Chained by Fate

Chapter 49 - War on the Horizon

The morning after Ronan marked her, the world felt different.

Evelyne woke up tangled in his arms, her body instinctively drawn to his warmth, but it wasn't just the physical closeness that had changed.

She felt him. Even before she opened her eyes, she knew he was awake, knew he was watching her. She could sense his emotions—calm, steady, but beneath that, something deeper. A quiet storm brewing just beneath the surface.

She blinked up at him, taking in the way he studied her, his golden eyes unreadable.

"Morning," she murmured.

Ronan didn't answer right away. He reached up, running his fingers through her hair, his thumb grazing the mark he had left on her neck the night before. A low hum of satisfaction rumbled in his chest, but then his expression darkened slightly.

Evelyne frowned. "What?"

Ronan exhaled, his jaw tightening. "We need to talk."

That sent a flicker of unease through her.

She pushed herself up on one elbow. "About?"

Ronan sat up fully, rubbing a hand over his face before meeting her gaze. "My father isn't done, Evelyne." His voice was quiet, but there was a sharpness to it, a warning.

Evelyne's stomach twisted. "You think he's going to do something else?"

"I know he will," Ronan said, his eyes flashing. "Alaric doesn't make idle threats. If he told you to leave me, it means he sees you as a problem. And when my father sees something as a problem..." His hands clenched into fists. "He removes it."

Evelyne swallowed hard. She knew Alaric was dangerous, but hearing Ronan say it so plainly sent a shiver down her spine.

"What do we do?" she asked.

Ronan's gaze darkened. "I won't let him touch you."

The way he said it—absolute, unwavering—sent warmth and fear through her at the same time.

"Ronan..." She hesitated. "If he really wanted me gone, then wouldn't it have been easier for him to do it while I was standing in front of him?"

"He won't do it himself," Ronan said bitterly. "That's not his style. He'll send someone. He'll manipulate people. He'll spread doubt, plant seeds of distrust." His jaw tightened. "And he won't stop until he's either convinced you to leave or forced my hand."

Evelyne exhaled shakily. "Forced your hand how?"

Ronan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stood from the bed, pacing slightly, his muscles tense beneath his bare skin. When he finally turned back to her, his expression was unreadable.

"If Alaric doesn't believe I can rule with you by my side, he will try to prove it to me in the cruelest way possible."

The implication sent ice through her veins.

"He thinks I'll hurt you," Ronan murmured, his voice almost distant. "That my wolf will see you as a weakness, and that I'll destroy you the way he destroyed her."

Evelyne flinched. She still hadn't fully processed Alaric's confession—that he had gotten rid of his mate.

She wrapped her arms around herself. "Ronan... you won't hurt me."

His gaze flickered, something vulnerable crossing his features. "I know that," he said. "But he doesn't."

Evelyne shook her head. "He wants to make you doubt it. That's all this is."