Betrayed by My Ex, Marked by His Alpha Emperor Brother novel Chapter 214

Chapter 214: Chapter 214

Kaelen’s POV

"Absolutely," I said. I pulled Elara into my side before she could react. My arm locked around her waist like iron. "We worked things out."

Elara went rigid against me. Every muscle in her body turned to stone. But she didn’t pull away. Not with Brenna watching. Not with Riley’s gentle, searching gaze sweeping between us.

"Isn’t that right, sweetheart?" I pressed my lips to her temple.

Her skin was ice-cold.

"Yes," she said. Her voice was smooth. Pleasant. Perfectly controlled. "We talked. We’re... better now."

Under the table, her fingernails dug into my thigh so hard I nearly flinched. Ten small crescents of fury, biting through the fabric of my trousers and into the skin beneath. I deserved every single one.

Brenna narrowed her eyes. "Talked. Just like that."

"Just like that." I smiled. Drew Elara closer. Rested my chin on the top of her head. She smelled like soap and something colder—anger, maybe. Or hatred. At this distance, they smelled the same.

"After searching for her all these years," I said, "I wasn’t about to let miscommunication keep us apart."

Elara’s elbow drove into my ribs. Quick. Surgical. Hidden entirely by the angle of our bodies. Pain bloomed hot across my side. I kept smiling.

Riley tilted her head. "It’s just... the last time we saw you two in the same room, Ela, you looked like you wanted to set him on fire."

"People change," Elara said sweetly.

"Do they?" Brenna leaned forward. Her dark eyes were sharp with suspicion. "Because years ago you left a letter that made me cry for a week, and now you’re cuddled up like newlyweds. Forgive me if I’m having trouble with the timeline."

Something flickered across Elara’s face. Gone before anyone else could catch it. But I caught it. Guilt. Raw and bleeding.

"It was complicated, Brenna." Elara’s hand found mine under the table. She laced our fingers together. Her grip was crushing. A warning. "But Kaelen found me. And we decided that our children matter more than old wounds."

That part, at least, was true.

Brenna studied us for another long moment. Then she exhaled. Sat back. "Fine. But if he hurts you again, I’m cutting something off him. Something he’ll miss."

"Noted," I said evenly.

Riley bounced Thalia on her hip, her sweet smile not quite reaching her observant eyes. "Such a sudden and intense reconciliation... I’m happy for you both, of course," she added, hiding her skepticism behind an innocent tone.

After they left, I took a deep breath.

Elara shoved me so hard I stumbled back into the counter.

"Don’t you ever touch me like that again."

Her voice was low. Shaking. Not with weakness—with barely leashed violence. Her ice-blue eyes burned with a fury so bright it was almost beautiful.

I straightened. Rubbed the spot on my ribs where her elbow had landed. "Would you have preferred the alternative?"

"What alternative?"

"Telling Brenna the truth." I kept my voice flat. Measured. "That I locked you in an inn room. That I was drunk out of my mind when I—"

"Stop."

"—when I forced myself on you."

The words hung in the air between us. Ugly. Irreversible.

Elara’s face had gone white. Her hands were clenched at her sides. Her breathing was fast and shallow.

"If Brenna finds out what happened in that room," I said quietly, "she won’t just hate me. She’ll blame herself for leaving you alone with me. She’ll tear herself apart over it. Is that what you want?"

She said nothing. Her jaw worked. A muscle jumped in her cheek.

"And Riley." I took a step toward her. She took a step back. "Riley will tell Cassian. Cassian will challenge me formally. Blood court. You know how that ends."

Still nothing.

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