The air in my father's study was thick with the scent of old wood and his barely restrained fury. It was a cold, precise anger, far more chilling than any open roar. News of the half-blood abduction of Krista, the Church Leader's daughter, had reached the Council with alarming speed. My friends and I had delivered the captured half-bloods directly to Council enforcers, along with our carefully crafted, false report: a chance encounter, a timely intervention.
But Alaric was rarely fooled.
He stood by the massive, carved desk, his hands clasped behind his back, his posture radiating displeasure. Lady Anastacia sat, poised and elegant, on a nearby velvet chair, her eyes, usually warm, now held a cool assessment that mirrored my father's.
"A convenient 'passing by,' Kai," Alaric's voice was a low rumble, devoid of inflection. "Remarkably fortunate timing for the Prince to stumble upon such a volatile situation, alone, before his friends arrived."
My heart, or what passed for it, remained steady. I met his gaze, my own expression carefully neutral. "My Lord Father, my patrol extended into that sector. The commotion drew my attention. My instincts proved correct."
"Instincts," Anastacia murmured, her tone deceptively soft. "Or perhaps a pre-existing... interest?"
I offered no reaction. They were fishing, testing the waters. My years of training in discretion served me well now. "My interest lies solely in maintaining the Council's peace, Mother. These half-bloods, their reckless actions, present a significant threat to that peace. Especially when targeting a figure of the Church."
Alaric finally turned, his gaze boring into mine. "Indeed. Their demands for 'better treatment' and 'families from both sides' are growing bolder. This abduction, however, was a grave miscalculation on their part. It gives us ample justification to deal with them... decisively." His emphasis on 'decisively' was chilling, a thinly veiled threat against any further half-blood uprising.
"Their desperation is understandable, Father," I ventured, pushing the boundary slightly. "The laws are... unyielding."
A flicker of impatience crossed Alaric's face. "The laws are the bedrock of our survival, Kai. They prevent chaos. They define us. And your personal involvement in this incident, while technically within the bounds of a Prince's duty to quell disorder, risks drawing undue attention. Especially to a human, and that human in particular."
He was close. Too close. He suspected the long-simmering thread of my awareness of Krista, perhaps even the warehouse incident. I had to divert him.
"My actions secured the asset, Father. The Church Leader's daughter is back in their care. The half-bloods are contained. No wider panic. The Council's authority was upheld." I kept my voice firm, focusing on the tactical victory.
Anastacia's gaze softened, a subtle shift that only I would notice. "The Council appreciates your efficiency, my son. Your resolve." Her words were a quiet validation, a counterpoint to Alaric's sternness. She understood the intricacies of power, and how to navigate it.
Alaric studied me for a long moment, then gave a curt nod. "See that such 'chance encounters' do not become a habit, Kai. The stakes are too high. The line between necessary intervention and dangerous attachment is one you cannot afford to blur. Not with the Church already stirring unrest, and these half-bloods threatening to fracture our own society from within."
He dismissed me then, turning back to his desk, the unspoken warning hanging in the air. I bowed, outwardly composed, inwardly seething. They saw her as an 'asset,' a pawn in their political game. They saw my actions as mere duty. But for me, it was rapidly becoming something far more personal. The encounter solidified not just the dangers I faced from external threats, but the constant, internal battle I would have to fight to protect Krista, and the impossible feelings I held for her, from the very world I was born to defend.