Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 65

He stopped. Jaw clenched. Eyes darted away.

“I was like what?” she challenged.

He looked at her — torn open, not even sure what he was trying to say.

“I don’t know,” he said hoarsely. “Like nothing makes sense unless you’re in it. But when you’re in it… I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

She stared at him like he’d grown two heads. “What the hell are you even talking about?”

He dragged a hand down his face. “Ugh… I’m not good at this, okay?”

“Well… you’re damn good at confusing the hell out of me,” she muttered, turning her back on him again.

That was it. Something inside him snapped — not in anger, but panic. A silent desperation surged forward before he could think.

Julian reached out, grabbed her arm, and spun her around.

She barely had time to gasp before his mouth was on hers.

It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t careful. It was raw — the kind of kiss born of restraint, regret, and longing. His hand slid to her waist, pulling her in with a force that said he couldn’t stand the space between them a second longer. Their mouths collided, breath tangled, tongues searching with reckless urgency.

Kaelani melted into him before she could stop herself. She kissed him back — gods, she kissed him back — her fingers curling into his shirt, her body betraying every ounce of her better judgment.

He groaned against her lips like he’d just tasted something forbidden and divine. Her mouth, her scent, her softness — it was too much and not enough. His heart slammed against his ribs, wild with something silent and sacred, like she’d just rewritten the language of his soul.

And then… she opened her eyes.

The spell cracked.

What am I doing? Her mind screamed.

This is the same man who made you feel utterly worthless.

She broke the kiss with a breathless gasp, shoving him back with both hands—then came the slap.

Julian staggered a step, stunned, his eyes wide and lips still parted — like he hadn’t expected her to wake up from the brief slice of paradise they’d both just fallen into.

Kaelani stared at him — chest rising, lips trembling, caught between disbelief and fury. A shaky laugh escaped her, sharp and broken, like it surprised even her.

Then her voice cut through the tension:

“You have a lot of nerve,” she said, a storm gathering behind her eyes. “Fucking with my head after everything you did.”

Julian’s brows drew together. He took a step forward, palms out slightly. “Kaelani, I’m not trying to mess with your head—”

“No?” she snapped, her voice cracking as she cut him off. “Then what the hell are you doing, Julian? What—do you expect me to be your Omega side chick? Your little fuck toy while your Luna’s off at some luxury resort sipping champagne and getting her ass exfoliated with diamond dust?

His whole body jerked like she’d struck him again.

“What? No! That’s not—”

“No.”

Her voice cracked, but her stare held.

“You don’t get to come here and jerk me around just because you don’t know what you want.”

She turned and walked — fast — wiping at her face. Not letting the tears fall. Not yet. Not until she was out of reach.

Julian stood there like he’d been punched in the gut, fists curling in his hair like he might rip it all out just to make sense of what had just slipped through his fingers.

He stood in the middle of the sidewalk, paralyzed, hands still tangled in his hair.

“What do I do?” he whispered to no one. His voice broke, raw and panicked. “What the hell do I do…”

He looked down the street where she’d disappeared, his heart pounding like it was trying to escape his chest. Everything in him screamed to chase her—but his feet refused to move.

He stood there, lost and completely unraveling.

And she’d seen it all.

Across the road, tucked behind the dark tint of an idling black SUV, Elara sat motionless in the passenger seat.

Her breathing was shallow, her jaw locked tight—but the tears that slipped down her cheeks betrayed the storm building beneath the surface. Her hands curled into fists on her lap, nails biting into skin.

And behind those tears… was fury.

Cold, wild, and absolute.