The silence that followed Lexa's declaration was heavy, a suffocating weight that pressed against Killian's chest harder than the leather collar ever could. I haven't been yours for a long, long time. The words echoed in the sterile air of the War Room, ringing with a finality that made the "Rejection" from five years ago feel like a lover's spat in comparison.
Lexa walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window, her silhouette sharp against the rising Roman sun. She looked like a goddess of war, her white suit gleaming, but as she reached for the glass, Killian saw it, a slight, unmistakable tremor in her hand.
"You're shaking," he said, his voice a low, gravelly rasp.
"I'm coming down from an adrenaline spike, Killian. Don't read into it," she snapped, though she didn't turn around.
Killian stood up. The movement was slow, deliberate, every muscle in his large frame coiled like a spring. He ignored the sting of the silver buckle. He ignored the two guards at the door who shifted their weight, their hands twitching toward their weapons. He didn't care about the Romano Syndicate or the Valenti brothers. He only cared about the woman who was bleeding internally while pretending to be made of stone.
"You almost broke," Killian said, stepping closer. "When Marco leaned over you, I smelled it. Not fear. Not even anger. It was... exhaustion."
Lexa laughed, a jagged, hollow sound. "Exhaustion is a luxury I haven't been able to afford since the night you threw me into the rain. Every day since then has been a calculation. Every breath has been a tactical move to ensure my son has a world that won't eat him alive."
She finally turned, and the mask was gone. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her face pale. The Shadow Queen had vanished, leaving behind the girl who had been forced to grow armor out of her own scars.
"You think wearing that collar is a sacrifice?" she whispered, gesturing to his neck. "I wear a collar every day, Killian. It's made of responsibility, and blood, and the constant fear that if I show one second of 'human weakness,' men like the Valentis will tear my empire apart and put a bullet in Leo's head."
Killian reached out, his hand hovering inches from her face. He desperately wanted to brush away the stray lock of hair that had escaped her sleek ponytail, to pull her into his scent and let his wolf soothe her. But he knew if he touched her, she would shatter, and she would hate him for it.
"I didn't just reject a mate," Killian said, his voice breaking. "I rejected the only person who was strong enough to lead beside me. I was a child playing at being a King. I saw your humanity as a liability because I was too arrogant to see it as an anchor."
"Stop," she breathed, closing her eyes. "Don't do this. Don't use the bond to try and find a way back in."
"The bond is dead, Lexa. You killed it, and I deserved the execution," Killian stepped into her personal space, the heat radiating off his body making her breath hitch. "But the man standing here now isn't looking for a mate. I'm looking for my Queen. If you're exhausted, let me carry the weight. If you're cold, let me be the fire. You don't have to be the Shadow Queen when it's just us."
For a heartbeat, the air softened. Lexa's head tilted forward, almost resting against his chest. Killian could hear her heart, fast, frantic, but slowing as it synced with his own heavy Alpha rhythm.
Then, the intercom buzzed, sharp and intrusive.
"Boss," Vincenzo's voice crackled through the room. "The shipment from the northern docks was intercepted. It wasn't Valentis. It was a pack. Blackwood markings, but they're not following your orders, Alpha. They're calling themselves 'The Reborn'."
Lexa snapped back instantly, the ice slamming back into her eyes. She wiped her face with a single, brutal motion and turned back to the holographic map. The moment of vulnerability was buried so deep it was as if it never happened.
"The Reborn," Lexa muttered, her fingers flying across the interface. "Your cousin's faction. They're moving faster than we anticipated."
Killian felt the loss of her closeness like a physical wound. He straightened his back, the collar tightening as his neck muscles flexed in response to the threat. "They're testing the alliance. They think because I'm here, the pack is leaderless."
Lexa looked at him, her gaze settling on the silver buckle around his neck. "Then let's show them what happens when a Queen and her beast are on the same side."
She tapped a button on her desk, and the heavy oak doors to the War Room slid open.
"Vincenzo! Get the strike team ready," she shouted. Then, she looked at Killian, a dark, predatory smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "And get the Alpha a leash that can reach the throat of a traitor. We're going hunting."