Chapter 56: More Dangerous Than Rogue Alpha
Rosalie:
My jaw nearly dropped.
I stared at Zaiden, trying to decide whether I had heard him correctly or whether the exhaustion had finally reached the point where I started hallucinating. The expression on his face offered no help whatsoever because he looked exactly the same as always - calm, composed, and disturbingly serious. There was no trace of humor. No sign that he had said something outrageous on purpose. Nothing.
And when I remained silent for too long, apparently processing his proposal slower than expected, he continued as if he had merely suggested lunch menu instead of... that.
"You should consider it seriously."
I stared.
His gray eyes stayed fixed on me as he continued in the same calm tone. "Killing that woman would not only end your revenge, but it would also remove a threat to your life and safety." And then, as if that somehow improved the argument, he added, "It’s also a good way to punish those cheaters.
I knew immediately who he meant - Alastor, Darien, and Kaiser.
And there was another part of me, one that hadn’t failed to notice how neither of these two men hadn’t called Charlotte by her name even once so far.
Zaiden arched one of his brows high, bringing my attention back to him and the dangerous ideas he kept coming up with. Right, he not only knew about Charlotte but also about my relationship with the Alphas. And suddenly, I didn’t know what to think.
For a second, I forgot to breathe. Then my eyes slowly moved away from Zaiden and toward Eiden.
He was still kneeling in front of me. Still looking calm and relaxed. Still saying absolutely nothing. And somehow that silence felt more alarming than if he had agreed out loud.
Because Eiden wasn’t objecting. He wasn’t telling Zaiden that murder was excessive. He wasn’t giving me a reassuring smile and explaining that Zaiden was joking.
Nothing.
His expression remained thoughtful. Almost neutral. Which was somehow terrifying.
And suddenly I remembered something.
Just because someone looked warm didn’t mean they were harmless. Eiden was kind. Gentle. Patient. But he was also an Alpha. A healer. Someone who understood the body in ways most people never would.
And sometimes...
The people who looked the safest carried the sharpest minds.
I looked at him. At those calm blue eyes. And an absolutely ridiculous thought entered my head.
If Eiden ever truly snapped, he might be the more dangerous one.
The thought made me sit straighter. My gaze shifted between both men. One looked like he would announce a death sentence while drinking coffee. And the other looked like he would apologize before committing violence.
Neither possibility was comforting.
They waited patiently, as though giving me time to consider. As though this was an actual option.
Eventually, I inhaled. Opened my mouth and prepared to tell them very clearly that no one was killing anyone. That I wasn’t doing this. That they definitely weren’t harming Charlotte, at least not in the way they were thinking. That everyone needed to stop being insane. But the word that came out wasn’t what I intended.
"Why?"
Both men looked at me. But neither spoke. Their expressions actually held confusion as if they weren’t sure exactly what I was trying to ask.
So before they misunderstood, I decided to explain. Even though I didn’t plan to talk about it, but now that I already had, it seemed better to hear what these men had to say.
I looked at Zaiden first. Then Eiden. And then back at Zaiden as I asked again, "Why are you so concerned about me?"
The room became quiet. Too quiet. But now that the question escaped, I couldn’t stop. My voice remained steady, far steadier than I felt.
"Why do you care?"
The words hung there. And suddenly my chest felt tight. Because that was the real question. This was what mattered.
Not Charlotte. Not revenge. Not killing. But these two men. Their concern, their actions, their words, and everything they had done tonight.
Every quiet gesture. Every time they chose me. Every time they protected me. Every little moment was doing something dangerous to me.
Their concern felt warm. Too warm. And I hated that I noticed. Because every act of care made me think things. Things I shouldn’t think. Things I absolutely couldn’t afford to think.
I kept feeling things - warmth, comfort, attraction.
I knew how this story ended. I knew what happened when people like me got attached. We stayed. We gave. We convinced ourselves that maybe this time was different. Then one day they remembered duty mattered more, politics mattered more, power mattered more. And suddenly you became optional, discarded, and convenient to leave behind.
I wasn’t doing that again. I couldn’t. So I looked directly at Zaiden, held his eyes, and asked quietly, "Why are you so ready to kill someone for me?"
Silence.
Zaiden looked at me. And for the first time since I met him, his expression shifted. Not by much, but enough. Something moved beneath the calm. Something I couldn’t read.
I tried and failed.
His face gave away almost nothing. Then suddenly, he moved.
I froze.
Zaiden stood slowly. And without saying anything and without looking away, started walking toward me.
My heartbeat immediately became violent. I sat perfectly still. Why was he coming here? My pulse pounded harder.
Then he stopped right in front of me. He was too close. My body instinctively pressed back into the couch. And then he leaned down and his one hand came up. He didn’t touch me, instead, he rested his hand against the back of the couch beside my head.
The movement boxed me in without actually trapping me. Yet somehow that made it worse. I had no choice but to lean back. No choice but to tilt my head upward. And suddenly, all I could see was him. His gray eyes, his dark suit, and his familiar scent. And the overwhelming presence of someone powerful standing impossibly close.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
His gaze held mine, steady and unreadable. And then Zaiden finally spoke.
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