Chapter 4

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The Alpha’s Hunger

Liana sat curled in the corner of the bed, knees to chest, eyes fixed on the door Kael had just slammed behind him.

The air still vibrated from his presence.

It wasn’t just the threat of him—it was the pull. Like her body had betrayed her brain. Her heart beat out of rhythm every time he came near, every time his voice dropped, every time his silver eyes locked onto her like he could read every filthy thought she’d never had before.

She hated him for that.

And hated herself more for the heat that still throbbed low in her belly.

Snap out of it, Liana.

This was not some dark, sexy fantasy. This was real. He was real. A cursed, violent Alpha who thought she was some kind of mystical mate.

And she? She was a hostage.

But when the door clicked open again twenty minutes later, the tension that returned wasn’t fear.

It was expectation.

Kael entered barefoot, shirtless now, a white cloth in one hand and a scar slashing across his ribcage. His skin gleamed with sweat, his chest rising and falling like he’d just run a mile on all fours.

Their eyes met.

“I brought you food,” he said, tossing the cloth bundle onto the bed.

She didn’t move.

“What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” he said flatly. “You’re no good to me dead.”

She eyed the bundle, then back at him. “Not hungry.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Liar.”

“Asshole.”

He almost smirked at that. Almost.

Then something shifted in him. Something darker.

“I can hear your heartbeat,” he said softly. “Even when you’re silent. I can smell your adrenaline. Your want.”

“I don’t want you,” she snapped, voice shaking.

He didn’t blink.

“You want freedom. That’s the difference.”

She shot to her feet. “And you’re not giving it to me!”

“I’m trying to give you time,” he growled, stepping closer. “Time to understand what you are. What I am. What we could be.”

“I don’t want to be anything with you!”

“I didn’t ask what you wanted.”

He moved so fast she didn’t have time to run. In a blink, he was inches away, hands on either side of her head, pressing her back against the cold stone wall.

Her breath came fast now, panic and heat twisting in her chest.

Kael leaned down, his nose brushing her temple.

“You think I enjoy this?” he whispered. “You think I want this bond? I’ve buried the only woman I ever loved. And now the gods think I should have another?”

Liana swallowed hard. “Then break it.”

“I can’t. That’s the curse.”

His voice cracked, eyes flickering gold. His jaw trembled. His muscles strained like he was holding something in—like he was trying not to shift.

Liana’s voice softened. “You’re changing…”

He backed away like she’d burned him.

“Get away from me,” he rasped.

But her feet wouldn’t move.

“Kael—”

He grabbed a nearby chair and snapped it in half with one hand. His body convulsed. Claws extended from his fingers, just for a flash.

“Go!” he roared.

Liana darted to the far corner, heart hammering.

Kael doubled over, panting, gripping the wall. When he looked up, his eyes glowed like burning silver.

“You don’t understand,” he said, voice full of agony. “Every second I’m near you, I’m at war. The wolf wants to claim you. The man wants to destroy the wolf. And if I lose…”

He looked straight at her.

“I will hurt you.”

Silence fell, thick as blood.

Kael stormed to the door. His hand hovered on the knob. But he didn’t turn it.

“I don’t want to care about you,” he whispered without looking back. “But you smell like moonfire. And it’s driving me insane.”

Then he left.

This time, the door slammed harder.

And Liana was alone again—with nothing but the echo of his hunger.

And the terrifying realization that hers was beginning to match it.

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