Chapter 51: You Were Jealous

Naya moved through the reception without constantly glancing toward Ronan to check his position in the room, something that would have seemed impossible to her only weeks earlier. A young Alpha named Edric approached her near the refreshment table, offering a genuine compliment on how she’d handled the previous day’s audience.

"I’ve never seen a council member get that many visiting Alphas to agree on anything," he said, laughing. "Half of them still argue about which direction the sun rises from."

Naya laughed with him, and he launched into a story about his own disastrous first council appearance, something involving a spilled drink and an Alpha twice his age who never let him forget it. The conversation was easy, nothing weighted or strategic behind it, simply pleasant.

Across the room, Ronan was deep in conversation with another Alpha, though his attention kept drifting toward her table more often than the discussion warranted.

He finished his conversation earlier than necessary and crossed the room, greeting Edric with impeccable courtesy before settling his hand lightly at Naya’s back.

"Are you ready to meet the next delegation?" he asked.

"They’re not due for another twenty minutes," Naya said.

"I know."

Edric, sensing the shift, excused himself politely, leaving Naya alone with Ronan.

"Did you need something?" she asked.

"No."

"Then why did you interrupt?"

"I didn’t interrupt."

"You absolutely did."

He guided her toward the adjoining terrace, insisting he simply wanted a moment with his wife, and Naya let herself be led, already smiling at exactly what she suspected was happening.

Once they were alone on the terrace, she turned to face him directly. "You were jealous."

"Edric was monopolizing your time," Ronan said.

"We’d been talking for five minutes."

"Apparently that was sufficient time for him to become irritating."

Naya laughed outright. "You weren’t even listening to the conversation."

"He wasn’t that funny."

"You don’t know what he said."

Ronan had no response ready for that, and Naya stepped closer, enjoying the rare sight of him unable to argue his way out of something entirely of his own making.

"Does it bother you," she asked, quieter now, "when I enjoy someone else’s company?"

Something shifted in his expression, the jealousy giving way to something more vulnerable underneath it.

"Edric isn’t the problem," Ronan admitted. "I didn’t like watching you laugh with another man while I stood across the room wanting your attention."

Naya studied him for a moment, turning the admission over. "You could have simply walked over and joined the conversation."

"That would have looked like I was checking on you."

"You were checking on me."

"That’s beside the point."

She laughed softly. "So instead you waited across the room, stewing, and then invented an imaginary delegation to interrupt us."

"It wasn’t imaginary. It was simply early."

"By twenty minutes."

"Punctuality has never been a flaw," Ronan said, though even he seemed to hear how weak the argument sounded once it left his mouth.

"You could have just said you missed talking to me."

He was quiet for a moment, something behind his eyes shifting. "I’m not accustomed to admitting that kind of thing easily."

"I’ve noticed," Naya said, gentler now. "But I’d rather you say it than invent a delegation every time."

"Noted," he said, and there was something almost boyish in the way he said it, a small concession that cost him more than he let on.

Naya hadn’t expected that honesty, and it settled somewhere warm in her chest.

"Are you planning to interrupt every conversation I have with an attractive Alpha?" she asked.

"I hope you won’t make that necessary."

She gave him a pointed look, and he finally exhaled.

"Fine. I was jealous."

"Was that so difficult?"

"Yes."

She laughed again, and this time he smiled along with her, something easy passing between them that hadn’t existed in their earliest weeks together.

Kael chose that exact moment to step onto the terrace. "What did I miss?"

"Ronan confessed something remarkable," Naya said.

"Don’t," Ronan warned.

She told Kael anyway.

Kael stared at his brother in exaggerated disbelief. "You admitted it?"

"Go away."

"You used actual words?"

"Kael."

"Did anyone record this? We need a witness for posterity."

Naya laughed hard enough that she had to catch her breath against the terrace railing. Kael declared the moment worthy of a royal announcement, and Ronan informed him that if he did any such thing, he’d personally assign him to receive every visiting delegation for the next month.

Kael considered the threat seriously. "Fine. Your secret is safe with me." He turned to Naya with a grin. "Unless you want to tell someone."

Once Kael finally wandered back inside, Naya turned to Ronan again. "I like this version of you."

"Which version?"

"The one who admits what he feels instead of issuing orders and expecting everyone to understand."

"I’m not particularly good at it."

"I’ve noticed," she said, though there was no bite in it.

He drew her closer, his hand settling at her waist. "Are you going to tease me about this forever?"

"Probably."

"Then I should never have admitted it."

"Too late."

They leaned in, close enough that Naya thought the moment might finally resolve itself, but footsteps approached from inside the hall, and Ronan reluctantly let her step back before anyone could see.

When they returned to the reception, Edric approached once more to say goodbye before departing for his territory the following morning. Ronan remained beside her this time, giving her space to finish the exchange without interference.

Naya noticed the effort it took him, and she handled the conversation naturally, neither flirting to provoke him nor pulling away to appease him. Once Edric left, she turned back to Ronan and slipped her hand into his without hesitation.

He glanced down at their joined hands, then at her, something quiet and satisfied settling across his face. Naya gave him a small smile, and he said nothing further, understanding that she hadn’t needed prompting.

She had chosen this, chosen him, without any need for him to claim or interrupt anything at all.

As they left the reception later that evening, Ronan asked whether she’d enjoyed herself.

"I did," Naya said.

"Will you be speaking with Edric again tomorrow?"

She gave him a knowing look. "You could have just asked me to spend time with you instead."

Ronan went quiet for a moment. "Would you have?"

Naya squeezed his hand. "You could try asking."

He looked at her, considering the answer with unusual seriousness, something turning over behind his eyes that she couldn’t quite name.

"I’ll remember that," he said.

They continued down the corridor together, hands still joined, and Naya thought, walking beside the man who’d once ordered her to strip simply to prove a point, how strange and welcome it was to watch him slowly learning how to ask for what he actually wanted instead.