Chapter 14.3 Bondfire

“I’m not going home?” Nuri asked quietly, her voice uncertain, but her gaze never left his face.

'I’m not sure what’s going on,' Tempest whispered, worry creeping into her tone. 'But whatever it is... it’s not good.'

Kalmin’s eyes darkened, the shift subtle but unmistakable. One eye, near-black brown, and the other his usual green, narrowed with barely-contained tension. His lips curled into a thin line of contempt, his jaw clenched. The battle between him and Rian was far from over, but now, Nuri could see the toll it was taking on him. This wasn’t the controlled Kalmin she knew.

‘Don’t let him lose control,’ Tempest urged, her voice trembling.

'What is it about us, Tempest? Why is this so hard?' Nuri thought, her grip tightening on the edge of her seat as her anxiety climbed. She had no idea what kind of storm she had walked into, but it was clear that it was more dangerous than anything she had ever imagined.

As they neared the city, Kalmin’s face slowly returned to something more familiar, though the tension still lingered beneath the surface. “Are you allowed to talk about the conclave?” Nuri asked cautiously, hoping to break the silence that had settled between them.

Kalmin, eyes focused on the road, seemed to relax just slightly at her question. “There’s no law saying I can’t,” he answered, his tone betraying a hint of confusion. “Why do you want to know?”

“I was just wondering what you had to do to become alpha.” Her voice was steady, despite the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

Kalmin answered without hesitation. “Other than the torture? Kill all my classmates.”

Nuri’s breath caught in her throat. “Do you mean torture literally?”

“As opposed to figuratively?” Kalmin raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable.

Nuri was left speechless, her mind racing with the weight of his words. “That’s... insane.”

Kalmin let out a frustrated breath and finally loosened his grip on the steering wheel as they entered the city. The packhouse was in sight, and the heavy weight of the situation hung between them, unresolved.

“I’m sorry,” Nuri murmured, her voice low as she processed everything he had just shared. “I understand now why you hate me. I would hate me too.”

Kalmin’s eyes widened in surprise, as though her words had struck him harder than he had expected. “What do you mean?” His voice was thick with emotion. "I don’t hate you, Nuri."

“You went through all that... torture, and then had to kill your friends to claim the title,” Nuri continued, her voice trembling. “I’d hate me too, if I had to do that, just to end up with... an omega hybrid as a mate.”
Kalmin’s expression softened, though a deep sadness lingered in his eyes. He didn’t say anything at first, unsure of how to respond. But what he did know was that he could never hate her, no matter what she thought.
Still, that truth twisted like a knife in his gut.
He wanted to resent her. It would’ve made everything simpler. Easier. Cleaner.
But instead, she was sitting there beside him—soft-voiced, wide-eyed, and his. Not just Rian’s. His.
He clenched the steering wheel again, harder this time.
“You think I hate you?” he asked, not because he needed an answer, but because he needed time. Needed space. Needed her to stop looking at him like he was something good.
“I don’t…” Nuri’s voice faltered. “I just—I wouldn’t blame you.”
Kalmin turned his head, just enough to meet her gaze. And it nearly destroyed him.
She wasn’t pathetic. She wasn’t weak. She wasn’t some fragile thing that had stumbled into his world by accident.
She was his mate. His perfect match.
And it terrified him.
He forced himself to look away, jaw flexing. “I don’t hate you,” he repeated, quieter now. More bitter. “But I wish I did.”
That silence was louder than anything she could’ve said.