Extra-Changing Fate

Chapter 61 ==The Kiss==

"Where are we even going?"

I asked, breathless, trying to keep up with Kian as he marched deeper into the forest—further and further away from the cave.

He didn't even glance back. "I'm dragging you home."

At those words, my feet froze. I yanked my hand back, forcing him to stop.
Home? No. Not now. Not like this.

"Excuse me? Who gave you the right to decide that?" I snapped, stepping away from him. "And in case you forgot, the only way out of this place is through that cave."

He finally turned, face unreadable. "I've been here enough times to know there's another way." His tone was flat, almost bored, like he'd already expected my resistance. He reached for my hand again, but I pulled it back sharply.

Did he really not understand? Couldn't he see I didn't want to go back?

Tsk. Of course he knew secret paths. Of course he knew things no one else did.

"And so what?" I said, fists clenched. "I didn't come here to be rescued. I came to find someone. And I'm not going back until I do."

Kian's jaw tensed, his voice raised just a little—just enough to pierce the heavy air between us. "You won't find anything in that cave but death, Alyssa."
His gaze hardened. "You have a wedding coming up. Disappearing like this—people will talk. The kingdom will notice."

I stepped back, the sound of that word wedding like poison to my ears.

"I know she's here, Kian," I said quietly, but firmly. My eyes met his—deep, stormy, unblinking. "And you know I can handle myself. You, more than anyone, know what I'm capable of."

He looked pained, but I kept going. "And don't ever say that word again—not in front of me."
I looked away, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

Why now? Why does he care so much now?

"Then run away with me," he whispered.

I turned back to him, stunned. His expression was serious—dead serious.

"Run away with me... My Muse."

That name. That name.

The nickname I hadn't heard since months ago, before I mistook him for Lex. My breath caught.

"I can't," I whispered, shaking my head. "Not when our empire is falling into shadows. Not when I still have a role to play."

"You're walking straight into your death if you don't leave now," he pressed, stepping closer.

"Then let me die fighting for something that still matters," I said, my voice cracking slightly. A bitter smile tugged at my lips. "At least that death will have meaning."

I knew what I was getting into. There were only two outcomes.
Thirty percent—I survive.
Seventy percent—I die.
I'd already accepted that.

"You won't die," he growled, suddenly pulling me into his arms. "Aly... Rick would burn the whole kingdom to the ground before letting anyone touch you."

"How can you be so sure?" I whispered, barely able to breathe against his chest. "His mother wants to devour me whole, Kian."

"She only wants your eyes," he replied, almost too calmly. "Even if you go blind, Rick would still love you."

My breath hitched as his hands cupped my face, lifting it gently. His fingers were warm—familiar. My gaze locked with his, and I felt my heartbeat stop.

"Rick would give her anything she wanted... as long as you stay alive," he said softly, like it was a fact, not a threat.

His eyes were unreadable, and I didn't know if he was warning me or begging me.