Chapter 2: Kaelen

Kaelen’s POV

The first thing I notice is the scent.

Moonlight. Silver. Destiny.

It slams into my senses so hard my wolf howls inside my chest. My head snaps up, heart pounding like war drums.

No human smells like that.

No one should smell like that.

Then I see her.

Bare feet.

Soft skin.

A human girl standing in the center of my forest like she belongs here.

Trespassing.

On my land.

I drag a hand over my face, already irritated. I’m shirtless—because wolves don’t exactly shift with clothes—and the last thing I expected tonight was some lost human wandering into the most dangerous part of the territory.

Who in the moon’s name walks into a wolf forest alone?

I step out from behind the trees.

“Hey!” My voice cuts through the clearing. “You’re trespassing.”

She spins around so fast she almost trips over a root.

Big eyes. Flushed cheeks. Breathless. Terrified.

…Pretty.

No.

Not pretty.

Familiar.

My chest tightens. My heart slams once—hard enough to hurt. My wolf surges forward so violently that I stagger.

Her scent hits me again.

Moonlight. Silver. Destiny.

My vision flashes gold.

No.

No. It can’t be.

But it is.

Mate.

My wolf drops to his knees inside me. My legs nearly follow. My lungs refuse to work.

I—Alpha Kaelen Vrynn—almost collapse in front of a human girl.

This isn’t supposed to happen.

Not here.

Not now.

Not with a human.

But my soul recognizes her. Every part of me tilts toward her, pulled by something ancient and undeniable.

She, however…

…stares at me like I’m a serial killer.

“D-don’t come closer!” she squeaks.

I blink. “I’m literally trying to tell you you’re in danger—”

Her gaze drops to my bare chest.

Her eyes widen.

Then she screams, “KIDNAPPER!”

What.

Before I can react—

THWACK.

A rock slams into my shoulder.

She threw a rock at me.

An Alpha.

Her fated mate.

Me.

“Did… did you just throw a rock at me?” I ask, stunned.

Her hand is already reaching for another.

My wolf is outraged.

My pride is wounded.

My heart… is ridiculously enchanted.

I raise my hands slowly. “I’m not a kidnapper.”

“You’re shirtless!”

“I’m a werewolf!”

She gasps like I just confessed to murder. “I knew it!”

I scrub a hand over my face. This is a disaster. The Moon Goddess must be laughing at me.

I take one careful step toward her.

Big mistake.

The bond slams into me again. My knees nearly buckle. The urge to kneel—to submit—is overwhelming.

Not because I’m weak.

Because she’s mine.

“Please don’t faint,” I mutter. “Not in front of the trespassing human.”

She backs up, gripping the rock like a weapon. “You stay right there!”

“Fine,” I say. “I’ll stay right here.”

Silence settles between us.

Wind rustles the leaves. The trees whisper. And here we are—

A human girl ready to assault me.

And a powerful Alpha trying not to collapse at her feet.

This is not how fated mates are supposed to meet.

I try again, softer this time. “What’s your name?”

“None of your business!”

“It’s kind of my business if you’re on my land—”

She throws the second rock.

I dodge it.

Barely.

“Stop throwing things at me!”

“Then stop being suspicious!”

I exhale slowly. Unbelievable.

Before I can explain anything—before I can even breathe properly—the bond surges again.

The words slip out of me like a prayer.

“Please…”

My voice cracks.

“…marry me.”

The forest goes silent.

She stares at me, mouth open.

I internally scream.

Why did I say that out loud?!

Two of my warriors—Blaze and Rowan—step out of the trees behind me.

They freeze.

They look at me.

Then at her.

Then back at me.

Blaze mouths silently,

Did our Alpha just propose to a human?

Rowan whispers,

“Is he sick? Cursed? Should we call the healer?”

I want the ground to swallow me.

My mate stares at me like I’m completely insane.

Then she says the words that shatter my pride in the dumbest way possible:

“No. I don’t marry kidnappers or shirtless men!”

She turns to run.

The forest barrier flares.

Magic crashes through the air. Wind howls. The trees pulse with silver light.

She can’t escape.

Her hair lifts with the energy. Her eyes widen. The forest responds to her.

It recognizes her.

My breath stops.

Silver blood.

Moonborn.

The lost princess.

And she doesn’t even know.

She turns back to me, terrified. “W-what was that?”

I step toward her slowly, reverently.

“You,” I whisper, “are not human.”

Her lips part in shock.

Then her knees give out.

She faints straight into my arms.

My wolf howls with joy and panic at the same time.

Behind me, Blaze mutters, “So… you proposed. She fainted. You caught her. This is the most romantic kidnapping I’ve ever seen.”

“I am not kidnapping her!” I snap.

Rowan smirks. “Sure, Alpha. Sure.”

I ignore them.

My eyes drop to her face. Soft. Frightened. Familiar.

My mate.

My Moonborn.

My lost destiny.

I lift her gently into my arms—bridal style—and carry her toward the pack house.

Because whether she likes it or not…

Everything just changed.

To be continued