CHAPTER THREE: HE SHOULD HAVE LEFT ME

Kael looked at me like I was something he did not understand. The distance between us felt different now.

“You should not be here,” I said. I was not asking for permission, he replied. His eyes moved over me slowly, studying me in a way that made my skin tighten.

You feel different, he said. I took a step back. I am the same. No, he said. You are not. The voice inside me stirred again.

He can feel it. I clenched my fists. Stop, I whispered. Kael’s expression sharpened. Stop what? he asked. I shook my head quickly.

“Nothing.” But the pressure inside me grew stronger. You are hiding something, he said. His words settled between us, and for a moment, neither of us moved, but the air felt tighter, heavier, as if something unseen was building around us.

I held his gaze, trying to decide if I could trust him with even a part of the truth, but the memory of his rejection was still too fresh, too sharp to ignore.

“You already made your choice,” I said quietly, my voice steady but colder than before. “You do not get to question me now.”

Kael’s jaw tightened slightly, and for a brief second, something shifted in his expression, not anger, not indifference, but something more complicated.

This is not about choice anymore, he said. “Something is wrong, and you know it.”

I let out a slow breath, my fingers curling slightly as the pressure inside me returned, stronger now, harder to ignore.

I know something is different, I admitted. The words felt heavier than I expected. But I do not think it is wrong. The moment I said it, the silence between us deepened, because even I was no longer sure what that meant.

Before I could answer, pain hit again. I gasped as my body bent slightly, my hands tightening as something inside me pushed outward. Kael moved instantly, grabbing my arm to steady me.

The moment he touched me, everything changed. Energy surged between us. Kael’s eyes widened slightly. What was that? he demanded.

The moment hung between us longer than it should have, and neither of us moved, but the energy that had passed between us did not fade completely.

It lingered, as if something had just been triggered without warning. Kael’s grip on my arm tightened slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough to hold me in place.

That was not normal, he said, I swallowed, my chest rising slowly as I tried to steady myself, but the truth was already clear.

I know, I replied. The air between us felt charged, heavier than before, as if whatever had connected us in that moment had not fully broken.

Kael’s gaze did not leave mine. What are you hiding? He asked again. This time, his voice carried more than suspicion. It carried urgency.

I hesitated, not because I wanted to lie, but because I did not know how to explain something I did not understand myself.

I am not hiding anything, I said. But even as the words left my mouth, I knew they were no longer true. Because something inside me was changing. And whatever it was, it was no longer mine alone.

I pulled away from him quickly. I do not know, I said. But that was not true. The voice spoke again. “He is connected.”

My heart dropped. Kael stepped closer again, You are coming back with me, he said. I shook my head. No, I said. But deep inside, something answered for me. You already belong to something else.