Mak’s eyes cut to his Alpha. ‘From the get-go, when I explained about my culture, you agreed not to interfere when it came to our traditions.’
‘I agreed,’ Xander growled, settling back into his chair, ‘not to question what didn’t endanger the fleet or violate consent. Are you crossing that line?’
Mak set his tumbler down on a side table with a thunk. His posture locked, his lycan aura bristling.
‘I’d never harm Saba,’ he growled. ‘But betrayal demands recompense. Where I come from, it’s an eye for an eye. You take something, you give something back.’
Xander leaned closer, his timbre clipped. ‘You think she hasn’t paid enough? Do you want obedience or love? Because you won’t get both through fear.’
Mak’s jaw flexed. His shoulders were still, like a wolf deciding whether to lunge or relent.
‘She knew what she did,’ he said. ‘I’m not punishing her. I’m making sure she understands what she cost me.’
Xander didn’t flinch. ‘What if clinging to pride costs you everything?’
Mak’s lip curled into a stubborn line, but he said nothing.
‘Get over your revenge,’ Xander said. ‘Lean into the heart. Therein is the path to the love you seek.’
For a moment, neither spoke. Tension crackled between them.
Mak sliced his gaze away first, eyes drifting out over the lake.
After a little more brooding in silence, he slugged back the rest of his drink and rose.
‘I’ll think on it, brother.Sante.’
With a jerk of his chin to Xander, Mak prowled back into the night.
He walked along the lake, still lost in thought.
If self-flagellation was not an option, perhaps the answer lay in letting Saba go, giving her the diamonds, her bride price, and sending her away.
But he couldn’t. The consequences of separation, the scandal for the Sauvage lineage, the endless questions from the Syndicate and their elders, none of it was worth it.
Once again, he had to sacrifice his happiness for the sake of the Seat of theŠar, pushing aside love for duty and family.
He was exhausted by the honor he had clung to, the ideals painted for him, which had led to fourteen years of loneliness.
He felt desperate for connection, for the devotion he had always sought but never found. His heart yearned for a true mate, but that hope was fading, eroded by the betrayal of the woman he had married.
He decided that to keep her from escaping, he’d increase security around his property, install more cameras, and hire more guards.
He’d get Koda watching her even more closely, despite the frustration and despair she wore in every movement.
He was unyielding. She would never leave, no matter how frustrated she became. She was his now, and he would never let her go.
It was the punishment she had to endure for her family’s deceit.
Just like they had held his heart hostage for fourteen years, he vowed to do the same to her.
Chapter 14
SABA
Mak’s anger toward Saba lingered for days, despite his silence about her escape attempt and the kiss that followed.
They crossed paths in the hallways, but he often ignored her.
