Page 58 of Savage Throne
What angle hadn’t I considered?
And would I be able to kill him in this battle tomorrow?
My father was skilled and cunning but he could be stopped.
Would I be victorious?
Every move in the fight had to be flawless yet with every moment away from Moni I couldn’t even think about possible attacks and strikes.
The real battle wasn’t just out there on the streets or in the shadows where my father lurked—it was within me.
I needed to be clear-headed, focused, and relentless, but my heart kept pulling me in the opposite direction.
How was I supposed to strategize when my soul screamed for her?
How could I think straight when all I wanted was to feel Moni’s warmth against me, to hold her in my arms, to hear her voice whisper my name?
A philosophical contradiction gnawed at my mind—the need for cold logic in a moment ruled by emotion.
As the Mountain Master, I had to be calculated, detached, and ruthless.
But as a man, asMoni’s man, I couldn’t turn off the ache that consumed me.
It was maddening.
My mind demanded precision, while my heart—my traitorous heart—kept conjuring memories of her, flooding me with moments we’d shared.
Moni, I miss you so damn much. Are you safe? Are you okay? Is my father pushing you over the fucking edge?
I remembered the way she would curl against me at night, fitting perfectly into the crook of my arm, as if she’d been made to rest there. I could still hear her soft hums when she was lost in thought, the way her fingers would absentmindedly trace patterns on my skin.
Every detail about her, no matter how small, was etched into my brain.
Never will I ever take her for granted. Always I will have gratitude for the moment she is back with me.
In this short time, she had become my scope, my anchor, the only thing that kept me tethered to something real in this twisted world.
The more time passed away from Moni, the more I missed everything about her—the scent of her hair, the way she bit her lip when she was concentrating, the spark in her eyes when she challenged me.
Come on. I have to concentrate.
Yet, I missed the fire in her spirit, the way she could stand toe-to-toe with me, never backing down, even when the world demanded she should.
It was a cruel irony—how the very thing I needed to win this battle was also the thing that weakened me.
Love made me vulnerable.
Moni made me vulnerable.
And yet… I knew deep down that without her, I would never be whole again.
I didn’t just want her back—Ineededher back.
She wasn’t just part of my life; she was the heart of it, the pulse that kept me going.
Did you want me to learn that lesson too, Father? That without my Mountain Mistress. . .I am no Mountain Master. . .I am just a man.
I stopped pacing and closed my eyes, inhaling deeply.
