His Duty and Desire
Williams’ POV
The weight of Cleopatra's body in my arms was both a comfort and a torment. Her skin was soft and warm against mine, her scent filling the air, but my mind was spinning, trying to keep up with what had just happened. My wolf had marked her. Marked her!
The bond between us hummed with power, deeper than anything I had felt before. I didn't feel it this deep with my dead mate. The bond tied us together irrevocably, something raw and unbreakable.
But even now, as I held her close, I could feel the tension still lingering between us, like a storm waiting to break. I hadn't let her mark me, not yet. I couldn't—not until I knew what came next.
There are so many things that we both need to walk through. She hasn't told me about her two wolves and power yet. I didn't even bother to ask her about the color of her hair.
Her soft breathing stirred against my chest, and I brushed a kiss against my mark on her neck, breathing in the scent of her, grounding myself in her presence. The raw desire that had pushed my wolf to claim her, to make her ours in every sense, hadn't eased down, but there was something else gnawing at me now—responsibility. The pack. The future. Everything that lay ahead.
She stirred slightly, and for a brief second, I considered letting her mark me then and there, completing the bond. But the thought of bringing her into my pack and the realm with everything unresolved, made my gut clench.
I want her. God, I want her more than anything, but I couldn't drag her into my world until things were right. Until my pack was settled and I could protect her fully. Until they've forgiven her.
I remembered the way she stilled in my arms, when I told her that I don't want her to mark me. I felt her heart beat a little faster beneath my touch. She didn't say anything, but the tension in her body told me she understood. Or maybe she thought I was pushing her off for a different reason. Either way, I hated that I couldn't explain it better.
But right now, I couldn't bring her into my pack, not when they all hate her for the betrayal. I can't bring her in when I haven't cleared her name. I believed her right from the moment she explained to me, but neither my pack nor the realm knows. My responsibilities were closing in, and I needed to take control of the situation before bringing Cleopatra in as their Luna and the realm's queen.
Eventually, exhaustion overtook us, and she drifted off, her breathing becoming slow and even. I lay awake for some time, staring at the ceiling, my mind racing with everything that needed to be done, how I'd make it all work. I had to. For her, for our child…for all of us.
When I finally fell asleep, it was restless and brief.
The moment I woke up, the empty space beside me sent a wave of panic crashing through my veins. My hand reached out, searching for her warmth, but found nothing but cold sheets. My chest tightened, and I shot upright in bed, scanning the room. Empty. It seemed like she left last night. Why?!
“Cleopatra?” I called, but there was no answer. I shoved the blanket off and scrambled to my feet, my pulse hammering in my ears as I searched for any sign of her.
The door to the room was slightly open, but the house was quiet. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and called her. It rang twice before going straight to voicemail.
“No…no…” I muttered, pacing the floor, trying again. But the result was the same. Her line was switched off.
“Damn it!” I cursed under my breath, failing again and again, each failed attempt sending my heart deeper into a pit of dread. I tried to steady my breathing, but panic clawed at me. She wouldn't just leave. Not after last night…
I rushed outside, barefoot, the crisp morning air biting at my skin. I called Renee, my voice frantic. “Renee, it's Cleopatra. She's gone. I can't find her.”
“Calm down Williams. She couldn't have gone far. I'll mobilize the scouts, check the territory.”
But even as Renee said it, a dark, sinking feeling gripped me. I had felt the bond, the way it tethered us together, but now…it felt faint, distant. Like she was far beyond the pack's reach.
I called her again, hoping for some miracle, but nothing changed. My mind raced as I made my way inside the pack house, heart pounding in my chest. Where could she have gone? Why hadn't she told me? Then the realization hit me like a sledgehammer: Lucien and Rob were gone too.
I stopped dead in my tracks, my breath hitching as the pieces fell into place. She left. I knew I should have let her mark me! Now she's gone. And she took our child with her.
Anger and pain warred inside me as I gripped the door frame to the council's office, knuckles white. I wanted to tear the world apart, scream, and demand they bring her right back. But none of it would change the fact that Cleopatra left me. And this time around, it was my fault.
I slammed my fist into the wall, feeling the wood splinter under my knuckles. How could I have let this happen? How could I have failed her so completely? Why did I sleep so deeply?
The urge to chase after her, to find and bring her back, surged within me, burning like fire through my veins. But just as I was about to storm out, ready to track her scent to the ends of the earth if I had to, a voice from behind stopped me.
“Alpha,” came the formal tone. One of the council members stood at the door, his expression unreadable. “It is forbidden for you to leave the territory.”
I whirled on him, eyes blazing. “What did you just say?”
“You can't leave,” he repeated, his voice steady. “Your coronation is happening in a few days. You need to be locked in the room of the Alpha Kings until the ceremony is completed. Once you've taken over, then…then we can discuss next steps.”
The words were like ice water thrown on a raging fire. That is our rule. I couldn't leave. Not yet. It is part of the coronation ceremony to test my patience. I will be left in a room where the Alpha kings before me stayed to meditate and master control…I really don't care at this point.
The thoughts of Cleopatra out there, going further and further away from me…it tore me apart.
I ran a hand through my hair, my thoughts a whirlwind of frustration and helplessness. How could I stay here when she was out there, beyond my reach?
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