Chapter 73 Preparing for the trial 2

Chapter 73: Chapter 73 Preparing for the trial 2

Talia’s POV

The afternoon sun streamed through the windows, casting long shadows across the library floor.

I stretched my arms above my head and rolled my shoulders, trying to ease the stiffness in my neck.

I thought about Alpha Stone. A wolf who had lost his mate and spent ten years drowning in grief. He had watched his pack struggle through harsh winters and buried too many of his wolves. No wonder he did not trust anyone.

If I were in his position, I would not trust anyone either.

I thought about my own mother. About the fire, and about the years I spent wondering if anyone would save me. But no one did, and I saved myself.

Alpha Stone had no one to save him either, so maybe that was something we had in common, and maybe that was something I could use.

I picked up another book and opened it. This one was about the territory disputes, with maps showing the border between Shadowfang and Stoneclaw. I traced the lines with my finger, memorizing the rivers and mountains and valleys.

Knowledge was indeed power, and I needed all the power I could get.

The sun set, and the library grew dark, but I did not stop. I lit a candle instead and kept reading.

I was so lost in my research that I did not hear Kaelen come in.

He stood in the doorway for a moment, watching me, as his gray eyes moved across the piles of books on the table, the scraps of paper covered in my handwriting, and the candle flickering in the darkness.

"You are still here," he said.

I looked up. My eyes were burning, and my head was aching, but I did not let it show.

"I am still reading," I said.

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered.

"What did you eat?" he asked again.

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Because I honestly could not remember.

Kaelen walked to the table and looked down at my notes. He picked up one of the scraps of paper and read it.

"Alpha Stone lost his mate ten years ago," he said. "That is not in the books."

I stared at him. "How do you know?"

"Because I was there." He set the paper down. "I attended the funeral. My father made me go. He said it was important to show respect, even to enemies."

I had not known that.

"He is not just stubborn," Kaelen continued. "He is grieving. He has been grieving for ten years, and that is why he does not trust anyone. That is also why he pushes people away."

I looked down at my notes. I had written about demands and territory and compensation, but I had not written about grief.

I looked down at my notes again. Pages and pages of demands and dates and names, but nothing about the wolf behind them. I had been so focused on facts that I had forgotten that Alpha Stone was a person. A person who had lost someone he loved.

"How did she die?" I asked.

Kaelen was quiet for a moment. "Sickness," he said. "There was no healer who could save her, and their pack does not have the resources we do."

My chest tightened. "That is why they want access to our territory. Not just for hunting, but for healers, and for medicine."

"Yes," Kaelen said.

I wrote that down too.

"Thank you," I said.

Kaelen pulled out a chair and sat down across from me. "Keep reading," he said. "I will stay."

I smiled gratefully, thinking he might stay for just an hour, but he stayed longer.

The hours passed, and the candle burned low. I read until my eyes burned and my head ached, but I did not stop.

Kaelen sat across from me, silent and still. He did not interrupt, and he did not tell me to rest. He just watched, with his gray eyes following my movements, and his presence giving me comfort and strength to keep going.

The candle flickered, and the shadows danced on the walls. I could feel Kaelen’s eyes on me, watching, and waiting. He did not ask if I was okay, and he did not tell me to slow down. He just sat there, solid and steady, like a rock in a storm.

I did not know why he stayed. I did not know if he cared about the trial or if he cared about me. But I was grateful he was there.

At some point, I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, light was streaming through the window and Kaelen was gone.

There was a blanket draped over my shoulders, and I looked to see that it was his blanket.

I touched the fabric and a bright smile crossed my cheeks.

The blanket smelled like him, like pine, and like cold air, with something warm underneath.

I pulled it tighter around my shoulders and closed my eyes. He had stayed, he had watched over me, and he had covered me when I slept.

I did not know what that meant, but I wanted to find out.