Chapter 3

KAEL THORNE

Morning had barely broken when I found myself in the council building, standing in a room that smelled like old paper, burnt coffee, and the kind of tension that settled deep in your jaw.

"Water samples from the northern creek came back." Said Kent, dropping a folder onto the table. "No signs of heavy metals, but there's some kind of fungal bloom forming around the roots in the shaded areas. Could be contributing to the sickness."

I didn't respond right away. My hands were braced on the edge of the table, jaw tight, eyes scanning the report.

"Could be." I said finally. "But it doesn't explain the fever patterns or the bleeding."

Owen, standing by the window, rubbed a hand over his face. "If this were any other town, I'd say it's a coincidence. Maybe even unrelated. But it's Draven. And we both know this place has a history of making its own rules."

I grunted. That much was true.

The sickness wasn't spreading the way a normal virus would. It was selective-random, almost. Some recovered. Others didn't. There was no clear reason why.

"Did the girl arrive safely?" Owen asked, shifting topics like he knew I needed the change.

"Yeah," I said, still staring at the sample results. "Dropped her off with you two yesterday."

"She didn't say much on the ride in," Kent said. "But she's sharp. Observant. Quiet."

"She's not what I expected." I admitted.

Owen snorted. "What did you expect? A miracle worker with a lab coat and a clipboard?"

"I expected someone older," I said, finally looking up. "Someone more...clinical."

And instead, I got her.

Eira Vale had looked like something out of another life—small, ethereal, and out of place in our bleak, snow-bitten town. Her pale hair had glinted like silver in the sun. She'd spoken softly, moved carefully, and somehow still stood out like a match in the dark.

She didn't belong here. Not really.

And that made two of us.

***

By late afternoon, I was back at headquarters, reviewing maps and patrol logs. The number of strangers spotted on the outer roads was increasing. So were the empty traps. People were sneaking in.

The border security needed to be reviewed urgently, the last thing I want to deal with is an attack from a rogue park when I have a sickness that needs to be cured.

I was still reviewing the footage from the northeast trail cam when a scent hit me.

Faint. Out of place. Sweet and clean and completely disarming.

I went still.

It didn't make sense. The building was mostly empty at this hour. The front desk had gone home. Only a few guards lingered in the back hallways.

But the scent lingered-drifting past the doorway and weaving under the threshold like it belonged to the damn place.

My chest tightened. Every part of me tuned toward it without thinking.

I pushed up from my chair and stepped into the hall.

Nothing.

Then footsteps. Light. Uncertain. Like someone wasn't sure they should be here at all.

And then she rounded the corner.

Eira.

She froze mid-step, eyes wide, lips parting like she'd been caught sneaking somewhere forbidden.

I didn't move.

Neither did she.

Time stretched in that strange, uncomfortable way it sometimes did in the silence between breaths. Between knowing and not.

I knew it then.

The scent. The pull. The way my blood roared in my ears like I'd been punched in the chest.

She was mine.

Not in some possessive, selfish way. Not like something to be claimed.

It was deeper. Older. A truth written into the marrow of my bones.

And she had no idea.

"Kael?" she said softly, almost like a question.

"Eira." I answered, voice lower than I meant it to be. "What are you doing in the park office?"

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and looked down at the floor, flustered. "Sorry-I didn't mean to wander in here. Elise told me I could look through the archives, but I think I got turned around."

"You're fine," I said. "The archive room's one floor down."

"I figured." She glanced back the way she'd come, then hesitated. "I didn't expect you to be here."

"Didn't expect you either."

She bit her lip and looked at me again, really looked. "You okay?"

It was such a simple question. No loaded meaning. Just kindness.

And it wrecked me more than it should have.

I cleared my throat. "Yeah. Just...a long day. How do you like the house you were shown? If there's any discomfort, I can—"

"There's no need Alpha. I find it perfect to my taste."

I felt a slight sting at the formal title she used. Instead of calling my name like she normally did, she was more aloof.

"Call me Kael. It's weird hearing that title from you."

"Why? Even though I haven't been in town for years, this is still my home and you're my Alpha. But if it please you, I'll call you by your name."

"That would be appreciated."

Eira nodded, then glanced past me. "I should go before I get in the way."

I stepped aside automatically, but my eyes didn't leave her. "You're not in the way."

She moved past me slowly, and the scent of her wrapped around me again—delicate, grounding, intimate.

And then, just before she reached the stairs, she turned.

"Kael?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you found me yesterday."

The silence between us was thick. Heavy with the weight of something unspoken.

"I didn't know it was you." I said honestly.

She smiled faintly. "But you came anyway."

Then she disappeared down the steps.

***

I didn't sleep that night.

I stared at the ceiling long after the fire died in the hearth, wondering how the hell the universe had the audacity to tie me to someone like her.

She was soft, too soft for this place. She was gentle in a way I hadn't seen in years. The people here would try to mold her, harden her, or worse-see her as fragile and useless. They wouldn't know how to treat something precious.

But I did.

And that scared the shit out of me.

***

The next morning, I stood outside the clinic before sunrise, watching the lights flicker on one by one.

I hadn't meant to come here. I told myself I was checking in. Making sure she had what she needed.

But when Elise opened the front door and grinned at me knowingly, I knew I was lying.

"She's inside," Elise said. "Already making people nervous with her note-taking."

I gave her a look.

"I mean that in a good way," she added quickly. "She's thorough. The kids like her, too."

I didn't say anything.

"You gonna go in or just stand out here brooding all day?"

I didn't answer that either.

Instead, I stepped inside.

Eira sat at a desk near the front, glasses perched low on her nose, a patient chart spread open in front of her. She didn't notice me right away-too focused, too absorbed.

And when she finally looked up, the surprise on her face was quickly replaced by something gentler. Warmer.

"Morning," she said, voice still sleep-soft.

I nodded. "You settling in?"

"I think so," she said. "People have been kind. Curious, but kind."

"Anything stand out in the files?"

"A few patterns," she said, pushing her glasses up. "I'm not ready to make guesses yet, but I've circled some names to follow up on. I'd like to talk to some of the families."

"I can arrange that."

She smiled again, and it was all I could do to stay where I was.

"I'm glad you came." she added, softer.

I nodded once more, heart thudding far too fast for my own comfort.

I pointed at the herbs on the table and looked at her. "What have you found so far?"

"Well asides the fact that there is no sense of organization and the symptoms aren't exactly patterned, I'd say that I don't think it's contagious."

"Why do you say so?'

"With how deadly it is, more than half of the park members would be dead. So considering the fact that on few people have died, it can be deduce that it's not contagious."

My eyes travelled down her covered body and back to her face. The only color she used was the bright red lipstick on her lips which was a contrast to her hair and eye color. Her hair was placed in a messy bun-possibly to be able to conduct experiments. "I'm impressed at your analysis. You're quite competent Eira, it has even been up to two days."

I watched at she touched ever so slightly as though she were uncomfortable. "I believe in efficiency and timeliness."

"If everyone were as competent as you, wouldn't this world be a better place? Maybe I'd have less workload too and less people on my back."

"You must have a lot of work to do, I can barely grasp how busy you are."

"This is nothing compared to a healer. I command people to die but you Eira, you bring them back to life." I straightened and took a step closer to her. Her eyes met with mine and for the briefest second, I felt a spark as though electricity, ran down through my veins. One look at her face she I knew she felt it to.

So she knows that she's my mate.

"Kael, I am a mere healer, not some necromancer." She said, her face flushed.

I stopped myself from getting close to her and grabbing her. That was wrong, besides I barely knew anything about her. The only reason why I was feeling this way was because of fate.

I almost laughed at the thought of it. So this is what fate felt like. Not fire. Not fury. Just...quiet recognition.

I took a step back from her. "I expect a summary report at the end of this week. If you have any questions, relay them to Kent or Owen, they are my second and third in command."

Eira bowed her head slightly in respect. "Yes Alpha."

I turned away and walked towards the door. I dug my fingers into my skin, trying to fight the burning urge. Every part of me had wanted to close the distance between us, even my wold screamed to he released but, I knew better than to follow my animalistic instincts.

Even though she's my mate, I have other things I should focus on right now. Since we had not marked each other,we can only sense a slight pull, more like an attraction but it was bearable.

Until everything is sorted out, I am not going to do anything about it, the last thing I want is to hurt my mate.

But deep down, I know that I was already in too deep.

***