Chapter 209: What’s going to happen

Liona’s POV

The bonfire was burning incredibly bright tonight.

Massive orange flames licked the night sky, casting a warm golden glow across the entire open area of the pack grounds.

The heat from the center of the yard was so intense that I could feel it brushing against my face even from yards away.

Everywhere I looked, pack members were laughing, drinking, and cheering.

Their voices rose and fell in perfect time with the loud music coming from the instruments.

Couples danced merrily around the massive fire, their shadows stretching long and twisted against the grass.

Children ran between the legs of talking adults, playing tag and giggling without a care in the world.

I stood still at the very edge of the thick crowd, holding my arms crossed tightly over my chest as I watched the celebration unfold.

Then, my eyes caught a familiar figure, and my heart skipped a beat.

Aethryx was standing near the center of the path, right next to my parents.

My mother was smiling so wide her cheeks looked like they were going to ache, her eyes shining with pride.

My father kept nodding aggressively at every word the young man spoke.

They were busy introducing him to every single elder and warrior who walked past them.

Aethryx handled it with total ease. He was charming, polite, and his posture was perfect.

He looked every bit like the royal leader he was born to be, capturing the room without even trying.

But despite the crowd surrounding him, his eyes were not actually on the people talking to him.

They were locked entirely on me.

His grey gaze was intense, sharp, and unmoving through the haze of the smoke.

It felt like he was looking right through the wall of bodies separating us, ignoring the entire pack just to track my every breath.

The sheer weight of his stare sent a sudden shiver straight down my spine.

I wanted to test him tonight. I needed to see how far I could push his boundaries before he finally cracked.

So, when a tall guy from the pack whose name I barely even remembered walked up to me to start a conversation, I did not send him away like I usually did.

Instead, I stayed exactly where I was. I flashed a bright, fake smile, laughing loudly at a joke that wasn’t even funny.

I tilted my head to the side, letting my hair fall over my shoulder, and lightly touched his upper arm while he spoke.

I went out of my way to act completely interested in every boring word coming out of this man’s mouth.

My entire goal was to make Aethryx angry enough to break his calm mask.

I carefully glanced through the crowd toward the spot where he stood, expecting to see a dark scowl or a clenched fist.

He was standing in the same place near my parents.

He wasn’t moving a single inch toward me, nor was he shouting for the man to back away.

He didn’t come over to start a massive fight to claim his territory.

He just stood still, watching my little performance with a blank expression.

He was totally quiet. Totally still.

A sudden wave of unease hit my stomach, making the smile freeze on my lips. Something about his silence felt deeply wrong.

I suddenly remembered the heavy words he had spoken to me in private just a few days ago.

He had told me quite clearly that if I truly wanted to be with someone else, he would let me go.

He had promised he would never force me to stay by his side against my own will.

A cold panic began to settle in my chest as I stared at his calm face.

Was he actually letting me go right now? Did he genuinely believe that I wanted to be with this other man?

I looked up from my thoughts just a short moment later, blinking through the sparks flying from the firewood.

Aethryx was completely gone.

The spot next to my parents was empty, and the crowd seemed to close in where he had just been standing.

I instantly stopped listening to the guy next to me. He was still talking away, saying something about the changing weather or the size of the fire, but none of it mattered to me anymore.

I didn’t care about being polite. I turned my back on him without a word and walked away into the thick of the crowd.

I moved quickly through the bodies until I finally found my mother and father standing by the drink tables.

"Where did he go?" I asked, my voice coming out much more urgent and breathless than I intended.

My mother blinked at me, looking completely confused by my sudden arrival.

"I thought he was right there with you, darling. He walked off a minute ago."

My father just shrugged his broad shoulders, taking a slow sip from his wooden cup.

"He mentioned he needed some fresh air away from the noise. He went toward the tree line."

I didn’t even wait for them to finish talking before I turned around and ran.

I searched every single dark area of the pack grounds as fast as my legs could carry me.

I checked the quiet flower garden, the muddy path running along the edge of the rushing river, and the empty training clearing where the warriors usually sparred.

My heart was pounding frantically against my ribs like a trapped bird.

I didn’t even understand why I cared this much about his absence, or why I was running through the dark like a crazy person just to find him, but I couldn’t stop myself.

I finally reached a secluded, quiet clearing surrounded by tall oak trees.

I was completely alone in the shadows. I took a deep breath and called out his name into the darkness.

"Aethryx?" I called, my voice shaking slightly in the cool night air.

Total silence answered me. Only the distant sound of the festival music echoed through the trees.

"Aethryx!" I called out much louder this time, my fists clenching at my sides as frustration mixed with the fear in my chest.

Still, absolutely nothing happened.

I let out a ragged breath and muttered angrily to myself, my throat feeling incredibly tight as tears of frustration threatened to prick my eyes.

"He is such a fool."

"Why are you crying?" Aethryx’s deep, smooth voice suddenly asked from right behind me.

I spun around so fast I nearly lost my balance on the damp grass.

He was standing perfectly still just a few feet away from me, emerging from the deep shadows of the trees as if he had been part of the night the entire time.

The silver moonlight caught his face, revealing that his intense grey eyes were completely soft and calm.

There was no anger in his expression, only a quiet, steady presence.

"We were just playing a harmless game a few seconds ago," he said softly, stepping into the clear light. "Why the tears now, my queen?"

"Where on earth did you go?" I snapped at him, my voice cracking as I tried to hide how badly my hands were shaking.

I crossed my arms again, trying to look big and angry instead of vulnerable.

"To get some fresh air," he replied with a simple shrug of his shoulders, his tone completely peaceful. "The crowd was getting a bit loud."

He walked closer to me, his heavy boots making almost no sound against the grass until he was standing right in front of me.

The heat radiating off his body instantly pushed away the chill of the night.

"You were trying to make me jealous back there, weren’t you?" he asked quietly, looking down at me.

I bit my inside lip and did not answer him. I refused to admit that he had seen right through my childish plan.

He reached out with a slow, deliberate movement. His warm fingers gently wrapped under my chin, tilting my head up so that I had no choice but to look directly into his striking eyes.

"If you want to delay this marriage, fine," he said, his voice turning incredibly serious.

"If you are truly not interested in being my wife, you just need to tell me plainly. I will not force a marriage on you."

He paused for a second, his grip on my chin tightening just a fraction as his gaze darkened.

"But never try to make me jealous with another man again," he said in a low, dangerous tone. "It never turns out well for anyone involved. Trust me on that."

I felt instantly offended by his words. A hot wave of defensive anger washed over me, and I yanked my chin away from his hand, pushing back against his steady control.

"Then just admit the truth!" I said sharply, stepping closer into his space so we were almost chest to chest.

"Admit that you were secretly in my bedroom the other night. Stop lying and telling me it was just a strange dream!"

His grey eyes darkened completely at my words, the softness vanishing into something fierce and heavy.

He stepped even closer, his shadow completely swallowing me up in the moonlight.

"My queen, if I really wanted to be inside your room... if I truly wanted to lay my hands on your skin..." he said, his voice dropping into a low, rumbling vibration that rattled my bones.

His tone turned fiercely possessive, filled with an intense hunger that made my breath catch in my throat.

He leaned down, his face inches from mine.

"I would do it while you are completely and fully awake," he whispered right against my lips.

"I would never sneak into your room while you sleep like some coward. I want you to see me. I want you to feel every single touch. I want to hear you scream my name, Liona, not a shadow’s."

He looked deeply into my eyes, his intense gaze pinning me to the spot while the wind rustled the leaves above us.

"This is the very last time I will ever ask you this question," he said softly, his voice dropping all the rough edge from before.

"Do you want this marriage to happen or not? Give me your true answer."

I couldn’t bear the intensity of his stare anymore, so I looked down at my own hands, my heart hammering wildly in my throat.

The quiet clearing felt completely isolated from the rest of the world.

The distant sound of the bonfire crackling was the only thing keeping us connected to reality.

Slowly, with a heavy breath, I nodded my head.

Yes.

I kept my eyes glued to the grass, unable to look up at him after admitting the truth to myself.

I heard him let out a long, heavy exhale above me. It sounded like a massive weight had just been lifted off his chest, a pure sound of relief.

Before I could even process the sound, he stepped forward and pulled me firmly against his body.

His strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist, lifting me slightly as he held me flat against his broad chest.

His embrace was incredibly warm, strong, and completely safe. It felt like a shield against the rest of the world, and without thinking, I let my forehead rest against his shoulder.

"Good," he whispered roughly against my ear, his breath tickling my skin.

"Because now that you have finally said yes... I am never letting you go. You are mine."

He held me even tighter, squeezing the air out of my lungs in a way that made me feel completely cherished.

"No matter what happens tomorrow," he added, his voice dropping into a softer, stranger tone that caught my attention.

I frowned, the sudden shift in his words making a cold drop of dread hit my stomach.

I pulled back slightly from his chest, forcing him to loosen his grip so I could look up at his face.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, looking at him with deep confusion.

"What happens tomorrow, Aethryx?"