Chapter 31

Robert keeps to himself during training. He lingers near the far end of the yard, running through solo forms, quiet and methodical. He doesn’t speak to me, doesn’t offer his usual sharp commentary, but his eyes still track me.

He’s given up trying to provoke me, but whatever thoughts keep him staring haven’t faded. The tension between us isn’t gone. It’s just settled into something quieter, something more complicated. He doesn’t have anything left to say, but he still hasn’t let go. I can feel it.

I push harder through my routine. Faster, cleaner. I don’t need him to say anything because I already know what it would be. He’s watching because he thinks there’s something still open between us, some door he could walk back through if he tried hard enough.

But that door closed a long time ago. He was the one who picked Bianca. I don’t care if he regrets it now. It’s too late.

I keep my focus on the task, ignore the pressure of his gaze until I can leave. I don’t look at him when I walk past. Whatever was left between us is buried under the choice he made, and I’m not interested in digging it up.

I’m summoned to Prince Kaine’s office before midday. Papers and maps clutter the desk in front of him. He doesn’t look up when I enter, just gestures to the seat across from him.

“We need to finalize the decoy reports,” he says. “And go over the travel logistics. I want everything finished today.”

I sit without question and pull the nearest stack of papers toward me. His voice is clipped, businesslike, but not cold. It’s the same way he’s spoken to me ever since we started working together again, professional, careful. The line between us has been drawn and neither of us has crossed it.

He hands me another page, and our fingers brush briefly. He doesn’t react and neither do I.

The reports are nearly complete. These are the polished lies we’ll be sending to the council, and possibly the Queen. Everything in them has to be believable, the timelines, locations, staffing rotations. If anyone catches on to what we’re really doing, the investigation is done.

Prince Kaine works quietly beside me, flipping through maps and cross-checking details. He doesn’t hover, doesn’t second guess me. The trust he shows is clear. He expects me to find the mistakes no one else would notice.

Still, the silence between us presses at the edge of my focus. It’s not the brittle kind that used to fill the space. This is heavier, quieter, full of everything we don’t say.

Nara shifts uneasily in the back of my mind.

“He’s not shutting you out like before.”

He’s distant.

“But not gone.”

I don’t answer. I don’t want to have this conversation again. The bond isn’t pulling like it did before. It’s quieter now, like a steady hum beneath the surface, but it’s there. It always is, and he still doesn’t know.

I haven’t told him about the mark for a reason. If I do and he rejects me, I’ll lose Nara. My wolf. That’s not something I can risk for anyone, not even for him.

Even if he did accept it, what then? Mated females don’t continue to work. They return home. They give up their careers and raise children and serve their mates from the shadows.

I know how the system works. I know what’s expected. Prince Kaine might respect me now, but that wouldn’t last, not once the bond became public.

Besides, he’s not the type to choose someone like me. His Luna would be someone polished, graceful. Bianca. Not the tomboy guard with a sharp tongue and calloused hands. He deserves someone who can stand beside him in front of the court, not someone who only knows how to fight.

Prince Kaine breaks the silence first. “Has Jasper approached you again?”

The question lands like a stone in still water. His tone is neutral, but the tension behind it is hard to miss.

I keep my voice even. “A few times.”

“And?”

“He’s persistent. But harmless.”

“That’s not how I’d describe him.”

I glance up, but Kaine’s eyes are already back on the reports. The statement lingers between us, unspoken questions behind it. I don’t answer. There’s nothing more I want to say about Jasper.

We work through the rest of the material in silence. I check the final set of travel routes while Kaine scans the distribution lists. When I finish, I hand him the updated papers.

As I stand to leave, he speaks again, without looking at me. “You’re not still sneaking out, are you?”

I hesitate just long enough for it to matter. “No.”

“You’re sure?”

“I haven’t left the palace grounds.”

It’s the truth. Mostly. He doesn’t push.

Nara’s voice stirs again, sharper now.

“You shouldn’t lie to him.”

He doesn’t need to know.

“He’d understand.”

No, he wouldn’t. Not about this.

“You don’t know that.”

I block her out before she can say more. Prince Kaine returns to his work without another word, and I walk out, head buzzing.

I run into Jasper near the east wing.

He leans against the stone wall just outside the corridor, posture relaxed, arms crossed. He falls into step beside me as I pass.

“You’ve been keeping busy,” he says, smiling.

“I have a job to do.”

“I’ve noticed you’ve been glued to my brother’s side lately. Do you ever get a day off?”

“I go where I’m ordered.”

“Of course.” He walks beside me casually. “And is that all it is?”

I don’t answer.

He grins, unfazed. “He watches you, you know. Like he doesn’t know what to do with you.”

“He’s my commanding officer.”

“You think that’s all he sees when he looks at you?”

I stop walking and turn to face him. “You don’t know anything about it.”

“Maybe not,” he admits, voice lower now. “But I know what I see. And I know what I’d do if I were in his place.”

I narrow my eyes. “What are you after?”

“Just conversation. Honest curiosity.” He holds my gaze. “You ever ask yourself what you really want?”

“I know what I want.”

“You say that like it’s simple.”

“It is.”

He studies me for a moment longer, then shrugs. “You don’t owe him anything. You don’t owe anyone anything.”

“I’m not having this conversation.”

He smiles again, softer now. “I’ll see you around.”

He turns and walks away.

Nara’s pacing now, uncomfortable. “He’s trying to get in your head.”

I’m fine.

“You’re letting him get too close.”

I told him nothing.

“You’re lying to him. Just like Kaine.”

I don’t reply.

When I finally get back to my room, I shut the door behind me and sit on the edge of the bed. My shoulders ache. My head still full of half-finished conversations and words I didn’t say.

I pull back the sleeve of my shirt and press a hand over the place where the mark rests. It’s quiet beneath my fingers, but I can still feel it. Still feel what it means. No matter how many layers I hide behind, it doesn’t go away.

“I can still control this,” I whisper. I say it again. “I have to.”