5. A Battle of Wills

The tension between Faye and Alaric hung heavy in the air, thick with unspoken truths and old wounds. Faye's pulse was racing, her palms clammy as she stood her ground. She had faced dangerous situations before, but this felt different. More personal. More dangerous in ways that had nothing to do with physical violence.

Alaric watched her with an intensity that made her skin prickle, his dark eyes searching her face as if he could pull the truth out of her by sheer force of will. He stepped back slightly, giving her a little space, but his presence still filled the room, overwhelming.

"You used to trust me," he said, his voice low, almost a murmur. "What changed?"

Faye almost laughed at the irony. Trust. How could she explain that it was her trust in him that had shattered her? That, for a moment, she had believed he cared about her—not the ghost of his fiancée she reminded him of, not the obedient employee, but her. And then, just as quickly, that hope had been crushed when she realized she could never compete with the dead.

"I didn't change," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "You did."

Alaric's brow furrowed, a flicker of something crossing his face—confusion, maybe frustration—but he masked it quickly. His expression hardened. "You don't get to walk away from this, Faye. You don't get to slap one of the most powerful women in the city and disappear like nothing happened. The world doesn't work that way."

"And you don't get to decide who I am, or what I can or can't do," she shot back, her voice gaining strength. "I'm not some pawn in your games, Alaric. I'm done being manipulated."

His eyes darkened, but he didn't respond immediately. Instead, he moved back to his desk, his movements slow and deliberate, as though he was giving her time to calm down. Faye's heart was pounding, but she forced herself to stay composed. She couldn't afford to let him get under her skin, not when so much was at stake.

Alaric leaned against the desk, folding his arms across his chest as he looked at her. "I don't want to manipulate you, Faye," he said, his voice deceptively soft. "I want to understand why you felt the need to leave."

Faye's breath caught in her throat. The way he said it—like he was genuinely hurt by her leaving—made something twist in her chest. She hated that he could still affect her like this, that despite everything, part of her still cared.

But she couldn't let that distract her. Not now.

"I left because I needed to," she said carefully, choosing her words. "Because I realized that staying would have destroyed me."

Alaric tilted his head, his gaze sharp. "Destroyed you how?"

Faye clenched her fists, feeling her control slipping. She wasn't ready to have this conversation. She wasn't ready to tell him about the twins, about the life she was trying to protect. But Alaric wasn't going to let her walk away easily.

"I wasn't enough for you," she whispered, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. "No matter what I did, no matter how much I tried, I would always be a shadow of someone else."

Alaric's expression flickered, a shadow of pain crossing his features. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could respond, a sharp knock on the door interrupted the moment.

Faye tensed as the door swung open, revealing Nikos once again. His face was unreadable, as usual, but there was an urgency in his movements that set Faye on edge.

"Alaric," Nikos said, his voice low. "We have a situation."

Alaric's gaze never left Faye as he straightened up, his expression hardening. "What kind of situation?"

"Meline's people," Nikos said tersely. "They're making moves. It looks like retaliation for last night."

Faye's stomach dropped. She had known this was coming, but hearing it out loud made it all too real. Meline's family was powerful, ruthless. They wouldn't stop until they had exacted their revenge.

Alaric's eyes narrowed. "What kind of moves?"

"They've targeted the hotel where Faye's been staying," Nikos continued, his voice calm but firm. "They want to send a message."

Faye felt a chill run down her spine. She had thought she could outrun this, but Meline's reach was longer than she had anticipated. If they knew where she had been hiding, it was only a matter of time before they found her again.

Alaric's jaw tightened, and for a moment, Faye saw a flash of something dangerous in his eyes. "Get her out of there," he ordered Nikos, his voice cold and commanding. "Make sure they don't touch her."

Nikos nodded and turned to leave, but Faye stopped him, her mind racing. "Wait—my things are still there. I need to get them."

Alaric shot her a look. "Forget your things. You're not going back."

"But—"

"No." His voice was sharp, leaving no room for argument. "You're not going back there, Faye. It's too dangerous."

Faye clenched her jaw, frustration bubbling up inside her. She hated being told what to do, especially by him. But she knew he was right. Going back would only put her in more danger, and the last thing she needed was to be caught in the crossfire of a power struggle between Alaric and Meline.

For a moment, silence stretched between them. Faye could feel the weight of Alaric's gaze on her, the unspoken tension crackling in the air. He was protecting her now, but she knew it wasn't out of kindness. He wanted something from her, and he wasn't going to let her go until he got it.

Nikos waited by the door, his eyes flicking between them, waiting for the tension to break.

Finally, Alaric spoke again, his voice softer this time. "You don't have to do this alone, Faye."

Faye looked at him, searching his face for any sign of manipulation, any hint of the cold, calculating man she had known for so long. But all she saw was sincerity, and it made her chest tighten with a mixture of fear and longing.

"I'm not your responsibility," she said quietly, forcing herself to stay strong. "I never was."

Alaric's eyes darkened, and for a moment, she saw the storm of emotions he was holding back. But he didn't argue. Instead, he stepped back, giving her the space she desperately needed.

"Just think about what you want," he said softly, his voice a whisper in the tense room. "Before it's too late."

Faye didn't respond. She couldn't. She had to protect herself—and her children—before Alaric found out the truth.

As she followed Nikos out of the room, her mind was already racing with a new plan. She couldn't stay hidden forever. But she also couldn't afford to trust Alaric—not yet.

And certainly not with the secret she carried.