Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 201

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Chapter 201

“You do.”

He let his gaze drop–just for a second to the space between them, the inches that still separated them.

Then back to her.

“But I meant it when I said I’d never leave yoit again… that was real.”

A brief pause–not for effect, but because he meant it.

“Not when it’s hard. Not when it’s messy. Not for duty. Not for image. Not for anyone else’s expectations.”

He shifted slightly, his hand flexing once at his side like he had to physically stop himself from reaching for her

“I didn’t deserve you the way I showed up before.”

He didn’t hide behind it this time.

“But I know what you deserve.”

“You deserve a love that doesn’t hesitate… that doesn’t leave you questioning where you stand or whether you matter.”

“A love that chooses you–fully, without fear, without doubt–every time it counts”

“And I want to be the man who gives you that… even if it takes me tearing myself apart and rebuilding it piece by piece.”

He’d spent too long holding back. Not anymore.

“Because you’re worth it.”

“God, you’re so fucking worth it.”

Kaelani wiped at her cheeks, dragging in a steadying breath. Beneath it, she could feel her wolf pressing forward- restless, eager, tail practically wagging inside her chest.

“Did you mean it?” she asked, her voice catching just slightly. “When you said you loved me… did you mean it?”

Julian didn’t hesitate.

“Every last part of it.”

She searched his face like she needed proof of it, like she didn’t quite know what to do with something that sounded too good to be true.

“No one’s ever said that to me before.”

The truth of it hit him–harder than anything else had

Not just the words.

The reality behind them.

How long she had gone without hearing something so simple. So fundamental.

It settled deep, sharp and heavy, twisting into something that felt a lot like guilt.

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Every second he added to a life that had already given her nothing to hold onto.

Every moment he made her feel like she wasn’t enough.

Every silence where something like that should have existed and didn’t.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Not rushed. Not thrown out to fix it.

“I’m going to say it. I’m going to show you every second of every day. As long as I’m breathing, you won’t have to question whether you’re loved ever again.”

Kaelani let out a shaky breath, something breaking and mending all at once.

She wiped at her cheeks again, a soft wavering huff slipping out through what was left of her composure.

“Then… I guess I’ll give you a chance.”

“Don’t screw it up.”

Her lips curved just a little, even as more tears fell.

“I’d rather chew off my own limbs than fuck this up again.”

The words barely finished leaving him before he closed the distance in one step and pulled her into him, lifting her clean off the ground as his arms locked tight around her.

Kaelani gasped softly, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck as she clung to him.

He buried his face against her–her hair, her neck–taking in her scent like an addict chasing his next fix.

She was real.

Not a dream.

Not something slipping through his fingers.

Not something he’d wake up and lose all over again.

His hold tightened.

He wasn’t letting go.

Not again.

Not ever.

The realization hit him like something breaking open in his chest.

She was his right here, solid in his arms.

—

A rough breath tore out of him as relief–and something dangerously close to triumph–surged through him.

Their wolves surged at the same time–sharp, electric, colliding in a rush that snapped through the bond like it had been waiting for this exact moment.

Alive.

Hungry.

Claiming.

His cheek brushed against hers, lingering there for just a second.

until their eyes met.

And that was it.

He kissed her.

Hard.

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