Chapter Seven

The rest of the world slowly faded away.

The warriors surrounding us, the blood covering the ground, and the dead rogues scattered across the clearing all seemed to disappear. None of it mattered anymore.

My eyes remained locked on Kael’s wolf. He looked completely lost in my gaze, as though he was seeing something that shouldn’t have been possible.

Then something inside me stirred.

A sudden chill rushed through my body, stealing the air from my lungs. Every hair on my arms stood on end as a strange warmth spread through my chest.

I froze.

For the first time in my life… I felt her.

My wolf.

She wasn’t speaking, but I could feel her.

She was alive.

Her emotions poured into me like a rushing river. Excitement. Curiosity. Happiness.

It was as though she had finally woken after years of silence.

I could almost reach her.

Almost.

But something invisible continued holding her back.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t cross whatever stood between us.

A soft sound suddenly came from Kael’s wolf.

It wasn’t a growl.

It wasn’t a warning either.

It sounded almost like a whine.

His silver eyes widened ever so slightly as they remained fixed on mine.

Something flashed across them like Shock or Confusion, I couldn’t tell

Then, to my surprise, he slowly took a step backward.

He took another, almost reluctantly, as though every instinct inside him was pulling him toward me while he forced himself to move away.

I frowned.

Why was he looking at me like that?

Before I could make sense of it, his body tensed.

The familiar sound of cracking bones filled the clearing as he shifted back into his human form.

The transformation looked painful.

His face tightened, and fresh blood trickled from the deep wound across his abdomen. Forcing himself to shift again must have reopened it.

Then my eyes betrayed me.

He was completely naked.

Unfortunately…

Heat rushed to my face as I tried looking away, but my body betrayed me.

I had seen shirtless men before.

But this?

This was different.

His broad shoulders, the hard lines of his chest, the muscles running across his abdomen, the lines that ran down his torso…..

No, no!

I was absolutely not thinking about that.

“What are you staring at?” His deep voice snapped me back to reality.

“I wasn’t staring,” I replied a little too quickly.

One corner of his mouth twitched. “I’m sure you were .”

My face burned even hotter.Why did he have to notice?

Before I could come up with another excuse, his expression turned serious again.

“You tried to run.” Sounding serious this time .

“So?” I glared at him

His jaw tightened.“You ran straight into a trap.”

“I didn’t know it was a trap.” I angrily said

“You still shouldn’t have left the territory.”

“I wasn’t going to sit around while the people who murdered my family were out there.”

The words came out sharper than I intended.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

His expression softened ever so slightly before disappearing again.

“If I hadn’t found you when I did,” he said quietly, “those rogues would’ve taken you.”

I folded my arms.“I can take care of myself.”

“I noticed.”

The dry sarcasm in his voice made me glare at him. “You don’t have to be arrogant.”

“And you don’t have to be reckless.”

We stared at each other.

Neither of us willing to back down.

Finally, Kael sighed.

“You’re going back to the territory.”

“I don’t remember asking.” I rolled my eyes

“You weren’t.”

His answer was calm.

“And from now on, you don’t go anywhere without a guard.”

“I don’t need a babysitter Kael.”

“You clearly do.”

Before I could argue again, Beta Eric walked over carrying a pair of pants and handed them to him. “Alpha.”

Kael took them without looking away from me.

A few moments later, after getting dressed, he walked over.

“What are you doing?” I asked suspiciously.

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he bent down, lifted me over his shoulder as though I weighed nothing, and started walking.

“Kael!”

I hit his back.

“Put me down!”

“No.”

“I can walk damn it !”

“I know.”

“Then why are you carrying me?”

“Because if I let you walk, you’ll probably run again.”

I opened my mouth to deny it.

Then I closed it.

…He had a point.

The warriors quickly looked away, pretending not to notice.

I buried my face in my hands. This was humiliating.

The walk back to the mansion passed in silence. Every now and then, I caught myself glancing at the wound on Kael’s side. It had started healing, but not fast enough.

He had been injured because of me.

When we reached my room, he gently set me on my feet. For a brief moment, our eyes met, but neither of us spoke.

Then he turned and walked away.

I watched him disappear through the doorway, and my thoughts returned to everything that had happened in the forest.

Kael had fought an entire group of rogues to save me. He had faced six Alpha wolves without hesitation, and even after getting injured, his first concern had been getting me safely back to the territory.

None of it made sense.

Kael barely tolerated me. Most of the time, we couldn’t even have a conversation without arguing.

So why had he risked his life for me?

Was it because he felt responsible for bringing me to Ironfang?

Or was there another reason he wasn’t telling me?

The questions followed me into sleep, but by morning, I still had no answers.

———————-

I woke before sunrise because my stomach wouldn’t stop growling.

After everything that had happened the previous day, I hadn’t eaten a proper meal, and now I was paying the price.

Maybe I could sneak into the kitchen before everyone else woke up.

With that thought, I quietly slipped out of my room, only to find two warriors waiting outside my door.

One of them bowed slightly.

“My Lady.”

I blinked.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“The Alpha’s orders,” the other replied apologetically.

I sighed.

Of course they were. Kael certainly knew how to keep his word.

The two guards walked closely as I headed down the quiet corridor.

Looking at the rigid posture of the warriors behind me, the cold truth finally settled in.

I wasn't being protected. I was being detained.