Moonbound: The Rogue's Second Chance-Chapter 200: DID YOU TAKE HER TO THE SPRING?

Darius sat on the cool floor, legs stretched out before him, one arm draped over a velvet cushion, the other idly toying with the edge of the tapestry that hung near his chair. The fire in the hearth crackled gently, casting a flickering glow across the chamber’s high stone walls. His cousin stood at the window, pale fingers resting on the sill, her profile sharp against the dying light.

"Well?" he prompted again, more pointed this time. "Has a cat stolen your tongue? Did you take her to the spring?"

Livia did not look at him, though her shoulders tensed ever so slightly. "Yes," she said at last, the word clipped and unapologetic. "I took her."

Darius blinked, surprised by her bluntness. "You took her there?" he repeated slowly, narrowing his eyes. "You, of all people, took her?"

"Do not speak to me as if I had led her into a trap, Darius," Livia said, turning now, her tone icy. "It was for clarity and for us to have a... private talk. You know it is a place where words are not flung about so freely."

He pushed himself upright, sitting straighter now, expression darkening. "You should have told me."

"You would have stopped me," Livia replied.

"You are damn right I would have," he snapped, jaw tight. "That spring was meant to be sacred to her. Something I wanted to share with her first."

Darius clicked his tongue and looked elsewhere, he had it on his itinerary list. Je wanted to bring her there to relax and soothe her always jittery nerves. Somehow, by some mean stroke of luck Livia had beaten him to it for some odd reason, anything she wanted to discuss could have been discussed in her room.

Livia crossed her arms, face unreadable. "You have had weeks, cousin."

His breath left him in a hard exhale, but he didn’t rise to the bait. The air between them shimmered with tension. She had always pushed at his patience, but this was different. This was not about pride or politics, this was Serena. Something both were hard pressed not to agree with, they would never really see eye to eye on that subject matter.

"You did not do it to soothe her," he said finally. "You wanted to see if she would leave."

"I did," Livia said, without remorse. "I gave her the offer plainly. That when the spring thaw arrives, she may walk away with her dignity intact and her head held high."

Silence filled the air between them, then Darius stood.

The movement was slow, deliberate. The kind of quiet wrath that only an Alpha could wield when he was reining it in for the sake of blood and bond. He looked down at Livia, and for a moment, she did flinch, barely.

"What did she say?"

Livia’s gaze did not waver. "She said nothing. But she did not argue. She did not refute the idea, I am sure she even was relieved to hear of it. In the end, I think she accepted it."

Darius clenched his jaw and turned away, walking toward the hearth with long, tense strides. His hand came to rest on the mantle, his fingers curling slightly against the worn stone.

"There is no world," he said quietly, "in which I let her leave come spring."

"You may not have a choice."

"Then I will make one," he snapped, spinning back to face her. "I will not lose her. I will not-" His voice caught slightly. "You do not understand."

"She is not just your mate," Livia said, stepping closer. "She is a symbol to them, to me, to all of us. She is a rogue and a stranger. You think you can convince the people? The council?"

"I will," he said. "Even if I must fight tooth and claw to do it. She is no danger to Ironshade. And if these people had half the sense they pretended to, they would see that."

His chest rose and fell, the firelight dancing across his tense expression. But then he surprised her.

He inhaled slowly and then he nodded. "You overstepped," he said, voice lower now. "But I will not carry this anger forward. I am in a good mood and I will not sour it."

Livia blinked, caught off guard.

"I thank you," Darius continued, stepping back toward the cushions where they had been lounging earlier. "For your work with the Dawnbreak wolves. You have handled them better than most. I see it, even if I do not say it often."

She arched a brow, but said nothing.

"I need you to keep your ear open as well as your eyes. Riven is not just a diplomat, he is also a strategist. There is something more beneath his calm. I do not trust the way he looks at Serena. Nor do I like that he walks this land like it is already his to judge."

Livia slowly sank onto one of the low seats near him. "He watches more than he speaks. That much is true but he is clever. The kind that cloaks knives in compliments."

Darius smirked faintly. "A green snake in green grass."

"Exactly."

They sat in silence for a few moments. The warmth of the fire filled the space between them. It was not peace, but it was not war either.

"She will not leave," Darius said again, this time more to himself than Livia. "Even if she believes she must, I will not not allow it. She has fought too hard. We both have."

"She will still be tested," Livia said.

"As will we all," Darius murmured. "But she will not face it alone.."

The words hung in the air, heavier than the smoke curling from the hearth. Livia did not challenge him. They sat a while longer, each lost in their own thoughts. Outside, the wind stirred the trees, but within the walls of that room, the storm had settled, at least for tonight.

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