Him

Chapter Two 

I shouldn’t still be looking at him.

I know that. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a quiet voice is telling me to look away, to remember where I am, to remember why I’m standing here. But my body refuses to listen.

My eyes stay locked with his.

They’re grey.

Not light. Not soft. A deep, steely shade that looks almost silver under the Moonlight, sharp and controlled, as if nothing ever escapes his notice. The kind of eyes that don’t need to linger to leave an impression.

For a heartbeat, the rest of the world disappears.

Then my gaze drifts—slow, helpless—taking him in.

He’s tall. Taller than Kael. Not by much, maybe an inch, but enough that the difference registers instantly. Six-foot-four, if I had to guess. He is long-limbed, broad in a way that has nothing to do with bulk and everything to do with strength. The kind that comes from years of discipline, of fights survived, of power held tightly under control.

His presence alone is commanding.

He’s wearing black.

Not ceremonial, not ornate. A perfectly tailored black suit that fits him with ruthless precision, the jacket hugging his shoulders, the fabric stretching subtly over muscle instead of hiding it. Beneath it, a crisp black shirt—no tie, the top button undone just enough to feel intentional.

Nothing about him is softened.

The dark fabric only sharpens him, makes him look more dangerous instead of restrained, as if he’s wearing control rather than clothes. It doesn’t tame him. If anything, it makes him look more dangerous—  emphasizing everything that should probably make me look away.

But I don’t.

My gaze drops before I can stop it—down the clean lines of his chest, the way the suit moves with him instead of against him, the quiet confidence in the way he stands, unmoving, as though the entire ceremony could crumble and he’d still remain exactly where he is.

Breathtaking.

The word slips into my thoughts uninvited.

I swallow.

This is inappropriate.

This is reckless.

This is—

Moonlight brushes over his skin, and that’s when I notice it— slight movement. A slightly tanned hand, warm against the stark contrast of black fabric and silver light, moving to fix the cuffs. It makes him look less like a statue and more like something real. Something alive.

Something I shouldn’t be noticing at all.

My eyes catch on something just below his jaw.

A mark.

It’s subtle, half-hidden beneath the open collar of his shirt, but unmistakable once I see it. Darker than the rest of his skin, etched like a permanent imprint rather than an injury. Old. Intentional.

An Alpha mark.

The realization hits me all at once.

This is him.

Darian Raventhorn.

The Raventhorn Alpha.

Kael’s older brother.

The man people have been whispering about since the moment the alliance was announced.

Heat floods my face, sharp and humiliating.

I shouldn’t have been staring. I shouldn’t have been thinking—feeling—the things I was feeling. I’m standing at the altar, moments away from marrying his brother, and I was too busy memorizing the cut of his suit and the color of his eyes to remember that. I was too busy cataloguing his body to remember that basic fact.

Shame coils tight in my chest.

I force my gaze back to his face—and instantly regret it.

Because his expression has changed.

Whatever neutrality had been there before is gone. In its place is something colder. Harder. Disapproval settles into his stare, unmistakable and heavy, as though he’s fully aware of exactly where my attention has been.

And worse—he looks offended by it.

Not flattered.

Not curious.

Judging.

My stomach drops.

He must think I’m pathetic.

An Alpha’s daughter, openly staring at another man on her wedding day. His brother’s wedding day. I feel exposed beneath his gaze, stripped of composure, as if he can see straight through the carefully built composure I’ve been clinging to all night.

I look away immediately, my pulse pounding.

What is wrong with me?

I draw in a slow breath, then another, trying to ground myself, trying to remember how to stand, how to exist. My fingers curl reflexively, searching for something steady.

And then it hits me.

I forgot.

For one terrifying, weightless moment—I forgot that I’m here to get married.

The realization hollows me out.

I’m at the altar.

In front of Kael.

About to bind my life to his.

And I almost let myself forget.

Guilt crashes into me harder than anything else tonight.

I sneak a glance at Kael, expecting to see confusion, or worse—hurt. But he’s still watching me with that same quiet steadiness, unaware of the storm raging inside my chest. His presence is grounding, solid, and I cling to it like a lifeline.

I straighten, lifting my chin, forcing my expression into something appropriate. Something worthy of the moment.

Get it together, Aelira.

This is not the time.

This is not the man.

This is not your choice to make.

The silence stretching across the clearing suddenly feels unbearable. Every second drags, heavy and thick, as if the Moon herself is holding her breath.

Then a voice breaks through it.

“We have gathered here tonight.”

The elder’s words echo across the clearing, firm and commanding, snapping me back into myself.

Relief washes through me so fast my knees almost weaken.

I welcome the interruption.

The elder steps forward, ancient power radiating from him as he raises his hands slightly, commanding the attention of both packs. His presence fills the space, pushing everything else—every distraction, every forbidden thought—back where it belongs.

I focus on him. On the ceremony. On the vows I’ve known were coming my entire life.

This is why I’m here.

Not because of smoltering grey eyes.

Not because of a lethal man in black.

Not because of something dangerous I don’t understand yet.

I finally reach for Kael’s hand, feeling the warmth of his skin against mine. It steadies me. Anchors me. And reminds me why I'm here.

This is real.

This is happening.

And yet—even as the ceremony begins—I can’t shake the feeling that something irreversible has already shifted.

That I noticed too much.

That I felt too much.

And that the Alpha standing beside my groom noticed it too.

And nothing would ever be the same.