Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 49

He wondered if she’d opened the package yet. If she’d seen the dress.

Did she like it? Did it make her smile, even for a moment?

Or had it just reopened everything he’d already destroyed?

He’d told himself the gift would soften her—ease some of the anger she had towards him. But after tonight, after seeing the pain in her eyes, he finally understood.

He hadn’t just hurt her pride. He had broken something purer—something that didn’t know how to hate him until he taught it to.

Julian’s head fell back against the seat, the rhythm of the rain dulling to a hypnotic hush against the windshield. He told himself he’d leave in a minute—just one more minute—but his eyes grew heavy, his body too tired to keep fighting the war inside his chest. The wolf quieted at last, its growl turning into a low, restless hum as sleep crept in at the edges.

When he opened his eyes again, everything was silent.

No rain.

No distant rumble of thunder.

Just stillness.

He blinked, frowning as his surroundings shifted. He was no longer in the car. The air carried the heavenly aroma of honey and cinnamon—a scent he could never mistake—Kaelani.

He glanced around, heart thudding. Her house.

But how the hell…?

He didn’t remember getting out of the car.

Didn’t remember walking to the door.

Didn’t remember entering.

A strange pull guided him forward through the dimly lit room, his footsteps soundless against the floorboards. Then he saw her—curled up by the window, knees tucked to her chest, the rain-streaked glass behind her catching the faint shimmer of streetlight.

Deserted her.

Julian moved closer and slipped his arms beneath her. She stirred, lashes fluttering, breath catching as she blinked through the haze of sleep.

“Julian?” She whispered, Confusion crossing her features. “How did you…?”

He didn’t answer. He only held her, lifting her from where she’d fallen asleep by the window. She felt so small in his arms—so achingly real. He carried her toward the bedroom, every step slow, reverent, like he was afraid the moment would break if he breathed too loud.

He laid her down, pulling the blanket out from under her, then slipped beneath it beside her. The bed dipped with his weight, his warmth finding hers.

When he drew her into his arms, she pulled away from him. “I don’t want you here… I don’t need you,” she murmured, but her voice trembled, betraying the truth her stubborn heart would never let her say aloud.

He held her closer, unwilling to let her go—never again. His breath ghosted over her neck, her scent pulling at every frayed edge of his restraint until it hurt to breathe. “But I need you,” he whispered, the words breaking something deep inside him.

For a moment, she tensed—then exhaled, the resistance melting from her body as she sank against him, letting his warmth and the quiet between them swallow the rest of the night.