Chapter 9.

Julian's POV.

I can’t stop thinking about Kira even though she is fated to my young brother...

The first time I saw her was in that cursed forest. At first, I thought she was just some reckless omega with no sense of danger. She didn’t belong out there — not with rogues lurking in the shadows. I could’ve ignored her, kept going, and left her to fend for herself. But when those rogues moved in, something made me stop and order my guards to help her as she just stood there, frozen and terrified, yet somehow... still holding her ground. That moment stuck with me.

Then I saw her again at the hospital.

I’d gone to consult with Redmoon’s pack doctors about my condition — not that they told me anything useful. Just more empty promises about potential treatments, none of which seemed to make a difference. I remember sitting in that cold, sterile room, feeling like I was suffocating and the chair had swallowed up the man I used to be.

And then I noticed her. Kira, quietly cleaning the floor down the hall. She never looked up, or noticed me watching. But something about her caught my attention. Maybe it was the way she worked — head down, silent, moving like she was trying to make herself invisible. Or maybe it was because I’d seen her face that night in the forest when she stood frozen but refused to scream.

And last night...

I grip the armrest of my wheelchair tightly, still seething at what happened. Damian’s disgust when Kira tried to approach him — the way he sneered at her, like she was filth. He couldn’t have made his feelings clearer: she wasn’t worth his time. He barely gave her a second glance before snapping at her to think of herself just a maid like she didn’t even deserve to breathe the same air as him.

Fool.

And Kira didn’t fight back. No argument, no pleading — just acceptance. She took it like she’s used to being treated that way, and that bothers me more than I want to admit.

“Julian!” Damian’s sharp voice drags me out of my thoughts. I blink, finding him standing by the door with that smug look he always wears dressed in his usual two piece suit without buttoning his shirt all the way up. “We’re leaving,” he says, like I’m the one keeping him waiting.

I arch a brow. “Aren’t we waiting for Kira?”

Damian snorts. “ I'm a prince. Why would I?” His gaze flicks to the side as his mother, Luna Cassandra, who steps up beside him.

“We don’t wait for late omegas,” she says coldly, her voice sharp enough to cut.

I clench my jaw. Of course she’d say that. She’s the reason Damian’s grown into this entitled brat who thinks the world owes him something.

“I doubt she’s late,” I say evenly. “You’re just rushing to leave her behind.”

Cassandra’s smile is thin and smug. “Then she’ll figure out her way to Crimson crown.”

I hate this — the way they act like she’s worthless just because she’s an omega... Whether they like it or not, she’s tied to our family now. And I have a feeling that cutting her out won’t be as easy as they think...

The moment Damian’s and his mother's card pulls away from the hotel, I feel a familiar wave of frustration tighten in my chest. They weren’t supposed to leave yet — we were meant to travel in a convoy for safety. But of course, Damian never follows instructions, and his mother encourages it.

I watch as their cars disappear down the road, biting back the urge to snap at my guards to follow. Instead, I exhale and give a curt order.

“Wait a few minutes.”

My guards exchange a look but nod. They know better than to question me when I’m in this mood.

I don’t know why I bother waiting. Maybe it’s guilt, or maybe I’m just curious to see if she’s still coming to prove my thoughts wrong. And sure enough, moments later, Kira appears. She’s rushing toward the entrance with Vivienne trailing close behind, both looking flustered.

Her wide eyes scan the parking lot, landing on me first — then flicking past to the empty spaces where Damian’s car should have been.

“Good morning sir, where’s prince Damian?” she asks, her voice rising with panic.

“He left,” I say flatly as I properly look at her facial features without fear of being called a creep for looking at my brother's mate inappropriately... Her hair spills in rich copper waves around her face, catching the light with every movement. Hazel eyes, sharp yet warm, hold a quiet intensity that’s hard to look away from. Freckles dust her pale skin, softening her features, while her full lips hover on the edge of a smile. There’s something about her — something calm yet undeniably magnetic.

“Just a few minutes ago actually.” I add and Kira’s face drains of color.

“But... but I’m supposed to —”

“Oh shut up! You should’ve woken me up sooner,” Vivienne snaps at her, sounding irritated. “I told you we had to be early.”

“But how is this my fault,” Kira mutters, her voice small as she stares at the ground with her fingers twisting anxiously in the hem of her sweater.

For some reason, seeing her like that — defeated and hopeless — makes me speak before I fully think it through.

“You can ride with me,” I offer.

Both Kira and Vivienne whip their heads toward me, eyes wide with surprise.

"You?" Vivienne sneers, her gaze sharp and suspicious. "And who the hell are you?"