CHAPTER SIXTEEN: GROWING ATTRACTION

The next morning, I woke up with swollen eyes from crying and a heavy heart.

Elena's words kept replaying in my head, especially the part about Kieran only feeling sorry for me.

I got dressed slowly and went downstairs, hoping to avoid everyone and just grab some bread for breakfast.

But when I entered the kitchen, I found Kieran sitting alone at the table with two cups of tea.

"Good morning," he said gently, pushing one of the cups toward me.

"I made you chamomile tea. I thought it might help you feel better."

"Thank you," I said quietly, sitting down across from him.

We sat in silence for a while, both of us sipping our tea.

I could feel Kieran watching me with worried eyes, but I didn't know what to say.

Elena's words had shaken me more than I wanted to admit.

"Laila," Kieran said finally,

"about what Elena said yesterday..."

"She was just being honest," I said quickly, not wanting to cause more problems between him and his sister.

"She was being cruel," Kieran said firmly.

"Elena has been the pack mother since our parents died when I was fifteen and she was nineteen.

She's very protective of our family and sometimes that makes her... harsh with people she sees as outsiders."

"But I am an outsider," I said sadly.

"She's right about that."

"No, you're not." Kieran reached across the table and took my hand gently.

"Laila, you're part of this family now. Elena will come around eventually, but even if she doesn't, that doesn't change how I feel about having you here."

His hand was warm and strong around mine and it made my heart beat faster.

But Elena's words still echoed in my mind.

"Kieran," I said quietly, "why did you really bring me here? And please be honest with me."

Kieran was quiet for a long moment, his thumb rubbing gently across my knuckles.

"Initially," he said carefully,

"I brought you here because I was angry at Damien. I wanted to take something he valued, to hurt him the way he had hurt others."

My heart sank. So Elena was right.

"But," Kieran continued, "that changed very quickly."

"By the second day you were here, my reasons had nothing to do with Damien anymore."

"What do you mean?"

Kieran looked into my eyes, and I saw something there that made my breath catch.

"I mean that I started caring about you, Laila. Not because I felt sorry for you, not because I wanted revenge on your ex-mate, but because of who you are."

"Who am I?" I asked, barely able to speak above a whisper.

"You're kind, even after people have been cruel to you. You're strong, even when you think you're weak."

"You're brave, even when you're scared. And you're beautiful, both inside and out."

I felt my face get warm. No one had ever talked about me like that before.

"Kieran," I said softly,

"I don't know if I'm any of those things."

"You are," he said firmly. "And I..."

He stopped talking and looked away, like he was struggling with something.

"What?" I asked.

"I shouldn't say this," Kieran said, running his free hand through his dark hair.

"It's too soon, and you've been through too much and I don't want to pressure you or make you uncomfortable."

"Tell me anyway," I said, surprised by my own boldness.

Kieran looked back at me, his silver eyes intense.

"I'm falling for you, Laila. I try to tell myself it's just protectiveness or"

"that I'm just helping someone who needs it, but it's more than that. Much more."

My heart started racing.

"Really?"

"Really. When I see you smile, it's like the sun coming out. When you're sad or hurt, I feel it in my chest like a physical pain."

"When other people look at you with admiration or desire, I get jealous in a way I haven't felt in..."

He trailed off, looking troubled.

"In how long?" I asked gently.

"Since Seraphina," he said quietly.

I felt my heart sink a little.

Even when Kieran was telling me he cared about me, his dead mate was still between us.

"Tell me about her," I said, even though part of me didn't want to know.

Kieran was quiet for a moment.

"Seraphina was beautiful, intelligent, and strong."

"Our mating was arranged by our parents to unite our packs during a war, but I grew to love her genuinely over the three years we were together."

"She sounds wonderful," I said, trying not to feel jealous of a dead woman.

"She was. But Laila..."

Kieran squeezed my hand gently.

"What I feel for you is different from what I felt for Seraphina."

"With her, love grew slowly from respect and partnership. With you, it's like... like something inside me recognizes something inside you."

"Like we fit together in a way I can't explain."

I felt butterflies in my stomach, but also confusion.

"If that's true, then why do you look sad when you talk about it?"

Kieran sighed.

"Because I loved Seraphina and I feel guilty for moving on."

"Because I'm an Alpha who should be focused on his pack, not distracted by feelings for someone who's still healing from trauma. And because..."

He hesitated.

"Because what?"

"Because I don't know if what I'm feeling is real or if I'm just lonely," he admitted.

"It's been five years since I lost Seraphina. Maybe I'm just desperate for connection with someone, and you happened to be here when I was ready to feel something again."

His honesty hurt, but I appreciated it.

At least he was being truthful about his confusion.

"And," Kieran continued,

"there's the practical matter that I haven't found my true mate yet. Seraphina wasn't my fated mate - our bond was made by choice and magic, not by the Moon Goddess."

"Somewhere out there is a woman who was meant to be my perfect match and I don't know what happens to my feelings for you if I ever find her."

I felt my heart break a little.

He was right - what if his real mate showed up tomorrow?

Would all his feelings for me just disappear?

"I understand," I said quietly, pulling my hand away from his.

"Do you?" Kieran asked, looking worried.

"Laila, I don't want you to think that my uncertainty about the future means my feelings for you right now aren't real."

"They are. You make me feel alive again in a way I didn't think was possible."

"But if your true mate appeared, you'd have to choose her," I said.

"I don't know," Kieran said honestly.

"The mate bond is supposed to be irresistible, but I've never experienced it. I don't know if I'd have a choice in the matter."

We sat in silence, both of us thinking about the complicated situation we found ourselves in.

"Kieran," I said finally,

"what if I never find out who I really am? What if I never shift into my wolf form? What if I'm always just a half-breed with weird magic powers?"

"Then you'd still be the woman I'm falling for," Kieran said without hesitation.

"Even if I can't be a proper werewolf mate?"

"Laila, there's nothing improper about you. You're perfect exactly as you are."

Before I could respond, Marcus burst into the kitchen looking panicked.

"Kieran!" he said urgently.

"We have a problem. There's a messenger at the gate from the Mountain View Pack."

"Vivian Hartwell is here, and she's asking to speak with Laila specifically."

I felt my blood turn to ice. Vivian was Damien's lover, the woman he chose over me.

What could she possibly want with me?

"Did she say why?" Kieran asked, immediately switching into Alpha mode.

"No, but she looks upset. Really upset. And she's alone - no guards, no escort. She rode here by herself, which is strange for an Alpha's daughter."

Kieran looked at me with concern.

"Do you want to see her? You don't have to if you're not ready."

Part of me wanted to hide in my room and pretend Vivian wasn't here.

But another part of me was curious about what could bring Damien's chosen mate to ask for my help.

"I'll see her," I said, trying to sound braver than I felt.

"I'll be right there with you," Kieran promised.

As we walked toward the main entrance, I couldn't help but think about the timing.

Just when Kieran and I were finally being honest about our growing feelings for each other, someone from my past showed up to complicate everything.

I had a feeling that whatever Vivian wanted, it was going to change everything.

And I wasn't sure I was ready for more changes in my life.