The Return

Kael came back three days later.

I felt him before I saw him. The bond — the thing he kept calling a bond — pulsed in my chest like a second heartbeat. Warm. Demanding. Pulling me toward the front door.

I was in the kitchen. Eating bread I didn't taste. Drinking tea that had gone cold an hour ago.

Elias looked up from his chair by the fire. His grey eyes softened.

"He's back," Elias said.

"I know."

"You're not going to meet him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

I put down the bread. Looked at my hands. They were shaking. They had been shaking for three days.

"Because if I see him," I said, "I'm going to kiss him again. And then he's going to leave again. And I can't do that. I can't keep being left."

Elias said nothing.

The front door opened.

Boots on the stone floor. Heavy. Deliberate. The same walk I'd heard on my first night here. The same walk that had haunted my dreams for seventy-two hours.

Kael walked into the kitchen.

He looked terrible.

Dark circles under his eyes. Blood on his shirt — not his, I could tell. His hair was matted. His knuckles were split. His black eyes found me immediately.

"Aria," he said.

"Kael."

"I'm back."

"I see that."

He walked toward me. Didn't stop until he was close enough to touch. His hand reached up. His fingers found my neck. Found the bite mark he'd left before he disappeared.

"You're still here," he said.

"Where else would I go?"

"I don't know. But I thought you might run."

"I don't run."

"You should."

"Then why did you buy me?"

Kael's thumb pressed against the bite. I hissed. The pain was sharp. But underneath the pain — warmth. The bond. Growing.

"Because I'm selfish," he said. "Because I wanted something that was mine. Because I didn't know you'd feel like this."

"Feel like what?"

"Like home."

I stared at him.

He stared back.

Three days ago, he kissed me in the truck and then disappeared. Three days of silence. Three days of me sitting in his house, eating his food, sleeping in his bed, pretending I didn't care.

"I hate you," I said.

"I know."

"You left."

"I know."

"You didn't say goodbye."

"I know."

Kael's hand moved from my neck to my face. His palm was rough against my cheek. His thumb traced my lower lip.

"I'm sorry," he said.

The words hit me harder than any slap.

I'd never heard him apologize. Not once. Not for the bite. Not for the threats. Not for the way he looked at me like I was something to be consumed.

"What happened out there?" I asked.

"Rogues. A lot of them. Someone is gathering them. Someone is pointing them at my borders."

"Marcus?"

"Probably. But I couldn't find proof."

"So you killed them instead."

Kael's jaw tightened.

"I did what I had to do."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I have."

He stepped back. His hand dropped. The cold rushed in between us.

Elias stood up. Walked to the door.

"I'll give you two a moment," Elias said.

"Stay," Kael said.

Elias stopped.

"This involves you too," Kael said. "Marcus isn't just coming for me. He's coming for all of us."

Elias sat back down.

Kael walked to the fire. Stared into the flames. His back was to me. His shoulders were tense.

"There were thirty rogues," he said. "Thirty. Camped a mile from the border. Armed with silver."

Elias's face went pale. "Thirty is an army."

"It's a message. Marcus is telling me he can take what he wants. He's telling me he's not afraid."

"Then we prepare," Elias said.

"We prepare."

Kael turned to me.

"And you — you stay inside. No walks. No garden. No border. Vera will watch you."

"No," I said.

"Excuse me?"

"I said no. I'm not a prisoner. I'm not a child. And I'm not going to hide while men die for me."

Kael walked toward me. Fast. His eyes were burning.

"You will do what I say," he said.

"I will do what keeps me alive."

"That's what I'm trying to do."

"No. You're trying to control me. There's a difference."

We were face to face now. Inches apart. His breath was warm on my skin. His hands were fists at his sides.

"You are so difficult," he said.

"You bought me. You didn't break me."

"No. I didn't."

Something shifted in his face. The anger faded. Something softer took its place.

"I don't want to break you," he said.

"Then what do you want?"

Kael didn't answer.

He kissed me instead.

Not like the truck. Not like the kitchen table. This was different. Slower. Deeper. His hands cupped my face like I was something precious. His mouth moved against mine like he was memorizing me.

I kissed him back.

I shouldn't have. He'd left me. He'd disappeared for three days without a word. He'd made me feel things I didn't want to feel.

But his hands were in my hair. His body was pressed against mine. His heart was beating so fast I could feel it through his chest.

Elias coughed.

Kael pulled back.

Elias was staring at the fire, a small smile on his face.

"Should I leave now?" Elias asked.

"Yes," Kael said.

"No," I said.

Kael looked at me.

"I'm not sleeping in your bed tonight," I said.

"You've been sleeping in my bed for three days."

"That was different. You weren't there."

"And now I am."

"And now I'm sleeping on the couch."

Kael stared at me. His jaw tightened. Then he laughed. Actually laughed. The sound filled the kitchen.

"You're impossible," he said.

"You're the one who bought an enemy."

"Fair point."

Elias stood up. Walked to the door.

"I'm going to check the borders," Elias said. "You two... figure it out."

He left.

The door closed.

Kael and I stood alone in the kitchen. The fire crackled. The house groaned. Somewhere upstairs, a floorboard creaked.

"I meant what I said," Kael said. "I'm sorry I left."

"You could have said goodbye."

"I couldn't."

"Why?"

"Because if I'd said goodbye, I wouldn't have gone. And I needed to go. I needed to kill something. I needed to remember who I was."

"And who are you?"

Kael stepped closer. His hand found my waist.

"I'm the man who bought you," he said. "I'm the man who marked you. I'm the man who will kill anyone who tries to take you."

"That's not who you are. That's what you do."

"What's the difference?"

"Everything."

Kael was silent.

Then he said something I never expected.

"Teach me."

"Teach you what?"

"Who I am. The difference. Teach me how to be more than the man who kills."

My heart stopped.

This was not the cold Alpha from the ceremony. This was not the cruel buyer from the first night. This was someone else. Someone underneath the armor.

"Why me?" I asked.

"Because you see me. Everyone else sees the Alpha. The killer. The monster. But you — you see something else."

"Maybe I'm wrong."

"Maybe. But you're the only one who's tried."

I reached up. Touched his face. His scar. His stubble. His jaw.

"Then listen to me," I said. "I'm not going to hide. I'm not going to be your prisoner. I'm going to walk in your territory. I'm going to learn your pack. I'm going to earn my place here."

"You don't have to earn anything."

"Yes, I do. For myself. Not for you. For me."

Kael's hand covered mine. Held it against his cheek.

"You're going to be trouble," he said.

"You keep saying that."

"Because it keeps being true."

He kissed my palm. Soft. Gentle. The same mouth that had bitten my neck and threatened my enemies.

"One condition," he said.

"What?"

"Vera goes with you. Everywhere. Not to watch you. To protect you."

"Vera wants me dead."

"Vera wants me. There's a difference."

"Not to me."

"Please."

Kael had never said please to anyone. I could see it in his eyes. The word cost him something.

"Fine," I said. "But if she tries anything, I'll handle it myself."

"How?"

I smiled.

"You'll see."

That night, I slept on the couch.

Kael slept in his bed. Alone.

But at 3 AM, I felt him come downstairs. Heard him stop at the edge of the couch. Felt him pull a blanket over me.

His lips touched my forehead.

"Sweet dreams, Aria," he whispered.

I pretended to be asleep.

He walked back upstairs.

I touched my forehead where his lips had been.

My wolf howled.

I howled with her.