expression darkening with each line.

"Alpha Raymond demands your immediate return for trial on charges of desertion and treason," he said slowly. "He's prepared to consider military action if his demands aren't met."

My blood ran cold. Raymond wasn't just angry—he was positioning this as a direct challenge to the Alpha King's authority. Giana's manipulation had pushed him toward outright war.

The Alpha King's advisors were summoned quickly. As they entered the study, I saw their calculations behind their eyes. Some looked at me with pity, others with suspicion, all cautiously assessing political risk.

Kane stayed silent as advisors debated my fate, his professional mask on even as they considered handing me over to avoid conflict. His easy camaraderie with the guards seemed like a lifetime ago.

"The question is whether harboring a fugitive Luna is worth potential conflict with Blood Moon pack," Elder Matthews said diplomatically.

"I’m not a fugitive," I protested. "I'm seeking legitimate asylum from magical conditioning and persecution—"

"The reports we've received suggest mental instability rather than persecution," another advisor interrupted gently. "Perhaps medical evaluation would be more appropriate than political sanctuary."

At dinner that evening, the stronghold's officials made their skepticism clear. I sat at the long table feeling like an exhibit in a museum—something curious and potentially dangerous that required careful observation.

Kane sat several seats away, maintaining distance and chatting with longtime officials. He didn't look at me or acknowledge whispers about my mental state.

"Such a shame about the Luna's breakdown," Lady Sinclair murmured to her companion, her voice just loud enough for me to hear. "The stress of arranged marriages can be so difficult."

Kane's response to similar comments was always diplomatically neutral, neither defending nor condemning me. His silence spoke volumes to people who had trusted his judgment for years.

A servant approached me discreetly during the meal, sliding a folded note beneath my napkin. I opened it carefully, my heart racing as I read the warning:

Formal charges of desertion are being prepared. The council meets tomorrow to decide your fate. Trust no one.

After dinner, I cornered Kane in one of the stronghold's corridors. The hallway was dimly lit, shadows dancing on stone walls from flickering torches.

"You helped me escape," I said quietly, stepping close enough to see the tension in his shoulders. "But now you won't even look at me. What changed?"

Kane's response was rigid, each word carefully measured. "The escape was a tactical necessity. This is political survival."

"Political survival?" I repeated, my voice rising despite my efforts to stay calm. "Is that what our partnership meant to you? A political calculation?"

For just a moment, his professional mask slipped. I saw pain flash across his features, quickly suppressed but unmistakably there.

"You don't understand the position we're in," he said quietly. "Raymond's threats aren't empty. The Alpha King can't afford to appear weak."

"So you're willing to sacrifice me to protect your career?"

Kane's jaw clenched, his hands forming fists at his sides. "I'm trying to keep you alive by maintaining the objectivity necessary to navigate this crisis."

"By destroying my credibility? By making me face this alone?"

"Emotion clouds judgment," he replied coldly. "It gets people killed."

As he walked away, leaving me alone in the shadowy corridor, I realized that my greatest challenge wouldn't be convincing the Alpha King's council of Giana's conspiracy. It would be doing it without support from the one person who knew the truth.

The servant's warning echoed in my mind as I made my way to my assigned quarters. Tomorrow, I would face judgment entirely alone.