Chapter 58 SAGE


    "Eat up. You haven''t eaten anything since we took off," he said as the stewardess arranged a table in front of my seat.


    "I''m not hungry," I replied without lifting my eyes, not daring to look at him.


    I lost count on how long we have been flying. I had no idea how long the flight back to the pce was. When ra and I had escaped, it had taken everything we had to get away. We''d snuck onto a cargo ship before finally making it to a city where we could book a flight to New York. That grueling journey had taken almost an entire day. "That''s fine. Leave it there," I heard I him tell the stewardess.


    I continued to stare out the window, my eyes tracing the endless expanse of clouds below us. I fell asleep during the flight, and I just woke up. Though my stomach starts to grumble, I''d rather starve to death than ept his offer. of me wanted to rebel, to stand up and demand answers, to shout at him for everything he had put me through. But I knew that would only y into his hands, giving him the reaction he was probably expecting. So instead, I sat there in silence with my hands clenched in myp. The only sound in the cabin was the low hum of the ne''s engines.


    A part


    But my senses remain heightened as I feel his every move. I jumped for a bit when I felt him taking the seat beside me.


    The whole flight, he chooses to give me the space I asked for. He remained seated on the empty seat in front of me. Despite our distance, I can still sense his eyes lingering on me. I tried my best to ignore the familiar feeling he brought to my wounded heart. Yet somehow, he decided to finally bridge the gap, seperating us both.


    "I''m more than happy to feed you if you want," he suggested, which immediately irritates me.


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    11:48 Tue Sep 17 @B Chapter 38 I quickly turned toward him, my frustration bubbling up as I prepared to snap, to yell, to tell him to stop this insanity. "I said I''m not " But the words. froze on my lips when I saw him leaning in, closing the gap between us until our faces were just inches apart. My breath caught, surprised by how close he was, and the intensity in his eyes seemed to pull me ine a ma.


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    to hold onto the anger burning inside me and tried to open my mouth to tell him off, but before I could say


    tried to


    anything, he he silenced me in a way ver expected. With a smooth movement, he brought a grape to his lips, and before I could react, he pressed it against my mouth, slipping it between my parted lips with a slow, teasing motion. My eyes widened in shock, but he didn''t stop there. He leaned in even closer, his warm breath mixing with mine, and used his tongue to gently push the grape further into my mouth. The sensation was electric. The sweetness of the grape blended with the heat of his touch. It was overwhelming me and leaving mepletely at his mercy.


    I should have pulled away; I should have pushed him back and told him off for being so bold, but my body betrayed me. My lips instinctively closed around the grape, my tongue brushing against his for the briefest moment, sending a shockwave through me. My heart pounded I in my chest, each beat louder than thest, as if trying to warn me of the danger I was falling into.


    I


    But instead of fear, all I felt was a dizzying rush of adrenaline, making it impossible to focus on anything but him. His eyes locked onto mine, dark and intense, as if he knew exactly what he was doing to me, and I enjoyed every second of it.


    When he finally pulled back, leaving the grape in my mouth, I was left breathless. My thoughts were in a chaotic mess. I chewed slowly, trying to regain control, but the taste of the grape only reminded me of how it had gotten there.


    I swallowed hard, my throat tight, and forced myself to speak, though my voice came out weaker than I intended. "What... what do you think you''re doing?" I said, trying my best to sound irritated.


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    His lips curled into a satisfied smirk that sent a shiver down my spine. "Just making sure you eat, kitten," he replied casually, as if he hadn''t just crossed a line that I wasn''t even sure how to define.


    I narrowed my eyes at him, silently warning him to stop. "Don''t ever do that again."


    "Am I not allowed to feed my wife?" He asked, his voice yful but with a serious edge.


    I scoffed, my words dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, how convenient. Now, I''m your wife, huh?"


    He didn''t react to the bitterness in my tone. "You''ve always been my wife, Sage," he said firmly.


    and hurt bubbled up inside me, feelings I had tried to bury for so long. "Not when you were sleeping with your mate, right?" The words slipped out before I could stop them, raw and filled with the pain I''d tried to hide. I hadn''t nned to bring up the past, but the way he was acting now, as if it didn''t matter, reopened old wounds. Memories of those painful nights, evidence that he was sleeping with Annika, flooded back.


    Anger


    His face darkened, his frown deepening as he looked at me. "She''s not my mate, Sage. I thought we''d already settled that," he said, frustrated. "And I thought I made it clear that I was under her spell."


    His words did little to ease the hurt still simmering inside me. I clenched my fists, trying to keep my emotions under control. "That doesn''t change anything, Your Majesty," I said coldly, using the title as a way to distance myself from him. "It doesn''t erase what happened or how it made me feel." He opened his mouth to respond, but I didn''t give him a chance. "You might be able to forget it, to move on as if it never happened, but I can''t. I won''t." The words spilled out before I could hold them back, my voice trembling as I tried to keep my emotions in check. A heavy silence fell between us, filled with all the things left unsaid and the pain that hadn''t healed. His eyes searched mine as if trying to fi


    but I couldn''t let myself soften. Not now. Not after everything.


    He reached out to touch me, but I pulled away, putting up my walls once. more. "Don''t," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Just don t."


    We were engulfed in a few minutes of silence before I finally broke it. "What are you nning to do with me, Your Majesty?" I bravely asked.


    He blew a loud breath before he answered. "You''re going back to your duty as my wife," he replied timidly.


    "And if I don''t agree?" "We''re not


    a divorce, if that''s what you mean, Sage."


    Whave an obligation


    "Why not? I have no obligation to this kingdom. I''m free of all of the charges against me. I have no reason to go back, Your Majesty." to me, Sage."


    "You


    I was stunned for a minute. It took me a while to recover. "You have your other wives for that, Your Majesty. You don''t need me," I insisted.


    "I can divorce them if you want," he said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.


    eyes yes widened in shock. How could he just say that so casually, like it was no big deal? The words hung in the air, too outrageous to process. "You can''t do that!" I eximed, my voice rising with disbelief.


    My


    "Why


    not?" he replied with a shrug, as if this was apletely normal


    conversation to have.


    I paused, trying to make sense of his audacity. The truth was, he could do that. There was nothing stopping him, nothing in his way. I straightened my shoulders, trying to regain some control over the situation. "Yes, of course, you can do that. Then you''d only have Her Majesty to deal with, proving my point that you don''t need me there."


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    next words caught mepletely off guard. "I can divorce her as well," he d, his tone still maddeningly casual as if he were discussing the weather.


    as stunned into silence. I hadn''t expected that. It was on thing to talk about smissing others from his life, but to say he could divorce the queen so


    sily? It shook me to my core, leaving me speechless.


    tared


    at him, trying toprehend what he had just said. His words echoed my mind, twisting everything I thought I knew about this man. Divorce the een? Could he really do that? Would he?


    ou can''t be serious," I finally managed to say, my voice a mix of disbelief and nfusion.


    : met my gaze with an intensity that made my heart race. "I am serious, ge. I can divorce her. And I will, if that''s what it takes."


    part of me wanted to believe he was bluffing and that this was just another le of his twisted games. But the look in his eyes told me otherwise. He was ad serious, and that realization sent a shiver down my spine.


    ut why?" I whispered, the question slipping out before I could stop it. "Why ould you do that?"


    Because you''re the one I want," he said, his voice steady and unwavering. "Not er, not anyone else. Just you."


    is words should have beenforting, should have made me feel wanted, ut instead, they only deepened the turmoil inside me. This was all too much, >o sudden, and I didn''t know how to handle it.


    You''re


    crazy," I muttered, shaking my head as I tried to make sense of the ituation.


    Maybe," he said with a small, almost sad smile. "But that doesn''t change how I eel."


    looked away, unable to meet his gaze any longer. His feelings, his actions- hey were too inten


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    force of his emotions.


    "This isn''t fair." I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "You can just decide. something like that on a whim."


    "It''s not a whim. Sage, he insisted, leaning closer. "You''ve mentioned a problem, and I only responded with a solution."


    His words hung in the air, heavy and serious, making my chest tighten. I could see the determination in his eyes. He wasn''t just saying this to provoke me- he waspletely serious. That realization sent a chill down my spine.


    I


    I swallowed hard; my throat suddenly dried as I tried to wrap my mind around what he was saying. This was real. He was actually willing to go through with it to keep me. It felt like the ground was shifting beneath me, like I was standing on the edge of something unknown and frightening.


    "Why


    "Why are you doing this?" I whispered. Frustration and desperation surged through me. I couldn''t understand how he could be so certain, so ready to turn everything upside down like it was nothing. “You''re insane," I snapped, my voice edged with the desperation I felt He didn''t even blink at my outburst. Instead, a faint smile tugged at his lips, like he''d been expecting my reaction. "Yes, I am. And I will be even more insane if I''ll let you go once again," he said softly, as if it were a promise of forever.


    silence that followed was thick with tension, filled with everything we weren''t saying. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat louder than thest, reminding me of the impossible situation I was in. I felt like I was standing at a crossroads with no clear way forward, only the overwhelming presence of a choice I wasn''t ready to make. The uneasy silence between us was suddenly broken by the crackle of the inte, followed by the captain''s calm voice echoing through the cabin. Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts as we prepare fornding." announcement snapped me out of my thoughts. I adjusted in my seat, my movements stiff as I reached for the seatbelt.


    The an


    For a moment, I focused on the small window beside me, watching as the clouds began to clear as we descended.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed him doing the same, his hands moving. with the same steady ease that seemed to define him. Even now, in the middle of this tension between us, he remained calm and collected. I couldn''t help but feel both frustrated and a bit impressed by his calmness.