20: Unspoken truth
Celeste’s POV
The quiet of the garden felt heavier now as if the night itself was holding its breath so as not to disturb the silence. Kaelen sat beside me, his presence solid and unyielding, but the silence between us was far from empty. Questions churned in my mind, each one louder than the last until one slipped out before I could stop myself.
“Do you… read my mind?” I asked him
His eyes turned to me, it was unreadable. He didn’t say anything for a moment, letting the question hang there. Then he answered, with a small tug at the corner of his lips. “I can read people’s minds,” he said coolly, his voice just as steady.
The admission sent a jolt through me. I blinked, trying to process his words. “You… what?”
Kaelen’s smirk deepened slightly, but there was no humor in his gaze. “I can read minds, but not everyone’s. Only certain people.”
I tilted my head, narrowing my eyes at him. “Who?
Those who practice dark magic,” he replied as if the answer was of no great import. ” And.” His gaze held onto mine for one beat too long. “My mate.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I straightened up in the seat as the weight of what he had said fell hard on my shoulders. “So you can read minds?”
Kaelen’s expression changed in that moment, the smirk gone to something almost somber. “No. Not yet.
I frowned, and confusion swirled in my chest. “What do you mean, ‘not yet‘?”
He leaned back slightly, his gaze steady as he explained. “Because you’re not truly my mate, not in the way that matters. The bond between us isn’t complete. Until it is, your thoughts are your own.”
I blinked, his words only raising more questions. “And what would make the bond complete?
Kaelen’s lips twitched, almost as if he was holding back a smile. “Mating.”
The single word sent heat rushing to my cheeks, and I looked away, my heart racing.
“That would never happen, I muttered, more to myself than to him.
Exactly,” Kaelen said smoothly, a sly smile on his face. Like he hadn’t just said something that made my entire body feel like it was on fire. “Which means your
Successfully unlocked! thoughts are safe. For now.”
I turned back to him, narrowing my eyes. “For now?
Kaelen shrugged, his face calm but watchful. “I meant what I said. Unless we mate, I
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20 Unspoken truth
can’t read your mind. But if you have something to tell me, Celeste, you don’t need to keep it hidden. Just say it.”
His words hit harder than they should have, the sincerity in his voice disarming me. I hesitated, my thoughts tumbling over each other in a chaotic mess.
Part of me wanted to tell him everything about my family, about Thornclaw, about the guilt that haunted me every waking moment. But another part held back, wary of what might happen if I let him see the full extent of my pain.
“You promised to help me,” I said softly, my voice barely audible. “To find the answers about my pack.”
Kaelen nodded once, his gaze unwavering. “I did. And I will.”
I searched his face for any sign of doubt, but there was none. Kaelen was nothing if not a wolf of his word.
“Then I’ll hold you to that promise,” I said finally, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.
I pulled his robe tighter around my shoulders, the warmth of it grounding me as I stood. “I’m fine,” I said, forcing a small smile.
Kaelen raised a brow, clearly unconvinced. “You don’t seem fine.”
“I am,” I insisted, my tone firmer now. “And if I wasn’t, I would tell you. Isn’t that what you just said?
His lips curved into the slightest smirk. “Touche.”
I released a soft breath and sought to shake off residual tension. “Thank you for the robe,” I said, shrugging it off my shoulders and extending it to him.
Kaelen reached for it, his fingers brushing against mine as he took it. The brief contact sent a spark through me, and I quickly pulled my hand back, hoping he didn’t notice.
“Goodnight, Kaelen,” I said, turning away before he could respond.
“Goodnight, Celeste,” he replied, his voice low and steady.
I walked back toward the royal building, the cool night air wrapping around me like a second skin. My steps were slow, and deliberate, as I tried to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside me.
Kaelen had this way of getting under my skin, of making me feel things I wasn’t ready to face. But despite my frustration, I couldn’t deny the odd sense of safety that washed over me whenever he was near.
By the time I reached my chambers, the garden and Kaelen were well behind me, but his words still echoed in my mind.
“You don’t need to keep it hidden. Just say
it.”
I let out a shaky breath, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. He had no idea how
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20: Unspoken truth
much I wanted to say something, to scream out loud to let everything I’d been holding
back spill out. But I couldn’t. Not yet.
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