Like a cat; 🔥

Eva sat nestled in the snow, stroking Kael's thick fur, her fingers weaving through the soft, warm layers. Gradually, she felt his heartbeat slow, returning to a normal rhythm. The wild, frantic pounding beneath his chest calmed under her touch.

As her fingers wandered through his warmth, a smile unconsciously formed on her face. She marveled at how soft it was, how the reddish-brown fur gleamed even in the dim light.

Seeing this, Kael let out a rumbling, amused growl that echoed directly in Eva's mind.

"Right now you look like you're petting a puppy, daughter of Rose."

Eva's eyes flew open, noticing the smile on her face. She immediately composed herself, shook it off. Her cheeks flushed pink.

"What? No, don't be ridiculous. I mean, I'm only..." she stammered, pulling her hand back slightly. "I'm doing this so you won't kill anyone!"

Kael lifted his massive head, his amber eyes locking directly with hers. There was something playful in that gaze, something warm and ancient and deeply affectionate.

"Then pet me, daughter of Rose. Love me. I'd even be willing to purr like a cat for it."

In that moment, Eva understood in the great wolf's gaze. He was starved for affection. Centuries of loneliness, trapped in wolf form, unable to bond, unable to feel... But the real question began gnawing at her mind: Was he hungry for anyone's love, or specifically mine?

She gathered her courage and asked softly, "Were you... in that locket? I mean, was your soul there? For a long time. Were you alone?"

Kael's amber eyes trembled with emotion. Despite his massive, fearsome wolf form, there was something painfully vulnerable in the way he looked at her now.

"The locket only held my essence," his voice echoed in her mind, softer than before.

"When you released it, my consciousness returned to this body. But my soul... my soul has always been with you. Since the day you were born. Don't you remember me?"

Eva's breath caught. Memories flooded in, dreams of a shadowy figure watching over her in childhood, fantasies of burning amber eyes during adolescence, and those adult dreams... those passionate, vivid, all-consuming dreams.

Kael was her imaginary friend as a child, her rebellious side in adolescence, and in adulthood... the master of her most passionate nights, her first love in dreams.

She swallowed hard, her face burning with embarrassment. "Those were just dreams," she whispered.

Kael's voice echoed in her mind with a low, roguish laugh. "Does being a dream mean it wasn't real?"

Eva understood exactly what he was implying. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she remembered that dream from a few nights ago. The intensity, the pleasure, how she felt him between her thighs, the sensation of him inside her womanhood...

The thoughts swept her away in a wave of shame. She panicked, "Ahh... I'm cold, I need to go inside!" she burst out, jumping to her feet and brushing the snow off herself with quick, jerky movements.

Kael could feel her body burning. "So you're cold," he rumbled.

Then, just as Eva turned her back, Kael called out to her.

"I've been unhappy since you released me into this body, daughter of Rose."

Eva froze mid-step.

"I still feel you inside me, but you're not as close as before. I've missed you," Kael rumbled.

Eva's heart was pounding wildly. Her breath came in short bursts. What could she say? The creature behind her was a massive wolf; right now this situation seemed so absurd. But still... Imagining him in human form made her heart feel like it would burst with excitement.

Kael sensed her thoughts. "I can come at midnight," he offered gently. "We can talk. Face to face."

Eva felt like she'd die from the storm of emotions. She wasn't afraid of him, not anymore. But this soulmate bond, this spiritual connection, all this supernatural situation... she wasn't sure if she was ready to embrace it all.

But then a clear and simple thought came to her mind:

If someone offered you the prince from your dreams, the man from your fantasies, as a real, living person, which of you would refuse?

She couldn't either...

"Okay," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Midnight. I'll be waiting."

And then, with her heart pounding like a wild drum in her chest, she ran toward the house.

She burst through the door and immediately pressed her back against it, sliding down until she sat on the floor. She placed her hand over her heart and tapped her chest several times.

"You're making me look stupid!" she muttered to her traitorous heart. "Get a grip!"

Outside, Kael heard every rapid heartbeat. A slow, satisfied smile spread across his wolf features, his sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight.

Midnight, see you then, daughter of Rose...

Eva remained frozen by the door for long minutes, trying to calm the chaos in her chest. Her heart refused to cooperate, still pounding as if she'd run a marathon.

"This is insane," she whispered to herself, running her hands through her ash-gray hair. "Complete insanity."

She pulled herself up from the floor and walked to the fireplace. The flames were dying, so she grabbed a log and tossed it in. When the fire roared back to life, sparks flew up the chimney.

The thought that he would come to her tonight felt strange. Exactly... what did having six hours to prepare mean? A conversation? With a centuries-old cursed wolf, who was also the man from her dreams? The man who had touched her in ways that made her blush just thinking about it?

"Oh, you must be crazy, Eva!" she muttered. And began watching the fire.

The hours dragged painfully slow. Eva tried to distract herself, cleaned the already clean kitchen, rearranged the Christmas decorations on the fireplace mantel, and even tried reading one of her grandmother's old books.

None of it worked.

At 11:30 PM, she stopped pretending. She put on clean clothes, nothing too fancy but not pajamas either. Dark jeans and a soft burgundy sweater that made her feel secure. She brushed her hair, then immediately messed it up because it looked too intentional.

"This isn't a date," she told her reflection. "This is a conversation. About magic. And curses. And... things."

Her reflection looked completely unconvinced.

At 11:45 she was pacing in the living room. Back and forth, back and forth.

At 11:50 she stood at the window, watching the darkness.

At 11:55 she heard it. The sharp sound of the clock; Tick... Tick... Tick...

The clock was preparing to strike midnight.

And then...

The first chime of midnight echoed through the house.

Eva held her breath.

Outside, in the darkness beyond her window, two amber eyes appeared. Glowing. Watching. Then she could see his outline. The massive wolf approaching the porch. A few seconds later, she felt the seal warm. It was a gentler heat than last time. She didn't know if Eva was growing stronger or the seal was. But this time Kael's transformation didn't leave her in a weakened state.

She opened the door...

The massive wolf stood before her, amber eyes blazing.

And then... As he reached the doorway, a mystical light rippled over the wolf's body like water. Eva watched, mesmerized, as the fur melted away, the form shifting and transforming... When the light faded, he stood before her.

Not a wolf. Not a dream. He was real. He was breathtaking.

Tall and broad-shouldered, reddish-brown hair falling across his forehead. Bronze skin covered in intricate tattoos that seemed to move in the firelight. And those eyes, those burning amber eyes that had haunted her dreams.

He was completely naked but didn't seem to care. He stood there with the confidence of someone who had lived centuries, fought demons, been cursed and survived.

"Hello, little one," he said, his voice deep and rough, just like she'd heard in her mind but somehow more real. "May I come in?"

Eva's tongue and lips were completely dry with excitement. She managed to nod.

Kael crossed the threshold, and as soon as he did, the seal on Eva's chest flared with warmth. She caught her breath, pressing her hand over it.

"The magic recognizes you," Kael said softly, noticing her reaction. "You invited me willingly. The seal... likes that."

"I..." Eva's voice trembled. She cleared her throat. "You're... Well... naked," she muttered.

A slow, devilish smile spread across Kael's face. "Would you prefer I wasn't?"

"Well... it would be better if you were dressed..." Eva turned away, her face burning. "There's a blanket on the couch. Please," she said, backing away. She was embarrassed but not sorry for the breathtaking view she'd seen; she laughed softly.

Kael heard her laugh as he wrapped the blanket around his waist, a low, warm sound that sent shivers down her spine. "As you wish."

She kept her back turned while he covered himself. When she finally dared to look, he stood by the fireplace, the wool wrapped low on his hips, his tattooed chest and arms completely visible.

It was almost worse than the nakedness. Almost.

"Better?" he asked, clearly amused.

"Theoretically," Eva muttered.

For a while they just stood there, looking at each other. The man from her dreams. The wolf from the forest. The ancient Alpha who had been bound to her since birth now stood right in front of her.

"So," Eva said finally, wrapping her arms around herself. "We should talk."

"Yes," Kael agreed, his eyes never leaving her face. "We should talk."

But neither of them moved. The air between them crackled with unspoken words, questions, desires, and fears.

Outside, the wind howled. Inside, the fire crackled.

And between them, the invisible thread of the soulmate bond pulled tighter still.

This was going to be a very long night.