Chapter 6 – Marriage Night Confusion

Chapter 6 – Marriage Night Confusion

Ariana’s POV

The moonlight spilling through my window was silver and cold, but my skin burned with the remnants of Kael’s touch. His words from earlier lingered like smoke in my lungs: “You fight like a wolf who’s been caged too long.”

He saw me not just the girl forced into this union, not just the orphan they all whispered about—but something more. Something wild. Something dangerous.

I didn’t know whether to be terrified… or thrilled.

Liora’s warning echoed in my mind as I paced the length of the room: You made enemies tonight. If you fail, you won’t survive here.

Survive. That word tasted bitter now, because survival wasn’t enough anymore. Not when my pulse quickened every time Kael looked at me like that—as if he wanted to devour and destroy me in the same breath.

The knock came like a thunderclap. Three sharp raps on the door. My heart stuttered.

“Come in,” I managed, though my voice cracked like thin ice.

The door opened, and Kael filled the frame like a shadow come to life. Black shirt, sleeves rolled to his forearms, chest broad and hard beneath the fabric. His dark hair fell loose, brushing his temple, and his eyes… Moon help me, those eyes burned with a heat that pinned me where I stood.

He stepped inside without a word, closing the door behind him with a soft click that sounded far too loud in the silence.

For a heartbeat, we just stared at each other. The air was thick, humming, pulling tight around us like an invisible cord.

“You’re still dressed.” His voice was low, smooth, but edged with something I couldn’t name.

“I… didn’t know what to expect,” I admitted, hating how small my voice sounded.

Kael’s gaze swept over me slowly, deliberately, like a hand I could almost feel on my skin. “You look nervous.”

“Maybe because you’re standing there like a storm about to break.”

His lips twitched, the closest thing to a smile I’d seen all night. “You fought well earlier.”

“That sounded almost like a compliment,” I said, lifting my chin despite the tremor in my hands.

“Don’t get used to it.” He moved closer—one step, then another—until I could feel the heat radiating off him. “You humiliated two of my best warriors. Half the pack is still talking about it.”

“They wanted a fight. I gave them one.”

His eyes darkened, wolf flickering behind them. “You gave me something too.”

My breath hitched. “And what’s that?”

He didn’t answer. Not with words. His hand lifted, slow and deliberate, until his fingers brushed my jaw, tilting my face toward his. The same touch as before, only now there was no audience, no mask of control. Just heat. Fire curling between us, scorching and sweet.

My lips parted, my pulse a wild drum. His gaze dropped to my mouth, and for one raw second, I thought he’d kiss me. I wanted him to. Saints, I wanted him to.

But then he froze, his jaw tightening as if he were fighting something inside himself.

“Serena,” he whispered under his breath, so low I almost missed it.

My stomach plunged. Serena. My sister. The ghost between us.

Kael’s hand dropped, and he turned away so abruptly the air rushed cold where his warmth had been. “This isn’t what tonight is about,” he said, voice clipped, almost harsh. “You’re here because duty demands it. Nothing more.”

The words sliced through me like glass.

“Then why come at all?” I asked before I could stop myself.

He glanced over his shoulder, eyes like storms. “To make sure you understand something, Ariana—being Luna isn’t a title. It’s a vow. You fail me, you fail this pack… and you won’t like the consequences.”

Anger flared hot, burning away the ache his words left behind. “And what about you, Alpha? Do you even know what loyalty means, or are you too busy chasing ghosts?”

His head snapped toward me, and for a breathless moment, I thought he’d snarl or kiss me just to shut me up. Instead, he stepped close, his breath ghosting my ear as he whispered:

“You don’t know what you’re playing with.”

Then the alarm shattered the tension. A piercing howl outside, followed by another, and another, rolling like thunder across the pack lands.

Kael’s head whipped toward the sound, his entire body going rigid. “Rogues,” he growled, already moving for the door.

“Wait—” I grabbed his arm, the heat of his skin searing my palm. “What about—”

“You’re staying here.” His tone left no room for argument. “Lock the door. Don’t open it for anyone but me.”

Fear clawed at my throat. “Kael—”

He turned, and for the first time tonight, his eyes softened just for a flicker, a heartbeat but it was enough to steal my breath.

“I’ll be back,” he said, and then he was gone, the door slamming behind him like the final word.

Leaving me alone with nothing but the echo of his scent, the pounding of my heart… and the cold whisper of the moon.