Chapter 6

The next morning, the castle felt different.

Not in the subtle, you-might-be-imagining-it way. No, the air was heavy, like a storm was coiling over the walls, waiting for the right moment to break.

I could feel it in the way the servants moved—quick, heads down, hands fidgeting. In the way the guards spoke in clipped sentences and kept glancing toward the northern courtyard. And most of all, in the way my father’s voice carried through the halls, low and sharp, like someone had dared to test him.

I didn’t need to be a political genius to guess who might have been involved.

Kael had arrived less than a day ago, and already the castle’s mood was bending around him like metal under heat.

I had managed to avoid him all morning, which felt like a victory. But when you’re living in a castle with a man who can track prey by scent alone, I knew my streak wouldn’t last.

And sure enough, the universe had a sense of humor.

I was on my way to the library—an actual safe space in this unpredictable new life—when a shadow fell over me from the side corridor.

“Running away again, little vampire?”

I froze mid-step. That voice. That teasing, low rumble that could either mean danger or… something else entirely.

I turned.

Kael leaned casually against the archway, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, hair just messy enough to look deliberate. And for some reason, he wasn’t wearing his usual leather armor. Instead, a simple linen shirt stretched across his chest and shoulders—though "simple" felt like an understatement when the fabric pulled tight against him every time he moved.

“Not running,” I said, ignoring the way my pulse picked up. “Just… strategically avoiding situations that could result in political catastrophe.”

One corner of his mouth curved. “Meaning me.”

“If the shoe fits.”

Kael pushed off the wall and stepped closer. I held my ground, because moving away would feel like losing.

“You seem to think I’m the dangerous one,” he said. “But from what I’ve seen, you cause more trouble with a single question than most warriors do with a sword.”

I arched a brow. “You’ve known me for less than a day.”

“That’s enough.” His eyes—molten amber in the dim corridor—swept over me, lingering just long enough to make my breath hitch. “And I think I’d like to know more.”

Before I could form a retort, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Lucien.

He appeared like the shadow of a storm—poised, elegant, dangerous in an entirely different way. His red eyes locked on me first, then slid to Kael.

The tension between them was instant, electric.

“Alpha,” Lucien said smoothly, though there was no warmth in it. “I wasn’t aware you were taking private strolls through our halls.”

Kael didn’t even blink. “I was simply speaking with Lady Astrid.”

Lucien’s gaze sharpened. “She has studies to attend to.”

“I’m sure she does,” Kael said, his tone almost mocking. Then he stepped past me, deliberately brushing close enough that I felt the warmth radiating off him. “We’ll talk later, little vampire.”

When he was gone, the silence he left behind was heavy enough to crush me.

Lucien’s eyes softened just slightly when they met mine again. “You should be careful with him.”

The thing was… he didn’t sound jealous. He sounded… protective.

Or maybe I was imagining it.

---

I did try to take Lucien’s advice—at least for the next few hours. I buried myself in dusty books in the library, reading about past treaties between the vampire lords and the werewolf clans. And the more I read, the more I realized that Kael being here wasn’t just about “visiting” or “discussing borders.”

This was the kind of alliance that could either strengthen the realm… or burn it to ash.

Which made my part in it—however small—terrifying.

So naturally, when a servant appeared at my table and said, “Lady Astrid, Alpha Kael has requested your presence in the north training yard,” my brain screamed say no while my mouth said, “Fine.”

The training yard was a wide expanse of packed earth, bordered by the northern wall. Wolves—men and women—were sparring in pairs, their movements sharp and brutal, each strike echoing across the space.

Kael was at the center, shirtless this time, with a sword in his hand and sweat gleaming on his skin. My brain took a moment to process the fact that his abs looked like they had been carved by a particularly arrogant god.

When he saw me, he tossed the sword to one of his warriors and walked over.

“You came.”

“You summoned me,” I said, trying to keep my gaze firmly on his face. “And why are you half-dressed in public?”

His grin was pure provocation. “Does it bother you?”

“Of course not,” I lied, badly.

He chuckled. “I wanted to show you something.”

He led me to a section of the yard where a large wooden post stood, marked with deep claw marks. “Your kind relies on speed and precision,” he said. “Mine relies on strength and endurance. But the best warriors use both.”

Then, before I could blink, he moved—fast. The strike of his claws split the post clean in two, the sound loud enough to make me flinch.

I tried not to show how impressed I was. “Very dramatic.”

“You could do the same,” he said, stepping closer. “If you learned.”

I blinked. “You want to train me?”

“Why not?” His gaze locked with mine, intense. “You need to know how to defend yourself in this world. And I’d rather be the one to teach you than leave you to the court’s vultures.”

I wanted to say no. Really, I did. But something about the way he said it—like it wasn’t just an offer, but a vow—made me hesitate.

And maybe, deep down, I wanted to see what it would be like to spar with someone who looked at me the way Kael did.

The first few minutes were humiliating.

Kael moved like liquid fire, and I… did not. Every time I thought I’d found an opening, he twisted away, catching my wrist or forcing me back with a flick of his arm.

“Don’t think,” he said at one point, circling me. “Instinct will keep you alive. Overthinking will get you killed.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” I muttered, lunging forward—only for him to catch my arm and pull me flush against him.

His breath was warm against my ear. “Better. But you’re still too slow.”

I could feel my pulse everywhere—in my throat, my wrists, under his hand. And for a moment, I didn’t pull away.

Then—

“Astrid.”

Lucien’s voice.

I turned to see him standing at the edge of the yard, arms folded, expression unreadable.

Kael didn’t let go immediately. He held my gaze for one last heartbeat, then released me with a smirk.

“She’s learning,” he told Lucien.

Lucien’s eyes never left mine. “She doesn’t need to learn your way.”

Kael only laughed, low and dangerous, and walked off, leaving me standing there between them.

---

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Kael’s grin, felt his hand on my arm, heard Lucien’s voice—cool and sharp as glass.

And somewhere deep down, I knew this wasn’t just about politics anymore.

This was a game. A dangerous one.

And I was caught right in the middle.

---

The moon was high, spilling silver light over the castle’s stone walls, when I finally gave up on sleep.

Wrapping a shawl around my shoulders, I slipped out to the balcony. The air was cool and sharp, carrying the faint scent of pine and distant rain. Below, the courtyard lay quiet, shadows pooling like ink between the flagstones.

“You’re awake.”

I startled, turning to find Kael leaning against the far column. He was dressed in dark trousers and a loose shirt, hair slightly damp as if he’d just washed. The moonlight caught on his skin, turning it almost gold.

“I could say the same about you,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. “Do all alphas make a habit of lurking outside women’s chambers at midnight?”

His mouth curved in that infuriatingly slow smile. “Only when the woman in question keeps running through my thoughts.”

I rolled my eyes, but my heart was not listening to my brain. “You’re terrible.”

“And yet you’re still here talking to me.” He took a step forward, the faint scrape of his boots against stone loud in the quiet. “Tell me, Astrid… do you trust him?”

“Who?”

“Lucien.” His gaze was sharp now, searching my face. “He’s… complicated. You might think you know him, but there are layers to that man, some you don’t want to peel back.”

“That sounds like something he’d say about you.”

Kael’s smile was brief, but not unkind. “He’s not wrong.”

We stood there in silence for a moment, the wind stirring the ends of my hair. Then Kael stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the heat rolling off him in waves.

“I meant what I said earlier,” he murmured. “You should learn to fight. You should learn to survive. Because when this alliance starts to crack—and it will—you’ll need more than sharp words and a pretty face to keep you alive.”

My breath caught. “And you think you’re the one who can teach me that?”

“I know I am.”

Something flickered in his eyes—challenge, promise, maybe something else. And for one dangerous heartbeat, I thought he might touch me.

But before anything could happen, a low voice broke the moment.

“Enjoying the night air?”

Lucien.

He stood in the balcony doorway, shadows framing him like a painting. His red eyes didn’t leave Kael, and Kael didn’t look away either.

I stepped back, the spell between us shattering.

Lucien’s tone was soft but laced with steel. “Astrid, you should rest. We have a long day ahead.”

Kael’s lips curved, but this time it wasn’t a smile—it was a silent declaration of war. “Sleep well, little vampire.”

He brushed past Lucien on his way out, the tension between them a living, breathing thing.

And I was left standing in the moonlight, my pulse still racing, wondering just how far both men would go… and what would happen when I was forced to choose.

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