Mated To The Barbarian King Who Is My Ex-husband's Father.

Arianna cursed herself under her breath for failing to stop Samantha from tagging along. The woman had insisted on joining them, and Kane, seeing no harm in it, had agreed. Still, Arianna reminded herself that it was going to be a long night; there would still be time to confess everything to him later.

​"The full moon is in two days," Samantha noted smoothly, her voice floating from a few steps behind them. "Is there any chance we might finally discover who your true mate is?"

​Arianna subtly rolled her eyes, knowing full well the question was asked purely to needle her. Yet, deep down, she was terrified of what the answer might be. If the king truly found his destined mate, it would spell the absolute end of their relationship.

​She couldn’t help but wonder if all of this pain was worth it all the swelling emotions and tender feelings taking root in her chest. She hadn’t been lying when Ethan accused her of falling in love with the king.

​"I have no idea, Samantha. Why bring that up now?" Kane asked, his eyes scanning the bleak surroundings.

The night air was bitterly cold, and he could see that the canvas tents were no longer sufficient to protect his pack from the harsh weather.

​"Forgive me, Your Highness," Samantha replied, a note of quiet triumph lacing her tone. She glanced pointedly at Arianna, who was walking side-by-side with the king. "I just have a strong feeling that you will find your mate this time. What do you think, Queen Arianna?"

​Arianna looked back, her mind racing. Samantha’s question was a deliberate trap, and one wrong move would make her look like a selfish enemy to the king’s salvation.

Of course she wanted Kane to find his mate and be rid of his dark curse... but the thought of it made her heart bleed, knowing it would mean their immediate separation.

​"My opinion on the matter hardly counts, Samantha," Arianna replied coolly, keeping her head high as she continued walking.

​She cast a quick, cautious glance up at Kane. His sharp jaw was set, his dark gaze fixed intently on the path ahead as he led them toward the rocky, rugged outskirts of the tribe’s territory.

"That isn’t an answer," Samantha pressed, stepping closer behind them. "You have to answer as the king’s wife. This concerns you, too."

​Arianna let out a soft sigh, trying her absolute best not to lose her temper. "If you are asking me as the queen, then I will say I want the king to find his mate. He has waited...the entire tribe has waited for far too long, and it is only right that she is found."

​"What a pretty, politically correct answer," Samantha chuckled dryly.

​Arianna bit her lower lip, wishing the woman would just shut her mouth. Samantha was trying with everything in her power to provoke her, and it was undeniably starting to work. A tiny, selfish thought flickered in the dark corners of Arianna’s mind—what if the king doesn’t even like his mate when he finds her?

​"Is that really your only answer?" Kane asked, pausing slightly. He sounded genuinely surprised and hurt that his wife would give such a detached response. His heart twisted in his chest. Did she truly not care for him the way she had claimed? Perhaps he had made a fool of himself by reading too much into her affection.

​"Yes," Arianna said quietly, turning her attention to the steep, jagged rocks they were approaching. She was a human, not a werewolf; climbing a wall like that would take her the entire night. "I will be glad when your mate is found, and I have nothing more to say on the matter."

​"Really?" he echoed, his voice dropping an octave.

​"Yes."

​Kane came to a dead halt, a heavy frown darkening his features. Both Arianna and Samantha froze, bracing themselves for an explosion of alpha rage.

​Before Arianna could process what was happening, Kane reached out and clamped his hand around her wrist, yanking her flush against his side with startling speed.

​Arianna gasped, her heart leaping into her throat as she looked at him in total shock, acutely aware of his cousin watching them. "Kane? W-what are you doing?"

​He didn’t answer her. Instead, she felt his strong arm tighten securely around her waist, and within a split second, the ground vanished beneath her. Before she could even gasp, she found herself standing at the very top of the towering rock face.

​Arianna was completely speechless. She peered down over the ledge, terrified yet breathless at how fast it had all happened. It was her very first time experiencing werewolf abilities firsthand, and if she was being honest with herself, it had felt utterly exhilarating.

​An Alpha’s speed was truly on a different level. It felt as though time itself had paused for a fraction of a second while he carried her up the sheer cliff.

​"I-I can’t believe we’re standing on top of one of the tallest rocks in the territory," Arianna whispered, her palms pressed instinctively against his solid chest for balance. As she looked down, everything below appeared tiny, but the view of the entire settlement was breathtaking.

​The true beauty of the pack came alive from this height—not just from the warm glow of the campfires, but from the deliberate, orderly arrangement of the tents. Everything had been built with purpose, organized and united rather than scattered.

​"This is beautiful, Kane... I mean, the view from up here," she murmured with a soft smile, genuinely grateful that he had brought her to this hidden sanctuary.

​"None of this is as beautiful as the view I’ve had ever since you arrived in the North."

​Arianna’s smile slowly faded as she looked up at him, briefly wondering if he was speaking to someone else. But there was no one else on the peak...it was just the two of them, isolated above the rest of the world.

​"You are the most beautiful woman in the North and beyond, Arianna," Kane said, his intense gaze locking onto hers. She found herself utterly unable to look away, transfixed by the profound sincerity and honesty shining in his eyes. He meant every single word. "Your smile brightens my entire world. It feels as though you and I were truly meant to be together... like this is fate."

​"Do you think so?"

​"I don’t know, Kane," she answered softly, her voice barely above a whisper as she struggled to find the right words. This was the second time he had expressed such deep feelings to her, making her heart race in confusion.

​"I love you, Arianna... I really do," Kane confessed, his voice thick with emotion.

​Her heart skipped a beat. A rush of cold chills washed over her entire body as she stared up at him, utterly frozen. Did he just say he loves her?

​A sudden burst of warmth bloomed in her chest, but the excitement withered almost instantly as reality crashed back down. She still hadn’t told him the truth about Ethan or the deceit that brought her here.

Once she confessed the full extent of her lie, Arianna deeply doubted he would ever look at her with this much devotion again.

​Tears brimmed in her eyes and threatened to spill over as the agonizing truth settled in: she was going to lose the only man she had ever truly loved, all because of her own foolish choices.

​"What’s wrong?" Kane’s brows furrowed in immediate concern and confusion. He couldn’t comprehend why his love confession had brought her to the verge of tears. To him, her silent weeping could only mean one painful thing—she didn’t feel the same way about him.

​He felt a sudden ache in his chest, chastising himself for being so naive as to think a woman like her could ever truly love a cursed man like him.

​"I am so sorry, Arianna," he apologized quickly, stepping in closer. His warm, calloused palms gently cupped her face, his thumbs brushing away her unshed tears. "I didn’t mean to make you cry."

​"N-no, Kane..." Arianna couldn’t control the tears spilling down her cheeks. She shook her head frantically. "It has nothing to do with what you said. I actually love every single word that came out of your mouth."

​A sudden wave of profound relief washed over him, but as he looked down at her distress, a new fear took hold. "Then what is making you cry, my love? Are you in pain?"

​She nodded, hastily wiping the tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand.

​"Where does it hurt?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

​"In my chest, Kane."

​"You are scaring me, Arianna," he breathed, his dark eyes searching hers. "What is really going on?"

​"I have something to tell you, Your Highness... Please forgive me, I beg of you."

​"Go ahead, love. I am listening," he urged gently, his expression tight with worry.

​Seeing that gentle, devoted look on his face made her heart ache almost unbearably. She couldn’t shake the devastating feeling that this was the very last time he would ever look at her with such tenderness. Once the words left her lips, it would be the end of them.

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