Chapter 54
The moment Tharx slammed his fist into the wall, the entire room shook.
Aeliana had never seen him like this.
She had seen his rage before-controlled, deliberate, terrifying in its cold precision. But this? This was something else entirely.
This was a man unraveling.
The rebellion was moving too fast. Faster than even Tharx had anticipated. And now, the reports coming in from the outer territories confirmed his worst fear.
The nobles he had trusted to remain neutral had turned against him.
"They swore loyalty," Tharx growled, pacing the chamber, his golden eyes ablaze with fury.
Aeliana stood at a distance, watching him with a careful, measured expression.
She knew better than to speak when he was like this.
But she had never seen him like this.
"This was calculated," he continued, his voice dangerously low. "Planned. They didn't just turn on me-they waited. They watched, pretending to be loyal, and the moment I gave them power, they struck."
He slammed his palm down on the massive stone table, the sound echoing through the war chamber.
The guards stationed at the entrance didn't even flinch. They were used to his outbursts.
Aeliana, however, was not.
She had seen him fight. She had seen him kill. She had seen him ruthless.
But she had never seen him shaken.
Tharx was losing control.
She followed him.
The council meeting ended in silence. Nobles exchanged glances, whispers curling through the halls like smoke. Tharx had left without a word, his steps quick, aggressive, his fury barely contained.
Aeliana wasn't going to let him disappear into the darkness.
Not again.
She found him in his private chambers, standing near the massive window that overlooked the city.
A storm had rolled in, lightning flashing over the alien skyline, casting sharp shadows over his tense, rigid frame.
He didn't turn when she entered.
"You shouldn't be here."
Aeliana ignored him.
"You're spiraling," she said, stepping further into the room.
His hands clenched into fists. "This is not your concern."
She let out a harsh laugh. "The hell it isn't. I've been standing at your side, fighting this war with you, watching these people turn against you-and you think this isn't my concern?"
Finally, he turned.
And the look on his face nearly made her stop breathing.
His golden eyes were wild, his expression raw in a way she had never seen before. Like a man on the edge of something dangerous.
"I told you before," he said, voice low, guttural. "This will not end well for you."
Aeliana steeled herself. "Then stop treating me like I'm already dead."
The words landed hard between them.
Tharx's entire body tensed.
Lightning flashed behind him, illuminating the sharp angles of his face, the war inside his eyes.
Something broke.
The space between them vanished.
One second she was standing there, holding her ground-the next, she was in his arms.
His mouth was on hers, fierce, claiming, his hands gripping her waist as if he was afraid she would disappear.
She had wanted this. Feared this.
But now that it was happening, she couldn't stop.
Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, desperate, demanding. His body was solid heat against hers, the sharp ridges of his armor pressing into her skin, grounding her in the moment.
This wasn't soft.
This wasn't tender.
This was a battle.
A war neither of them wanted to win.
His hands moved-rough, urgent-pushing her back against the nearest wall. Her breath hitched as his mouth traced a line down her jaw, sharp teeth grazing her skin.
"Tell me to stop," he rasped against her throat.
She didn't.
She couldn't.
Instead, she pulled him closer.
And for the first time, Tharx let himself have her.
It wasn't enough.
Even as they collapsed together, tangled in the sheets, their bodies exhausted, it still wasn't enough.
Tharx's breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling beneath her fingertips. His skin was warmer than usual, his muscles coiled, tense.
Aeliana wanted to say something.
Something that would make this real.
But then he moved.
Pulled away.
And just like that, the world between them shattered.
His back was to her now, his broad shoulders rigid, his hands gripping the edge of the bed as if holding himself together.
Aeliana sat up, watching him.
Waiting.
And when he finally spoke, his voice was hollow.
"This was a mistake."
The words cut deeper than she expected.
She swallowed, forcing herself to stay calm. "Was it?"
Tharx exhaled sharply, still not looking at her. "You don't understand."
"Then explain it to me."
Nothing.
Silence.
Then-softer now, almost broken-
"To love something is to make it a weakness."
Aeliana felt her heart clench.
Slowly, she pulled the sheets tighter around her, breathing through the sharp ache in her chest.
She had known.
She had always known that Tharx would fight this. That he would bury whatever he felt for her beneath duty and fear and control.
And now, he was doing exactly that.
Aeliana stood, her movements slow, deliberate.
She grabbed her clothes, dressed in silence.
Tharx still didn't look at her.
She paused at the door.
Turned to him one last time.
"You feel something for me," she said quietly. "You just don't have the courage to name it."
Then she walked away.
And this time-Tharx didn't stop her.
Aeliana didn't cry.
She wouldn't give herself that.
But as she walked the empty halls, feeling the ghost of his touch still burning on her skin, she realized something.
She had seen the truth in his eyes tonight.
He wanted her.
He cared for her.
But he was too afraid to admit it.
And now, she wasn't sure if she could wait for him to stop fighting it.
Because war was coming.
And there might not be a tomorrow.