Chapter 10

THE EDGE OF HIM

Kael hadn’t slept.

The air in the mansion felt thinner every day, thick with the scent of her. Liana. Her laughter in the library, her soft steps down the hallway—everything about her pressed against his skin like a second heartbeat. The bond between them burned brighter, hotter, more volatile with each passing hour.

He was losing control.

He stood in the training courtyard, shirtless, barefoot, swinging fists at a phantom enemy. Every punch cracked the air like thunder. Sweat poured down his spine. He hadn’t called for sparring partners. Not since the last one had left the ring bloody and trembling.

The beast inside was always close now. Growling. Snarling. Demanding.

Liana.

She was the balm. And the blade.

He hit the stone column again—knuckles split, healing almost instantly. Over and over. Until—

“Kael.”

He froze.

Her voice.

Liana stood just inside the archway, arms crossed over her chest, wind tugging at her curls. She wore a loose blouse and leggings, no shoes, and no fear in her eyes.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Trying to stay sane.”

“Doesn’t look like it’s working.”

Kael let his hands drop, breathing hard. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“You don’t get to decide where I go.”

The bond flared, reacting to her nearness. Kael felt it coil tight in his gut. His wolf surged against his spine, wanting to break free.

“I could hurt you,” he rasped.

“You already have.”

That hit harder than any fist.

She walked toward him, slow, deliberate. “You kissed me. Then vanished. You want me, but you hide. You claim you’re protecting me, but you’re also punishing me.”

“I’m protecting you from me.”

Her eyes didn’t waver. “I’m not a fragile doll, Kael. Stop pretending you’re the only one suffering.”

Kael stepped back. “You don’t know what it’s like. Every second I resist this bond, I feel my mind unraveling. You’ve read the books. You know what happens to cursed Alphas with incomplete bonds.”

“They go mad.”

“Yes.”

“So what? You give in? You claim me? Own me?”

His eyes snapped to hers. “It’s not about ownership.”

“No?” she whispered. “Then what is it about?”

Kael’s voice dropped. “Need. Survival. Pain. Love. I don’t even know anymore. All I know is… I can't think straight with you so close.”

He turned away, but she followed.

“You think I’m not scared?” she said. “You think I haven’t been lying awake every night, wanting to touch you but terrified I’ll lose myself?”

He didn’t answer.

Liana stepped closer.

The air between them crackled. The bond pulsed.

“I don’t want to be claimed,” she said. “Not like I’m a prize. Not because fate demands it. I want to choose.”

Kael looked back at her, something raw in his eyes. “Then choose.”

Liana reached up, gently touched the side of his face.

His breath caught.

“I’m not ready,” she said.

He nodded. “I know.”

“But I’m not running anymore.”

The wolf in him growled, quiet and satisfied.

Kael lowered his forehead to hers. “Then I’ll stay. Here. At the edge of you. Until you’re ready.”

They stood like that for a long moment.

Not lovers.

Not enemies.

Something in between.

Later, Kael stood alone in the war room, fists braced on the stone table.

Xander entered, expression unreadable. “The eastern patrols found another rogue camp. Small. Sloppy. Abandoned in a hurry.”

Kael’s eyes sharpened. “They’re getting closer.”

Xander nodded. “And bolder.”

Kael’s thoughts darkened. Rogues never acted without purpose. Not like this. They were after something. Or someone.

“Double the perimeter watch,” he said. “And keep Liana guarded. Quietly.”

Xander tilted his head. “She’s not just another prisoner, is she?”

Kael didn’t answer.

He didn’t have to.

Xander gave a tight nod. “Understood.”

But as he turned to leave, Kael caught a flicker of something in his scent. Something…off.

A lie.

Kael narrowed his eyes. “You still haven’t told me where you were during the last attack.”

Xander smiled. “I was exactly where I needed to be.”

Then he was gone.

That night, Liana dreamed of fire.

She stood in a field of ash, the moon overhead split in two. Wolves circled her, their eyes hollow. One stepped forward.

Not Kael.

Not a wolf at all.

But a man cloaked in shadow.

He smiled.

“I’m coming for you, little Luna.”

Liana woke with a gasp, sweat soaking her sheets.

The mark on her neck shimmered.

She didn’t know what scared her more—the nightmare...

Or the fact that a part of her wanted Kael beside her.

Even now.

Especially now.