My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 269

269 Shifting Lines

“Don’t go,” Zephyr managed, forcing every ounce of strength into the plea.

“Very well. I’ll stay,” Fiona replied before lighting a signal flare, the hiss of the fuse sharp in the hush beneath the trees. Scarlet sparks spiraled upward, punching through the gray sky. “What bit you, Zephyr?”

Embarrassment shadowed Zephyr’s features. He had dismissed his attendants, intending to follow Fiona alone, when an enraged sow–protecting her piglets–charged from the brush. Before he could draw his sword, her tusks had torn into his leg.

Yet while Fiona tended him, warmth had seeped back into his chilled frame. Her calm, capable hands contrasted starkly with the frantic fussing of his concubines, who in such moments only ever begged him for instruction.

Zephyr discovered he liked the rare sensation of being protected. No wonder so many women sought powerful men–the feeling of safety was intoxicating.

“You’re remarkably good at taking care of others,” he said, forcing a smile he hoped looked dashing. A dangerous thought blossomed: perhaps he could bring her home–make her his.

The idea unfurled inside him like a peacock’s tail, bright and impossible to hide.

Before Fiona could reply, she sensed another presence. She looked up to find Xavier standing atop a jagged shelf of rock, his silhouette framed by a pale, shifting sky.

His expression was tangled–something between surprise and hurt, as though caught in a storm of feelings he had not prepared

for.

A chill flickered in his eyes, far removed from the easy warmth he usually offered her.

He looked, Fiona realized with a start, almost as if he believed she had betrayed him.

She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze without flinching.

From his elevated perch, Xavier stared down, the height lending him an unintentional air of superiority. That accustomed gentleness was gone, replaced by a cool austerity that made the space between them feel suddenly, painfully, wide.

“Fiona, the way you look after people… Well, if any gentleman were lucky enough to enjoy such care, I suspect many hearts might start to race,” Zephyr said teasingly, unaware of Xavier’s presence, his tone light yet suggestively playful.

The remark carried more weight than idle speculation. It was no mere observation about others; he was unveiling his own desire, flirting with Fiona beneath a veneer of casual banter.

Xavier’s gaze slid down the slope to the wounded prince sprawled at the foot of the boulder. Then he lifted his eyes to Fiona, saying nothing, his silence a quiet demand for explanation.

After a pause, Fiona cleared her throat and spoke up. “Prince Zephyr was bitten by a wild animal, and I happened upon him by chance. I could hardly leave him to bleed.”

She had had little choice; if something worse befell the prince, the blame would fall squarely upon her shoulders.

Yet Xavier’s expression remained a blade of ice, unmoved by her explanation.

Lying in the dirt, Zephyr finally realized another presence, but weakness pinned his head to the ground.

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“The Royal Guard saw your signal flare; they are already on their way,” Xavier answered coolly.

Hearing the voice, Zephyr understood it was Xavier’s and narrowed his eyes toward the sound.

Bootsteps scraped against the rock as Xavier climbed down. He cast a cool sidelong glance at the prince, noting the careful bandages Fiona had wrapped around the torn flesh.

“Prince Zephyr, precisely what kind of wild animal sank its teeth into you?”

Zephyr flicked a sideways look at Fiona, embarrassment staining his face. Having to admit he’d gotten mauled by a nursing sow was hardly dignified.

Irritation flared. Such audacity! How dare this minor regional commander interrogate a prince in such a tone?

“These hills are swarming with wild boars, and a sow protecting her litter can be vicious. I take it you crossed such a mother, Prince Zephyr?” Xavier continued.

Fiona’s hands hesitated mid–air, the pause saying more than words.

Rage boiled beneath Zephyr’s pallor; Xavier was humiliating him on purpose, right in front of Fiona. But fatigue smothered the fury, leaving him too drained to retort.

“Shouldn’t you have your servants and guards with you, Prince Zephyr? Why did you dismiss them and stop them from following you?”

Every man in the clearing recognized the implication, and Xavier’s blunt question stoked fresh anger in the prince’s chest.

One thing was for sure–Xavier had a talent for stripping him of dignity with a single sentence.

Fiona suddenly grasped the darker undercurrent–Zephyr had ventured here for her, sending retainers away so they would be alone. In these wild woods, any scandal could be blamed on her.

In this lifetime, Zephyr had not yet cornered her as he once did, yet his obsession clearly remained. With her father’s recent promotion, marrying her would boost his power and drive a wedge between her father and Cornelius–advantages too tempting to ignore.

“Ms. Fiona, please return to higher ground and wait. If a sow’s den is nearby, more could appear. I will remain here to guard Prince Zephyr.”

Fiona dipped her head in silent agreement.

Zephyr’s gaze drifted to the sword at Xavier’s hip, the longbow across his back, and finally to the man’s face.

On that composed face he found, to his shock, a clear warning.

The aura felt strangely familiar, knocking the breath from his lungs and halting his thoughts.

How could a mere son of the modest Luthor family have the gall to lecture a prince?

But the pull of blood loss grew heavier; drowsiness washed over him, and his eyelids slid shut.

Xavier glanced down at him, a single cold look, and said nothing.

Moments later, the crash of hooves and armor filled the ravine–the Royal Guard had arrived. Riding at their head was Emperor

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Aldric himself.