Chapter 26

Eli told himself he was getting used to it.

That strange pull.

That awareness of Kieran before he even appeared.

But that morning proved him wrong almost immediately.

Because the moment he stepped outside—

He felt it.

Stronger than before.

Like the air itself shifted direction.

Eli stopped walking.

“…No way.”

A second later—

Kieran appeared at the edge of the street.

Not rushing.

Not dramatic.

Just present.

Like he had always been there, even before Eli noticed.

Eli exhaled slowly.

“…You have a habit of doing that.”

Kieran’s eyes landed on him immediately.

Focused.

Calm.

“…You noticed faster today.”

Eli frowned.

“…That’s not a compliment, right?”

Kieran didn’t answer that.

Instead, he stepped closer—but stopped at a respectful distance again.

Always careful with Eli.

Always controlled.

That alone was starting to feel familiar in a way Eli didn’t like thinking about too deeply.

“…Your reaction is stronger,” Kieran said.

Eli crossed his arms.

“…Yeah. I noticed.”

Kieran tilted his head slightly.

“…It means your memory is aligning.”

Eli scoffed immediately.

“…My what?”

Kieran didn’t repeat himself.

He rarely did.

Instead, he watched Eli quietly for a moment.

Then—

“…You are starting to remember without realizing it.”

Eli shook his head.

“…I don’t remember anything.”

Kieran’s gaze softened slightly.

“…That is not true.”

Eli frowned.

“…You keep saying things like that, but you never explain properly.”

Kieran paused.

Then, instead of giving a long explanation—

He simply said:

“…Because explanation is not what you lack.”

That confused Eli more.

“…Then what do I lack?”

Kieran stepped slightly closer.

Not invading.

Just enough for Eli to feel the pull again.

“…Acceptance,” he said quietly.

Eli immediately looked away.

“…I don’t like how you say that.”

Kieran didn’t respond.

But his gaze stayed on Eli.

Like he was watching something unfold that had already been written long ago.

FLASHBACK — (Eli’s forgotten truth)

The forest was darker this time.

Not snow.

Rain.

Cold.

Heavy.

A small boy ran through the trees.

Breathing fast.

Panicked.

Eli.

But older now in memory.

Still small.

Still lost.

Voices echoed behind him.

Not clear.

Not human in tone.

He fell.

Hard.

Mud soaked his hands.

He tried to stand again—

But froze.

Because someone stepped in front of him.

A shadow.

Then a figure.

Kieran.

Even younger than today, but already carrying something unnatural in his presence.

He crouched in front of Eli.

And this time—

He didn’t hesitate.

“…You keep coming back to me,” Kieran said softly.

Eli in the memory shook his head.

“…I don’t know you.”

Kieran reached forward—

And gently touched Eli’s forehead.

Not forceful.

Not painful.

Just grounding.

“…You will,” he said.

Then something changed.

Not physically.

But inside Eli.

A pull.

A recognition that hurt in a strange way.

Like something inside him wanted to stay with this person.

Forever.

Eli in the memory flinched.

“…What did you do to me?”

Kieran didn’t answer immediately.

Then softly:

“…Nothing you did not already belong to.”

END FLASHBACK

Eli gasped slightly in the present.

His hand went to his chest without thinking.

“…What… was that?”

Kieran watched him closely.

“…You saw it.”

Eli looked up sharply.

“…That wasn’t real.”

Kieran didn’t argue.

That was the problem.

He never argued about what Eli saw.

Only what Eli understood.

“…It was memory,” Kieran said calmly.

Eli shook his head.

“…No. I don’t remember that.”

Kieran stepped slightly closer again.

This time, Eli didn’t move back.

Not because he agreed—

But because his body didn’t respond the way his mind wanted.

That scared him a little.

Kieran noticed.

Of course he did.

“…You feel it more now,” Kieran said quietly.

Eli swallowed.

“…I don’t like it.”

Kieran’s voice softened slightly.

“…You are not meant to like confusion.”

Eli exhaled sharply.

“…You make everything sound simple.”

Kieran tilted his head.

“…It is simple.”

Eli laughed lightly, but there was no humor in it.

“…No, it’s not.”

A pause.

Then Eli added quietly:

“…I have Charlotte.”

That name again.

It always came back.

A grounding point.

A refusal.

Kieran didn’t react strongly.

But something in his expression changed slightly.

Not anger.

Not jealousy.

Just awareness.

“…Yes,” Kieran said.

Eli frowned.

“…That’s it?”

Kieran stepped back slightly.

Giving him space again.

“…She is your choice for now.”

Eli narrowed his eyes.

“…What does that even mean?”

Kieran didn’t answer directly.

Instead—

“…You are still learning what you feel,” he said.

Eli sighed.

“…And you already decided what I feel?”

Kieran’s gaze softened again.

Just slightly.

“…I did not decide.”

A pause.

Then:

“…I recognized it.”

LATER — CHARLOTTE

Charlotte met Eli again in the afternoon.

But this time—

She noticed immediately.

Something had changed.

Not obvious.

But enough.

“You’re shaking your hand again,” she said softly.

Eli stopped immediately.

“…I’m not.”

Charlotte frowned slightly.

“…You are.”

Eli sighed.

“…I just didn’t sleep well.”

Charlotte studied him.

Longer than usual.

“…Was it him again?”

Eli hesitated.

Then nodded slightly.

“…Yeah.”

Charlotte looked down for a moment.

Then asked quietly:

“…Eli, what do you think he wants from you?”

Eli paused.

That question used to have an answer.

Now it didn’t feel so clear.

“…I don’t know,” he admitted.

Charlotte didn’t like that answer.

But she accepted it.

“…Okay,” she said softly.

But her eyes lingered on him longer than before.

Like she was starting to see a shape forming behind everything.

Something she didn’t fully understand yet.

But couldn’t ignore anymore.

NIGHT — KIERAN

Kieran stood alone again.

Wind moving through the high balcony.

Elders below him kept their distance.

No one spoke unless spoken to.

Because he didn’t tolerate unnecessary noise.

But tonight—

His gaze was distant.

Focused on something not physically present.

One of the elders spoke carefully:

“…Alpha. The bond reaction is now active even during separation.”

Kieran nodded slightly.

“Yes.”

Another elder hesitated.

“…The human is resisting harder than expected.”

Kieran finally spoke.

“…He is not resisting.”

A pause.

Then softly:

“…He is remembering incorrectly.”

Silence followed.

Because none of them dared question that statement.

Kieran looked into the distance again.

Where Eli was.

Even when he wasn’t visible.

“…Soon,” he murmured.

Not threat.

Not impatience.

Certainty.